Aim:The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of honey on clinically scoring grades of oral mucositis.Materials and Methods:This interventional study was carried out in Radiation Oncology Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore. In this study, 82 patients of both genders, of head and neck cancer, planned for radiotherapy, were divided into two groups by random sampling numbers. Patients in both groups were treated with a total dose of 60–78 Grays in 4–6 weeks. In treatment group, patients were instructed to take 20 mL of honey. In control group, they were advised to rinse with 0.9% of saline. Patients were evaluated every week to assess the grades of oral mucositis up to 6 weeks. The assessment tool was Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Grading System. The statistical analysis was done by Chi-square test.Results:In honey-treated group, the proportion of mucositis (Grades 3 and 4) was lower and statistically significant as compared to control group at the end of 6 weeks of radiation.Conclusion:This study showed that oral intake of honey during radiotherapy is valuable in the reduction of severity of oral mucositis.

Cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide. There are several different types of cancer recognized thus far, which can be treated by different approaches including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination thereof. However, these approaches have certain drawbacks and limitations. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is regarded as an alternative noninvasive approach for cancer treatment based on the generation of toxic oxygen (known as reactive oxygen species (ROS)) at the treatment site. PDT requires photoactivation by a photosensitizer (PS) at a specific wavelength (λ) of light in the vicinity of molecular oxygen (singlet oxygen). The cell death mechanisms adopted in PDT upon PS photoactivation are necrosis, apoptosis and stimulation of the immune system. Over the past few decades, the use of natural compounds as a photoactive agent for the selective eradication of neoplastic lesions has attracted researchers’ attention. Many reviews have focused on the PS cell death mode of action and photonanomedicine approaches for PDT, while limited attention has been paid to the photoactivation of phytocompounds. Photoactivation is ever-present in nature and also found in natural plant compounds. The availability of various laser light setups can play a vital role in the discovery of photoactive phytocompounds that can be used as a natural PS. Exploring phytocompounds for their photoactive properties could reveal novel natural compounds that can be used as a PS in future pharmaceutical research. In this review, we highlight the current research regarding several photoactive phytocompound classes (furanocoumarins, alkaloids, poly-acetylenes and thiophenes, curcumins, flavonoids, anthraquinones, and natural extracts) and their photoactive potential to encourage researchers to focus on studies of natural agents and their use as a potent PS to enhance the efficiency of PDT.

Synergic extraction of Eu(III) as representative of rare earth elements was conducted with 0.01 mol dm −3 of trifluoroacetylpyrazolin-5-one (HPMTFP) and then with synergic mixture of HPMTFP and crown ethers (benzo-15-crown-5, 18-crown-6, 15-crown-5) in dichloromethane (DCM) from aqueous solution having pH 1.0-3.5. Slope analysis method was used for determining the composition of the synergic adduct i.e. Eu(PMTFP) 3 that came out to be Eu(PMTFP) 3 •2S, where S = neutral oxo-donor and -PMTFP = conjugate base of HPMTFP molecule. Selective extraction of Eu(III) was found in the presence of various masking agents like citrate, oxalate, bromide, thiosulphate, chromate ions and of some cations. The accuracy of the developed procedure was checked by analyzing real lake sample (IAEA-SL-3) as a reference material.

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The current study was designed to determine the concentrations of toxic metals (Ni, Pb and Cr) in feathers of birds collected from four regions of NE Pakistan. Feather samples of birds (House Crow, Common Myna and House Sparrow) were collected from different areas. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentration of metals in feathers. Analysis of the data revealed that concentrations of Pb and Cr were significantly different (p < 0.05) among bird species, whereas no difference (p > 0.05) was detected among bird species (house crow, common myna and house sparrow) for Ni. A significant difference was found for the concentration of Pb and Ni in all the four studied regions. Whereas, non-significant difference was found in all the studied regions for the concentrating of Cr. It was revealed that there is significant rising concentration of metals (Pb, Cr) in feathers of birds in Azad Kashmir.

