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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