Specificity and Personalized medicine: a novel approach to Cancer management

With the advent of precision and personalized medicine (PPM), medical care may now be adapted to each patient's unique needs. Among the top causes of death in India is cancer. Maximum chemotherapeutic treatments are utilized for cancer patients, despite the lack of long-term effectiveness and significant side effects from these agents. To improve therapeutic success, a new tool called PPM was developed. Insights into pharmacogenomics have aided in the development of and the possibility for individualized cancer treatment. In modern PPM, genetic or other information on a particular patient is used systematically to select or optimize preventative and therapeutic therapy for that patient. Knowledge of a patient's protein, genetic, and metabolic profile can help doctors give them the best possible care. The development of companion diagnostics, in which molecular assays measuring levels of proteins, genes, or specific mutations are used to stratify disease status, pick the appropriate drug, and tune dosages there, is a central feature of this medical strategy. As a result, recent breakthroughs in oncology have piqued interest in the field as a whole, prompting calls for greater emphasis on the role of the oncology department or health care system in the quest for greater accuracy and individualization. In this article, we will examine the state of the art and discuss potential future developments that could help expedite the creation of PPM medicines for the treatment of cancer that has become resistant to standard therapies in individual patients. The focus will be on the phenotypic (activity-based) rather than the genotypic (mechanism-based) approach to PPM development, and how it can benefit cancer patients. The path to precise and individualized treatment has been opened by the article's perspective, in which focus is placed on the specific modifications of the tumor

Reproductive Health of Women: Implications and attributes

Complete access to sexual and reproductive health is a fundamental human right. Women and girls all across the world, particularly those living in poverty, have little or no access to reproductive health and rights information and services. Discrimination, shame, restrictive laws and regulations, and long-held traditions are just a few of the barriers to sexual and reproductive health that exist. Despite evidence that these rights may affect not only individual women but also families, communities, and national economies, progress has been slow. Women\u27s lifestyles have evolved throughout history. In the past, most women\u27s lives were challenging. Many ladies were having unintended pregnancies. Childbirth used to be dangerous, and it often resulted in the mother\u27s death. Because they didn\u27t live long enough, most women didn\u27t have to deal with menopause or old age in the past. Reproductive health is an important aspect of a person\u27s entire development and well-being. It could be the result of a positive upbringing, which is critical during adolescence and sets the tone for excellent health throughout adulthood and beyond reproductive years for both men and women. A woman\u27s reproductive life span does not begin at puberty and end at menopause, and a man\u27s reproductive life span does not stop when he is no longer likely to bear children. It is present and vital at all stages of a person\u27s development and maturation. Reproductive health needs may vary depending on one\u27s age and stage of life. However, there is a long term effect over the course of one\u27s life, and each stage has significant ramifications for one\u27s future well-being

Neuroprotective Activity of Herbal Medicinal Products: A Review

Plant-based drugs are among the earliest pharmaceuticals documented in even the most basic medical system's history. They are the most often used medicines due to their wide acceptance and general perception of their safer profile as compared to conventional drugs. Herbal medicines and products are gaining popularity around the world, not just as a caffeine-free alternative, but also as dietary supplements for low-calorie diets. In recent years, traditional medicine has gotten increased attention. Traditional medicine uses a range of herbs to cure neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and other similar central nervous system issues. The term "neuroprotection" refers to strategies and systems for preventing neuronal injury in the central nervous system (CNS). Humans still have access to nature's medicines. Many important drugs are obtained from natural sources or based on the structural characteristics of naturally occurring substances, such as vincristine, artemisinin, and gentamicin. Traditional medicine has been documented to use a number of natural substances, usually plant extracts, for neuroprotective, memory-enhancing, and anti-aging objectives. Such plants include Panax ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, Bacopa monnieri, Curcuma longa, and Salvia officinalis. These plants were studied to see if the traditional claim was true, as well as to learn more about the mechanism through which they give neuroprotective advantages

