Impact of solid waste dumping on soil quality and its potential risk on human health and environment.

The soil, comprising minerals, organic matter, and living organisms, serves as a critical component of our environment. However, anthropogenic activities, such as uncontrolled sewage disposal and industrial waste, have led to pervasive soil pollution, impacting ecosystems and human health. This comprehensive study scrutinizes the intricate dynamics of soil pollution resulting from open waste dumping, specifically examining its impact on the health of local communities and the environment in Haridwar municipality. In this study, four solid waste dumping sites were meticulously surveyed, with soil samples analyzed for 19 parameters through statistical tools like one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis tests, soil pollution indices, and potential health risk assessment. The Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo) and contamination factor (CF) followed the heavy metals in the order of Zn > Mn > Fe > Cu in all selected sites. Additionally, a potential health risk assessment considered ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure pathways, revealing a high non-carcinogenic risk of metals (Mn > Fe > Zn > Cu) for both children and adults. In the ingestion pathway, the hazard quotient indicated a high risk of metals for both children and adults in the range of 1192.73 to 2066.94 for child and 191.98 to 312.16 for adults. Crucially, the HQ revealed potential health risks, emphasizing the urgency of addressing metal contamination. However, the findings indicate that dumping sites directly or indirectly affects the local people of Haridwar municipality. Therefore, this study provides a baseline framework for minimizing the impact of dumping sites on local population and the environment.

A Brief Review of Radioactive Materials for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Purposes.

Radiation treatment has been advancing ever since the discovery of X-rays in 1895. The goal of radiotherapy is to shape the best isodose on the tumor volume while preserving normal tissues. There are three advantages: patient cure, organ preservation, and cost-effectiveness. Randomized trials in many various forms of cancer (including breast, prostate, and rectum) with a high degree of scientific proof confirmed radiotherapy's effectiveness and tolerance. Such accomplishments, critical to patients' quality of life, have been supported in the past. Radiopharmaceuticals were developed to diagnose and treat various disorders, including hyperthyroidism, bone discomfort, cancer of the thyroid gland, and other conditions like metastases, renal failure, and myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction perfusion. It is also possible to sterilize thermo-labile materials with a radioactive substance. This includes surgical dressings and a wide range of other medical supplies. Nuclear medicine provides various advantages, including tumor localization, safe diagnosis, no radiation buildup, and excellent treatment effectiveness. Nowadays, the field of nuclear pharmacy is focused on developing novel radioactive pharmaceutical substances that will be useful.

Nanoformulation-based Drug Delivery System for Viral Diseases.

Viral diseases are one of the major causes of mortality worldwide. The emergence of pandemics because of the COVID virus creates a dire need for an efficient mechanism to combat the disease. Viruses differ from other pathogenic infections; they render the host immune system vulnerable. One of the major challenges for developing antivirals is the resistance developed by the overuse of drugs, which is inevitable as most viral diseases require a large number of doses. Viral infection detection, prevention, and treatment have significantly benefitted from developing several innovative technologies in recent years. Nanotechnology has emerged as one of the most promising technologies because of its capacity to deal with viral infections efficiently and eradicate the lagging of conventional antiviral drugs. This review briefly presents an overview of the application of nanotechnology for viral therapy.

Nontubercular Mycobacteria in drinking water of some educational institutes in Jabalpur (M.P.), India.

Sixteen isolates of Nontubercular Mycobacteria species were isolated from drinking water supply of some educational institutes in Jabalpur during July 2006 and were identified by biochemical test, thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis and PRA ( PCR restriction enzyme analysis) of rpoB gene. Out of 21 water samples total 16 isolates of nontuberculous mycobacteria were identified, as M. terrae (6), M. szulgai (4), M. gordonae (3), and one each as M. malmoense, M. kansasii, and M. gastri.