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In recent years, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has emerged as the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer and is usually associated with increased mortality worldwide. The severity of TNBC is primarily observed in younger women, with cases ranging from approximately 12%-24% of all breast cancer cases. The existing hormonal therapies offer limited clinical solutions in completely circumventing the TNBC, with chemoresistance and tumor recurrences being the common hurdles in the path of TNBC treatment. Accumulating evidence has correlated the dysregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) with increased cell proliferation, invasion, migration, tumor growth, chemoresistance, and decreased apoptosis in TNBC. Various clinical studies have revealed that aberrant expression of lncRNAs in TNBC tissues is associated with poor prognosis, lower overall survival, and disease-free survival. Due to these specific characteristics, lncRNAs have emerged as novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for TNBC treatment. However, the underlying mechanism through which lncRNAs perform their actions remains unclear, and extensive research is being carried out to reveal it. Therefore, understanding of mechanisms regulating the modulation of lncRNAs will be a substantial breakthrough in effective treatment therapies for TNBC. This review highlights the association of several lncRNAs in TNBC progression and treatment, along with their possible functions and mechanisms.

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) are the cause of acute hemorrhagic disease in endangered Asian and African elephants. In the present study, we report the incidence of EEHV infection and associated mortality in the captive elephant of Assam, India. Our result showed the gross morphology and histopathological changes of EEHV infection in the elephant. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis of the polymerase, helicase, and GPCR genes from the infected tissue samples suggested the presence of EEHV1A virus.

Despite significant advancements made in the treatment of cancer during the past several decades, it remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide killing approximately 9.6 million people annually. The major challenge for therapeutic success is the development of chemoresistance in cancer cells against conventional chemotherapeutic agents via modulation of numerous survival and oncogenic signaling pathways. Therefore, sensitization of cancer cells to conventional drugs using multitargeted agents that suppress the survival and oncogenic pathways, in single or in combination, is an emerging strategy to overcome drug-resistance. During the last couple of decades, phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol, tocotrienol and quercetin have emerged as potential chemosensitizing agents in cancer cells due to their less toxic and multitargeted properties. Numerous preclinical and clinical studies enumerated their potential to prevent drug resistance and sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents by modulating several genes/proteins or pathways that regulate the key factors during the growth and progression of tumors such as inhibition of anti-apoptotic proteins, activation of pro-apoptotic proteins, reduced expression of different transcription factors, chemokines, enzymes, cell adhesion molecules, protein tyrosine kinases and cell cycle regulators. Therefore, natural chemosensitizing agents will have a special place in cancer treatment in the near future. This comprehensive review summarizes data obtained from various in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies to provide a new perspective for the application of agents obtained from "Mother Nature" as potential chemosensitizers for further cancer drug research and development.

Oral cancer (OC) is a devastating disease that takes the lives of lots of people globally every year. The current spectrum of treatment modalities does not meet the needs of the patients. The disease heterogeneity demands personalized medicine or targeted therapies. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify potential targets for the treatment of OC. Abundant evidence has suggested that the components of the protein kinase B (AKT)/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway are intrinsic factors for carcinogenesis. The AKT protein is central to the proliferation and survival of normal and cancer cells, and its downstream protein, mTOR, also plays an indispensable role in the cellular processes. The wide involvement of the AKT/mTOR pathway has been noted in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This axis significantly regulates the various hallmarks of cancer, like proliferation, survival, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, autophagy, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Activated AKT/mTOR signaling is also associated with circadian signaling, chemoresistance and radio-resistance in OC cells. Several miRNAs, circRNAs and lncRNAs also modulate this pathway. The association of this axis with the process of tumorigenesis has culminated in the identification of its specific inhibitors for the prevention and treatment of OC. In this review, we discussed the significance of AKT/mTOR signaling in OC and its potential as a therapeutic target for the management of OC. This article also provided an update on several AKT/mTOR inhibitors that emerged as promising candidates for therapeutic interventions against OC/head and neck cancer (HNC) in clinical studies.

Classical swine fever is a highly contagious and economically important viral disease of pigs. Outbreaks of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) were recorded in different places in the Kamrup district of Assam in India between the years 2012 and 2014. The nucleotide sequences of the 10 CSFV isolates were analyzed based on the partial nucleotide sequences of the E2, 5'NTR and NS5B genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the dominance of subgroup 2.2 along with 2.1 strains in the northeast part of India. Variation in the nucleotide sequences of E2, 5'NTR and 3'NS5B genes of CSFV allows tracking changes in the virus population over time. The study will provide epidemiological information useful for assessing CSFV circulating genogroups in India.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is the causative agent of a highly contagious disease in swine. The disease is endemic in different parts of the world and vaccination is the only way to protect pigs from CSFV infection. The virus surface protein E2 is the major immunogenic protein eliciting protective immunity against CSFV infection in swine. The whole virus antigen cannot differentiate CSFV from other pestiviruses as it cross reacts with border disease and bovine viral diarrhoea viruses. Commercial available ELISA is based on the whole CSFV particle and can lead to false positive results. Moreover, the available commercial ELISA is not cost effective. In the present study, a recombinant E2 protein based single serum dilution ELISA was developed which showed enhanced sensitivity, specificity and accuracy as compared to commercial CSFV detection ELISA. The recombinant E2 protein based ELISA could be an alternate to existing diagnostics against CSFV infection in pigs.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is the causative agent of a highly contagious disease, hog cholera in pigs. The disease is endemic in many parts of the world and vaccination is the only way to protect the animals from CSFV infection. Wild hogs belong to the species Sus Scrofa Cristatus under the family Suidae are quite susceptible to CSFV infection. The epidemiological role concerning classical swine fever (CSF) in India is largely unknown. We report here the three isolated cases of CSF in wild hogs from three National parks, namely Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park and Jaldapara National Park, from north-east part of India. The post-mortem and histopathological findings were clearly indicative for CSFV infection. The presence of CSFV genome was demonstrated in several organs and tissues collected from hogs died due to viral infection. In addition, CSF-specific antibodies were detected in two wild hogs as well as in eighteen feral pigs from the same locations. The phylogenetic analysis of the partial E2 protein gene and 5' untranslated region of CSFV isolates from the wild hog showed identities with genotype 2.2 of the Indian isolates. Occurrence of CSF in wild hogs may pose a potent threat in the epidemiology of the virus in Northeast part of India. To the best of our knowledge, the report presented in the manuscript is the first comprehensive report on CSF in wild hogs form Northeast India. The findings reported would help us to understand the epidemiology and biology of CSFV in wild animals.