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Background and Objectives: Cervical cancer global burden is highly skewed towards poor countries primarily due to lack of awareness, poor screening, and low uptake of prophylactic vaccines. The purpose of our study is to educate and raise awareness among young girls and women about the importance of cervical screening and HPV vaccination. Materials and Methods: The present study, conducted from January 2023 to December 2023, focused on students, teachers, housewives, and healthcare professionals in the Jammu region to assess their awareness of cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine. HPV DNA testing was carried out using the Truenat Real-Time PCR method at Swastik Diagnostic Laboratory, Jammu. Results: Knowledge of cervical cancer, awareness of the HPV virus, and the vaccination status of women were assessed in survey. In the HPV screening test, out of 2,400 women, 106 tested positive for HPV. Among these 106 women, 19% had a high viral load (Ct < 20), 11% had a low viral load (25 = Ct < 30), indicating a low relative concentration of HPV viruses, 40% had a medium viral load (20 = Ct < 25), and 30% had very low viral loads (Ct = 30). Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of routine cervical screenings, such as Pap smears and HPV tests, for the early detection of cervical cancer. There is an urgent need to implement cervical cancer screening and vaccination programs in the Jammu region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As microbes are 3.5x109 years old dominant species prevailing on this earth in varied places even with temperatures ranging from 10-100°C. Soil life has a continuous interface between minerals and the organic life. The microorganisms regulate the physio-chemical and other biological properties of the ecosystem. The microbial community residing in the soil is, directly and indirectly, involved in various processes like the biogeochemical cycles, symbioses and nutrient recycling. Therefore, to understand the role of these minute creatures in the soil, their microbial diversity plays a critical role. Numerous techniques have been developed to unravel the information about the microbial community. The molecular techniques have made the identification of novel microorganisms convenient and robust. Hence, this review aims to highlight the importance of microbes and microbial diversity and discuss the molecular methods for gaining better insight into the microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a fatal and severe disease to the humankind. There are various potent and effective sources such as natural herbs which have various bioactive compounds to combat cancer. Zingiber officinale is a perennial herb of the Zingiberaceae family having various medicinal properties as well as anti-oxidant potential. The active secondary metabolites in the ginger contribute to its anti-oxidant and anti-cancer property. Various methods are used in detecting how ginger can be used as an agent to combat diseases. Cytotoxicity and antioxidant assays provide the idea about the cell-viability and anti-oxidant property of ginger. When the production of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) increases in the body, it can have various negative impacts. To nullify these impacts, ginger extract is effective on the cells. The cytotoxic nature and anti-proliferative properties of ginger directly contribute to various cellular mechanisms such as apoptosis which have a significant impact on cancer cells. The results also describe the effect of ginger on free radicals. It is concluded that ginger can be used as an alternative source of anti-cancer drugs as it has been proved to be effective in multiple studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoma is a heterogeneous group of malignancies often resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/ protein kinase B /mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway has emerged as a critical cancer target due to its central role in regulating key cellular processes such as cell growth, proliferation, survival, and metabolism. Dysregulation of this pathway has been implicated in the development and progression of bone sarcomas (BS) and soft tissue sarcomas (STS). PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors have shown promising preclinical and clinical activity in various cancers. These agents can inhibit the activation of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR, thereby reducing the downstream signaling events that promote tumor growth and survival. In addition, PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors have been shown to enhance the efficacy of other anticancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The different types of PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors vary in their specificity, potency, and side effect profiles and may be effective depending on the specific sarcoma type and stage. The molecular targeting of PI3K/Akt/mToR pathway using drugs, phytochemicals, nanomaterials (NMs), and microbe-derived molecules as Pan-PI3K inhibitors, selective PI3K inhibitors, and dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors have been delineated. While there are still challenges to be addressed, the preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that these inhibitors may significantly improve patient outcomes. Further research is needed to understand the potential of these inhibitors as sarcoma therapeutics and to continue developing more selective and effective agents to meet the clinical needs of sarcoma patients., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Objectives: Immunotherapeutic interventions in cancer have been considerably successful and widely accepted for cancer treatment, but are costly and cannot be afforded by all patients. Because of the high cost, the pharmaceutical research groups across the world are sufficiently motivated to discover or design small molecule inhibitors to treat cancer through inhibition of the immune checkpoint proteins previously targeted with monoclonal antibodies. The presented study was designed with an aim to establish raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) as a potential ligand of the immune checkpoint protein Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)., Methods: In the presented study, the in-silico approach was used for identifying a lead molecule against PD-L1. The hits were screened using the similarity-search method, and drug-likeliness analysis, and the leads were identified through ligand-docking using Autodock. In-vitro cytotoxicity analysis was carried out using the standard sulphorhodamine B (SRB) assay and the wound healing analysis to show the inhibition of cellular migration was performed using the standard scratch assay., Results: The in-silico study revealed that raloxifene showed a high drug likelihood and higher binding affinity with PD-L1 as compared to the positive control ( BMS-1166 ; BMS is Bristol Myers Squibb). The binding of raloxifene was shown to occur in the same region as the FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies atezolizumab and durvalumab, indicating the potential of raloxifene for PD1/PD-L1 blockade. In the in-vitro studies, raloxifene showed a time-dependent reduction in IC 50 values for the cell line HCT116 (colon cancer). The scratch assay also revealed that raloxifene significantly reduced the migratory potential of HCT-116 cells in-vitro., Conclusions: PD-L1 is a potential target of the SERM raloxifene in-silico. Overall, this study is one step further towards immune checkpoint blockade using small-molecule inhibitors., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2023.)

One of the major global health care crises in the 21st century is antibiotic resistance. Almost all clinically used antibiotics have resistance emerging to them. Antibiotic Resistance can be regarded as the 'Faceless Pandemic' that has enthralled the entire world. It has become peremptory to develop treatment options as an alternative to antibiotic therapy for combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens. A clearer understanding of antibiotic resistance is required to prevent the rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant genes and the re-emergence of infections. The present review provides an insight into the different classifications and modes of action of antibiotics to understand how the hosts develop resistance to them. In addition, the association of genetics in the development of antibiotic resistance and environmental factors has also been discussed, emphasizing developing action plans to counter this "quiescent pandemic". It is also pertinent to create models that can predict the early resistance so that treatment strategies may build up in advance with the evolving resistance., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)