Apoptosis is the elimination of functionally non-essential, neoplastic, and infected cells via the mitochondrial pathway or death receptor pathway. The process of apoptosis is highly regulated through membrane channels and apoptogenic proteins. Apoptosis maintains cellular balance within the human body through cell cycle progression. Loss of apoptosis control prolongs cancer cell survival and allows the accumulation of mutations that can promote angiogenesis, promote cell proliferation, disrupt differentiation, and increase invasiveness during tumor progression. The apoptotic pathway has been extensively studied as a potential drug target in cancer treatment. However, the off-target activities of drugs and negative implications have been a matter of concern over the years. Phytochemicals (PCs) have been studied for their efficacy in various cancer cell lines individually and synergistically. The development of nanoparticles (NPs) through green synthesis has added a new dimension to the advancement of plant-based nanomaterials for effective cancer treatment. This review provides a detailed insight into the fundamental molecular pathways of programmed cell death and highlights the role of PCs along with the existing drugs and plant-based NPs in treating cancer by targeting its programmed cell death (PCD) network.

A numerical and experimental study of the process of droplet formation in a T-junction microchannel with a shear-thinning continuous phase is presented. Simulations are performed using a three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann multicomponent model. The shear-thinning behavior is modeled using the Carreau-Yasuda model and validated with our experiments involving both Newtonian and non-Newtonian continuous phases. Using the validated numerical framework, a parametric study is performed to quantify the effect of the rheological parameters, namely, the power-law index $n$ and the Carreau number Cr, on the droplet size for two different capillary numbers. To understand the variation in the droplet size and shape with the shear-thinning parameters, the dynamics of the droplet breakup process is analyzed in terms of the upstream pressure buildup and the shear stresses acting on the interface of the two fluids. Our numerical results show that the dynamics of droplet formation shifts from the shear-dominated dripping regime to the pressure-dominated squeezing regime for continuous phase fluids having lower values of $n$ and higher values of Cr. Hence, an increase in the droplet size and a change in its shape from spherical to plug are observed for fluids showing a higher shear-thinning tendency (higher Cr and lower $n$). Finally, an analysis of the transition in the droplet flow regimes with a shear-thinning continuous phase at high capillary numbers is presented. For $\text{Ca}\ge 0.1$, an increase in the shear thinning of the continuous fluid is shown to shift the droplet flow pattern from parallel flow to droplets in the channel to eventually forming droplets at the T junction.

Thiamethoxam, a broad spectrum, neonicotinoid insecticide, is used on various crops including Brassica juncea L. to protect from intruding insects such as leaf-hoppers, aphids, thrips and white-flies. Exposure to thiamethoxam causes acute malady such as tumour development, cell apoptosis, liver damage and neurotoxicity. Melatonin is entailed in umpteen developmental processes of plants, including stress responses. The pleiotropic effects of melatonin in modulating plant growth validate it’s imperative contribution as multi-regulatory substance. Exiguous information is known about the role of Pseudomonas putida in improving plant growth under thiamethoxam stress. Taking these aspects into consideration the contemporary study investigates the role of melatonin and Pseudomonas putida strain MTCC 3315 in alleviating the thiamethoxam induced toxicity in B. juncea plant. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis uncloaked that thiamethoxam induced stress primarily affects the protein content of plant as compared to lipids, carbohydrates and cell wall components. Organic acid profiling of the treated samples carried-out by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), reported an upregulation in the level of organic acids, malic acid (110%), citric acid (170%), succinic acid (81%), fumaric acid (40%) and ascorbic acid (55%) in thiamethoxam treated plants compared to the investigational untreated plants. The melatonin treated seedlings grown under thiamethoxam stress, exhibit increased level of malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid and ascorbic acid by 81%, 0.94%, 11%, 21% and 6% respectively. Further, thiamethoxam stressed plants inoculated with Pseudomonas putida showed stupendous up-regulation by 161% (malic acid), by 14% (citric acid), by 33% (succinic acid), by 30% (fumaric acid), by 100% (oxalic acid) respectively. Lastly, the combinatorial application of melatonin and Pseudomonas putida resulted in prodigious upsurge of malic acid by 165%, succinic acid by 69%, fumaric acid by 42% respectively in contrast to distinct melatonin and Pseudomonas putida treatments. The accumulation of organic acids ascertains the defence against thiamethoxam stress and corresponds to meet the energy generation requirement to skirmish thiamethoxam mediated abiotic stress in Brassica juncea plant.

The convergence of global plastic pollution and antimicrobial resistance crises has intensified concerns about the role of microplastics (MPs) in disseminating antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in marine environments. This review synthesizes the mechanistic pathways through which MPs act as vectors for ARG propagation, supported by a bibliometric analysis of 144 studies retrieved from Scopus. MPs possess distinct physicochemical properties such as nanoplastic formation, polymer-specific sorption, weathering-induced oxidation, and additive leachate release that facilitate microbial colonization and biofilm formation. These plastisphere biofilms, enriched with mobile genetic elements including integrons, transposons, and plasmids, promote ARG transfer via conjugation, transformation, and transduction. Environmental modulators like salinity, oxygen, nutrients, pH, UV exposure, and reactive oxygen species further accelerate horizontal gene transfer, while co-selection pressures from heavy metals and antibiotics amplify resistance dissemination. Bibliometric mapping reveals a sharp rise in publications since 2018, with China leading contributions and major research themes centered on horizontal gene transfer, metagenomics, nanoplastics, and biofilm-mediated resistome evolution. Overall, marine MPs substantially intensify ARG spread through complex microbe–plastic–pollutant interactions, posing significant ecological and public health risks. Addressing current gaps, such as limited field validation, underexplored nanoplastic mechanisms, geographic bias, and lack of standardized monitoring, requires harmonized surveillance, omics integration, pollutant mixture modeling, and One Health-based risk assessment to inform global policy interventions.