Introduction: Methadone hydrochloride (MDN) is an effective pharmacological substitution treatment for opioids dependence, adopted in different countries as methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programmes. However, MDN can exacerbate the addiction problem if it is abused and injected intravenously, and the frequent visits to the MMT centres can reduce patient compliance. The overall aim of this study is to develop a novel extended-release capsule of MDN using the sol-gel silica (SGS) technique that has the potential to counteract medication-tampering techniques and associated health risks and reduce the frequent visits to MMT centres. Methods: For MDN recrystallisation, a closed container method (CCM) and hot-stage method (HSM) were conducted, and MDN crystals were characterised using the polarised light microscope (PLM). MDN crystal thickness was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy (CM) to establish a relationship between MDN crystals thickness and their birefringence colours using the Michel-Levy Birefringence Colour Chart. The experimental series was continued to produce novel silica-based MDN formulations A and B capsules by adding MDN powder at the end and beginning of the SGS process, respectively. The silica-based MDN formulations were characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), SEM, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), PLM and mean grey value (MGV) analyses. The in vitro release studies (n=3) for the silica-based MDN formulations and pure MDN capsules were conducted in a phosphate buffer solution (pH= 7.2) for 7 days. Stability studies were conducted for 1 month by keeping the silica-based MDN capsules under 25°C and 57% RH. Results: The optimal method to produce large numbers of MDN crystals was the CCM, and MDN crystals were characterised as diamond shaped with an intrinsic angle of 62o. The SEM surpassed the CM in measuring MDN crystal thickness, and Mann-Whitney U Test showed statistically significant differences between SEM and confocal thickness measurements (U= 1283, p < 0.05) as the SEM exhibited thinner diamond crystals (6.62 ± 2.9 µm) than the CM measurements (9.6 ± 4.6µm). According to the Michel-Levey birefringence colour chart (using the SEM mean thickness of MDN crystals and their retardation value of 428 nm), most of MDN crystals demonstrated a yellow colour. The FT-IR, SEM, DSC, MGV and PLM analyses of both silica-based MDN formulations revealed that MDN was successfully incorporated inside the silica network producing amorphous material (with no appearance of the melting peak of pure MDN at 233.4°C) with evidence of no physical or chemical interaction between sol-gel silica and MDN. However, the TGA analysis revealed a significantly greater amount of MDN was loaded inside the silica-based MDN formulation B compared to A (t = 2.80, p = 0.009, n=6), as 28.3 ± 0.6 mg of MDN was loaded in the former while 25.6 ± 0.7 mg in the latter. In addition, the silica-based MDN formulation B released 10% more MDN after 7 days than formulation A, and both formulations were stable when stored for 1 month under 57% RH and 25°C. Conclusion: The novel combined use of SEM and PLM techniques shows a potential for the identification of MDN in forensic science as it established a range of birefringence colours of MDN crystals. Moreover, the new silica-based MDN formulation B can help to deter MDN abuse and increase patient adherence to MMT due to its potential to sustain MDN release and reduce the frequent visits to MDN treatment centres.
Nitrogen (N) is a key growth and yield-limiting factor in cultivated rice areas. This study has been conducted to evaluate the effects of different conditions of N application on rice yield and yield components (Shiroudi cultivar) in Babol (Mazandaran, Iran) during the 2015- 2016 season. A factorial experiment executed of a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) used in three iterations. In the first factor, treatments were four N amounts (including 50, 90, 130, and 170 kg N ha-1), while in the second factor, the treatments consisted of four different fertilizer splitting methods, including T1:70 % at the basal stage + 30 % at the maximum tillering stage, T2:1/3 at the basal stage + 1/3 at the maximum ti
... Show MoreCinema artist work has not been achieved without location indications ; places are of cultured indications and its effect on behaviors and trends. Location is an important element as to convey meanings via its interaction with the personality about which it has been written may studies. Despite location occupies huge spaces within social and philosophical Drama branches , but it has a strong connection with the art world since it reflects reality of global theories in different fields. Audio and visual speech in Cinema have connected with the environmental effectiveness resulted from location which the sensual understanding interacts with in a way that suits Movie. Location consists of mixing elements of Movie and it in return interacts
... Show MoreThe research deals with metaphors as being one of the primary means used by Lyudmila Ulitskaya when writing the novel " Sincerely Yours Shurik ", to form diverse and multifaceted collective female images of representatives of the classic psychological patterns presented in the work. This research reflects the results of the study related to the work of Lyudmila Yevkinevna Ulitskaya, an actress of modern Russian prose. The novel "The Sincerely to You Shorek" is one of Ludmila Ulitskaya's creations (the year of writing - 2003), which, like her other works, is distinguished by a unique presentation style, rich vocabulary, lexical and semantic diversity, and a special style of writing. writer. The main objective of the research is to look at th
... Show MoreVictorian age is known as a time of perpetual change. It is a time of new industrialization, increased urbanization and new technology. Therefore, one of the strongest undercurrents of this is the position of women. Woman at that time was viewed as “an angel in the house” especially this who belongs to the upper-middle class. She is described in such term because she spends much time in her domestic domain. Therefore, she should be passive, obedient and dependent. Despite the Victorian society contains several classes; women are defined under two labels: the angel and the demon or the whore. The angel woman can be any woman from the lower middle class to the aristocracy, while the whore refers to any working class woman. The differen
... Show MoreReducing of ethyl 4-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)amino)benzoate (1) afford ethyl 4-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)amino)benzoate (2). Reaction of this compound with Vilsmeier reagent affords novel 2-chloro-[1,3] benzoxazine ring (3). The corresponding acid hydrazide of compound 3 was synthesized from reaction of compound (3) with hydrazine hydrate. Newly series of hydrazones (5a–i) were synthesized from reaction of acid hydrazide with various aryl aldehydes. Antibacterial activity of the hydrazones was secerned utilizing gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Compound (5b) and (5c) exhibited significant antibacterial ability against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, while the compounds (5a) showed mild antibacteri
... Show MoreReducing of ethyl 4-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)amino)benzoate (1) afford ethyl 4-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl) amino)benzoate (2). Reaction of this compound with Vilsmeier reagent affords novel 2-chloro-[1,3] benzoxazine ring (3). The corresponding acid hydrazide of compound 3 was synthesized from reaction of compound (3) with hydrazine hydrate. Newly series of hydrazones(5a–i) were synthesized from reaction of acid hydrazide with various aryl aldehydes. Antibacterial activity of the hydrazones wassecerned utilizing gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Compound (5b) and (5c) exhibited significant antibacterial ability against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, while the compounds(5a) showed mild antibacterial activit
... Show MoreThis study proposed using color components as artificial intelligence (AI) input to predict milk moisture and fat contents. In this sense, an adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was applied to milk processed by moderate electrical field‐based non‐thermal (NP) and conventional pasteurization (CP). The differences between predicted and experimental data were not significant (
Precision irrigation applications are used to optimize the use of water resources, by controlling plant water requirements through using different systems according to soil moisture and plant growth periods. In precision irrigation, different rates of irrigation water are applied to different places of the land in comparison with traditional irrigation methods. Thus the cost of irrigation water is reduced. As a result of the fact that precise irrigation can be used and applied in all irrigation systems, it spreads rapidly in all irrigation systems. The purpose of the Precision Agriculture Technology System (precision irrigation) , is to apply the required level of irrigation according to agricultural inputs to the specified location , by us
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