Resilient polymeric materials such as silicone elastomers are currently used for maxillofacial prostheses construction but the strength of these materials and their clinical performance need to be optimized with the addition of reinforcing fillers. This study investigates the effect of zirconia nanopowder addition on tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, Shore A hardness, surface roughness and cytotoxicity of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone. Silicone base was mixed with different amounts (1%, 2% and 3%) of zirconia nanopowder using a vacuum mixer. Silicone without filler was used as control for comparison. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were utilized to assess the efficiency of high-shear vacuum mixing as filler dispersion method and the surface topography, respectively. Both SEM and AFM images showed that the zirconia nanopowder were distributed fairly well within the polymer. Statistically, highly significant increase in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness with non-significant decrease in elongation at break and non-significant increase in surface roughness were seen with 1% and 2% groups. Whereas with 3% group, there was significant improvement in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness but there was significant undesirable decrease in elongation and increase in roughness. Cytotoxicity test revealed that the addition of zirconia nanopowder was nontoxic to Rat Embryonic Fibroblast (REF) cells and there was non-significant change in the cell viability of all study groups after 24- and 72-hours incubation periods. In conclusion, the addition of 2% by weight nano zirconia to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone could be beneficial in enhancing its performance.
The aim of the present study is to formulate floating effervescent microsponge tablet of the narrow absorption window drug, Baclofen (BFN) for controlling drug release and thereby decrease the side effect of the drug. The microsponges of BFN were prepared by non-aqueous emulsion solvent diffusion method (oil in oil emulsion method). The effects of drug: polymer ratio, stirring time and type of Eudragit polymer on the physical characteristics of microsponges were investigated and characterized for production yield, loading efficiency, particle size, surface morphology, and in vitro drug release from microsponges. The selected microsponge formula was incorporated into the floating effervescent gastro-retentive tablet. The prepared fl
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A new series of bases of Schiff (H2-H4) derived from phthalic anhydrideweresynthesized. These Schiff bases were prepared by the reaction of different amines (tyrosine methyl ester, phenylalanine methyl ester, and isoniazid) with the phthalimide derived aldehyde with the aid of glacial acetic acid or triethylamine ascatalysts. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by (FT-IR and 1HNMR) analyses and were in vitro evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against six various kinds of microorganisms. All the synthesized compounds had been screened for their antimicrobial activity against two Gram-positive bacteria “Staph. Aureus, and Bacillus subtilis
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Sumatriptan(ST) is a selective agonist at serotonin 5-HTI receptors, as well as 5-HT1B/1D subtypes. It is effective for acute migraine attacks, but has a short half life (about 2 hours) and low oral bioavailability (15%). The purpose of this study was to develop and optimize nasal mucoadhesive in-situ gel(IG) of ST to enhance nasal residence time for migraine management. Cold method was used to prepare different formulas of ST nasal IG, using thermosensitive polymers (poloxamer 407 alone or with poloxamer 188) with a mucoadhesive polymer hyaluronic acid (HA) which were examined for gelation temperature and gelation time, pH, drug content, gel strength, spreadability, muc
... Show MoreFailure in asphalt mixture and distress in pavement are major issues to roads infrastructure. Selecting an appropriate chemical composition of asphalt cement is a key component in avoiding these issues. This work aimed to investigate the effect of the chemical composition of different polar fractions on the rheological and physical properties of asphalt cement. Four types of asphalt cement with penetration grades of 20/30, 40/50, 60/70 and 85/100 were divided into four fractions. Complex shear modules, rutting resistance and rotational viscosity of the asphalt cement were determined by using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer and a Rotation Viscometer, respectively. The results show that an increase in the asphaltene content and Gastel index resulte
... Show MoreThe influence of different thickness (500,750, and 1000) nm on the structure properties electrical conductivity and hall effect measurements have been investigated on the films of copper indium selenide CuInSe2 (CIS) the films were prepared by thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates at RT from compound alloy. The XRD pattern show that the film have poly crystalline structure a, the grain size increasing with as a function the thickness. Electrical conductivity (σ), the activation energies (Ea1,Ea2), hall mobility and the carrier concentration are investigated as function of thickness. All films contain two types of transport mechanisms of free carriers increase films thickness. The electrical conductivity increase with thickness
... Show MoreThis study presents a comprehensive set of laboratory works for the examined soil layers extracted from Baghdad city (specifically from Alkadhimya, Alaitaifiya, and Alhurriya) to illustrate their engineering properties. The researchers have adopted the unified soil classification system for soil classification purposes. Also, the direct shear test was performed for soil samples with various degrees of saturation (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). The test results have shown a significant reduction in cohesion property with higher moisture content within soil samples. Also, a noticeable reduction in angle of internal friction value has occurred with such changes. Furthermore, it has been found that the bearing capacity of unsaturated soi
... Show MoreA laboratory experiment was carried out and repeated at field of College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad in 2017. First factor was three cultivars of lupine 'Giza-1', 'Giza-2' and 'Hamburg'. Second factor was three seed weights (lower weight, medium weight and higher weight) which was following the cultivars factor. Nested design was used. Results showed supremacy of 'Giza-1' cultivar significantly and gave higher germination ratio, radical length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigour index, field emergence ratio, plant height and number of leaves per plant. The treatment ('Giza-1'×higher seed weight) was supremacy significantly and gave higher germination ratio, radical length, plumule length, and seedling vigo
... Show MoreNanocomposite of carbon nanotube add to epoxy resin material of weight fraction ( 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75 , 2 & 2.5 wt. % ) were fabricated by dispersing within an epoxy resin using a Ultrasound machine followed by mechanical stirring. The samples were heat treated at temperature ( 80 °C for 3 hrs) The mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. Wear and hardness properties measurements indicated higher wear rate and hardness with increasing concentration of MWCNTs . The MWCNTs significantly improved the wear resistance and hardness when compare than the pure epoxy. These note show too after heat treatment of composite with ( 80 oC for 3 hrs ).
This research studied the effects of modified BaTiO3 (BT) nanoparticles with coupling agent γ-APS (0.5wt. %) on the tensile and thermal conductivity of epoxy nanocomposites with respect to content (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 3 and 5wt. %). Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at different concentration (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1 wt. %) were added to the BaTiO3/epoxy nanocomposites. The influence of MWCNTs on the tensile properties and thermal conductivity was investigated. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of BaTiO3/epoxy nanocomposites film were increased at up to 3 wt. % of added BT, but adding BT at more than 3 wt.% decreased the strength of epoxy. The tensile strength was increased with incre
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