Air pollution trend in Chandigarh during 2019-2022: status and influence of meteorological factors

The degradation of ambient air quality is a pressing global concern, and India, as a developing nation, has witnessed a rapid surge in industrial activities in recent decades. This surge has resulted in numerous Indian cities ranking among the world's most polluted urban areas. Chandigarh, strategically positioned within the Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP), has not escaped this distressing trend, experiencing a significant spike in air pollution levels. This study focuses on comprehending and addressing the air quality issues in Chandigarh, shedding light on the evolution of air pollution trends and their dependence on meteorological factors. Notably, the study reveals that, with the exception of O3, pollutant concentrations surge during the rice stubble burning season. These pollutants persist in the atmosphere for prolonged periods, exacerbating the situation during winter due to lower temperatures and heightened use of fossil fuels for heating by low-income households. In contrast, the wheat stubble burning period does not significantly impact pollutant concentrations. The study also identifies a spring peak in surface O3 concentrations, attributed to favorable high temperatures that promote the photochemical reactions responsible for this phenomenon, a distinctive feature in South Asia and the Himalayas. An examination of the connection between pollutant concentrations and meteorological parameters underscores that elevated pollutant levels, except for CO, are linked to lower relative humidity and temperatures. This suggests that current development patterns have contributed to the escalation of air pollution in Chandigarh, necessitating urgent interventions to preserve the city's aesthetics and the health of its residents. Furthermore, to model and monitor pollutant behavior in Chandigarh, more extensive and extended studies are imperative. Both short-term and long-term investigations into the environmental and health impacts of air pollutants, including primary and secondary pollutants, are of paramount importance. These endeavors are essential for the well-being of both the environment and the population of Chandigarh.

Essential oils as anticancer agents: Potential role in malignancies, drug delivery mechanisms, and immune system enhancement

Cancer retains a central place in fatality rates among the wide variety of diseases known world over, and the conventional synthetic medicaments, albeit used until now, produce numerous side effects. As a result, newer, better, and safer alternatives such as natural plant products, are gravely required. Essential oils (EOs) offer a plethora of bioactivities including antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, and anticancer properties, therefore, the use of EOs in combination with synthetic drugs or aromatherapy continues to be popular in many settings. In view of the paramount importance of EOs and their potential bioactivities, this review summarizes the current knowledge on the interconnection between EOs and cancer treatment. In particular, the current review presents an updated summary of the chemical composition of EOs, their current applications in cancer treatments based on clinical studies, and the mechanism of action against the cancer cell lines. Similarly, an overview of using EOs in aromatherapy and enhancing immunity during cancer treatment is provided. Further, this review focuses on the recent technological advancements such as the loading of EOs using protein microspheres, ligands, or nanoemulsions/nanoencapsulation, which offer multiple benefits in cancer treatment via site-specific and target-oriented delivery of drugs. The continuing clinical studies of EOs implicate that their pharmacological applications are a rewarding research area.

Comprehensive Metabolomics Study of Traditionally Important Rumex Species Found in Western Himalayan Region

Rumex species are traditionally known to cure constipation, pain, inflammation, ulcer and tumor. The biological potential of Rumex nepalens is lies in chemical diversity of its constituents. In the present study, UPLC-DAD-MS method was developed for the concurrent estimation of polyphenols in Rumex species ( R. nepalensis, R. hastatus and R. dentatus) and validated for linearity (r2 > 0.999), limit of quantification and detection, inter and intraday precession, stabilities and recovery. The developed method has also been employed for metabolomic analysis of Rumex species. Qualitative and quantitative variation of polyphenols was observed among the aerial and root parts of Rumex species with highest content of polyphenol detected in aerial part of R. nepalensis. The quantitative data based matrix and HCA plot represents the variation of metabolites among the samples. R. nepalensis being widely used in traditional practices, was incorporated in detail. A total of seven molecules were isolated and characterized among which three compounds viz. 3- O- methyl epicatechin, quercetin-3- O- β-D-glucuronide and β-sitosterol-3- O- β-D-glucoside were isolated for first time from this plant. Eighteen metabolites were profiled in R. nepalensis using UPLC-MS/MS technique. Current comprehensive metabolomics approach will surely help in understanding the chemical diversity, discriminations and quality control analysis of raw materials and furnished products of Rumex.