IMPACT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF CERVICAL CANCER THERAPEUTIC APPROCHES

Cervical cancer (CC) is acknowledged as the most ubiquitous carcinoma among females along with the utmost prevalence in developing nations. The major cause of CC is HPV exposure, especially HPV16 and 18. Inflammation is linked to the carcinogenesis of CC in addition to HPV infection. Although the precise cause of CC is yet unknown, using oral contraceptives, being immunosuppressed, and smoking may enhance the risk of the disease. Oxidative stress (OS), in addition to HPV, is linked to cervical cancer. Across several clinical and preclinical research, the dysfunctional redox system and the impact of oxidative stress throughout the aetiology of CC have been examined. Redox homeostasis must therefore be maintained, which calls for both enzymatic and nonenzymatic redox regulators. In this study, we explored the therapeutic strategies used to preserve redox balance, lower cervical cancer mortality, and illustrate the contribution of oxidative stress in the aetiology of the disease

Current trends in the management of acute diarrhea in children below 5 years of age

Background: Diarrhea can cause significant deaths and morbidity in children whose age is below 5 years in developing countries. In children under five, it is the third cause of mortality. Aims and Objectives: The main aim of this study was to examine recent trends in the management of acute diarrhea in children below 5 years of age and to identify the pattern of pharmacotherapy for acute diarrhea in children the specific age group of <5 years of age. Materials and Methods: A non-interventional study that was prospective and observational in nature was conducted in 50 patients that were admitted in the pediatric wards at a teaching hospital that was tertiary care. Only those participants whose parents/guardian gave written informed consent were included in the study. Results: Of enrolled 50 patients, 30 (60%) were male patients and 20 (40%) were female patients. Most patients (42%) were between the ages of 6 months–1 year. All the 50 participants were prescribed WHO-ORS and Zinc. About 60% of children were administered the antibiotics with intravenous fluids. Antipyretics were administered to 90% children, antispasmodic and antisecretory agents to 40%, and probiotics to 92% children. The commonly used antibiotics were ceftriaxone, cefpodoxime, metronidazole, ofloxacin, and ornidazole. Conclusion: There was strict adherence to guidelines for treating the children who suffered with acute diarrhea. However, there was poor awareness among the parents regarding the compliance to the treatment, hygienic practices, and its consequences.

Perception of undergraduate medical students toward online learning in comparison with traditional learning

Background: The E-Learning has significant impact in developing medical education and accepted by medical students. It can be used either as sole platform for teaching or can be integrated with traditional teaching. However, during the time of COVID-19 outbreak, online learning was ahead and continued to provide education in the pandemic phase. Aims and Objectives: The study was aimed to assess medical students’ perception toward usefulness and challenges of online learning and to compare the students’ perception toward online learning and traditional learning. Materials and Methods: This survey based educational study was carried out among total no of 501 undergraduate medical students of our institution. A pre-validated structured feedback questionnaire was sent to the participants and the response was collected. Results: Out of 501 students, a total number of 201 (40.11%) students experienced that the online learning is not comfortable as well as it is exhausting in comparison of face to face learning. About 255 (50.8%) students thought that online learning does not motivate students for interactive learning. It was found that 52% students preferred traditional with online learning, 41.51% students liked face to face learning while only 6.38% students have chosen only online learning. Conclusion: The online learning has its own advantages but, classroom-based learning is still most preferred by students for effective learning in terms of motivation and interaction. However, it can be incorporated in traditional learning for better teaching learning experience.

Assessment Of Analgesic Activity Of Nelumbo Nucifera Fruit Ethanol Extract

Objective: Utilization of herbal remedies rich in flavonoids and vitamins have increased significantly these days to treat various disorders, thus existing research work encircled to appraise the analgesic effect of Nelumbo nucifera fruit (NNF) for evaluating its traditional use pharmacologically in disorders which are associated with pain and inflammation. Methods: Central analgesic activity in mice was assessed by tail flick test and the latency time i.e. the removal of tail from the stimulus was recorded. Similarly acetic acid induced writhing test was also conducted for the assessment of peripheral analgesic effect in mice and number of writhes was counted along with percent inhibition of writhes. Results: In tail flick test the peek anti-nociceptive effect at all doses of fruit was observed at 90 min. However, the percentage of tail elongation time was highest at a dose of 200 mg/kg i.e. 82% at 90 min. Number of writhes was highly significantly reduced at all doses of NNF but maximum effects were observed at dose 200 mg/kg as compared to control, indicating 48.41 % inhibition of writhes. Conclusion: NNF have exhibited strong analgesic effect in both animal models, which may be connected with the synergistic actions of flavonoids, saponins and tannins on arachidonic acid pathway inhibition. Hence NNF seems to have a great potential in disorders associated with pain but more experimental trials in this field are required to confirm these findings.

Effect of seaweeds occurring at Karachi coast on mosquito larvae and liver function in rats

Seaweeds have been consumed as human food from thousands of years. In this study ethanol extract of 16 different seaweeds were tested for mosquito larvicidal activity against 4[th] instar larvae of Aedes aegyptii. The ethanol extracts of Padina pavonia and Sargassum ilicifolium caused 50% mortality at 1200ppm concentration. However other seaweeds Halimeda tuna, Ulva lactuca [Chlorophyta], Dictyota dichotoma var intricata, Jolyna laminariodes, Sargassum binderi [Phaeophyta], Melanothamnus afaqhusainii and Solieria robusta [Rhodophyta] showed LC50 at [almost equal to]1500 ppm concentration. The n-hexane fraction of Padina pavonia was most potent and produced lethality at minimum concentration [LC50 at 250ppm].The effect of ethanol and water extracts of S. binderii was also examined on liver function of healthy rats. The ethanol extract of Sargassum binderi given orally to rats [commercial at] 200mg/kg for 14 days slightly increased the concentration of liver enzymes [ALT, AST, ALP and LDH] and urea level as compared with normal control rats, but did not increase bilirubin, glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and creatinine. Whereas water extract of S. binderi affected ALT while other biochemical parameters were near normal or slightly decreased as compared to normal control

Microspheres in cancer therapy.

Cancer microsphere technology is the latest trend in cancer therapy. It helps the pharmacist to formulate the product with maximum therapeutic value and minimum or negligible range side effects. Cancer is a disease in which the abnormal cells are quite similar to the normal cells, with just minute genetic or functional change. A major disadvantage of anticancer drugs is their lack of selectivity for tumor tissue alone, which causes severe side effects and results in low cure rates. Thus, it is very difficult to target abnormal cells by the conventional method of the drug delivery system. Microsphere technology is probably the only method that can be used for site-specific action, without causing significant side effects on normal cells. This review article describes various microspheres that have been prepared or formulated to exploit microsphere technology for targeted drug therapy in various cancers. We looked at the usefulness of microspheres as a tool for cancer therapy. The current review has been done using PubMed and Medline search with keywords.