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.
The research aims to measure the relationship and impact of the operations of the knowledge of management of the six dimensions (diagnosis knowledge, define knowledge objectives, knowledge generation, knowledge storage, distribution of knowledge, application of knowledge) in the fiscal performance of the General Authority for taxes of the four dimensions (financial, customers (taxpayers), Operations Interior, learn and grow), the research aims also to the use of computerized programs for training and career development of the Authority that helps to add knowledge workers in the Authority, and to reach an appropriate arrangement for knowledge management processes in the Authority, as well as analysis of the reality of the Authority to get
... Show More
Acquires Find importance of the overall quality and e-marketing management have become important factors in evaluating the performance of banks, which are related to the life of the community intimately, so it is important that the banks applying comprehensive quality and e-marketing management requirements in order to maintain their performance and determine their level, as well as the manifest importance of research in part, practical linking the requirements of total quality management and banking performance on the one hand and between the e-marketing and performance banking on the other hand, through the provision of scientific bases that can be based on the banks in question, as it kicks off the research problem in that mos
... Show More
The current research aims to identify the risk management and its impact on the quality of service in the Salahalddin Sewerage Directorate, This is due to the great impact that the service provided by this institution plays in preserving health and the environment in the community, which has faced many administrative challenges, problems and issues as a result of the rapid and continuous environmental changes, and therefore, the adoption of administrative concepts such as risk management and knowledge of their impact on the quality of the municipal service is necessary to reach this service To the required levels. To achieve the research objectives, two main hypotheses have been formulated, the first of which is to find the extent of the li
... Show More
This study aimed to recognize and understand the concept of strategic management accounting (SMA) and how it's the effect on the competitive advantage for industrial companies in Jordan. The study's importance arises due to the lack of Arab studies that dealt with this topic, in addition to the important and vital role of strategic management accounting on companies that represent the artery of the decision-making process, and to identify the benefits associated with SMA technology. The necessary data were collected through the literature review and theoretical study of the references that relevant to the study subject, in addition to a questionnaire developed for this purpose, the study used (124) out of (250) questionnaires tha
... Show More
Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a leading cause of hospital admission and many factors are known to precipitate decompensation. We aimed to assess the decompensating factors of heart failure and the management of patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). A total of 107 patients were examined, all diagnosed with ADHF in the ED of the Baghdad Teaching Hospital, from June 2017 to December 2017, and presenting with decom¬pensation (pulmonary oedema, peripheral oedema, and fatigue). The mean patient age was 62.5 ± 9.8 years (range: 43–85 years); the majority of them were in their 7th decade (37.4%), and men were slightly more than women. Hy¬pertension was the most commonly associated comorbidity (68.2%), follow
... Show More
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of the Nursing Management Education Program upon the Nurse
Managers' Knowledge about planning in Nursing Management at Baghdad City Hospitals.
Methodology: A Quasi-experimental study in which a purposive "non-probability" sample of (50) Nurse
Managers was selected from Baghdad City Hospitals. These Managers were divided into two equal groups of
(25) Nurse Managers for each (study and control ones). A questionnaire was developed as a tool for data
collection. A pilot study was carried out to test the reliability of the questionnaire for the period from April 2nd to
June 20th 2007. The pre-post test approach was applied to the study and control groups as mean for the quasiexperime
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computerized database management system for accumulating, storage, retrieval, analysis, and display spatial data. In general, GIS contains two broad categories of information, geo-referenced spatial data and attribute data. Geo-referenced spatial data define objects that have an orientation and relationship in two or three-dimensional space, while attribute data is qualitative data that can be counted for recording and analysis. The main aim of this research is to reveal the role of GIS technology in the enhancement of bridge maintenance management system components such as the output results, and make it more interpretable through dynamic colour coding and more sophisticated visualization
... Show More
(5)
Objective(s): The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of education program on Health Care Workers’ practices toward Primary Health Care Centers waste management and to identify the relationship between these practices and the demographic characteristics of the health workers. Methodology: A quasi- experimental design (pre-post tests) has been used in the present study for the period of November 16th 2014 to June 22nd 2015 .The allocated sample in the present study is consisted of (60) health care worker. The sample was randomly divided into two groups of (30) health care workers each. The stu
objective the research to diagnosis and interpretation of the nature of the correlation between the basic elements of knowledge management (tecgnology , structure , culture , process , human resource ) and the strategic performance of the Iraqi private banks, the research community and the level dimensions, and tested this research in the private banking sector represented by (7), especially in Baghdad city, Iraqi banks, and applied on sample consisting of 100 distributors in several administrative levels Director (Director, Director of the department, branch manager), and use questionnaire Head to collect data and information tool, and some private banks annual reports, has sought research to test a number of h
... Show More
Impairment of financial assets defined according to IFRS 9 as the difference between all contractual cash flows that are due to an entity in accordance with the contract and all the cash flows that the entity expects to receive, the entity should estimates all the cash flows through looking to the contract terms during the life time period of the assets or for shorter period if possible, the cash flow should include the amounts of selling any collateral taken or any other enhancement. On the other hand, the Central bank of Iraq guidelines regards impairment differ from the IFRS 9 that’s does not consider the collateral value on calculating the impairment that’s effects on the net profit through recognizing exaggerated loss an
... Show More