Natural Compounds as Potential Regulators of the Phosphatidylinositol 3′ Kinase (PI3K) Pathway in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in women both globally and in India. Although breast cancer is characterized by different molecular subtypes, a majority of breast cancers appear to have mutations in the phosphatidylinositol 3′ kinase (PI3K)/ protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. Dysregulation of the PI3K/ Akt pathway in breast cancers plays important roles in promoting tumour growth, proliferation and invasion. Targeting PI3K mediated signalling cascades could be therefore of value for breast cancer treatment. Studies with synthetic inhibitors of the PI3K/ Akt pathway have yielded positive results but the efficacy shown by many of these inhibitors appear to be compromised by deleterious side effects. An alternative to syn-thetic inhibitors is the use of natural phytochemical compounds with anti-tumorigenic potential like apigenin, pomolic acid, resveratrol and its deriva-tives, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3 gallate and thymoquinone as potential inhibitors of PI3K/Akt signalling in breast cancer and such a strategy could lead to lesser side effects and a lower treatment cost. The current study ex-amines the importance of the PI3K pathway in breast cancer and discusses how regulation of aberrant signalling through this pathway by natural com-pounds could play an important role in breast cancer therapy.

Outcome of Early Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Acute Calculus Cholecystitis

Background: : The surgical management of patients presenting with acute calculus cholecystitis remains controversial. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute calculus cholecystitis and to document the outcome of early laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methodology: This observational comparative study was carried out in the Department of General Surgery of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Sylhet from July 2006 to June 2008, a period of 24 months. The study group enrolled 101 patients of both sexes who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery and divided into two groups. 51 patients with a diagnosis of acute calculus cholecystitis were assigned randomly to early laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 72 h of admission (early group, n=51) or to initial conservative treatment followed by elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 6 to 12 weeks later (elective group, n=50). Results: There was no significant difference in operation times (early, 81.98 vs elective, 79.96), conversion rates (early, 5.88% vs elective 10%) or postoperative complications (early 31,4% vs elective,24%).However, during early laparoscopic cholecystectomy distended gallbladder containing infected bile was more in 41 patients (80.01%) while 04 patients (09%) and 03 patients (7.20%) in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (p>0.05) and significantly (p<0.05) more modification in operative techniques in early group than elective group. In addition, early group had shorte hospital stay (8.37 vs 12.62 days0 and lower treatment cost (5243.13 vs 7327) which were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion laparoscopic cholecystectomy during the early admission with acute calculus cholecystitis can be performed safely and successfully. Earlier surgery has a beneficial impact for patients and the National Health Service. Journal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh, 2019;5(2): 161-166

Drug repurposing in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a breath of fresh air?

Drug repurposing is the use of known drugs for new indications. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis. So far, few treatments have been approved in this disease. However, its incidence is expected to increase significantly, particularly in developing countries. Consequently, drug repurposing appears as an attractive strategy for drug development in MPM, since the known pharmacology and safety profile based on previous approvals of repurposed drugs allows for faster time-to-market for patients and lower treatment cost. This is critical in low- and middle-income countries where access to expensive drugs is limited. This review assesses the published preclinical and clinical data about drug repurposing in MPM.In this review, we identified 11 therapeutic classes that could be repositioned in mesothelioma. Most of these treatments have been evaluatedin vitro, half have been evaluatedin vivoin animal models of MPM and only three (i.e.valproate, thalidomide and zoledronic acid) have been investigated in clinical trials, with limited benefits so far. Efforts could be coordinated to pursue further investigations and test promising drugs identified in preclinical experiments in appropriately designed clinical trials.

Study on neutral chemical deinking of laser printed papers

A neutral deinking agent was applied for the deinking of laser printed papers under neutral or near neutral conditions of pH. The results showed that a deinking efficiency of 93% could be achieved with a laboratory made neutral deinking agent under optimum conditions. This neutral deinking agent, tagged as GWT, consists of anionic and nonionic surfactant, inorganic salt, etc. Optimum conditions were: GWT dosage of 2% (for dry recovered paper); pulping concentration of 10%~20%; pulping temperature of 60°C; pulping time of 25 min; conditioning time of 20 min; flotation concentration of 0.8%; and flotation time of 10 min. The neutral deinking technology is beneficial for the reuse of recovered paper due to its lower wastewater chemical oxygen demand (COD) and other chemical loads, thus resulting in lower treatment cost and environmental pollution compared with the regular alkali deinking process.