Hydrogels are hydrophilic biocompatible polymers that can be used as a drug delivery material in different medical branches, including vital pulp therapy. The aim of this study is to characterize the physical and biological properties of the newly developed formula as a candidate direct pulp-capping material. The hydrogel composite was prepared from natural and synthetic origins (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hyaluronic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA)) with the incorporation of bioactive Moringa. Different formulas of hydrogel containing different concentrations were evaluated for physicochemical (FTIR, XRD, SEM, degradation, and swelling), mechanical (viscosity, folding endurance, film thickness), and biological (antioxidant, antibacterial,

To promote sustainable steel-concrete composite structures, it is essential to develop special shear connectors that facilitate accelerated construction and deconstruction. A lockbolt demountable shear connector (LBDSC) was recently proposed. While the LBDSC has been evaluated using horizontal and vertical (standard) push-out tests, it is essential to further assess the disassembly mechanism and the positive flexural performance of prefabricated demountable composite beams (PDCBs) under both serviceability and ultimate limit states. Two full-scale test specimens of PDCBs with LBDSC were designed with partial shear connections and assessed using a three or four-point load beam setup under both cyclic and static monotonic loading conditions.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of in vitro long-term simulation of oral conditions on the bond strength of PEEK CAD/CAM lingual retainers.

Material and methods: The sample consisted of 12 PEEK CAD/CAM retainers each composed of 2 centrally perforated 3x4mm pads joined by a connector. They were treated by 98% sulfuric acid for 1 minute and then conditioned with Single Bond Universal and bonded to the lingual surface of premolar teeth by 3M Transbond TM System. Half of the retainers were artificially aged using a 30-day water storage and 5000 thermocycling protocol before bond strength testing to compare with the non-aged specimens.

Results: The artificially aged retainers showed a marginally

Dicephalus parapagus twinning (DPT) is the rarest conjoined twinning entity of all conjoined twins. The presence of DPT is always associated with mortality before or after delivery. Antenatal diagnosis is crucial for planning labor, assembling a team, and providing counseling. Case presentation: A 23-year-old patient (G2P1A0) at 21 weeks of pregnancy attended the ultrasound clinic for routine care. A monoamniotic-monochorionic pregnancy was observed; the twin fetuses had two heads but one body, which corresponded to dicephalus parapagus twinning. A detailed ultrasound and fetal echocardiography reveal one heart without congenital anomalies. The liver, kidneys, and bladder appeared to be normally developed. Fetal MRI and karyotyping wer

Rapid worldwide urbanization and drastic population growth have increased the demand for new road construction, which will cause a substantial amount of natural resources such as aggregates to be consumed. The use of recycled concrete aggregate could be one of the possible ways to offset the aggregate shortage problem and reduce environmental pollution. This paper reports an experimental study of unbound granular material using recycled concrete aggregate for pavement subbase construction. Five percentages of recycled concrete aggregate obtained from two different sources with an originally designed compressive strength of 20–30 MPa as well as 31–40 MPa at three particle size levels, i.e., coarse, fine, and extra fine, were test

Decolorization of red azo dye (Cibacron Red FN-R) from synthetic wastewater has been investigated as a function of solar advanced oxidation process. The photocatalytic activity using ZnO as a photocatalysis has been estimated. Different parameters affected the removal efficiency, including pH of the solution, initial dye concentration and H2O2 concentration were evaluated to find out the optimum value of these parameters. The results proved that the optimal pH value was 8 and the most efficient H2O2 concentration was 100mg/L. Toxicity reduction percent for effluent solution was also monitored to assess the degradation process. This treatment method was able to strongly reduce the color and toxicity of reactive red dye-238 to about (99 an