An overview about Hedychium spicatum: a review

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) serves as tremendous repository of plant biodiversity which is derived from extreme altitudinal gradients and phenomenal geographic provinces and has been proved as the richest reservoir of medicinal plants and aromatic plants. The lavish range of plant biodiversity in IHR is supported by various landscape features that provide myriad of habitats. Hedychium spicatum Buch-Ham (Zingiberaceae), commonly known as spiked ginger lily, is found in the entire Himalayan region. Rhizome contains about 4% of essential oil and its phytochemical investigations have shown the presence of a variety of terpenoids (monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids and diterpenoids).Traditionally, the rhizomes are used in the treatment of respiratory disorders, fevers, tranquilizer, hypotensive, antispasmodic, CNS depressant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, pediculicidal and cytotoxic activities. The family Zingiberaceae well known for its immense medicinal values is distributed widely throughout the tropics, particularly in Southeast Asia. Zingiberaceae family is an important natural resource that provides many useful products for food, spices, medicines, dyes, perfume and aesthetics. Ethnobiologically, H. spicatum is not commonly popular throughout the Indian Himalayan region, but multifarious uses are practised specifically in different regions. In this review, we will briefly explain about the various multi-faceted aspects about Hedychium spicatum. Keywords: Hedychium spicatum, Chemical composition, Rhizomes, Zingiberaceae

Menstruation hygiene and related issues in adolescent girls: A brief commentary

Between childhood and adulthood, adolescence is a phase of physiological, psychological, and social transformation. Menstrual difficulties are a common symptom and one of the primary causes of adolescent doctor visits. Therefore, adolescent girls' knowledge of reproductive health, including menstruation, may be incomplete and impacted by sociocultural obstacles. The majority of teenage females in India know nothing about menstruation, reproduction, and sexuality. As menstruation remains a taboo, the culture adheres to numerous myths and prohibitions. During menstruation, poor personal cleanliness and dangerous sanitary circumstances heighten the risk of reproductive tract infections and gynecological issues. In resource-poor environments, where women lack access to basic facilities such as water, bathrooms, and privacy, it is extremely difficult to maintain a high level of hygiene. There is a need to enhance housing conditions in terms of fundamental amenities. Every girl may only be encouraged to use sanitary pads if they are offered at cheap costs. It is urgent that separate teenage gynecological clinics be established. Sensitization and counseling in schools, together with a complete school education program on menarche and menstruation difficulties, may assist girls in coping better and seeking appropriate medical support. Keywords: Menstrual disorders, Adolescence, Sanitary Pads, Reproductive Health

RECENT PROMISING ADVANCES IN DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS: A REVIEW

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious global threat. There is a global menace of antibiotic resistant “super bug”, though the extent and the severity of the problem varies. Resistance hampers therapeutic options and drives clinicians to use newer and more expensive drugs. In serious cases, multi-resistance provides no treatment options. To overcome resistance, a continuous supply of new antibiotics offers an obvious way; but the pipeline of agents in development by the Pharmaceutical industry is very limited. There is an ever-evolving need to develop and evaluate newer alternative strategies for countering a worsening clinical situation to overcome resistance and reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The widespread distribution of Antimicrobial resistance has not been paralleled by the development of newer antimicrobials. This happens due to the process of drug discovery and clinical trials of new antimicrobials taking longer time and only a fewer new agents been approved for use. In modern era, where obstacles like chemo-resistance and mutations torment medicine, scientists across the world are looking to adapt lateral approaches in encountering diseases. Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, super bug, antibiotic

Drug utilization studies among ENT patients in various clinical settings: A comprehensive review

Drug utilization research is thus an all important part of pharmacoepideminology as it explains the extent, nature and determinants of drug exposure. A drug utilization study is a tool for determining the effectiveness of drug use. They have tendency to create sound economic bases for health care. It focuses on various factors related to prescribing, dispensing, and administration of medication and associated events. It is a study which is used for analyzing or describe-quantitatively and qualitatively- the population of users of a given drug (or class of drug) and/or the condition of use (for example, indication, duration of treatment, dosage, previous or associated treatment and compliance). ENT problems have been counted as prominent as well as commonly occurring medical problem for our society. It is a problem of most concern. Drug utilization studies can play a major role to identify the nature of therapy used in their treatment and also helps to promote the rationality and minimizing the errors in the drug therapy. Such kind of studies can be helpful for healthcare practitioners as well as to the society against such health issues. Drug utilization research developed quickly during the following 30 years and soon became a respectable subject for consideration at international congresses in pharmacology, pharmacy and epidemiology. Successful research in drug requires multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, clinical pharmacologists, pharmacists and epidemiologists. Without the support of the prescribers, this research effort will fail to reach its goal of facilitating the rational use of drugs. In this review, we will briefly list various Drug utilization studies in ENT Clinical settings. Keywords: Drug utilization studies, ENT, Prescribing patterns, Rational prescribing,  Pharmacoepideminolog

