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Histopathology lab is the place where the specimen gets processed and stained to view under microscope for interpretation. Exposure to the chemicals used in these processes cause various health hazards to the laboratory technicians, pathologists, and scientists working in the laboratory. Hence, there is a dire need to introduce healthy and bio-friendly alternatives in the field. This literature review explores the natural products and their efficiency to be used as alternatives for chemicals in the histopathology lab.

Background:The therapeutic potential of yoga are often considered complementary to various forms of medical practice. Very few studies have evaluated the effects of yoga in the treatment of occupational hazards among dentists. Hence, this cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the adoption of yoga techinques as an alternative therapy in treatment of physical and psychological occupational hazards among dental general practitioners in Chennai, India.Materials and Methods:A validated closed-ended questionnaire was circulated to 500 dental general practitioners in Chennai, India and we received 394 completed questionnaires. The questionnaire documented demographic data, occupational hazards and the type of treatment taken for the hazards.Results:Musculoskeletal pain with stress (47%) was the most common occupational hazard reported, followed by only stress (27.4%), and only musculoskeletal pain (25.6%). Only 9.6% of practitioners adopted yoga as an alternative treatment for these occupational hazards. Interestingly, majority (46.4%) of them did exercise, gym, massage, walking and heard music. Surprisingly, 43.9% did not take any measures to treat these occupational hazards. However 53.3% of the dentists who did not consider yoga as an alternative therapy, stated lack of time as a reason for not practicing yoga while 17.6% of them don’t believe yoga as a therapy.Conclusion:Despite musculoskeletal pain and stress being the most common occupational hazard prevalent among dentists, over 50% of the subjects surveyed didn’t seek any measure to treat these occupational hazards and only 10% of them practiced yoga as the alternative therapy.

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Background: Despite immense advancements in treatment modalities, cancer remains a dreadful disease until the present. The major influencing factors behind the increased mortality rate of cancer are increased drug resistance and severe adverse effects caused by conventional cancer therapies. To overcome these limitations, the current medical field is focusing more on natural phyto-derived molecules to mitigate cancer. Mangosteen is a phytotherapeutic with potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer potential of the crude ethanolic extract of mangosteen against two dreadful forms of cancers, namely, oral cancer and cervical cancer, in vitro. Methodology: The pericarp of Garcinia mangostana or mangosteen was removed, air-dried, ground to fine powder, and macerated with ethanol. The extract obtained was then filtered and extracted with water for 48 h. The aqueous fraction thus obtained was then concentrated with a rotary evaporator at 40°C and dried with a freeze dryer. The anticancer efficacy of these extracts was investigated in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma (H357) cells and cervical cancer cells (HeLa) using the MTT assay, TUNEL assay, western blotting, and flow cytometry techniques. Results: The crude mangosteen pericarp extract (MPE) significantly inhibited the growth of H357 and HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, mangosteen induced early apoptosis in these cells after 48 h of incubation. Mangosteen also upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, including caspases and Bax, and downregulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2.Conclusion: The MPE exerted significant cytotoxicity against the H357 and HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner and promoted their apoptosis. Hence, this natural phytoextract can be considered a potent anticancer agent for treating oral cancer and cervical cancer.