Understanding the promising role of antibody drug conjugates in breast and ovarian cancer.

A nascent category of anticancer therapeutic drugs called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) relate selectivity of aimed therapy using chemotherapeutic medicines with high cytotoxic power. Progressive linker technology led to the advancement of more efficacious and safer treatments. It offers neoteric as well as encouraging therapeutic strategies for treating cancer. ADCs selectively administer a medication by targeting antigens which are abundantly articulated on the membrane surface of tumor cells. Tumor-specific antigens are differently expressed in breast and ovarian cancers and can be utilized to direct ADCs. Compared to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, this approach enables optimal tumor targeting while minimizing systemic damage. A cleavable linker improves the ADCs because it allows the toxic payload to be distributed to nearby cells that do not express the target protein, operating on assorted tumors with dissimilar cell aggregation. Presently fifteen ADCs are being studied in breast and ovarian carcinoma preclinically, and assortment of few have already undergone promising early-phase clinical trial testing. Furthermore, Phase I and II studies are investigating a wide variety of ADCs, and preliminary findings are encouraging. An expanding sum of ADCs will probably become feasible therapeutic choices as solo agents or in conjunction with chemotherapeutic agents. This review accentuates the most recent preclinical findings, pharmacodynamics, and upcoming applications of ADCs in breast and ovarian carcinoma.

Quantitative evaluation and correlation of serum glycoconjugates: Protein bound hexoses, sialic acid and fucose in leukoplakia, oral sub mucous fibrosis and oral cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity today, with more than 10 million new cases and more than 6 million deaths each year worldwide. Globally Oral Cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer related death. India accounts for 86% of the world's oral cancer cases. Often it proceeds by pre cancerous conditions and lesions. In search for biological markers with diagnostic value, we investigated serum glycoconjugates like protein bound hexoses, fucose and sialic acid in these diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this Study 27 newly diagnosed Oral leukoplakia, 27 OSMF and 26 Oral Cancer patients, 40 healthy controls who are non tobacco users and 40 healthy controls who are tobacco users were selected. In all these groups we estimated serum glycoconjugates. RESULTS: We observed no difference in serum glycoconjugates levels between tobacco and non tobacco controls (P > 0.05), but very high levels in oral cancer, Leukoplakia and oral sub mucous fibrosis (OSMF) patients (P < 0.001) when compared to control groups. Fucose levels were significant (P < 0.05) of all the glycoconjugates between OSMF and Leukoplakia. CONCLUSION: The serum glycoconjugates whose levels were very high in OSMF, Leukoplakia and Oral Cancer, do have a significant diagnostic and prognostic value in these diseases.

Quantitative determination of phyllanthin in Phyllanthus amarus by high-performance thin layer chromatography

A simple, precise and rapid high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method has been developed for the estimation of phyllanthin and is the important lignans of Phyllanthus amarus. Separation of phyllanthin was carried out on silica gel 60 F254 layers eluted with hexane: ethyl acetate (2:1), and the analytes were visualized through colour development with 10 percent concentrated sulphuric acid in ethanol. Scanning and quantification of spots was performed at 200 nm. The proposed method being precise and sensitive can be used for the detection, monitoring and quantification of phyllanthin from Phyllanthus amarus.

Un método simple, preciso y rápido de cromatografía de capa fina de alto rendimiento ha sido desarrollado para la estimación de phyllantina y los lignanos importante de Phyllanthus amarus. La separación de phyllantina se llevó a cabo en capas de silica gel 60 F254 eluidas con hexano: acetato de etilo (2:1), y los analitos fueron visualizados mediante el desarrollo de color con un 10 por ciento de ácido sulfúrico concentrado en etanol. Los análisis y cuantificación de los puntos se realizó a 200 nm. El método fue validado.

A placebo-controlled trial of pioglitazone in subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

BACKGROUND: No pharmacologic therapy has conclusively proved to be effective for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which is characterized by insulin resistance, steatosis, and necroinflammation with or without centrilobular fibrosis. Pioglitazone is a thiazolidinedione that ameliorates insulin resistance and improves glucose and lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We randomly assigned 55 patients with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes and liver biopsy-confirmed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis to 6 months of treatment with a hypocaloric diet (a reduction of 500 kcal per day in relation to the calculated daily intake required to maintain body weight) plus pioglitazone (45 mg daily) or a hypocaloric diet plus placebo. Before and after treatment, we assessed hepatic histologic features, hepatic fat content by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and glucose turnover during an oral glucose tolerance test ([14C]glucose given with the oral glucose load and [3H]glucose given by intravenous infusion). RESULTS: Diet plus pioglitazone, as compared with diet plus placebo, improved glycemic control and glucose tolerance (P<0.001), normalized liver aminotransferase levels as it decreased plasma aspartate aminotransferase levels (by 40% vs. 21%, P=0.04), decreased alanine aminotransferase levels (by 58% vs. 34%, P<0.001), decreased hepatic fat content (by 54% vs. 0%, P<0.001), and increased hepatic insulin sensitivity (by 48% vs. 14%, P=0.008). Administration of pioglitazone, as compared with placebo, was associated with improvement in histologic findings with regard to steatosis (P=0.003), ballooning necrosis (P=0.02), and inflammation (P=0.008). Subjects in the pioglitazone group had a greater reduction in necroinflammation (85% vs. 38%, P=0.001), but the reduction in fibrosis did not differ significantly from that in the placebo group (P=0.08). Fatigue and mild lower-extremity edema developed in one subject who received pioglitazone; no other adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In this proof-of-concept study, the administration of pioglitazone led to metabolic and histologic improvement in subjects with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Larger controlled trials of longer duration are warranted to assess the long-term clinical benefit of pioglitazone. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00227110 [ClinicalTrials.gov] .).