Hemorrhagic fever in Saudi Arabia: challenge to public health, effective management and future considerations.

BACKGROUND: Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) refers to a group of febrile illnesses caused by different viruses that result in high mortality in animals and humans. Many risk factors like increased human-animal interactions, climate change, increased mobility of people and limited diagnostic facility have contributed to the rapid spread of VHF. MATERIALS: The history of VHFs in the Saudi Arabian Peninsula has been documented since the 19th century, in which many outbreaks have been reported from the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. Despite presence of regional network of experts and technical organizations, which expedite support and respond during outbreaks, there are some more challenges that need to be addressed immediately. Gaps in funding, exhaustive and inclusive response plans and improved surveillance systems are some areas of concern in the region which can be dealt productively. This review primarily focusses on the hemorrhagic fevers that are caused by three most common viruses namely, the Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus, Rift valley fever virus, and Dengue fever virus. CONCLUSION: In summary, effective vector control, health education, possible use of vaccine and concerted synchronized efforts between different government organizations and private research institutions will help in planning effective outbreak-prevention and response strategies in future.

Strigolactones-a novel class of phytohormones as anti-cancer agents.

Chemotherapy shows some promising results in the inhibition of cancer, but resistance to chemotherapy and its severe side effects may occur in due course, resulting in only restricted and narrow benefits. Therefore, there is a pressing need to find alternative chemotherapeutic drugs for combating cancers. Plants have been used since ages in medicine, and by the dawn of 19th century, various potent and promising anti-cancer products have been derived from plants. Strigolactones (SLs) are a novel class of phytohormones involved in regulating the branching of shoots. Recently, many novel synthesized SL analogues have been found to be effective against solid and non-solid tumours. These hormones have been reported to have a unique mechanism of inhibiting cancer cells by lowering their viability and promoting apoptosis and cell death at micromolar concentrations. Therefore, synthetic SL analogues could be future potent anti-cancer drug candidates. Further research is needed to identify and deduce the significance of these synthetic SL analogues.