Clinical observation of Unani Medicine in the treatment of Psoriasis: A case study

190-192A thirty year old female patient was suffering from multiple patches with severe itching, burning, sever pain and scaly skin, came in the OPD of RRIUM Mumbai. The patient had lesions on feet, legs and arms since 4 years. Most of the lesions were located near the joints. After proper history, examination and routine laboratory investigations, she was diagnosed as psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. The patient was treated with Unani Medicine along with wet cupping. After three months of treatment marked remission were found in all features, assessment of regression was done by measuring of plaques in cm, while other feature assessed by using of dermatology life quality index (DLQI)

Production of bacterial biosurfactants using whey waste as a substrate

Surfactants of microbial origin offer significant value and versatility, and they are used in microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) in the petroleum sector. Biosurfactant generation was investigated by isolating bacteria that were abundant in hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. Biosurfactants have gained admiration because of their low surface tension, biodegradability, high foaming, and ability to synthesis from renewable waste substrates, hence avoiding the need of non-renewable resources. Microbes can be studied on an experimental scale using a renewable, low-cost substrate. The biosurfactant activity was tested utilizing an uncommon source of nutrients that is cheese whey. Whey as a by-product of the cheese industry is typically dumped as desolate while it has lactose, the primary carbon source, and it is clearly suitable for microbial development. Microbes can be studied on an experimental scale using a renewable, low-cost substrate. In soil, surface active chemicals improve nutrient uptake by assisting microorganisms and crop yield in a variety of crops from varied regions. In contrast to previous examples, biosurfactants have several disadvantages in commercial manufacturing due to their low yield and high production costs

INTRADEPARTMENTAL CONSULTATION CONFERENCE - A GOOD QUALITY CONTROL PRACTICE AND A PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITY

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intradepartmental consultation conference (IDC) as a good quality control measure and problem-solving activity in a busy histopathology department.Methods: This study was done at the histopathology department of a tertiary care hospital over a period of 6 years from 2011 to 2016. IDC is routinely held at 2 pm daily on multi-header microscope. All the difficult and problematic cases are discussed. Discussed cases with the recommendations of IDC are recorded. The cases were extracted from the record of IDC being maintained since 2011. All the record sheets were analysed and the cases were divided organ and system wise.Results: A total of 5766 (6.5%) cases were discussed in this 6-year period of a total of 89,253 cases reported at our centre. Of these, 2198 (38%) were solved on first viewing, 1783 (31%) in the second viewing and 1691 (29%) in thethird viewing. In total, 98% of the cases were resolved until the third viewing, leaving only 94 (2%) cases in which further studies were recommended. A variable number of pathologists were present in the meeting, and an average of4 was present in majority of the occasions.Conclusion: IDC is a good quality control measure to ensure quality in a busy histopathology department and an effective problem-solving activity.Key words: Intradepartmental consultation, histopathology, cance

INVENTORY OF MEDICINAL FLORA FROM THAL DESERT, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Background: This article reports the preliminary findings of an ethno-botanical survey that was carried out in the Thal Desert, Punjab, Pakistan during 2010 to 2013. The aim of this study was to document the traditional use of medicinal plants from the study area. Materials and Methods: The whole area was surveyed for inventorying medicinal flora by using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The people of the study area are extremely knowledgeable, hence reported 120 plants which are being used in treating various human diseases. The detailed inventory including botanical name, parts used, method of preparation and diseases treated is provided in this paper. Conclusion: This study revealed that the inhabitants possessed empirical knowledge of medicinal plants which would be useful in developing health care products and preserving traditional cultures as well as phyto-diversity

Aflatoxins and Hepatitis B, C Viral Associated Hepatocarcinogenesis

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a serious human disease with fatal consequences. The most distressing aspect of hepatocellular carcinoma is the limited improvement in mortality (mortality rate of more than 90%). At present, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood and treatment options are often of limited efficacy. This review presents our current understanding of the burden of hepatocellular carcinoma on human health, pathogenesis and pathophysiology, and molecular mechanisms associated with the disease, as well as our knowledge of the physical barriers, cellular mechanisms and molecular elements that may be targets for therapeutic interventions and/ or the development of preventative measures. As the proposed findings present a major risk to public health, it is hoped that robust intervention measures will be introduced for aflatoxins monitoring and reduction in diet

MORPHOLOGIC SPECTRUM AND CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL CORRELATION OF GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMOURS: AN EXPERIENCE OF SIX YEARS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the morphologic spectrum and risk category of gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) and compare with overall patient survival.Materials and Methods: It is a descriptive observational study. The study was carried at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad. Duration of the study was from January 2009 to January 2015. A total of 31 patients with the diagnosis of GIST were included, irrespective of age and gender. Data were retrieved from laboratory information system. Results were analysed by statistical software, Statistical Package of the Social Sciences. Morphologic type, site of tumour, risk category and overall survival were determined and mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages were calculated for age site and risk category. Results: Of 31 patients, 21 (67.7%) were male and 10 (32.3%) were female. Site of tumour was as follows: Gastric 13 (41.9%), extra visceral 6 (19.4%), small intestine 9 (29.0%), rectum 2 (6.5%) and pancreas 1 (3.2%). According to risk categorisation, one was categorised as (3.2%) very low risk, 3 (9.7%) low risk, 5 (16.1%) intermediate risk and 22 (71%) high risk. Follow-up was available in 21 patients. 7 patients (22.5%) lost to follow-up. 8 (25%) had recurrence and 4 (12.9%) died. Conclusion: Majority of cases diagnosed at our centre were gastric in origin followed by small intestine, and as per risk categorisation, most were high risk. Patient survival with high-risk tumours was dismal. Key words: Gastrointestinal stromal tumour, immunohistochemistry, risk categorisation

