• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.207-215
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• 2024

This study focuses on measuring the levels of naturally occurring radioactivity in the soil of Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, as well as the associated health hazard. Thirty (30) soil samples were collected from various locations and analyzed for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K radioactivity levels using a High Purity Germanium detector (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometer with a photo-peak efficiency of approximately 52.3%. The average values obtained for these radionuclides are 35.6 ± 5.7 Bqkg^-1, 47 ± 12.5 Bqkg^-1, and 877 ± 153 Bqkg^-1, respectively. The level of ²³²Th is slightly higher and ⁴⁰K is 2.2 times higher than the internationally recommended limit of 30 Bqkg^-1 and 400 Bqkg^-1, respectively. Various parameters were calculated based on the results obtained, including Radium Equivalent (Ra_eq), External Hazard (H_ex), Absorbed Dose Rate (D), Annual Gonadal Equivalent Dose (AGDE), Annual Effective Dose Rate, and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR), which are 170.3 ± 24 Bqkg^-1, 0.46 ± 0.06 Bqkg^-1, 81.4 ± 2.04 nGy h^-1, 582 ± 78.08 µSvy^-1, 99.8 ± 13.5 µSv Gy^-1, and 0.349 ± 0.04, respectively. These values are below the limits recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) in 2002. This study highlights the potential radiation threats associated with natural radioactivity levels in the soil of Swabi and provides valuable information for public health and safety.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.302-312
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• 2024

Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen-1 (PfAMA-1) is a major candidate for the blood-stage malaria vaccine. Genetic polymorphisms of global pfama-1suggest that the genetic diversity of the gene can disturb effective vaccine development targeting this antigen. This study was conducted to explore the genetic diversity and gene structure of pfama-1 among P. falciparum isolates collected in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. A total of 19 full-length pfama-1 sequences were obtained from KP-Pakistan P. falciparum isolates, and genetic polymorphism and natural selection were investigated. KP-Pakistan pfama-1 exhibited genetic diversity, wherein 58 amino acid changes were identified, most of which were located in ectodomains, and domains I, II, and III. The amino acid changes commonly found in the ectodomain of global pfama-1 were also detected in KP-Pakistan pfama-1. Interestingly, 13 novel amino acid changes not reported in the global population were identified in KP-Pakistan pfama-1. KP-Pakistan pfama-1 shared similar levels of genetic diversity with global pfama-1. Evidence of natural selection and recombination events were also detected in KP-Pakistan pfama-1.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 2022

Triclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial agent used in various human personal care products against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of TCS-resistant bacteria in sewage water in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, for the first time. TCS-supplemented Luria Bertani (LB) agar was used to isolate TCS-tolerant bacteria. A total of 17 TCS-resistant isolates were randomly selected from a large pool of bacteria that showed growth on TCS-supplemented LB agar. Based on gram staining and physiochemical characteristics, the isolated strains were identified as Salmonella typhi (n = 6), Escherichia coli (n = 4), Citrobacter freundii (n = 4), Proteus mirabilis (n = 1), Enterobacter cloacae (n = 1), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 1). The Triclosan mean minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for the isolates of Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 23.66 ㎍ ml^-1, 18.75 ㎍ ml^-1, 42 ㎍ ml^-1, 32 ㎍ ml^-1, 64 ㎍ ml^-1, and 128 ㎍ ml^-1, respectively. The antibiogram revealed that all isolates were resistant to penicillin G (100%) and linezolid (100%), followed by ampicillin (94%), tetracycline (76%), tazobactam (76%), sulbactam/cefoperazone (64%), polymyxin PB (58%), amikacin (29.41%), aztreonam (29.41%), imipenem (5%), and gentamicin (5%). This is the first known study regarding the isolation of TCS-tolerant bacteria from sewage water in Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan. It was concluded that all the TCS-resistant isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR) gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, mostly belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family.