ABSTRACT

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Currently available therapies are inadequate and spur demand for improved technologies. Nanomaterials are at the cutting edge of the rapidly developing area of nanotechnology. The potential for nanoparticles in cancer drug delivery is infinite with novel new applications constantly being explored. Targeted nanoparticles play a very significant role in cancer drug delivery. The promising implications of these platforms for advances in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics form the basis of this review. Targeted delivery systems of nano biomaterials are necessary to be developed for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Nano-based pharmaceuticals, or nanomedicines,” are engineered to either function as a drug or carry a drug while addressing these scientific challenges due to their nano-size.

Keywords: Nanomaterials, nanomedicines, Targeted delivery

ABSTRACT

Malaria remains an important public health concern in countries where transmission occurs regularly, as well as in temperate areas and it is a major global health problem, with an estimated 500 million clinical cases occurring annually. Malaria is a complex disease that varies widely in epidemiology and clinical manifestation in different parts of the world. The most prevalent and dangerous type of malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum. P. vivax is a common cause of malaria in Latin America, Asia, and Oceania, but not Africa. P. malaria and P. ovale are much less common. Antimalarials are used in three different ways: prophylaxis, treatment of falciparum malaria, and treatment of non-falciparum malaria. Prophylactic antimalarials are used almost exclusively by travelers from developed countries who are visiting malaria-endemic countries.

Keywords: Malaria, antimalarial drugs, plasmodium.