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.
Objectives: To evaluate levels of nurses' knowledge about substance abuse at psychiatric teaching hospitals in Baghdad city. Methodology: A descriptive analytical study conducts to meet study objectives during the period from 1-11-2014 To 10-5-2015 The study conduct at 4 teaching hospitals in three department (Baghdad Al Rusafa ,Al Karkh, Medical city) they includ Baghdad teaching hospital, Al Rashad teaching hospital, Ibn Rshud teaching hospital , and Al Kadhumeeain teaching hospital which select according to the study. A random sample of 100 nurses are working in teaching psychiatric hospitals , Al Rashad (6
Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were synthesized through the thermal decomposition of a copper(II) Schiff-base complex. The complex was formed by reacting cupric acetate with a Schiff base in a 2:1 metal-to-ligand ratio. The Schiff base itself was synthesized via the condensation of benzidine and 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde in the presence of glacial acetic acid. This newly synthesized symmetric Schiff base served as the ligand for the Cu(II) metal ion complex. The ligand and its complex were characterized using several spectroscopic methods, including FTIR, UV-vis, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, CHNS, and AAS, along with TGA, molar conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The CuO nanoparticles were produced by thermally decomposing the
... Show MoreProviding Iraqi students with proficiency in English is the ultimate goal of the educational system which is a way of getting knowledge in the fields of arts, sciences, transferring knowledge and sciences to other communities. Therefore, conducting such a type of study is very important because the contents of English textbooks have a huge influence on learning of the students. Once the content of English textbooks contain errors as the correct one, this will effect on his/her learning. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the new course entitled “English for Iraq” for fifth grade students for secondary schools, by Olivia Johnston and Mark Farell. It aims to answer eleven questions relating to the following domains: strength, obj
... Show MoreThis study is to evaluate plasma levels of several cytokines in preeclamptic pregnancies compared to those of healthy pregnancies. Ninety pregnant women with preeclampsia (37 mild & 53 severe) and thirty healthy pregnant women were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were taken and plasma levels of IL-8, IL-10, and IFN-? were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Preeclamptic women and their severe cases but not mild cases had significantly (P<0.05) increased levels of plasma IL-8, and IFN-? as compared with healthy pregnancies. By contrast, plasma levels of IL-10 was significantly (P<0.05) increased in healthy pregnant women as compared to all groups of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is associated with an imbalance betwe
... Show MoreBackground: The repair of bone defects remains a major clinical orthopaedic challenge. Bone is a highly vascularised tissue reliant on the close spatial and temporal connection between blood vessels and bone cells to maintain skeletal integrity. This study aimed to study the efficacy of Panax ginseng as a osteoinducer in tibia of rat and as a stimulator for bone healing and to study the immunohistochemical expression of osteonectin as bone formation markers in experimental and control groups during bone healing. Material and method: : In this study thirty albino male rats , weighting (200-300) gram ,aged (2-3) months ,will be used under control conditions of temperature ,drinking and food consumption. The animals will subject for an
... Show MoreBackground: The study aimed to investigate the effect of different techniques of en masse retraction on the vertical and sagittal position, axial inclination, rate of space closure, and type of movement of maxillary central incisor. Materials and methods: A typodont simulation system was used (CL II division 2 malocclusion). Three groups were used group 1(N=10, T-loop), group 2(N=10, Time-Saving loop), and group 3(N=10, Microimplant). Photographs were taken before and after retraction and measurements were made using Autodesk AutoCAD© software 2010. Kruskal-Wallis one-way analyses of variance and Mann-Whitney U test (p?0.05) were used. Results: The rate of space closure showed no significant difference among the three groups (p?0.05), whi
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