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.
This study investigates the complex challenges of managing heritage sites in Iraq, focusing on the Prophet Tho Al-Kifl Shrine in Babylon due to its religious, historical, and architectural significance. The site exemplifies critical management issues, including institutional fragmentation, limited technical and financial resources, and insufficient legislative frameworks. Left unaddressed, these challenges threaten the site's material integrity and symbolic identity through uncoordinated interventions and neglect. The research aims to propose a context-sensitive framework for sustainable heritage management by combining theoretical perspectives with practical analysis. Using a case study methodology, the study draws on field observations, h
... Show More
(6)
(2)
The performance quality and searching speed of Block Matching (BM) algorithm are affected by shapes and sizes of the search patterns used in the algorithm. In this paper, Kite Cross Hexagonal Search (KCHS) is proposed. This algorithm uses different search patterns (kite, cross, and hexagonal) to search for the best Motion Vector (MV). In first step, KCHS uses cross search pattern. In second step, it uses one of kite search patterns (up, down, left, or right depending on the first step). In subsequent steps, it uses large/small Hexagonal Search (HS) patterns. This new algorithm is compared with several known fast block matching algorithms. Comparisons are based on search points and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR). According to resul
... Show More
(2)
Abstract Candida albicans is a commensal fungal pathogen that grows in yeast and hyphal forms in the human gut. C. albicans causes mucosal and cutaneous diseases that can result in significant mortality following systematic infections and it also exhibits drug resistance. Zebrafish have been an excellent model to investigate C. albicans infections because of their transparency and the availability of many transgenic lines. However, there is a limitation in using zebrafish as a model because the fish embryos cannot survive at 37°C therefore it is not suitable for studying Candida infections at physiological relevant human body temperature. In this thesis, the normal embryonic development of Arabian killifish (A. dispar) is investigated, rev
... Show MoreThe pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which represents over 90% of pancreatic cancer cases,
has the highest proliferative and metastatic rate in comparison to other pancreatic cancer compartments. This
study is designed to determine whether small nucleolar RNA, H/ACA box 64 (snoRNA64) is associated with
pancreatic cancer initiation and progression. Gene expression data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
repository have shown that snoRNA64 expression is reduced in primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer as
compared to normal tissues based on statistical analysis of the in Silico analysis. Using qPCR techniques,
pancreatic cancer cell lines include PK-1, PK-8, PK-4, and Mia PaCa-2 with differ
(4)
(3)
The precise classification of DNA sequences is pivotal in genomics, holding significant implications for personalized medicine. The stakes are particularly high when classifying key genetic markers such as BRAC, related to breast cancer susceptibility; BRAF, associated with various malignancies; and KRAS, a recognized oncogene. Conventional machine learning techniques often necessitate intricate feature engineering and may not capture the full spectrum of sequence dependencies. To ameliorate these limitations, this study employs an adapted UNet architecture, originally designed for biomedical image segmentation, to classify DNA sequences.The attention mechanism was also tested LONG WITH u-Net architecture to precisely classify DNA sequences
... Show More
(3)
(4)
(5)
(1)
(6)
(5)
(41)
(35)
Naproxen is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effect. It is extensively bound to plasma albumin, and exhibits gastric toxicity, so it may be more efficient to deliver the drug in its sustained release dosage form and adequate blood level is achieved. Three liquid formulations with in situ gelling properties have been assessed for their potential for the oral sustained delivery of naproxen . The formulations were dilute solutions of: (a) pectin; (b) gellan gum and; (c) sodium alginate, all containing complexed calcium ion that form gels when these ions are released in the acidic environment of the stomach . The viscosity of the sols and drug release were measured, and was found to be depende
... Show More
(5)
Objective: The objective of this study was to prepare nanosuspension of a practical water insoluble antiulcer drug which is lafutidine to enhance the solubility, dissolution rate with studying the effect of different formulation variables to obtain the best formula with appropriate physical properties and higher dissolution rate.Methods: Nanosuspension of lafutidine was prepared using solvent anti-solvent precipitation method using Polyvinylpyrrolidone K-90(PVP K-90) as the stabilizer. Ten formulations were prepared to show the effect of different variables in which two formulations showed the effect of stabilizer type, three formulations showed the effect of stabilizer concentration, two formulations showed the effect of combinatio
... Show More
(33)
(17)