Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Cancer: Underlying Pathophysiology and New Therapeutic Modalities

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are major lung diseases affecting millions worldwide. Both diseases have links to cigarette smoking and exert a considerable societal burden. People suffering from COPD are at higher risk of developing lung cancer than those without, and are more susceptible to poor outcomes after diagnosis and treatment. Lung cancer and COPD are closely associated, possibly sharing common traits such as an underlying genetic predisposition, epithelial and endothelial cell plasticity, dysfunctional inflammatory mechanisms including the deposition of excessive extracellular matrix, angiogenesis, susceptibility to DNA damage and cellular mutagenesis. In fact, COPD could be the driving factor for lung cancer, providing a conducive environment that propagates its evolution. In the early stages of smoking, body defences provide a combative immune/oxidative response and DNA repair mechanisms are likely to subdue these changes to a certain extent; however, in patients with COPD with lung cancer the consequences could be devastating, potentially contributing to slower postoperative recovery after lung resection and increased resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Vital to the development of new-targeted therapies is an in-depth understanding of various molecular mechanisms that are associated with both pathologies. In this comprehensive review, we provide a detailed overview of possible underlying factors that link COPD and lung cancer, and current therapeutic advances from both human and preclinical animal models that can effectively mitigate this unholy relationship

AN APPROACH FOR EVALUATION OF USE OF GEOCELLS IN FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS

The design methodology for flexible pavements needs to address the mechanisms of pavement failure, loading intensities and also develop suitable approaches for evaluation of pavement performance. In the recent years, the use of geocells to improve pavement performance has been receiving considerable attention. This paper studies the influence of geocells on the required thickness of pavements by placing it below the granular layers (base and sub-base) and above the subgrade. The reduction in thickness here refers to the reduction in the thickness of the GSB (Granular Sub-base) layer, with a possibility of altogether getting rid of it. To facilitate the analysis, a simple linear elastic approach is used, considering six of the sections as given in the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) code. All the analysis was done using the pavement analysis package KENPAVE. The results show that the use of geocells enables a reduction in pavement thickness