Amygdalin (d-Mandelonitrile 6-O-β-d-glucosido-β-d-glucoside) and its semi synthetic product is Laetrile ( also called vitamin B17): a natural cyanogenic glycoside occurring in the seeds of some edible plants, such as bitter almonds and peaches. Early in the 19th century, Amygdalin was first isolated in 1830 by two French chemists, Robiquet and Boutron-Charlard, as active components in various fruit pits and raw nuts. However, the systematized study of vitamin B17 started when chemist Bohn (1802) discovered that a hydrocyanic acid is released during distillation of the water from bitter almonds. The various pharmacological effects of Laetrile include antiatherogenic, activity in renal fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, immune regulation, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory activities. Despite numerous contributions to the cancer cell lines, the clinical evidence for the anti-cancer activity of Amygdalin is not fully confirmed. Moreover, high dose exposures to Amygdalin can produced cyanide toxicity. In the presented work, pharmacological activity, antitumor activity, and toxicity of Amygdalin have been summarized, focusing primarily on advanced research on Amygdalin and its anti-tumor effects, providing fresh perspectives for the creation of new anti-cancer drugs, the examination of natural antitumor mechanisms, and the search for new targets
Abstract Background:Breast cancer is the most common female cancer worldwide. Although mastectomy is considered the treatment of choice for the majority of cases of breast cancer; a noticeable percentage of breast cancer survivors claim they were never advised about reconstruction. It has been proven that breast reconstruction helps breast cancer survivors to overcome the trauma of their diagnosis and improve their psychological well-being.Objectives: To assess the level of awareness and expectations regarding breast reconstruction surgery among female with breast cancer survivors in Baghdad, and to find if there is association between sociodemographic data and expectations of breast reconstruction.Methodology: This is a cross sectional stu
... Show MoreBreast cancer is the commonest cancer affecting women worldwide. Different studies have dealt with the etiological factors of that cancer aiming to find a way for early diagnosis and satisfactory therapy. The present study clarified the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes and some etiological risk factors among breast cancer patients in Iraq. This investigation was carried out on 25 patients (all were females) who were diagnosed as breast cancer patients attended AL-Kadhemya Teaching Hospital in Baghdad and 10 apparently healthy women were used as a control, all women (patients and control) aged above 40 years. The Wizard Promega kit was used for DNA isolation from breast patients and normal individuals. B
... Show MoreA new synthesis of Schiff (K) 6 and Mannich bases (Q) 7 had formed compound (Q) 7 by reacting compound (K) with N-methylaniline at the presence of formalin 35% to given Mannich base (Q). Additionally, new complexes were formed by reacting Schiff base (K) with metal salts CuCl2·2H2O, PdCl2·2H2O, and PtCl6·6H2O by 2:1 of M:L ratio. New ligands and their complexes were characterized, exanimated, and confirmed through several techniques, including FTIR, UV-visible, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR spectroscopy, CHN analysis, FAA, TG, molar conductivity, and magnetic susceptibility. These compounds and their complexes were screened against breast cancer cells. It was determined that several of these compounds had a significant anti-breast cancer effec
... Show MoreNon-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 84% of all lung cancer types diagnosed so far. Every year, regardless of gender, the NSCLC targets many communities worldwide. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a uracil-analog anticancer compound. This drug tends to annihilate multiple tumour cells. But 5-FU's most significant obstacle is that it gets very easily metabolized in the blood, which eventually leads to lower anticancer activity. Therfore a perfect drug delivery system is needed to overcome all the associated challenges.
In this experiment, an attempt was made to prepare 5-FU loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles using solvent evaporation method and subsequently observed the effect of molecular weight of poly l
... Show MoreBackground: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is caused of 85% of all lung cancers. Among the most important factors for lung tumor growth and proliferation are the tyrosine kinase receptors that coded by the epidermal growth factor recep-tor (EGFR) gene. Activation of EGFR ultimately leads to developing of lung cancer. The present study was undertaken with an objective to detect EGFR mutations in bronchial wash from Iraqi patients with NSCLC before treatment. Methods: DNA was extracted from bronchial wash samples collected from 50 patients with NSCLC by using a Qiamp DNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). Then, EGFR mutations were determined by using real-time RCR combined with two technologies, Amplification Refractory Mutation System (
... Show MoreDespite not being digested, trace elements and/or heavy metals are important for the activity of enzymes, physiological processes, and homeostasis. If certain trace elements are present in excess, they can have harmful effects and pose major health hazards. Objective: The aims to examine the connection between serum zinc, copper levels, and the Cu/Zn ratio, and several anthropometric parameters, including an index of body mass and the waist-hip ratio. In our study, we used atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) to measure serum levels of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in 60 individuals, 30 patients with kidney cancer and 30 healthy controls. We assessed serum uric acid, creatinine, and urea using the semi-auto analyzer BA-88A (Korea). The results
... Show MoreHookah smoking has become very popular in Iraq among women and men. Hookah tobacco contains natural radioactive elements, such as radon, radium, and uranium, as well as toxic elements, such as polonium, which are released during the combustion of tobacco and are inhaled by smoking. Most reviews focus on hookah tobacco, and only a few have investigated the blood of hookah smokers. In this study, a CR-39 detector was used to measure radon, radium, and polonium concentrations and conduct risk assessments in female hookah smokers of different ages. The results show that the concentrations of radon-222, polonium-218, and polonium-214 varied between 61.62 and 384.80, 5.45–33.64 on the wal
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed form of malignant tumour in Iraqi women. Tamoxifen and trastuzumab are highly effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. This study's objectives were to define the patient's belief in tamoxifen or trastuzumab when used as adjuvant therapy and to determine the variation in belief between the two medications in a sample of Iraqi breast cancer patients. The cross-section survey was conducted using the BMQ-Specific questionnaire. Ninety-seven participants (sixty-seven tamoxifen, thirty trastuzumab) participated in this study. The mean of specific-necessity scale for tamoxifen was (3.7) and for trastuzumab (4). The findings showed a high necessity for both medicines, and there were
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