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.
This study is carried out on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to assess the lipid profile, malondialdehyde and glutathione. Our study is concerned with 51 (Iraqi Arab females) patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with 31 control subjects unified in age, sex and ethnic background. Lipid profile is measured by using commercially available kits, while the serum MDA and glutathione levels are measured by means of sandwich ELISA test using commercially available kits. Serum MDA is significantly higher (P<0.001) while glutathione is significantly lower (P<0.001) in type 2 diabetic patients when compared to the control. The normal levels of MDA (3.82 ± 0.77n mol/ml) and GSH (2.23 ± 0.54 µg/ml) recorded for the non-diabetic female
... Show MoreThis paper was aimed to evaluate the polyurethane (PU) and polyurethane/polyvinyl chloride (90 wt. % / 10 wt. %) as organic coating of carbon steel substrate against marine environment (3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution) as a severe corrosion environment . The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and fitting impedance data by ZsimpWin 3.22 software were used to estimate the physical barrier of the samples for different exposure times. Different equivalent electrical circuits were proposed for the physical barrier at different immersion times to get appropriate fitting .Both PU and PU/PVC coatings showed excellent corrosion protection ability for steel .The PU/PVC coating showed better protection and stability than PU coating against
... Show MoreSilybum marianum, from which silymarin (SM) is extracted, is a medicinal herb. In the Biopharmaceutics Classification System, it is of the class II type, meaning it is almost completely insoluble in water. It has a number of therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory as well as properties that promote wound healing.
This research target is to promote the dissolution and solubility of SM by employing a technique called solid dispersion and then incorporating the formula of solid dispersion into a topical gel that can be used for wound healing.
Solid dispersion is a technique used to enhance solubility and dissolve pharmaceuticals that are not water-soluble. This method is widely used because of its low cos
... Show MoreThis work includes synthesis of new heterocyclic derivatives of 2-mercpto-3-phenyl-4(3H)-quinazolinone bearing 1, 2, 4-triazole and acetylenic amines moieties by using two ways. The first way includes reaction of 2-mercpto-3-phenyl-4(3H)-quinazolinone (1) with ethyl-2-bromopropanoate in methanol as solvent to gives ester derivative (2). Then, compound (2) was converted to (hydrazide, simecarbazid, phenylsimecarbazide and thiosimecarbazide) derivatives through its reactions with (hydrazine hydrate, simecarbazid, phenylsimecarbazide and thiosimecarbazide) respectively to give compounds (3-6). Finally, the cyclization of compounds (4-6) in alkaline media (4N-NaOH) gave the corresponding substituted triazole derivatives (7-9) respectively. W
... Show MoreThe current study was applied in Al-Zafaraniya area southeast of the capital Baghdad from October 2021 to April 2022. This is to evaluate some heavy elements (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Mn) in the street, storm, and suspended dust. Four sampling sites were selected, and codes A, B, C, and D were given to represent the industrial activity sites, service workshops, business activity, and residential areas.
The results showed that the concentration rates of elements (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn) in street dust samples were (1.15, 6.6, 60.15, 26770, 44.4, 6, 489.8). In storm dust (2, 10, 49.3, 54760, 24.3, 827.2) ppm, respectively, the results of suspended dust revealed that the general rates of element concentrations were (0.7
... Show MoreNanostructure of chromium oxide (Cr2O3-NPs) with rhombohedral structure were successfully prepared by spray pyrolysis technique using Aqueous solution of Chromium (III) chloride CrCl3 as solution. The films were deposited on glass substrates heated to 450°C using X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the nature of polycrystalline samples. The calculated lattice constant value for the grown Cr2O3 nanostructures is a = b = 4.959 Å & c = 13.594 Å and the average crystallize size (46.3-55.6) nm calculated from diffraction peaks, Spectral analysis revealed FTIR peak characteristic vibrations of Cr-O Extended and Two sharp peaks present at 630 and 578 cm-1 attributed to Cr-O “stretching
... Show MoreThin films of the blended solution of (NiPc/C60) on glass substrates were prepared by spin-coated method for three different ratios (100/1, 100/10 and 100/100). The effects of annealing temperature and C60 concentration on the optical properties of the samples were studied using the UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and FTIR spectra. The optical absorption spectrum consists of two main bands, Q and B band, with maxima at about (602-632) nm and (700-730) nm for Q1 and Q2 respectively, and (340-375) nm for B band. The optical energy gap were determined from optical absorption spectra, The variation of optical energy gap with annealing temperature was nonsystematic and this may be due to the improvement in crystal structure for thin films. Whi
... Show MorePure and iron-doped cadmium oxide ((CdO)1-xFex) thin films at different ratios were prepared using pulsed laser deposition technique. The X-ray diffraction showed a polycrystalline structure for all samples associated with cubic CdO structure. Another phase appeared at the highest ratio corresponding to the cubic Fe phase. Crystallinity was enhanced and crystalline size increased with increasing Fe ratio. AFM measurements showed that increase of Fe ratio led to an increase in the average particle diameter. In addition, the distribution of particle size became wide and of irregular behaviour, as well as increasing of the average roughness and the root-mean-square roughness. Increasing the Fe ratio caused
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