: Clobetasol propionate (CP) is a potent corticosteroid used for skin conditions but often causes side effects due its systemic absorption. To improve its solubility and reduce it side effects (like skin irritation, skin atrophy, hypopigmentation and steroidal acne), Microsponge (Msg) has been employed as a unique three-dimensional particle that can encapsulate hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. This study aims to develop and evaluate CP Msg-loaded hydrogels. Two Clobetasol-loaded ethylcellulose-based Msg formulas were prepared using the quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method, then they were incorporated into Carbopol hydrogel. Two ratios of Carbopol 940 (1% and 1.5% w/w) were used. The prepared hydrogel were assessed for appearance, pH, drug content, spreadability, extrudability, rheology, and in vitro release. The optimum hydrogel was compared to generic CP cream available locally and plain hydrogel. The results showed that both Msg formulas had good product yield, entrapment efficiency and highly porous micron size. The four prepared hydrogels revealed acceptable characterization including; pH ranged between 5.6and 6, drug content (98.8- 100%) and % extrudability (80.7-92%) with pseudoplastic flow type. The hydrogel formula (F2Ha 1%) containing (1:1 weight ratio of CP: ethylcellulose) with (1%w\w Carbopol) was chosen as the optimized formula since it showed the highest spreadablility and approximately 43% of CP was released at 8 hours. The ex-vivo data including; the highest deposition in stratum corneum and epidermal/ dermis with the flux, permeability coefficient and lag time of F2Ha were low, compared to plain hydrogel and marketed cream. Based on the study՚s finding, we concluded that CP Msg-loaded Carbopol hydrogel is a proper drug delivery system for topical application with minimized systemic absorption
In this study, synthesis of polymer Nanocomposites through the blending of prepared polymers with polyvinyl alcohol (a synthetic polymer) or chitosan (a natural polymer) then mixed with nano oxide silica by many steps. The new compound [I] was obtained via reaction of 3,3’-dimethoxybiphenyl-4,4’-diamine as starting material with malic anhydride in DMF then treatment with ammonium persulfate (NH4 )2 S2 O8 (as the initiator) in order to produce polymer [II]. Also, we prepared new polymers [III-V] by using the same starting material (3,3’-dimethoxybiphenyl-4,4’-diamine) with glutaric acid or adipic acid or isophthalic acid in DMF and pyridine. In this study, new polymer blending [VI-IX] and [X-XIII] were synthesized from a prepared pol
... Show MoreAdvancing the multi-scale performance of asphalt pavements requires innovative binder modifications that address limitations in rutting resistance, fatigue resistance, and durability across the binder, mixture, and structural levels. This study evaluates the performance of asphalt cement, mixtures, and pavement systems modified with a combination of polyethylene (PE) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The binder was modified using 4% PE and varying CNT contents (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2% by weight of the modified binder). Binder performance was assessed through conventional and rheological tests, including penetration, softening point, viscosity, performance grade (PG) evaluation, and master curve analysis. Mixture-level performance was eval
... Show MoreThis study examines experimentally the performance of a horizontal triple concentric tube heat exchanger TCTHE made of copper metal using water as cooling fluid and oil-40 as hot fluid. Hot fluid enters the inner annular tube of the TCTHE in a direction at a temperature of 50, 60 and 70 oC and a flow rate of 20 l/hr. On the other hand, the cooling fluid enters the inner tube and the outer annular tube in the reverse direction (counter current flow) at a temperature of 25 oC and flow rates of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 l/hr. The TCTHE is composed of three copper tubes with outer diameters of 34.925 mm, 22.25 mm, and 9.525 mm, and thicknesses of 1.27 mm, 1.143 mm, and 0.762 mm, respectively. TCTHE tube's length was 670
... Show MoreAn extensive program of laboratory testing was conducted on ring footing rested on gypseous soil brought from the north of Iraq (Salah El-Deen governorate) with a gypsum content of 59%. There are limited researches available, and even fewer have been done experimentally to understand how to ring footings behave; almost all the previous works only concern the behavior of ring footing under vertical loads, Moreover, relatively few studies have examined the impact of eccentric load and inclined load on such footing. In this study, a series of tests, including dry and wet tests, were carried out using a steel container (600×600×600) mm, metal ring footing (100 mm outer diameter and 40 mm inner diameter) was placed in the m
... Show MoreThere is a great operational risk to control the day-to-day management in water treatment plants, so water companies are looking for solutions to predict how the treatment processes may be improved due to the increased pressure to remain competitive. This study focused on the mathematical modeling of water treatment processes with the primary motivation to provide tools that can be used to predict the performance of the treatment to enable better control of uncertainty and risk. This research included choosing the most important variables affecting quality standards using the correlation test. According to this test, it was found that the important parameters of raw water: Total Hardn
Solar photovoltaic (PV) has many environmental benefits and it is considered to be a practical alternative to traditional energy generation. The electrical conversion efficiency of such systems is inherently limited due to the relatively high thermal resistance of the PV components. An approach for intensifying electrical and thermal production of air-type photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems via applying a combination of fins and surface zigzags was proposed in this paper. This research study aims to apply three performance enhancers: case B, including internal fins; case C, back surface zigzags; and case D, combinations of fins and surface zigzags; whereas the baseline smooth duct rep
As a well-known oral and intravenous antifungal, voriconazole (VRN) has an extensive history of usage in the medical field. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have been produced to treat ocular fungal keratitis in the eye. A 32Box-behnken design was used to produce a variety of new formulas for hot-melt extrusion. The SLNs were evaluated by entrapment efficiency (EE percent), particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP). A series of in-vitro and in-vivo studies were carried out on the new formula. The produced vesicles’ EE, PS, PDI, and ZP values were all good. SLNs eye drops were numerically adjusted to include carbopol, a stabilizer, lipids, and a surfactant, among other substances. ZP of -36.5 ± 0.20 m
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