A randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a culture and disease-specific, patient-centric multi-component tobacco cessation intervention package for the patients attending non-communicable disease clinics in Punjab, India.

Background: Developing an infrastructure to support tobacco cessation through existing systems and resources is crucial for ensuring the greatest possible access to cessation services. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed multi-component cessation among tobacco users in Non- Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics, functioning under the National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, & Stroke (NPCDCS) of the Government of India.

Methods: The intervention package consisting of culture- and disease-specific four face-to-face counselling sessions, pamphlets, and short text messages (bilingual) with follow-ups at 3rd, 6th, and 9th months with an endline assessment at 12th months was delivered to the intervention arm of the two-arm- parallel group randomised controlled trial at two selected NCD clinics.

Secretory Phospholipase A (sPLA) Isozymes as Potential Targets in Tobacco Condensate- induced Colon Damage.

Aims: To find out the role of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA) isozymes as potential targets in tobacco condensate-induced colon damage.

Background: The effects of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) and the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of phospholipase A2 (PLA) and its isozymes in colon cells, which are still unclear and emerging, are studied.

Objectives: The study aimed to check the effect of CSC on cell viability and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superoxide.

Suitable habitat of wild Asian elephant in Western Terai of Nepal.

Background: There is currently very little available research on the habitat suitability, the influence of infrastructure on distribution, and the extent and connectivity of habitat available to the wild Asian elephant (). Information related to the habitat is crucial for conservation of this species.

Methods: In this study, we identified suitable habitat for wild Asian elephants in the Western Terai region of Nepal using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) software.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) IVA as a potential signature molecule in cigarette smoke condensate induced pathologies in alveolar epithelial lineages.

Background: Smoking is one of the leading causes of millions of deaths worldwide. During cigarette smoking, most affected and highly exposed cells are the alveolar epithelium and generated oxidative stress in these cells leads to death and damage. Several studies suggested that oxidative stress causes membrane remodeling via Phospholipase A2s but in the case of cigarette smokers, mechanistically study is not yet fully defined.

Curcumin sensitizes lung adenocarcinoma cells to apoptosis via intracellular redox status mediated pathway.

The present study demonstrates that curcumin acts as pro-oxidant and sensitizes human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells (A549) to apoptosis via intracellular redox status mediated pathway. Results indicated that curcumin induced cell toxicity (light microscopy and MTT assay) and apoptosis (AnnexinV-FITC/PI labeling and caspase-3 activity) in these cells. These events seem to be mediated through generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superoxide radicals (SOR) and enhanced levels of lipid peroxidation.