Aim and Objectives: The objective of this study was to illustrate the link between periodontitis (PO) and endothelial dysfunction in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: This cross‑sectional study involved 53 hypertensive patients with or without PO compared with 28 healthy controls. On the basis of the study protocol, the participants were divided into three groups: Group (1): 24 patients with hypertension only, Group (2): 29 patients with hypertension and PO, and Group (3): 28 healthy controls. Lipid profile, endothelin‑1 (ET‑1), and high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein (hs‑CRP) were measured. Blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated. Diagnostic criteria of severe PO periodontal indices including plaque index, gingival index, and community periodontal index were estimated. Data collected during the study were analyzed using analysis of variance followed by Bonferroni post hoc test and unpaired t‑test (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 20.0, 2014, IBM, Armonk, NY). Results: BMI was not differed in both groups, P = 0.08. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were high in hypertensive patients with PO compared with hypertensive patients only, P = 0.04 and P = 0.03, respectively. Moreover, hypertensive patients with PO showed significant dyslipidemic status compared with hypertensive patients only (P < 0.05). Biomarker of endothelial dysfunction (ET‑1) was elevated in patients with PO (67.54 ± 13.56 pg/mL) compared with hypertensive patients only (23.67 ± 9.63 pg/mL), P = 0.0001. hs‑CRP serum level was increased patients with PO compared with hypertensive patients only, P = 0.002. PO indices were high in patients with PO compared with hypertensive patients only, P < 0.01. Conclusion: ET‑1 serum level is elevated in hypertensive patients with severe PO and correlated with cardio‑metabolic complications, mainly endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, ET‑1 serum level is regarded as a surrogate biomarker link PO with risk of endothelial dysfunction.
Blends of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in equal weight ratios (50 wt.% PVP + 50 wt.% PVA) were doped with 15% of various lithium salts (Li2CO3, LiNO3, Li2SO4H2O, and LiCl) and prepared using the solution-casting method, with dimethylformamide (DMF) as the solvent. The impact of these salts on the blends was analyzed and the results showed that the energy gap was decreased by adding lithium salts Li2CO3, LiNO3 and Li2SO4.H₂O. The minimum energy gap value was 3.5 eV obtained from PVP/PVA:15% Li2CO3. The optical constants were determined in the range of 300-1100 nm. The results showed that all the optical constants for doped blends were grown with the addition of lithium salts. The FTIR study confirms the c
... Show MoreThis study presents the debonding propagation in single NiTi wire shape memory alloy into linear low-density polyethylene matrix composite the study of using the pull-out test. The aim of this study is to investigate the pull-out tests to check the interfacial strength of the polymer composite in two cases, with activation NiTinol wire and without activation. In this study, shape memory alloy NiTinol wire 2 mm diameter and linear fully annealed straight shape were used. The study involved experimental and finite element analysis and eventually comparison between them. This pull-out test is considered a substantial test because its results have a relation with behavior of smart composite materials. The pull-out test was carried out by a u
... Show MoreThis study expands the state of the art in studies that assess torsional retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) multi-cell box girders with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. The torsional behavior of non-damaged and pre-damaged RC multi-cell box girder specimens externally retrofitted by CFRP strips was investigated through a series of laboratory experiments. It was found that retrofitting the pre-damaged specimens with CFRP strips increased the ultimate torsional capacity by more than 50% as compared to the un-damaged specimens subjected to equivalent retrofitting. This indicated that the retrofit has been less effective for the girder specimen that did not develop distortion beforehand as a result of pre-loading. From
... Show MoreA multistep synthesis was established for the preparation of a new vanillic acid-1, 2, 4-1triazole-3-thiol conjugate (
This study expands the state of the art in studies that assess torsional retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) multi-cell box girders with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. The torsional behavior of non-damaged and pre-damaged RC multi-cell box girder specimens externally retrofitted by CFRP strips was investigated through a series of laboratory experiments. It was found that retrofitting the pre-damaged specimens with CFRP strips increased the ultimate torsional capacity by more than 50% as compared to the un-damaged specimens subjected to equivalent retrofitting. This indicated that the retrofit has been less effective for the girder specimen that did not develop distortion beforehand as a result of pre-loading. From
... Show MoreThe increasing global energy demand and environmental concerns necessitate the development of sustainable energy storage solutions. Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to the abundance and low cost of sodium. This study investigates the impact of incorporating hybrid nanoparticles, specifically polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane- poly(ethylene glycol) (POSS-PEG(13.3)), on the performance of polyethylene oxide (PEO)- sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). The results demonstrate that the incorporation of POSS-PEG(13.3) effectively disrupts the crystallinity of the PEO matrix, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analyses.
... Show MorePoly(ethylene oxide) is a promising material for solid-state lithium batteries due to its safety, ease of processing, and compatibility with lithium. However, conventional linear PEO falls short of practical requirements due to its limited ionic conductivity, a consequence of the high crystallinity of its ethylene oxide chains. This crystallinity hinders the movement of lithium ions, limiting its performance in solid-state battery applications. In this study, we successfully prepared the plasticized solid polymer electrolytes (PSPEs) based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/ tetracyanoethylene (TCE) complexed with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt and studied the effect of TCE on structural, mechanical, electrical and elec
... Show MorePseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium that holds significant clinical and epidemiological significance. It serves as the principal etiological cause of opportunistic infections in individuals with impaired immune systems. Integrons are known to have a notable impact on Gram-negative bacteria, particularly in the context of P. aeruginosa, a bacterium recognized for its ability to develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Aim. To systematically characterize and detect integron genes (intI, intII, intIII) with antibiotic-resistant and biofilm-forming capabilities in isolated P. aeruginosa. Methods. A total of 209 samples were collected from Al Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad City, Iraq to isolate P. aeruginosa. The process of
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