Piperine Attenuates Cigarette Smoke-Induced Oxidative Stress, Lung Inflammation, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Modulating the SIRT1/Nrf2 Axis

Piperine (PIP) is a major phytoconstituent in black pepper which is responsible for various pharmacological actions such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor activity. To investigate the effects and mechanisms of PIP on cigarette smoke (CS)-induced lung pathology using both in-vitro and in-vivo models. BEAS-2B and A549 cells were exposed to CS extract (CSE) for 48 h; BALB/c mice were exposed to CS (9 cigarettes/day, 4 days) to induce features of airway disease. PIP at doses of (0.25, 1.25, and 6.25 µM, in vitro; 1 and 10 mg/kg, in vivo, i.n) and DEX (1 µM, in vitro; 1 mg/kg, in vivo, i.n) were used to assess cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), inflammation-related cellular signaling, and lung function. PIP treatment protects cells from CSE-induced lung epithelial cell death. PIP treatment restores the epithelial marker (p \u3c 0.05) and decreases the mesenchymal, inflammatory markers (p \u3c 0.05) in both in vitro and in vivo models. The PIP treatment improves the altered lung function (p \u3c 0.05) in mice induced by CS exposure. Mechanistically, PIP treatment modulates SIRT1 thereby reducing the inflammatory markers such as IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α (p \u3c 0.05) and enhancing the epigenetic marker HDAC2 (p \u3c 0.05) and antioxidant marker Nrf2 (p \u3c 0.05) expressions. Thus, PIP alleviates pulmonary inflammation by modulating the SIRT1-mediated inflammatory cascade, inhibits EMT, and activates Nrf2 signaling

Home made adapter for hands-free smart phone slit lamp photography

Slit lamp photography has become more accessible and popular after the advent of digital cameras and smart phones. We describe a simple homemade adapter to provide hands-free smart phone slit lamp photography. The cost of the adapter is nominal and the image quality is very good and can be used for academics and patient education

Field investigation of carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes and organic carbon from a conserved paddy field of NorthâEast India

This study investigates the effects of conserved tills on the fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and soil organic carbon (SOC) from a rainâfedâpaddy plot in Assam (Northâeastern state of India). Two paddy plots identical in soil properties, developed to cultivate rice (Sali, grown in lowâlying areas of Assam), were adjacent to each other to follow a conventional agricultural practice in one and conservation in the other. Two chambers (1 mÃ0.6 mÃ0.4 m) were placed in both the plots to collect runoff for analyzing CO2 concentrations. The results of the both practices have been interâcompared. For conservation plot, the SOC was high in the range from 3.17+0.01 kg mâ2 to 20.42+0.56 kg mâ2 and the CO2 emission was less, i.e. 97.30+7.11 mg mâ2 h--1 as compared to 189.65+4.37 mg mâ2 h--1 of the conventional plot. Low tillage practiced for the conservation plot facilitated higher porosity (50.11+8.40% to 88.87+3.59%) and greater water retention (47.47+1.15% to 101.37+1.63%) in the soil. The results indicate that more tillage exposed the soil to atmospheric oxygen more, which leads to excess mineralization of organic carbon and emissions of CO2 as in the conventional plot. Keywords: Paddy, SOC, CO2, Emission, Tillag

Secondary Pollutants from VOCs in Urban Indoor Air

People spend most of their time in indoor environment. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are commonly found in indoors due to the presence of several indoor sources. Besides, outdoor VOCs when infiltrate into the indoors increase indoor levels of VOCs. Some studies have reported that VOCs in indoor air may be involved in the production of secondary pollutants. This study investigates the role of VOCs in forming secondary air pollutants and identifies the critical environmental factors, which favor the reactions. It was found that VOCs form secondary organic aerosols (SOA), which remain in particle forms in the ultrafine size range. In this, pollutants like ozone (O3), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and hydroxyl radicles (OH) take part. SOA constitutes major portion of particulate matter in indoors and as it has fine size, it is suspected to cause severe health effects. The article is therefore focused on the importance and challenges that SOA pose to indoor environment. Mitigation measures and research gaps are also discussed