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Byline: Subhra. Dhar, Divya. Gupta, Rajib. Malakar, Sandipan. Dhar Sir, A 70-year-old retired man with no known co-morbidities presented with a slowly progressive area of ulceration over the right shin [...]

Ultraviolet (UV) exposure to the skin causes photo-damage and acts as the primary etiological agent in photo-carcinogenesis. UV-B exposure induces cellular damage and is the major factor challenging skin homeostasis. Autophagy allows the fundamental adaptation of cells to metabolic and oxidative stress. Cellular dysfunction has been observed in aged tissues and in toxic insults to cells undergoing stress. Conversely, promising anti-aging strategies aimed at inhibiting the mTOR pathway have been found to significantly improve the aging-related disorders. Recently, autophagy has been found to positively regulate skin homeostasis by enhancing DNA damage recognition. Here, we investigated the geno-protective roles of autophagy in UV-B-exposed primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). We found that UV-B irradiation to HDFs impairs the autophagy response in a time- and intensity-independent manner. However, improving autophagy levels in HDFs with pharmacological activators regulates the UV-B-induced cellular stress by decreasing the induction of DNA photo-adducts, promoting the DNA repair process, alleviating oxidative and ER stress responses, and regulating the expression levels of key cell cycle regulatory proteins. Autophagy also prevents HDFs from UV-B-induced nuclear damage as is evident in TUNEL assay and Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide co-staining. Salubrinal (an eIF2α phosphatase inhibitor) relieves ER stress response in cells and also significantly alleviates DNA damage and promotes the repair process in UV-B-exposed HDFs. P62-silenced HDFs show enhanced DNA damage response and also disturb the tumor suppressor PTEN/pAKT signaling axis in UV-B-exposed HDFs whereas Atg7-silenced HDFs reveal an unexpected consequence by decreasing the UV-B-induced DNA damage. Taken together, these results suggest that interventional autophagy offers significant protection against UV-B radiation-induced photo-damage and holds great promise in devising it as a suitable therapeutic strategy against skin pathological disorders.

Context: A school-based novel tobacco control model can play a crucial role in encouraging tobacco prevention and cessation among students. Tobacco use is a global public health concern, and targeting prevention and cessation efforts at a young age is essential to curb the long-term health consequences associated with tobacco consumption. Incorporating games, interactive activities, and educative movies can significantly enhance tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. This multifaceted approach engages individuals in various ways, making the message more memorable and impactful. By combining these elements, we can create a comprehensive approach that caters to different learning styles and preferences especially for younger audiences who are more accustomed to digital and interactive experiences. The key is to make the educational experience engaging, informative, and motivating, ultimately increasing the likelihood of successful tobacco prevention and cessation outcomes. Aim: To create a comprehensive and effective program that can raise awareness, prevent initiation and promote cessation of tobacco. Design: Pre-Post Intervention Quasi-Experimental Study. Setting: Schools across Bangalore city, India. Participants: High school Students. Methods: A 90-minute comprehensive session on tobacco awareness was developed for a classroom setting to educate, train, and promote positive changes in attitudes and behaviours among school children, which includes five components: an antitobacco short film, educational games and a mobile app, an interactive PowerPoint presentation, and small group activities for brainstorming and practicing resistance skills. These tools are strategically designed as motivational aids to encourage tobacco cessation and prevention. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Knowledge enhancement, attitude change, behaviour modification, engagement and participation and program effectiveness. Measures used were pre-and post-intervention assessments, feedback from students, educators, and quantitative data analysis. Results: Results suggest students' positive perceptions of the games within the tobacco control model, specifically user‑friendliness (P < 0.05), usefulness (P < 0.01), and acceptability (P < 0.01), and higher intention to quit tobacco. This finding underscores the importance of creating engaging and well‑designed interventions, such as interactive games, to effectively influence School‑based Novel Tobacco Control Model for Encouraging Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Sujatha Sampangi Reddy1, Shwetha Venkataramana1, Rakesh Nagaraju1, Pavan Kumar Tupakula1, Ankita Kar1,2, Priyadharshini Ramkrishnan1, Divya Gupta1, Z. Ummu Salma3, Radha Prashanth4 Access this article online students' attitudes and behaviours related to tobacco use. Conclusions and Relevance: The school-based novel tobacco control model stands as a promising and relevant approach to addressing tobacco prevention and cessation among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative injury is concerned with the pathogenesis of several liver injuries, including those from acute liver failure to cirrhosis. This study was designed to explore the antioxidant activity of Bacopa monnieri (BM) on Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) induced oxidative damage in Wistar albino rats. Aflatoxin B1 treatment (200 μg/kg/day, p.o.) for 28 days induced oxidative injury by a significant alteration in serum liver function test marker enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, albumin and bilirubin), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) along with reduction of antioxidant enzymes (GSH, SOD, CAT), GSH cycle enzymes and drug-metabolizing enzymes (AH and AND). Treatment of rats with B. monnieri (20, 30 and 40 mg/kg for 5 days, p.o.) after 28 days of AFB1 intoxication significantly restored these parameters near control in a dose-dependent way. Histopathological examination disclosed extensive hepatic injuries, characterized by cellular necrosis, infiltration, congestion and sinusoidal dilatation in the AFB1-treated group. Treatment with B. monnieri significantly reduced these toxic effects resulting from AFB1. B. monnieri per se group (40 mg/kg) did not show any significant change and proved safe. The cytotoxic activity of B. monnieri was also evaluated on HepG2 cells and showed a good percentage of cytotoxic activity. This finding suggests that B. monnieri protects the liver against oxidative damage caused by AFB1, which aids in the evaluation of the traditional usage of this medicinal plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]