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5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) plus leucovorin (LV) remain as the mainstay standard adjuvant chemotherapy treatment for early stage colon cancer, and the preferred first-line option for metastatic colon cancer patients in combination with oxaliplatin in FOLFOX, or irinotecan in FOLFIRI regimens. Despite treatment success to a certain extent, the incidence of chemotherapy failure attributed to chemotherapy resistance is still reported in many patients. This resistance, which can be defined by tumor tolerance against chemotherapy, either intrinsic or acquired, is primarily driven by the dysregulation of various components in distinct pathways. In recent years, it has been established that the incidence of 5-FU resistance, akin to multidrug resistance, can be attributed to the alterations in drug transport, evasion of apoptosis, changes in the cell cycle and DNA-damage repair machinery, regulation of autophagy, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cell involvement, tumor microenvironment interactions, miRNA dysregulations, epigenetic alterations, as well as redox imbalances. Certain resistance mechanisms that are 5-FU-specific have also been ascertained to include the upregulation of thymidylate synthase, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, and the downregulation of thymidine phosphorylase. Indeed, the successful modulation of these mechanisms have been the game plan of numerous studies that had employed small molecule inhibitors, plant-based small molecules, and non-coding RNA regulators to effectively reverse 5-FU resistance in colon cancer cells. It is hoped that these studies would provide fundamental knowledge to further our understanding prior developing novel drugs in the near future that would synergistically work with 5-FU to potentiate its antitumor effects and improve the patient’s overall survival.

Knowledge of distribution, density, and abundance of weed in a place is a prerequisite for its proper management. Parthenium hazard is a national agenda in Malaysia, and Kedah is the worst infested state in the country. Despite it, the distribution and abundance of the weed is not systematically documented. Periodical weed surveys were conducted at Kuala Muda, Kedah, during March and September 2015 to identify infested locations, to determine density, abundance, and severity of infestation, and to do mapping of weed distribution of the area. Geographic locations were recorded using a GPS. Weed density was measured following the list count quadrat method. e mapping of weed infestation was done by the ArcGIS software using data of GPS and weed density. Different letters were used to indicate the severity of infestation. Results indicated that in Kuala Muda, sixteen sites are infested having average weed density of 10.6 weeds/m 2 . e highest density was noted at Kg. Kongsi 6 (24.3 plants/m 2 ). e relative density was highest at Semeling (27.25%) followed by Kg. Kongsi 6 (23.14%). e average severity of infestation was viewed as the medium. Parthenium abundance and relative density increased by 18.0% and 27%, respectively, in the second survey conducted. e intervention of concerned authority to tackle the weed problem using integrated weed management approach is emphasized.

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> The aim of the present study was to determine the anti-ulcer activity of a methanol extract of <i>Bauhinia purpurea</i> leaf (MEBP). <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> MEBP was administered at doses of 100, 500 and 1,000 mg/kg and its effects on acute toxicity, absolute ethanol- and indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration, and pyloric ligation tests in rats were investigated. <b><i>Results:</i></b> At a dose of 5,000 mg/kg, MEBP did not cause any signs of toxicity in rats when given orally. Oral administration of MEBP exerted anti-ulcer activity (p < 0.05) in all models tested. However, a dose-dependent protection was observed only in the indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration model. Histological studies supported the observed anti-ulcer activity of MEBP. In the pyloric ligation assay, MEBP significantly increased gastric wall mucus secretion (p < 0.05), but did not affect the acidity of the gastric contents. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> MEBP exhibited anti-ulcer activity, which could be due to the presence of flavonoids, saponins or other polyphenols, thereby validating the traditional use of <i>B. purpurea </i>in the treatment of ulcers.

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