PD-1 and PD-L1: architects of immune symphony and immunotherapy breakthroughs in cancer treatment

PD-1 (Programmed Cell Death Protein-1) and PD-L1 (Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1) play a crucial role in regulating the immune system and preventing autoimmunity. Cancer cells can manipulate this system, allowing them to escape immune detection and promote tumor growth. Therapies targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway have transformed cancer treatment and have demonstrated significant effectiveness against various cancer types. This study delves into the structure and signaling dynamics of PD-1 and its ligands PD-L1/PD-L2, the diverse PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and their efficacy, and the resistance observed in some patients. Furthermore, this study explored the challenges associated with the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor treatment approach. Recent advancements in the combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical procedures to enhance patient outcomes have also been highlighted. Overall, this study offers an in-depth overview of the significance of PD-1/PD-L1 in cancer immunotherapy and its future implications in oncology

Role of alternate reading frame potein (ARFP) in the pathogens of chronic Hepatits C viral infection

Chronic infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV) eventually leads to liver failure and is responsible for reducing the quality of life for over 170 million people worldwide. HCV encodes ten classic proteins as well as a newly discovered alternative reading frame protein (ARFP) whose synthesis originates from the core region by a +1 frame shift. ARFP is encoded by all HCV genotypes, but its function remains unknown. Although, immunogenicity of genotype 1 and 2 derived ARFP in infected hosts has been reported, limited information is available for genotype 3 ARFP. In view of this, the aim of this study was to understand the basic molecular biology of genotype 3 encoded ARFP as well as to investigate its role in HCV associated disease progression. HCV genotype 3 core/ARFP region was PCR amplified, cloned, and sequenced which revealed that HCV genotype 3 strain (PKI-ICV3) encoded a 160 as ARFP, harboring a C-terminal extension of 36 aa. Recombinant ARFP and peptides were employed in ELISAs with serum samples from chronically infected individuals. It was observed that sera from 84% patients contained ARFP reactive antibodies. Peptide ELISAs showed that all regions of rARFP were immunogenic, with peptide F7 (DSLSPRRAGAKAGPGLSPGT) being the most immunodominant. Core peptides used as controls revealed peptide C3 (NVKFPGGGQIVGGVYVLPRR) to be relatively more immunogenic. When F7 and C3 peptides were incubated with peripheral blood mononucleocytes (PBMCs) from HCV infected individuals, F7 stimulated production of more TNFa and IL-10 cytokines as determined by FACS array. Although anti-ARFP antibodies are found in sera of both acute and chronically infected individuals demonstrating that the protein is expressed in infected individuals, ARFP has never been directly detected in vivo. On the basis of immunochemical studies, we report that genotype-3 encoded ARFP is indeed detectable in paraffin embedded liver biopsy tissues from HCV infected patients and exhibits a nuclear expression which increases with disease severity. ARFP was also found in nuclei of transfected HEK293 cells. Additionally, by employing a set of truncated ARFPs we have identified a putative NLS in ARFP that appears to be bipartite. Since ARFP is a nuclear protein, we hypothesized that it could modulate genomic DNA methylation patterns in cells expressing the protein. By performing methylation specific PCRs with DNA from HCV+ HCC samples, it was found that HCV infection promotes hypermethylation of Rassfl A, a tumor suppressor gene, suggesting that silencing of Rassfl A may be the key event that promotes hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, to determine impact of ARFP expression on whole-genome DNA methylation patterns, DNA methylation arrays were employed and used to interrogate the methylome of ARFP expressing HEK293 and llepG2 cells. This exercise revealed a large set of gene promoters whose methylation status is impacted by ARFP expression. Further studies are required to determine the precise biochemical function of ARFP as well as its role in disease progression, especially as it transitions from chronic stage to hepatocellular carcinoma, and to explore if ARFP is a reliable biomarker for monitoring different stages of infection and/or in assessing therapeutic response

Hepatitis C therapy-the future looks bright

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections affect about 170 million individuals worldwide and can be life-threatening if left untreated. Over the past three decades, ribavirin and interferon-alpha have remained the only available medicines for treating hepatitis C sufferers. Given that this combination therapy is partially effective at best and is associated with severe side-effects, there is an unmet need for new molecular entities which inhibit HCV replication. By employing a combination of structure-based drug design together with high-throughput screening approaches, several pharmaceutical companies have been successful in identifying potentially useful compounds for treating HCV infections. This article provides an overview of some of the small-molecule inhibitors that have shown promise so far in clinical trials and which could reach the clinic within the next three years

<span style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold" lang="EN-US">Clinical observations of Unani Kit Medicine “<i>Qurs-e-</i> (Tab) <i>Mussaffi</i> and <i>Raughan-e-</i> (Oil) <i>Kamela</i>” on hypertrophic Lichen Planus: A case study</span>

466-469<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:="" en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="" lang="EN-US">A 71 years old female patient was registered with enormous eruption on the both legs at below knee. She was suffering since 15 years. The colour of eruptions was dark brown. Some eruptions were wounded and crusted because of superficial nail scratching. Some itchy papules were also appeared. Most of the lesions were changed and become hyper pigmented, atrophic, hypertrophic, particularly in the right lateral part of leg. The Unani medicine, Qurs-e- (Tab) Mussaffi was given orally and Raughan-e (Oil) Kamela was used as local application over the lesion. The study revealed that the Unani Medicine found effective in the treatment of Lichen plannus. The test drugs has also efficacy to stop tendency of new eruption it might be due to effects over the T cell–mediated autoimmune reaction. There were no side effects or toxic effects over the liver and kidney was reported during the study. The study concluded that Qurs-e (Tab) Musaffi & Raughan-e – (Oil) Kamela is effective in the management of Lichen planus. </span