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AIR POLLUTION AND ITS HEALTH IMPACT ON MALAYSIA POPULATION Air quality adversely affects human health. Nearly 1.4 billion urban residents in the world breathe below the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards. Globally, the mortality from the exposure to outdoor air pollution is ranged from 200,000 to 570,000. In Malaysia, air pollution had been constantly an overwhelming issue for legislators, aviation industry, and the citizens. It is constantly making headlines in major newspapers and subsequently heightens the anxiety of the citizens, particularly during the haze episode. Particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were reported as the predominant pollutants. Power plants, factories, waste incinerators, vehicle, building activities; fires and natural windblown dust are some of the main sources of PM. Exposure to particulate matter smaller than 10 microns (PM10) for a short term had been reported to be detrimental to health, especially PM2.5. Due to the smaller size, PM2.5 had been proven to be responsible for a number of upper respiratory ailments like a runny nose, sinusitis, sore throat, wet cough as well as lower respiratory symptoms such as wheezing, dry cough, phlegm and many more. Increased particulate exposure can lead to disease like bronchitis, pneumonia and cardiovascular problems. Certain airborne particles such as arsenic, chromates, particles bearing PAHs, radioactive particles can cause carcinoma of lung tissues. Concentration of PM2.5 had been associated with increased incident of (1) wheeze, (2) doctor-diagnosed asthma, (3) increased pulse pressure, (4) increased systolic blood pressure and (5) increased risk of premature mortality (Brauer et al., 2007; Fann et al., 2012; Kannan, 2010). In addition to that, sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the ambient air also cause adverse effects on human health. Exposure to low levels of SO2 is known to affect breathing. It caused irritation by stimulating nerves in the lining of nose, throat and lung airways. Health effect worsens with the increasing exposure time. It had been associated with the upper and lower respiratory diseases, the increment in the number of coughs, asthma and bronchitis. NOx gives a similar effect, and may impair the function of the immune system in a higher level of exposure. Apart from that, the eyes are also known to be very vulnerable to air pollutions. Air-borne pollutants are a great threat to the eye as a whole and the cornea in particular. Previous studies had shown that people travelling in highly polluted areas and exposed to high level of pollutants are likely to suffer from a significantly high incidence of subclinical ocular surface disorders. Particles from traffic sources are considered amongst the most damaging components of ambient PM because of its smaller size in nature. These physical properties make them highly reactive toward organic surfaces and structures, and persuade oxidative stress on human skin. Previous studies had proven the significant correlation between particulate matter exposure (traffic particle and soot) and extrinsic skin ageing signs, such as pigment spots on face, dryness, nasolabial folds, and wrinkles. Skin irritations were reported upon contact with environmental irritants. In atopic individual, defects in epidermal barrier cause the loss of water (transepidermal water loss; TEWL) from skin, and resulting in itchiness. As a result, it causes more penetration of irritants. Several environmental pollutants such as mercury, pesticides and pharmaceutical residues had been associated with anxiety, attention deficiency, hyperactivity and depression. A recent study had quantified 461 DNA adducts from the umbilical cord and associated prenatal exposure to air-bone polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to behaviour outcomes. It was concluded that the prenatal exposure to PAHs could result in depression, anxiety and attention problems, which translates later years in academic performance and peer relationships. In a separate study, prenatal exposure to PAH has been significantly inversely associated with full-scale IQ and verbal IQ scores. Apart from depression, air pollution was also said to be one of the factors that affect the human appetite which subsequently affect the food intake. However, the relation between air pollution and food intake is not well studied. Previous studies had proven that the association effect air pollution on insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Sun et al. (2009) did their study on PM2.5-exposed mice and concluded that due to the inflammatory response and presence of activated macrophages in adipose tissue of PM-exposed mice, the exposure to pollutants may regulate appetite and energy homoeostasis. This conclusion is supported by another study, which found that air pollution particles induce cardiovascular diseases through inflammatory pathways. In view of all the impacts that are brought to us by air pollution, necessary measures must be taken in order to stimulate the awareness among public and cultivate a good habit it preserving our environment. COENZYME Q10 AND ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECT Stress is conceived as an aversive stimulus capable of altering physiological homoeostasis. The ability to cope with such stressful stimuli is a crucial determinant of health and disease. Intensive stress has detrimental effects on the organism by causing cellular and tissue injury. Accumulating evidence has implied that the production of free radicals plays a critical role in these processes. One of the reasons for the stress-induced enhancement of free radicals may be the elevation of nitric oxide (NO) production. NO may interact with oxygen, superoxide anion, and thiol compounds, generating reactive nitrogen species (NOx), peroxynitrite (ONOO-) and S-nitrosothiols including S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). Lipid peroxidative effect of NO may be mediated through ONOO-, which is a potent and long-lived oxidant. Under normal conditions, there is also a natural defence system provided by several enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GP) which performs a vital role in detoxification of free radicals. However, stress has been shown to cause depletion of the glutathione-based antioxidant defence and a decrease in the level of Vitamin C. The deleterious effects of an imbalance between the free radical production and the available antioxidant defence capacity termed oxidative stress has been implicated in the stress as well as in the pathogenesis of several disease states. One of the important consequences of oxidative stress is the peroxidation of membrane lipids. Since the retina and brain tissues include a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, this reaction produces marked damage to the structure and the function of the cell membranes in the tissues. The use of antioxidant-rich food or antioxidant food supplements has become immensely popular since many diseases have been associated with oxidative stress. Therefore, in the last decade, an increasing amount of attention has been focused on free radical scavengers that are able to protect against the aberrant effects of free radicals. Coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone, produced endogenously, is a ubiquitous compound vital to energy metabolism. Most metabolically active tissues, such as the heart and immune system, are found to have the highest levels of CoQ10. Early work reported that CoQ10 levels were modified with age and disease. However, more recent work suggests that total CoQ10 may not be as important as reduced CoQ10 or the ratio of reduced CoQ10 to total CoQ10. The reduced form of CoQ10 ubiquinol functions as an antioxidant to reduce oxidative stress. It is also thought to be lower in relation to total CoQ10 in individuals with various types of cancer, heart disease, and neuromuscular disease. In metabolic syndrome, the levels of ubiquinol have been found to increase as an adaptive response to oxidative stress. The CoQ10 supplementation is considered beneficial for individuals using statin therapy due to the statininduced reduction in plasma CoQ10. However, due to its poor solubility in water and its relatively high molecular weight (Mr=863) the oral bioavailability of CoQ10, when administered as a powder, is low. In the past several years, extensive efforts have been made to improve the oral bioavailability of CoQ10. Examples of formulation strategies aimed at improving the absorption of CoQ10 include oil-based formulations, solubilised formulations, and molecular complexes. Several of these strategies have been shown to improve the bioavailability of CoQ10 as evidenced by their enhanced plasma CoQ10 response. In particular, supplements in which CoQ10 dispersed in oil generally have higher bioavailability followed by solubilisation form.