Present status, Standardization and safety issues with herbal drugs

Traditional medicine is an important component of the health care system throughout world. Herbal medicine is the use of medicinal plants for prevention and treatment of various diseases. It ranges from traditional and popular medicines of every country to the use of standardized and analyzed herbal extracts. Although therapies involving these agents have shown promising potential with the efficacy of a good number of herbal products clearly established, many of them remain untested and their use are either poorly monitored or not even monitored at all. Herbal-derived remedies need a powerful and deep assessment of their pharmacological qualities and safety issues due to the large and growing use of natural-derived substances all over the world. Based on the current situation, worldwide research on herbal medicine safety is still not broad or deep enough. For next step, more attention should be paid to researches on the toxicity and the herb-drug interaction of commonly used herb medicines, which are the most necessary and urgent work. For clinical safety monitoring, spontaneous reporting system or active pharmacovigilance is effective in identifying therapeutically relevant safety issues. In this paper, an attempt has been made to summarize the information described in scientific research conducted about Present status, Standardization and safety concerns of herbal drugs

Preparation, Characterization and Applications of Nanoemulsions: An Insight

Nanoemulsions are defined as isotropic, thermodynamically stable, transparent or translucent; dispersions of oil and water stabilized by surfactant molecules (forms an interfacial film) having the droplet size of 20-500nm. Ease of preparation and scale-up, stability and increased bioavailability are features of these formulations which have attracted the attention of researchers. Its basic principle lies in its ability to spontaneously generate fine o/w microemulsion under mild agitation following dilution with aqueous phases. These conditions mimic the digestive motility in the GIT necessary to provide the agitation required for In vivo self emulsification. Unlike emulsions, self-nanoemulsified drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) generates microemulsion with a narrow droplet size distribution of less than 50 nm due to which these systems have also been addressed as nanoemulsions. Nanoemulsions (NE) are lipidic nanoformulations with droplet diameter in nanometer range have established tremendous attention as drug delivery formulations for lipophilic drugs due to their capability to increase solubility, permeation across biological membranes as well as their therapeutic efficiency of lipid soluble drugs due to predictable size-distribution, high drug loading and stability under biological environment. However there is still relatively narrow insight regarding preparation, characterization and applications of nanoemulsions. This limitation unfolds the premise for current review article. In this review, we attempt to explore varying intricacies, methods of preparation, characteristics, and drug delivery applications of nanoemulsions to spike interest of those contemplating a foray in this field. Keywords: Nanoemulsions, Novel drug delivery system, increased bioavailability

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a modern epidemic: An overview

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting women, but can be very difficult to diagnose and treat due to vague presentation of symptoms and a lack of standardization in treatment. PCOS is characterized by hyperandrogenic manifestation like acne, hirsutism and chronic anovulation and is associated with metabolic derangement such as hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.The cause of polycystic ovary syndrome is still unclear due to its multifactorial complexity; however, it has been observed and understood that there are several environmental and genetic factors, such as genetic variations like mutations and polymorphisms, differential regulation of genes, and pathways, may contribute to the pathogenesis of PCOS.The occurrence of considerable heterogeneity in clinical symptoms and endocrine features associated with PCOS implies that some women with Polycystic Ovaries on ultrasound scan may even exhibit none of the other features of PCOS.There is a spectacular increase in the prevalence of PCOS all over the world especially in Asia. The condition seems to be on a rise in Kashmir valley although systematic studies on the subject are still underway. In this review article, we will briefly provide an overview about the polycystic ovary syndrome. Keywords: Polycystic ovary syndrome, Genetic basis, clinical presentatio