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.
Research in Iraq has expanded in the field of material technology involving the properties of the lightweight concrete using natural aggregate. The use of the porcelinate aggregate in the production of structural light concrete has a wide objective
and requires a lot of research to become suitable for practical application. In this work metakaolin was used to improve compressive strength of lightweight porcelinate concrete which usually have a low compressive strength about 17 MPa . The effect of metakaolin on compressive, splitting tensile, flexure strengths and modulus of elasticity of lightweight porcelinate concrete have been investigated. Many experiments were carried out by replacing cement with different percentages of
met
In this research, an enhancement in lubricating, rheological, and filtration properties of unweighted water-based mud is fundamentally investigated using XC polymer NPs with 0.2gm, 0.5gm, 1gm, 2gm, and 4gm concentrations. Bentonite, that had been used in the preparation of unweighted water-based mud, was characterized using XRF-1800 Sequential X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer, XRD-6100/7000 X-ray Diffractometer, and Malvern Mastersizer 2000 particle size analyzer, respectively. Lubricating, rheology and filtration properties of unweighted water-based mud were measured at room temperature (35°C) using OFITE EP and Lubricity Tester, OFITE Model 900 Viscometer, and OFITE Low-Pressure Filter Press, respectively. XC Polymer N
... Show MoreIn recent years, various methods have been developed to enhance the characteristics of asphalt pavement in order to face the continuous challenges of increasing traffic loads and changing climate conditions. One of the most popular and successful methods is modifying the asphalt mixtures or asphalt binder with the addition of polymers. Therefore, two types of Polyethylene (PE) polymer, High-Density PE (HDPE) and Low-Density PE (LDPE), are used in this research. Two methods were applied to prepare PE-modified asphalt mixtures: Semi-Wet Method (S-WM) and Dry Method (DM). The findings of the investigation indicated that the addition of PE polymer can reduce the wear loss of aggregate. In general, the experimental results revealed that asphalt
... Show MoreThis research includes synthesis of new heterocyclic derivatives of N-benzyl-5-bromoisatin. New 1, 2, 4-triazole, oxazoline and thiazoline derivatives of [N-benzyl-5-bromo-3-(Ethyliminoacetate)-indole-2-one] (2) have been synthesized. The preparation process started by the reaction of 5-bromoisatin with sodium hydride in dimethylformamide (DMF) at 0°C, gave suspension of sodium salt of 5-bromoisatin and subsequent reaction with benzylchloride to give N-benzyl-5-bromoisatin (1). Compound (1) reacted with ethylglycinate (Schiff base) obtained the intermediate compound (2) which reacted with different reagents in two ways. The first way, compound (2) reacted with (hydrazine hydrate, semicarbazide, phenylsemicarbazide and thiosemicarbazide)
... Show MoreNew schiff bases series (VIII) a-e and 1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives (IX) a-e containing the 1,2,4-triazole and 1,3,4-thiazazole rings were synthesized and screening their biological activities. These compounds were identified via Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, some via Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and mass spectra. The biological results indicated that all of these compounds did not reveal antibacterial effectiveness against (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species) (G-). Some of these compounds showed moderate antibacterial activity against (Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis) (G+), and all compounds exhibited moderate activity against Candida albicans.
The amount of protein in the serum depends on the balance between the rate of its synthesis, and that of its catabolism or loss. Abnormal metabolism may result from nutritional deficiency, enzyme deficiency, abnormal secretion of hormones, or the actions of drugs and toxins. Renal cancer is the third most common malignancy of the genitourinary system, and accounts for 3% of adult malignancies globally. Total serum proteins were measured in malignant kidney tumor, benign kidney tumors, and non tumoral kidney diseases patient groups, as well as in healthy individuals. A significant decrease (p< 0.001) of total serum protein levels in patients with malignant kidney tumors when compared with those of benign tumors, non tumoral diseases, and hea
... Show MoreRadiation treatment has long been the conventional approach for treating nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) tumors due to its anatomic features, biological characteristics, and radiosensitivity. The most common treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is radiotherapy. This study aimed to assess the better quality of radiotherapy treatment techniques using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). The VMAT and IMRT are comparative techniques. Forty patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and forwarded for radiotherapy were treated with both advanced techniques, IMRT and VMAT, using eclipse software from Varian. The x-ray energy was set at 6 MV. The total prescribed dose was 70 Gy. The results show that the
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