Exploring Mechanism of Actions for Eugenol and Beta-Caryophyllene to Combat Colorectal Cancer Chemotherapy Using Network Pharmacology

This study explores the potential of essential oils, Eugenol (EUG), and Beta-Caryophyllene (BCP) in enhancing the efficacy of the chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in treating metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Pharmacokinetic assessment through ADMET analysis indicates that EUG and BCP adhere to the rule of five with good bioavailability, ensuring their drug-likeness properties. The study employs a multitarget strategy to reduce drug dosage and enhance effectiveness, testing the compounds on the HCT116 human colorectal cancer cell line. MTT assay revealed in-vitro cytotoxic effects of EUG, BCP, and 5-FU, with a noteworthy reduction in IC50 values observed when combining the compounds, indicating synergistic effects (CI < 1) as depicted in the Fa-CI plot. Network pharmacology-based analysis of the compound-disease-target (C-D-T) network identifies 58, 24, and 49 target proteins for EUG, BCP, and 5-FU, respectively, in metastatic CRC. Venn diagram intersection reveals 11 common target proteins, and the merged C-D-T network highlights 84 target proteins, with 16 selected based on edge count, including HSP90AA1, IGF-1R, ESR1, and CASP3. Molecular docking studies indicate that EUG, BCP, and 5-FU effectively inhibit the core target protein HSP90AA1 within the C-D-T network, suggesting their potential as modulators for CRC metastasis. These findings propose a promising approach for developing drugs targeting specific proteins to mitigate metastasis in colorectal cancer

Impending scope of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in the post COVID19 pandemic era: An opportunity call

COVID19 pandemic is now testing health systems of countries globally irrespective of geographical location, environmental conditions, and population demographics. Among various prevention strategies as suggested by WHO and others, hand hygiene has emerged as the most important public health preventive measure to control similar outbreaks in the past (SARS & MERS) also including the current COVID19 pandemic. The COVID19 pandemic provides a well-timed opportunity to stress the importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in the healthcare facilities (HCFs) and optimize infection prevention control across the globe. It also gives an opportunity to extend beyond conventional WASH and includes domains of biomedical waste management, Infection Prevention, and Control activities and also environmental hygiene. This perspective piece elaborates on the importance of optimal WASH and future scopes in HCFs during the post COVID19 pandemic era

Evidence of Antimicrobial Resistance from Maternity Units and Labor Rooms: A Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Study from Gujarat, India

The main objective of this study was to determine the microbial contamination and antimicrobial resistance pattern among isolated bacteria from the environment surfaces of maternity units and labor rooms of healthcare facilities in the Gujarat state of India. The cross-sectional study was conducted in ten healthcare facilities, where the microbiological swab samples were collected from various pre-decided environmental surfaces of the maternity and labor rooms as part of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assessment. The swabs were analyzed by conventional microbiological culture methods to identify microorganisms, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The study provides an insight into the microbial contamination of the visibly clean areas, i.e., the maternity ward, labor room, and general wards of the healthcare facilities. The labor rooms were found to be highly contaminated in comparison to other selected sites. The microbiological findings revealed a predominance of Gram-negative bacteria, specifically Pseudomonas species. The antibiotic susceptibility testing indicates resistance against many commonly used antibiotics. This study produces an identified necessity for enhancing microbiological surveillance in labor rooms and maternity units. This study also highlights the importance of microbiological status along with the WASH status of healthcare facilities

Evidence of Antimicrobial Resistance from Maternity Units and Labor Rooms: A Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Study from Gujarat, India

The main objective of this study was to determine the microbial contamination and antimicrobial resistance pattern among isolated bacteria from the environment surfaces of maternity units and labor rooms of healthcare facilities in the Gujarat state of India. The cross-sectional study was conducted in ten healthcare facilities, where the microbiological swab samples were collected from various pre-decided environmental surfaces of the maternity and labor rooms as part of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assessment. The swabs were analyzed by conventional microbiological culture methods to identify microorganisms, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The study provides an insight into the microbial contamination of the visibly clean areas, i.e., the maternity ward, labor room, and general wards of the healthcare facilities. The labor rooms were found to be highly contaminated in comparison to other selected sites. The microbiological findings revealed a predominance of Gram-negative bacteria, specifically Pseudomonas species. The antibiotic susceptibility testing indicates resistance against many commonly used antibiotics. This study produces an identified necessity for enhancing microbiological surveillance in labor rooms and maternity units. This study also highlights the importance of microbiological status along with the WASH status of healthcare facilities

Formation, characterization, and analysis of curcumin nanoformulation for evaluating its <i>in vitro</i> cytotoxicity

Nanotechnology holds significance in all fields of research, and the formation and surface alterations of nanomaterials are particularly important in this discipline. Nanoformulations synthesized with bioactive plant components play a crucial role in the improvement of several therapeutics and diagnostics. In the present study, we reported the synthesis of a curcumin nanoformulation (CN) by using curcumin and D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS). The synthesized CN was characterized using dynamic light scattering, UV-Visible spectrophotometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, it was evaluated for solubility, drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, stability, in vitro release, and anticancer potentials. The role of TPGS in the synthesis of CN was validated. The synthesized CN exhibited a size of 6.2 ± 1.9 nm, needle-shaped morphology, a polydispersity index of 0.164, and zeta potential of -10.1 ± 3.21 mV, as determined by characterization techniques. Its water solubility was 2.5 × 104 times higher than that of pure curcumin. The encapsulation efficiency and curcumin loading efficiency of the synthesized CN were found to be 80 and 10%, respectively, with storage stability exceeding 30 days. Moreover, the synthesized CN demonstrated significant in vitro anticancer activity against the colorectal cancer cell line HCT-116, with an IC50 value of 12.74 ± 0.54 μM at 24 h

Improving adolescent health: Learnings from an interventional study in Gujarat, India

Background: There are multiple risk factors during adolescence, which become precursors of various diseases and injuries inflicting high morbidity, mortality, and disability. There are several gaps in adolescent health research in India; one among them is that programs targeting adolescent health are constrained by the absence of rigorous interventional research informing interventions for improving adolescent health. This study aims to document the effectiveness of intervention on adolescent health and knowledge change on the risk factors among adolescents in one of the selected districts in Gujarat, India. Methods: This was an interventional study with quasi-experimental design executed in one of the blocks of Gujarat. Baseline was conducted in 2013–2014 followed by intervention and the end line during 2016–2017. A structured validated questionnaire after pilot testing was executed to collect information on sociodemographic profile, nutrition status, menstrual hygiene practices, reproductive and sexual health, substance abuse, program awareness and utilization, and empowerment through life skills of adolescents in baseline and end line survey. Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). Results: This study documented increased awareness regarding anemia, knowledge about STD and HIV/AIDS, reduced addiction to tobacco, improved practices during menstrual hygiene and engagement with adolescent services/schemes in the intervention site. Conclusion: This study concludes that evidence-based interventions lead to increase in knowledge and practices; however, some improvements have also been documented in the nonintervention site. Therefore, changes due to interventions could not be attributed completely for improving adolescent health. Further long term interventional studies are required to develop a robust evidence on improving health of adolescents in India