Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has favorable biomechanical properties to be used as an implant material. Unfortunately, it is hydrophobic and does not promote cellular adhesion, which could result in poor integration with bone tissue. Bio-functionalization of PEEK surface with osteogenic peptides derived from bone extracellular matrix proteins is an exciting approach to encourage bone formation around the implant. In the current study, bone-forming peptide-2 was immobilized on PEEK surface using two different methods, using dopamine and a diglycidyl ether as conjugate compounds, respectively. Peptide quantification test revealed that the two strategies resulted in the most amount of peptides were attached with 0.5 mM concentration and no further peptides were grafted with a higher peptide concentration. Both methods showed good peptide stability after agitation in aqueous solution. Peptide grafting was confirmed with ATR-FTIR. Surface characterizations with AFM and wettability tests resulted in a significant increase in surface roughness and surface area ratio for the peptide-grafted PEEK compared to unmodified PEEK, which led to a signifi-cant enhancement in the wettability of the modified PEEK surface
Organophosphorus insecticide and growth regulator namely Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) are widely used as a ripening process accelerator and a cultivation duration inhibitor. Pomegranate extract (PPE) has recently been taken into consideration due to its pharmacological effects especially those associated with renal diseases. Thus, this study aims to investigate the possible protective effect of PPE against ethephon-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. In this study four groups of adult male rats were divided into control group, PPE 400 mg/kg group, Ethephon 250 mg/kg group, and finally, PPE + Ethephon group (treated with the same dose of PPE group and Ethephon group). In the current study, kidney function parameters (KIM-1, creatin
... Show MoreThe ability of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to uptake three pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, mefenamic acid and metronidazole) from two types of soil (clay and sandy soil) was investigated in this study to explore the human exposure to these pharmaceuticals via the consumption of beans. A pot experiment was conducted with beans plants which were grown in two types of soil for six weeks under controlled conditions. During the experiment period, the soil pore water was collected weekly and the concentrations of the test compounds in soil pore water as well as in plant organs (roots, stems and leaves) were weekly determined.
The results showed that the studied pharmaceuticals were detected in all plant tissues; their concentration
Background: The isthmus is a difficult area in the root canal complex to manage. The research aimed to evaluate the efficiency of three different obturation techniques (lateral condensation, EandQ (thermoplasticized gutta percha system) and Soft Core (thermoplasticized core carrier gutta percha system)) to obturate the isthmus area of roots prepared by two different instrumentation techniques (rotary ProTaper universal and ProTaper Next systems). Material and method: Sixty freshly extracted teeth were randomly divided into two main groups (A and B) of 30 teeth each. Group A was prepared by rotary ProTaper Universal whereas group B was prepared by ProTaper Next system. Each main group was then randomly subdivided into three subgroups of 10 t
... Show MoreBreast cancer has got much attention in the recent years as it is a one of the complex diseases that can threaten people lives. It can be determined from the levels of secreted proteins in the blood. In this project, we developed a method of finding a threshold to classify the probability of being affected by it in a population based on the levels of the related proteins in relatively small case-control samples. We applied our method to simulated and real data. The results showed that the method we used was accurate in estimating the probability of being diseased in both simulation and real data. Moreover, we were able to calculate the sensitivity and specificity under the null hypothesis of our research question of being diseased o
... Show MoreBackground: World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nation International Children Fund (UNICEF) developed a strategy known as Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI); which aims to reduce less than five years children morbidity and mortality in developing countries.
Objective: To assess the completion of the IMCI format status in primary health care centers, Baghdad.
Methods: A cross sectional study with analytic element was conducted during the period from 15th of January till 15th May 2016 in selected Primary health centers in Baghdad, Iraq. The sample consists of form of child files less than 2 months and form from 2
... Show MoreIn this work the strain energy of tetrahedrane and its nitrogen substituted molecules were calculated by isodesmic reaction method according to DFT quantum chemical fashion, the used basis set was 6-31G/B3-LYP, in addition all structures were optimized by RM1 semi-empirical method. From the obtained data we estimate an empirical equation connect between strain energy of the molecule with charge functions represented by dipole moment of the molecule plus accumulated charge density involved within the tetrahedron frame plus the number of nitrogen atoms. The results indicate the charge spreading factors by polarization and processes are the most important factors in decreasing the strain energy.
In the present study, free convection heat and mass transfer of fluid in a square packed bed enclosure is numerically investigated. For the considered geometrical shape, the left vertical wall of enclosure was assumed to be kept at high temperature and concentration while the opposite wall was kept at low temperature and concentration with insulating both the top and bottom walls of enclosure. The Brinkman– Forchheimer extended Darcy model was used to solve the momentum equations, while the energy equations for fluid and solid phases were solved by using the local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) model.Computations are performed for a range of the Darcy number from 10-5 to 10-1, the porosity from 0.5 to 0.9, and buoyancy ratio from -15 t
... Show MoreBackground: Fractures of patella constitute 1% of all fractures. Various techniques have been described for internal fixation of patella fractures. Superiority of one technique over the other has long been debated. Objective: We reviewed a series of seventy patients with transverse or comminuted fractures of patella treated with cerclage and tension band wiring technique to assess if it had any advantages over k. wires and tension band wiring technique. Type of the study: Retrospective study. Methods; Seventy patients with displaced patella fracture, with a mean age of 47 years (range 13-75) were divided into two groups :group A 36 patients were treated with cerclage and tension bands technique ,and group B 34 patients were fixed by 2 K.
... Show MoreBackground:Fractures of patella constitute 1% of all fractures. Various techniques have been described for internal fixation of patella fractures. Superiority of one technique over the other has long been debated. Objective:We reviewed a series of seventy patients with transverse or comminuted fractures of patella treated with cerclage and tension band wiring technique to assess if it had any advantages over k. wires and tension band wiring technique. Type of the study:Retrospective study.Methods; Seventy patients with displaced patella fracture, with a mean age of 47 years (range 13-75) were divided into two groups :group A 36 patients were treated with cerclageand tensi
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