Assessment of soil-gas radon concentration over lithologies: a case study from district Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The current study is aimed to determine the variation of soil-gas radon concentrations over different rock formations representing diverse lithologies in the district of Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The stratigraphic units were grouped on the basis of lithological contents into four categories, i.e., limestone, evaporites, claystone/mudstone, and sandstone. The highest average soil-gas 222Rn concentration (544 Bq/L) was found in the uranium-bearing Dhok Pathan Formation of the Pliocene age, while the lowest radon levels (0.15 Bq/L) were observed in the salt-bearing strata of Bahadurkhel Salt of Eocene age showing the non-uraniferous nature of the salt. High radon potential associated with the Dhok Pathan Formation is likely to be related to the high degree of uranium mineralization which is contributing to the elevated soil-gas radon levels. The study revealed that the soil-gas radon concentration in all lithologies is varying in the order of RnSandstone > RnLimestone > RnClaystone/Mudstone > RnEvaporites with the highest radon levels in the sandstone unit of uranium-bearing Dhok Pathan Formation. High fluctuations of soil-gas radon levels observed in this study evidently show that lithology and uranium mineralization have strong control over the 222Rn concentrations.

Selenium-enriched probiotics improve hepatic protection by regulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant capacity in broilers under heat stress conditions.

OBJECTIVE: High ambient temperature in poultry is a challenging and fatal stress among environmental factors. It affects the production quality, damages the liver, and increases mortality in broilers. The present study is focused to explore appropriate utilization of Selenium (Se) as a feed additive in broiler chickens against high temperature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) (n = 200) were grouped according to the supplements used in their basal diets such as: corn-soybean basal diet as control (Con), a basal diet containing sodium selenite, basal diet with probiotics, and a basal diet containing selenium-enriched probiotics (SP). At the end of the experimental period of 42 days, the liver was isolated and was used to determine the antioxidant capacity through a spectrophotometer. Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines production in the liver was measured through a real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Hepatic analyses revealed the decreased level of malondialdehyde, whereas glutathione, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase levels were increased in the SP group. Furthermore, supplementation of SP significantly up-regulated the mRNA expression of glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1), GPx4, IL6, and IL10 and down-regulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSION: It is thus concluded that SP as a potential nutritive supplement may facilitate hepatic protection by suppressing hepatic oxidation, inflammation, and necrosis during the high ambient temperature of summer.