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 aimed at identifying how children express the emerging coronavirus in general and according to their age groups (4-13 years) by analyzing 91 of their drawings published online, using the descriptive content analytical approach. The results showed that children's artistic expression of the virus came according to the concepts and ideas they carried about the virus for the age groups of (4-7 years) and (7-9 years), while it came according to visual perception for age groups (9-11 years), and from (11-13) years. Also, most children were aware about the presence of the virus and its widespread around the world, but (99%) of them do not realize the seriousness of the virus. It was confirmed that between (25-34%) of children were su
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This study aimed at accounting for the role of talents management in consolidating organizational learning process at the Yemeni General Corporation For telecommunication. To achieve the objective of the study, the researcher designed a questionnaire and administered it. The sample of the study consisted of (166) employees (General Manager, Manager and Department Head). They were selected randomly out of a total Population of (291) employees during the Year 2019. The descriptive analytic approach was used t reach conclusions.
The finding of the study revealed existence of effect of talents management dimensions, all together and alone, (talents polarization, talents development, talents maintenance and ma
... Show MoreA cost-effective and efficient detector was created to conduct thorough turbidimetric measurements by reaction of Co (II) ion with calcium ferro cyanide to form bright green particulate, using the method of continuous flow injection analysis, the use of NAG-5SX1-1D-SSP Analyzer in determining cobalt (II) ion in a test for the validity of the new design. The NAG-5SX1-1D-SSP Analyzer is composed of five irradiation sources of white snow leds having the diameter of 10 mm with one solar cell of 55 mm length, 13.5 mm width. Using a selector switch to select the optimum voltage to be used which was 2.7 VDC. Under conditions of optimization, cobalt (II) ion was determined at 0.005–20 mmol. L–1(n = 23) while linearity dynamic range 0.005–7 mm
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The potential application of granules of brick waste (GBW) as a low-cost sorbent for removal of Ni+2ions from aqueous solutions has been studied. The properties of GBW were determined through several tests such as X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and BET surface area. In batch tests, the influence of several operating parameters including contact time, initial concentration, agitation speed, and the dose of GBW was investigated. The best values of these parameters that provided maximum removal efficiency of nickel (39.4%) were 1.5 hr, 50 mg/L, 250 rpm, and 1.8 g/100mL, respectively. The adsorption data obtained by batch experiments subjected to the Three i
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the research on artificial intelligence algorithms in football, specifically in relation to player performance prediction and injury prevention. To accomplish this goal, scholarly resources including Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Springer, and Scopus were used to provide a systematic examination of research done during the last ten years (2015–2025). Through a systematic procedure that included data collection, study selection based on predetermined criteria, categorisation based on AI applications in football, and assessment of major research problems, trends, and prospects, almost fifty papers were found and analysed. Summarising AI applications in football for performance and injury p
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Background: Alveolar ridge expansion is proposed when the alveolar crest thickness is ≤5 mm. The screw expansion technique has been utilized for many years to expand narrow alveolar ridges. Recently, the osseodensification technique has been suggested as a reliable technique to expand narrow alveolar ridges with effective width gain and as little surgical operating time as possible. The current study aimed to compare osseodensification and screw expansion in terms of clinical width gain and operating time. Materials and methods: Forty implant osteotomies were performed in deficient horizontal alveolar ridges (3–5 mm). A total of 19 patients aged 21–59 years were randomized into two groups: the screw expansion group, which invo
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The presence of deposition in the river decreases the river flow capability's efficiency due to the absence of maintenance along the river. In This research, a new formula to evaluate the sediment capacity in the upstream part of Al-Gharraf River will be developed. The current study reach lies in Wasit province with a distance equal to 58 km. The selected reach of the river was divided into thirteen stations. At each station, the suspended load and the bedload were collected from the river during a sampling period extended from February 2019 till July 2019. The samples were examined in the laboratory with a different set of sample tests. The formula was developed using data of ten stations, and the other three s
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تعد الملابس وسيلة هامة لكل مايقوم به الانسان في حياته العامة ، فهي الانطباع والكلمة الخارجية عن ذاته الداخلية فهي تعكس فكرة الفرد عن ذاته وعن شخصيته , كما تعد وسيلة تعبير جمالية وفنية , فهي تساعد على اخفاء عيوب الجسد وابراز محاسنه . ويتوقف اختيار الفرد لملابسه على مجموعة عوامل منها احتياجه , قدراته المالية , سنه , مركزه الاجتماعي , طبيعة عمله ,الظروف الجوية التي يعيش فيها وعلى مايُؤمن به من قيم و
... Show MoreMany waste materials can be repurposed effectively within asphalt concrete to enhance the performance and sustainability of pavement. One of these waste materials is sawdust ash (SDA). This study explores the beneficial use of SDA as a substitute for limestone dust (LD) mineral filler in asphalt concrete. The replacement rate was 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, and 60% by weight of total mineral filler. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to assess the surface morphology of Sawdust (SD), SDA, and LD. In addition, a series of tests, including Marshall stability and flow, indirect tensile strength,moisture susceptibility, and repeated uniaxial loading tests, were conducted to examine the performance characteristics of asphalt mixtures of diffe
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