Cytological diagnosis of pineoblastoma in cerebrospinal fluid.

A rare case of pineoblastoma on cerebrospinal fluid cytology was reported in a 15-year-old girl. In the current paper, a rare case of pienoblastoma on CSF cytology has been described.

Synthesis of Isatin-derived Heterocycles with Promising Anticancer Activities.

Isatin or 1H-indole-2,3-dione skeleton has been playing a significant role in drug de-sign and development. Isatin itself and many of its derivatives are widely distributed in naturally occurring bioactive compounds. Various synthetic isatin derivatives were found to possess a broad range of significant pharmacological efficacies especially anti-cancer activity against a wide variety of cancer cell lines. Interestingly, on a few occasions, some isatin-derived scaffolds were reported as more potent than the tested reputed drug molecules. As a result, isatin-derived compounds have been gaining significant attention in cancer-based drug developments. In this re-view, we have summarized literature reported during the last two decades related to the synthesis of structurally diverse isatin-derived scaffolds with promising anti-cancer activities.

Targeting transforming growth factor-ß signalling for cancer prevention and intervention: Recent advances in developing small molecules of natural origin.

BACKGROUND: Cancer is the world's second leading cause of death, but a significant advancement in cancer treatment has been achieved within the last few decades. However, major adverse effects and drug resistance associated with standard chemotherapy have led towards targeted treatment options. OBJECTIVES: Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling plays a key role in cell proliferation, differentiation, morphogenesis, regeneration, and tissue homeostasis. The prime objective of this review is to decipher the role of TGF-ß in oncogenesis and to evaluate the potential of various natural and synthetic agents to target this dysregulated pathway to confer cancer preventive and anticancer therapeutic effects. METHODS: Various authentic and scholarly databases were explored to search and obtain primary literature for this study. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) criteria was followed for the review. RESULTS: Here we provide a comprehensive and critical review of recent advances on our understanding of the effect of various bioactive natural molecules on the TGF-ß signaling pathway to evaluate their full potential for cancer prevention and therapy. CONCLUSION: Based on emerging evidence as presented in this work, TGF-ß-targeting bioactive compounds from natural sources can serve as potential therapeutic agents for prevention and treatment of various human malignancies.