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.
Vitamin K-dependent protein (VKDP) contributes to the development of lung cancer. The purpose of this research was to better understanding of the role of blood matrix Gla protein (MGP), VKDPs, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Vitamin K (Vit K) in Iraqi patients with lung cancer before and after the first cycle of chemotherapy. Blood samples were collected from Al amal National Hospital for cancer treatment from October 2021 to May 2022, and a total of 80 samples were collected, divided into two groups (40 patient before taking a chemotherapy and 40 patients after taking chemotherapy), ranging in age from 20 to 45 years old. The results showed that although there were highly statistically significant differences in MD
... Show MoreThis study aimed to evaluate serum levels of steroid hormones and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone in preeclamptic Iraqi pregnancies compared to those of healthy pregnancies.This study enrolled 120 pregnant women, divided into four groups:1. 30 healthy pregnant women.2. 37 pregnant women with mild preeclampsia3. 53 pregnant women with severe preeclampsia4. 90 pregnant women with preeclampsia Preeclamptic women and their severe cases but not mild cases had significantly (P<0.01) increased levels of serum hCG as compared with healthy pregnancies. By contrast, sera levels of estradiol were significantly (P<0.01) decreased in total preeclamptic groups and their severe cases but not in mild group as compared to healthy pregnant wome
... Show MoreLower extremity exoskeletons can assist with performing particular functions such as gait assistance, and physical therapy support for subjects who have lost the ability to walk. This paper presents the analysis and evaluation of lightweight and adjustable two degrees of freedom, quasi-passive lower limb device to improve gait rehabilitation. The exoskeleton consists of a high torque DC motor mounted on a metal plate above the hip joint, and a link that transmits assistance torque from the motor to the thigh. The knee joint is passively actuated by spring installed parallel with the joint. The action of the passive component (spring) is combined with mechanical output of the motor to provide a good control on the designed exoskeleton whi
... Show MoreRecent years have witnessed an increase in the use of composite coatings for numerous applications, including aerospace, aircraft, and maritime vessels. These materials owe this popularity surge to the superior strength, weight, stiffness, and electrical insulation they exhibit over conventional substances, such as metals. The growing demand for such materials is accompanied by the inevitable need for fast, accurate, and affordable nondestructive testing techniques to reveal any possible defects within the coatings or any defects under coating. However, typical nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques such as ultrasonic testing (UT), infrared thermography (IRT), eddy current testing (ECT), and laser shearography (LS) have failed to p
... Show MoreSome of the main challenges in developing an effective network-based intrusion detection system (IDS) include analyzing large network traffic volumes and realizing the decision boundaries between normal and abnormal behaviors. Deploying feature selection together with efficient classifiers in the detection system can overcome these problems. Feature selection finds the most relevant features, thus reduces the dimensionality and complexity to analyze the network traffic. Moreover, using the most relevant features to build the predictive model, reduces the complexity of the developed model, thus reducing the building classifier model time and consequently improves the detection performance. In this study, two different sets of select
... Show MoreA total of 33 Iraq male positive for Toxoplasmosis and Iraq male negative for Toxoplasmosis (controls) were studies to Evaluation of some biochemical and immunological parameters changes.The parameters included lipid profile such as (Cholesterol(C), Triglycerides(TG), High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) and complement component C3 and C4. The results revealed significant decrease in the total cholesterol, Triglycerides, LDL and non-significant in vLDL (129.96±1.63, 130.69± 2.80, 87.19±1.97, 29.24± 0.83 mg/dl respectively) and non-significant increase in HDL(24.22 ±0.62) mg/dl compared with control group(152.07± 1.63, 156.48± 6.55, 99.26 ±1.39, 31.49± 1.30 and 21.31±
... Show MoreA mathematical model has been formulated to predict the influence of high outdoor air temperature on the performance of small scale air - conditioning system using R22 and alternative refrigerants R290, R407C, R410A. All refrigerants were investigated in the cooling mode operation. The mathematical model results have been validated with experimental data extracted from split type air conditioner of 2 TR capacity. This entailed the construction of an experimental test rig which consists of four main parts. They are, the refrigeration system, psychrometric test facility, measuring instrumentation, and auxiliary systems. The conditioned air was maintained at 25 0C dry bulb and 19 0C wet bulb for all tests. The outdoor ambient air temperatur
... Show MoreThis research aims to develop transdermal patches of Ondansetron hydrochloride (OSH) with different types of polymers, ethyl cellulose and, polyvinyl pyrrolidone k30 in a ratio (3:0.5,3:1,3:2,2:1,1:1) with propylene glycol 20%w/w as a plasticizer. Prepared transdermal patches were evaluated for physical properties. The compatibility between the drug and excipients was studied by Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), where there is no interaction between the drug and polymers. From the statistical study, there is a statistical difference between all the prepared formulations p<0.05. In-vitro Release study of transdermal patches was performed by using a paddle over the disc. The release profile of OSH follow
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