Background: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a promising implant material due to its superior biomechanical strength. However, due to its hydrophobic nature and lack of cellular adhesion properties, it has poor integration with bone tissue. Methods: A fractional CO2 laser was used with various parameters for surface texturing of PEEK substrate to enhance its surface properties. An optical microscope and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) were used to examine the surface morphology of untextured and laser-textured samples. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was performed to determine the effect of the laser on the microstructure of PEEK. Surface microroughness, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and wettability were investigated. Results: There were significant increases in microroughness, nanoroughness, surface area ratio, and wettability after laser texturing with no change in the elemental composition. The best results were obtained by using 400 µs laser pulse duration with a dot separation distance of 0.2 mm and a 60° staggered dots pattern. Conclusions: Laser surface texturing of PEEK implant material by fractional CO2 laser is an easy and fast method of introducing patterned topographical features with no need for additional devices. With further investigations, this method of PEEK modification might have the potential to be used in the implant field.
Background: Spleen is a hemopoietic organ which is capable of supporting elements of different systems. It is affected by several groups of diseases; inflammatory, hematopoietic, reticuloendothelial proliferation, portal hypertension and storage diseases. Ultrasound (US) may detect mild splenomegaly before it is clinically palpable. Knowledge of the normal range of spleen size in the population being examined is a prerequisite. Racial differences in splenic length could result in incorrect interpretation of splenic measurements and such differences would make it difficult to standardize expected splenic length and to determine non- palpable splenic enlargement.Objectives: To measure the normal values of splenic lengthin Iraqi subjects an
... Show MoreThis work was conducted to study the ability of locally prepared Zeolite NaY for the reduction of sulfur compounds from Iraqi natural gas by a continuous mode adsorption unit. Zeolite Y was hydrothermally synthesized using abundant kaolin clay as aluminum precursor. Characterization was made using chemical analysis, XRD and BET surface area. Results of the adsorption experiments showed that zeolite Y is an active adsorbent for removal H2S from natural gas and other gas streams. The effect of temperature was found inversely related to the removal efficiency. Increasing bed height was found to increase the removal efficiency at constant flow rate of natural gas. The adsorption capacity was evaluated and its maximum uptake was 5.345 mg H2S/g z
... Show MoreOil industry played a major role in delineating the course and type o development in both imported and exported Arabic countries alike where its revenues has perform an essential role in forming programs and plans of development on both national and international level in addition to anticipation of future consuming.
Iraq, as an oil producer country with a revenues –based economy depends on oil in building its economy totally including its infrastructure having a the greatest conformed reservoir which make the government budget depends largely on oil revenues where its strategic importance lies in funding all aspects of expenders as it is considered the prime source of foreign currency. The chall
... Show MoreRemote sensing and GIS applications (Geoinformatics tools) involve a wide range of techniques for providing a solution for future water resources management and offer an excellent means to improve knowledge of sustainable planning. Al-Razzaza is the second largest lake in Iraq; it is a common source of fishery fortune and floodwater reservoir in southwestern Iraq. In recent years, the lake faced a noticeable amount of desiccation, which is considered a threat to the biodiversity and wildlife of the lake. The study aimed to detect the Lake's spatiotemporal changes from 1988 to 2018. Multi satellite-derived indices were investigated for the extracting of the lake water body. Results showed that the lake volume decrea
... Show MoreThis study aims to develop a thermosensitive mucoadhesive periodontal in situ gel of secnidazole for local release of drug for treatment of periodontitis, in order to increase the drug residence time and to increase patient compliance while lowering the side effects of the drug.
Cold method was used to prepare 30 formulas of secnidazole periodontal in situ gel, using different concentrations of thermosensitive polymers (poloxamer407 alone or in combination with poloxamer 188) and methyl cellulose (MC ) or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K4M )in different concentrations used as mucoadhesive polymer and the resultant formulations were subjected to several tests such as gelation temperature GT, appearance and pH value. The fo
... Show MoreThe current study was conducted to determine the effect of crude oil on the pigments and protein content of Hydrilla verticillata plant from December 2018 to February 2019. Hydrilla verticillata was exposed to different concentrations of treatments (0.01,0.05,0.10,0.20) % of crude oil for 24 days. The pigments content was evaluated as total chlorophyll, a, b, carotene and protein content within plant tissues during the days (1, 8, 16 and 24).
The results of this study showed an increment in the total chlorophyll values of plant, which is exposed to different concentrations of crude oil compared to the control treatment during the first day of the experiment and decreased compared to cont
... Show MoreThe aim of the present study was to investigate the nephroprotective, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic effects of Allium porrum (leek) in rabbits with cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Forty adult male New Zealand rabbits were divided randomly into four groups (ten rabbits in each group) as follows: Group I: (negative control) (C) received oral daily dose of distilled water for 15 successive days. Groups II: (Leek) (L) received oral daily dose of aqueous leek extract (500mg/kg/day) for 15 successive days. Group III: (positive control) [cisplatin (CP)] received oral daily dose of distilled water for 15 successive days, and subsequently administered single dose of Cisplatin (3.5mg/kg/day) by intraperitoneal injection from day 10 for five da
... Show MoreBackground: Anterior disc displacement with reduction (ADDWR) is the most common form of the internal derangement (ID) of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). It is a painful progressive dysfunction and clinically characterized by reciprocal clicking due to shift in the disc anteriorly in relation to the condyle and fossa during mandible elevation. Minimally invasive therapy such as intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used. PRP is a natural autologous product with a high platelet concentration obtained by centrifugation process to enhance tissue healing through several growth factors (GFs), which are released after endogenous activation. The aim of this study is to assess this technique which is increasingly used toda
... Show MoreBackground: White spot lesions (WSLs) are subsurface enamel demineralization manifested as white opacities which had an esthetic problem. The purpose of this in-vitro study was to evaluate the lesion depth improvement of WSLs following application of fluoride varnish, tooth mousse and resin infiltration (ICON). Materials and methods: Artificial WSLs were created on 120 premolar teeth using demineralization solution with pH (4-4.5). Samples randomly allocated into four groups; fluoride varnish, tooth mousse, ICON and untreated group. Groups were discolored in Cola and orange juice for 24 hours. Teeth were ground sectioned by longitudinal cutting then these sections examined and photographed under stereomicroscope at 12X magnification then an
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