The pursual of novel anticancer molecules from natural sources has gained worthwhile appreciation, and a significant fraction of conceptual knowledge has revolutionized our understanding about heterogeneous nature of cancer. Betulinic acid has fascinated interdisciplinary researchers due to its tremendous pharmacological properties. Ground-breaking discoveries have unraveled previously unprecedented empirical proof-of-concept about momentous chemopreventive role of betulinic acid against carcinogenesis and metastasis. Deregulation of cell signaling pathways has been reported to play a linchpin role in cancer progression and colonization of metastatically competent cancer cells to the distant organs for the development of secondary tumors. Importantly, betulinic acid has demonstrated unique properties to mechanistically modulate oncogenic transduction cascades. In this mini-review, we have attempted to provide a sophisticated compendium of regulatory role of betulinic acid in cancer chemoprevention. We have partitioned this multi-component review into different sections in which we summarized landmark research-works which highlighted betulinic acid mediated regulation of JAK/STAT, VEGF, EGF/EGFR, TRAIL/TRAIL-R, AKT/mTOR and ubiquitination pathways in the inhibition of cancer. In parallel, betulinic acid mediated regulation of signaling cascades and non-coding RNAs will be critically analyzed in cell culture and animal model studies. Better comprehension of the pharmaceutical features of betulinic acid and mapping of the existing knowledge gaps will be valuable in the translatability of preclinical studies into rationally designed clinical trials.

The renaissance of research into natural products has unequivocally and paradigmatically shifted our knowledge about the significant role of natural products in cancer chemoprevention. Bufalin is a pharmacologically active molecule isolated from the skin of the toad Bufo gargarizans or Bufo melanostictus. Bufalin has characteristically unique properties to regulate multiple molecular targets and can be used to harness multi-targeted therapeutic regimes against different cancers. There is burgeoning evidence related to functional roles of signaling cascades in carcinogenesis and metastasis. Bufalin has been reported to regulate pleiotropically a myriad of signal transduction cascades in various cancers. Importantly, bufalin mechanistically regulated JAK/STAT, Wnt/β-Catenin, mTOR, TRAIL/TRAIL-R, EGFR, and c-MET pathways. Furthermore, bufalin-mediated modulation of non-coding RNAs in different cancers has also started to gain tremendous momentum. Similarly, bufalin-mediated targeting of tumor microenvironments and tumor macrophages is an area of exciting research and we have only started to scratch the surface of the complicated nature of molecular oncology. Cell culture studies and animal models provide proof-of-concept for the impetus role of bufalin in the inhibition of carcinogenesis and metastasis. Bufalin-related clinical studies are insufficient and interdisciplinary researchers require detailed analysis of the existing knowledge gaps.

Landmark discoveries in molecular oncology have provided a wide-angle overview of the heterogenous and therapeutically challenging nature of cancer. The power of modern ‘omics’ technologies has enabled researchers to deeply and comprehensively characterize molecular mechanisms underlying cellular functions. Interestingly, high-throughput technologies have opened new horizons for the design and scientific fool-proof evaluation of the pharmacological properties of targeted chemical compounds to tactfully control the activities of the oncogenic protein networks. Groundbreaking discoveries have galvanized the expansion of the repertoire of available pharmacopoeia to therapeutically target a myriad of deregulated oncogenic pathways. Natural product research has undergone substantial broadening, and many of the drugs which constitute the backbone of modern pharmaceuticals have been derived from the natural cornucopia. Baicalein has gradually gained attention because of its unique ability to target different oncogenic signal transduction cascades in various cancers. We have partitioned this review into different sub-sections to provide a broader snapshot of the oncogenic pathways regulated by baicalein. In this review, we summarize baicalein-mediated targeting of WNT/β-catenin, AKT/mTOR, JAK/STAT, MAPK, and NOTCH pathways. We also critically analyze how baicalein regulates non-coding RNAs (microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs) in different cancers. Finally, we conceptually interpret baicalein-mediated inhibition of primary and secondary growths in xenografted mice.

The molecular mechanisms and signal transduction cascades evoked by the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) are becoming increasingly understandable. AhR is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor that integrates environmental, dietary and metabolic cues for the pleiotropic regulation of a wide variety of mechanisms. AhR mediates transcriptional programming in a ligand-specific, context-specific and cell-type-specific manner. Pioneering cutting-edge research works have provided fascinating new insights into the mechanistic role of AhR-driven downstream signaling in a wide variety of cancers. AhR ligands derived from food, environmental contaminants and intestinal microbiota strategically activated AhR signaling and regulated multiple stages of cancer. Although AhR has classically been viewed and characterized as a ligand-regulated transcriptional factor, its role as a ubiquitin ligase is fascinating. Accordingly, recent evidence has paradigmatically shifted our understanding and urged researchers to drill down deep into these novel and clinically valuable facets of AhR biology. Our rapidly increasing realization related to AhR-mediated regulation of the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of different proteins has started to scratch the surface of intriguing mechanisms. Furthermore, AhR and epigenome dynamics have shown previously unprecedented complexity during multiple stages of cancer progression. AhR not only transcriptionally regulated epigenetic-associated molecules, but also worked with epigenetic-modifying enzymes during cancer progression. In this review, we have summarized the findings obtained not only from cell-culture studies, but also from animal models. Different clinical trials are currently being conducted using AhR inhibitors and PD-1 inhibitors (Pembrolizumab and nivolumab), which confirm the linchpin role of AhR-related mechanistic details in cancer progression. Therefore, further studies are required to develop a better comprehension of the many-sided and “diametrically opposed” roles of AhR in the regulation of carcinogenesis and metastatic spread of cancer cells to the secondary organs.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rethinking of the processes in medical organizations. Managers and medical staff faced new challenges that needed immediate response. Aims: To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic conditions of private medium- (

Relevance: Radiation safety of medical personnel remains one of the most pressing issues in modern healthcare. With the increasing use of diagnostic imaging, improving nurses’ competencies in radiation protection becomes essential. Insufficient awareness of radiation protection principles among nurses may lead to violations of safety standards and increased occupational exposure risks. The study aimed to culturally adapt and validate the Healthcare Professional Knowledge of Radiation Protection (HPKRP) questionnaire for assessing the competencies of Kazakhstani nurses in radiation safety. Methods: The original HPKRP questionnaire was translated into Russian and Kazakh using forward–backward translation. The process of cultural adaptation was carried out in accordance with internationally recognized stages: forward and backward translation, expert evaluation, and pilot testing (30 respondents, including 15 Russian and 15 Kazakh speakers). The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26. The questionnaire’s internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s α. Results: The translation of the questionnaire completely preserved the meaning of the original English version; no significant differences were identified. During the validation process, minor modifications were made to the wording of some questions to clarify them and make them easier for respondents to understand. The overall Cronbach’s α was 0.90, and the scale-level CVI (S-CVI) was 0.88. Factor analysis confirmed a three-domain structure consistent with the original tool. Conclusion: The Kazakhstani version of HPKRP demonstrated excellent reliability and content validity, supporting its use for nurses’ radiation safety competencies in diagnostic imaging departments.