Bacteria in cancer therapy: a novel experimental strategy

Resistance to conventional anticancer therapies in patients with advanced solid tumors has prompted the need of alternative cancer therapies. Moreover, the success of novel cancer therapies depends on their selectivity for cancer cells with limited toxicity to normal tissues. Several decades after Coley's work a variety of natural and genetically modified non-pathogenic bacterial species are being explored as potential antitumor agents, either to provide direct tumoricidal effects or to deliver tumoricidal molecules. Live, attenuated or genetically modified non-pathogenic bacterial species are capable of multiplying selectively in tumors and inhibiting their growth. Due to their selectivity for tumor tissues, these bacteria and their spores also serve as ideal vectors for delivering therapeutic proteins to tumors. Bacterial toxins too have emerged as promising cancer treatment strategy. The most potential and promising strategy is bacteria based gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy. Although it has shown successful results in vivo yet further investigation about the targeting mechanisms of the bacteria are required to make it a complete therapeutic approach in cancer treatment

Evaluation of hypothyroidism as a complication in Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Diabetes mellitus (DM) and Thyroid dysfunction, the two endocrine disorders have found to influence each other. The effects of which are poorly understood. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to understand the association trend of thyroid dysfunction with diabetic process and to assess the hyperglycemic effect by correlating fasting serum glucose (FSG) and thyroid profile parameters. 58 type 2 DM patients were studied for their thyroid profile along with their fasting glucose levels. Analysis was performed by comparing the values with age and gender matched controls using student 't' test. Analysis showed that in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, 7 (12.06%) patients had hypothyroidism and 18 (31.03%) subjects had subclinical hypothyroidism out of 58 subjects. Serum T3 and T4 hormone concentrations were low and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) concentrations were high in Type 2 DM when compared to controls. But significant difference was found with T4 and TSH only (p value : <0.001). FSG did not show significant correlations with thyroid profile parameters. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients are at risk for hypothyroidism and hence have to be followed up with serum TSH levels

Evaluation of hypothyroidism as a complication in Type II Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract Diabetes mellitus (DM) and Thyroid dysfunction, the two endocrine disorders have found to influence each other. The effects of which are poorly understood. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to understand the association trend of thyroid dysfunction with diabetic process and to assess the hyperglycemic effect by correlating fasting serum glucose (FSG) and thyroid profile parameters. 58 type 2 DM patients were studied for their thyroid profile along with their fasting glucose levels. Analysis was performed by comparing the values with age and gender matched controls using student 't' test. Analysis showed that in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, 7 (12.06%) patients had hypothyroidism and 18 (31.03%) subjects had subclinical hypothyroidism out of 58 subjects. Serum T3 and T4 hormone concentrations were low and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) concentrations were high in Type 2 DM when compared to controls. But significant difference was found with T4 and TSH only (p value : <0.001). FSG did not show significant correlations with thyroid profile parameters. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients are at risk for hypothyroidism and hence have to be followed up with serum TSH levels