Ficus palmata (F. palmata) is a medicinally very rich plant that is used as a folk medicine to treat many diseases. This study investigated the anticancer effect of 70% ethanolic leaves extract of F. palmata alone and its combinational study with photosense-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) and doxorubicin hydrochloride (Dox-HCl) on rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells. The inhibitory dose (IC50) was calculated from dose response analysis of 24 h post exposure of F. palmata (400, 200, 100, 50, 25, 12.5 µg ml−1), Dox-HCl (4, 3, 2, 1 µM), and photosense (80, 40, 20, 10, 5 µM, 10 J cm−2) mediated PDT. These IC50 doses were further used to assess the anticancer effect of F. palmata in combination with photosense-mediated PDT and Dox-HCl. The in vitro findings showed that the 70% ethanolic F. palmata leaves extract has anticancer potential, and has the ability to enhance the anticancer effect in combination with other therapies. Moreover, the neoadjuvent combination of F. palmata with PDT and chemotherapy has a synergistic effect. This study provides evidence that F. palmate leaves extract possesses promising anticancer activity, and more research is needed to isolate the specific bioactive compound for cancer treatment.

Phytocompounds play a key role in prevention and treatment of cancers. The secondary metabolites are being studied due to their anticancer and antioxidant properties leading to the finding of new therapeutic agents. Like many medicinal plants, Ficus racemosa (FR) is rich in polyphenols and can be used in cancer treatment. The side effects of existing therapeutic modalities at high doses may be reduced in combination. In this study the anticancer and anti-migration potentials of FR were evaluated, along with its combinational study at low therapeutic dosage with doxorubicin-HCl (Dox-HCl), dacarbazine (DTIC) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). The effects of FR leaves extract on the rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells morphology, cell viability, and cell migration ability were investigated by light microscopy, MTT assay, and wound healing cell migration assay respectively. The effect of various FR concentrations on RD cells indicated the potential anticancer effect in a dose dependent manner. The results of low dose di-combinations (FR-chemo, FR-PDT) and tri-combinations (FR-chemo-PDT) were synergistic. The % cell viability was reduced to 29% for FR-Dox-HCl-PDT and 44% for FR-DTIC-PDT combinations. A pronounced cytotoxic effect and cell migration was observed in tri-combination therapy as compared to di- and mono-therapy. This study concluded that FR leaves extract has anticancer effects and gives synergy with chemo and PDT combinations.

Five Bacillus cereus strains including B. cereus AVP12, B. cereus NC7401, B. cereus BDBCO1, B. cereus JF70 and B. specie JL47 isolated from the diesel fuel polluted soil adhered to the roots of Tagetes minuta were screened for lipase production with phenol red agar method. B. cereus NC7401 strain successfully expressing and secreting lipase with maximal lipolytic activity was subjected to a submerged fermentation process with five different carbon (starch, glucose, maltose, fructose, and lactose) and five different nitrogen (tryptone, ammonium nitrate, peptone, urea, yeast extract) sources to produce lipase enzyme. Maximum enzyme activity was found with starch (30.6 UmL-1), maltose (40 UmL-1), and tryptone (38.6 UmL-1), and the lipases produced using these sources were named lipase A, B, and C respectively. The total protein content of 8.56, 8.86, and 2.75 μg mL-1 were obtained from B. cereus NC7401 cultured using starch, maltose, and tryptone respectively. Lipase was stable between temperature range 30–80°C and pH 5–10 whereas optimally active at 55°C and pH 8.0. The enzyme was relatively stable for 10 days at 4°C and its optimum reaction time with the substrate was 30 minutes. It was tolerant to 1.5% (v/v) methanol as an organic solvent, 1.5% (v/v) Triton X-100 as a media additive and 1.5% (w/v) Ni2+ as a metal ion. SDS, n-hexane, and Ag+ inhibited lipolytic activity. Oil stains were removed from cotton fabric which showed oil removal efficiency enhancement in the presence of a lipase. Fat hydrolysis of 20, 24, and 30% was achieved following 6 hours of incubation of the fat particles with lipase A, B, and C respectively at a concentration of 20 mg mL-1. To as best of our knowledge, this study on lipases extracted from bacteria of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan origin has never been reported before.