The serine/threonine kinase Akt, also known as protein kinase B (PKB), plays a key role in cell survival and proliferation through a number of downstream effectors. Recent studies indicate that unregulated activation of the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is a prominent feature of many human cancers and Akt is overexpressed or activated in all major cancers. For these reasons, Akt is considered as an attractive target for cancer therapy. In the past few years, several series of compounds with diverse structural features have been reported as Akt inhibitors, such as, ATP-competitive inhibitors, Phosphatidylinositol (PI) analogs, and allosteric inhibitors. Although most of the inhibitors exhibited potent inhibitory activities at nanomolar concentrations against Akt, some of them have shown unfavorable selectivity against other protein kinases especially PKA and PKC. This review will focus on the recent advances in the development and biological evaluation of selective ATP-competitive inhibitors for Akt. We will summarize the novel approaches toward the developments of selective ATP-competitive inhibitors, expecting to give information to design new ATP-competitive inhibitors with high selectivity, bioavailability, and potency.

PMSS), and MMRCs for each state, each of which has a varying format for recording maternal mortality data (thus leading to complications in obtaining accurate data). In addition, the World Health Organization's definition of maternal mortality excludes "incidental" deaths. With the varied terminology used to describe maternal deaths, the lack of standardization is problematic for researchers and MMRCs. As 3 of 5 maternal deaths are the result of preventable causes, the reduction of maternal death requires the elimination of preventable SMM. Severe morbidity can include cardiovascular disease, obstetrical hemorrhage, sepsis, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, amniotic fluid embolism, and venous thromboembolism. However, clinical complications fail to fully account for the disparity in maternal mortality rates, as black women of all income levels experience a higher maternal death rate than white women. Despite this, structural racism remains a fundamental cause of maternal health inequities. Other contributing factors are the inversely proportional relationship of hospital delivery volume and population density of available maternal-fetal medicine specialists.Despite a global decline of maternal mortality worldwide, the rate has risen in the United States in recent years. As the causes are both multidimensional and complex, a wide array of solutions on many levels is necessary to resolve the issue across different communities. Following 2 workshops addressing these causes and possible solutions of maternal mortality in the United States, an initiative which will be known as IMPROVE (Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone) was created to address the implementation of a research agenda.