Clobetasol propionate (CP) is a super potent corticosteroid widely used to treat various skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. However, its utility for topical application is hampered due to its common side effects, such as skin atrophy, steroidal acne, hypopigmentation, and allergic contact dermatitis. Microsponge is a unique three-dimensional microstructure particle with micro and nano-meters-wide cavities, which can encapsulate both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs providing increased efficacy and safety. The aim of the current study is to prepare and optimize clobetasol-loaded microsponges. The emulsion solvent diffusion method is used for the preparation of ethylcellulose (EC)-based microsponges. The impact of various formulation variables on microsponge's properties includes; drug: polymer ratio, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) quantities, the volume of external phase, and stirring rates investigated. The microsponges were characterized in terms of particle size, product yield, CP entrapment %, and in-vitro drug release behavior. The results report that increasing EC concentration led to a significant increase in particle size, with a decrease in product yield and drug entrapment %. Increasing stirring speed or external aqueous volume or PVA w/v % caused a non-significant decrease in production yield and CP entrapment % but showed a significant decrease, and increase in particle size, respectively. Finally, it was concluded that the ability to use ethylcellous as a Msg polymer matrix to prepare uniform, highly porous particles was confirmed by microscope observation and compatibility with CP.
Composite materials are widely used in the engineered assets as aerospace structures, marine and air navigation owing to their high strength/weight ratios. Detection and identification of damage in the composite structures are considered as an important part of monitoring and repairing of structural systems during the service to avoid instantaneous failure. Effective cost and reliability are essential during the process of detecting. The Lamb wave method is an effective and sensitive technique to tiny damage and can be applied for structural health monitoring using low energy sensors; it can provide good information about the condition of the structure during its operation by analyzing the propagation of the wave in the
... Show MoreThe specific activities of the natural radionuclides U-238 and Th-
232 and K-40 in 14 soil samples collected from different sites from
AL-Mustansiriyah university at two depths (topsoil "surface" and
20cm depth) were be investigated using gamma ray spectrometer
3"x3" NaI(Tl) scintillation detector.
The analysis of the energy spectra of the soil samples show that
these samples have specific activities ranging with (16.08-51.11)
Bq/kg for U-238, (14.79-52.29) Bq/kg for Th-232 and (191.08-
377.64) Bq/kg for K-40, with an average values of 29.37, 34.14 and
289.62 Bq/kg for U-238, Th-232, k-40 respectively. The radiation
hazard parameters of the natural radionuclides; radium equivalent
activity (Raeq), gamma a
The Sonic Scanner is a multifunctional instrument designed to log wells, assess elastic characteristics, and support reservoir characterisation. Furthermore, it facilitates comprehension of rock mechanics, gas detection, and well positioning, while also furnishing data for geomechanical computations and sand management. The present work involved the application of the Sonic Scanner for both basic and advanced processing of oil-well-penetrating carbonate media. The study aimed to characterize the compressional, shear, Stoneley slowness, rock mechanical properties, and Shear anisotropy analysis of the formation. Except for intervals where significant washouts are encountered, the data quality of the Monopole, Dipole, and Stoneley modes is gen
... Show MoreA simple physical technique was used in this study to create stable and cost-effective copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles from pure copper metal using the pulsed laser ablation technique. The synthesis of crystalline CuO nanoparticles was confirmed by various analytical techniques such as particle concentration measurement using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine the crystal size and identify of the crystal structure of the prepared particles. The main characteristic diffraction peaks of the three samples were consistent. The corresponding 2θ is also consistent, and the cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles was
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Many genetic factors are known to be related to osteoporosis, and currently the role of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) gene in bone health has been studied intensively. Some variation of this gene, such as rs1042044 and rs6458093, are known to be linked to metabolic diseases and lower bone mineral density, however their specific contribution to osteoporosis remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the combined genotypic effect of rs1042044 and rs6458093 as a genetic risk factor for osteoporosis in postmenopausal Iraqi women.METHODS: Blood samples from 75 osteoporosis patients and 75 healthy controls, aged 45-85, were collected. DNA was extracted, and a region of GLP-1R
... Show MoreObjectives: acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious pathophysiology side effect of rhabdomyolysis. Inflammatory mechanisms play a role in the development of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI. Citronellol (CT) is a naturally occurring monoterpene alcohol (3,7-Dimethyl-6-often-1-ol) found in aromatic plant species' essential oils. In this study, we explored the protective effects of Citronellol on glycerol-induced AKI.
Methods: Four groups of eight mice each (n=8) were formed by randomly dividing the animals into the groups, glycerol-induced AKI model group, low-dose CT-treated group (50mg/kg), high-dose CT-treated group (100mg/kg), and control group. The renal functions of mice from all groups were evalua
... Show MoreIn this study, manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via the hydrothermal method and utilized for the adsorption of Janus green dye (JG) from aqueous solutions. The effects of MnO₂ NPs on kinetics and diffusion were also analyzed. The synthesized NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), with XRD confirming the nanoparticle size of 6.23 nm. The adsorption kinetics were investigated using three models: pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), and the intraparticle diffusion model. The PSO model provided the best fit (R² = 0.999), indicating that the adsorpti
... Show MoreThis work includes preparation of Az, Qz, and Tz derivatives from the reaction of Schiff base (Sb) derivative with anthranilic acid, chloroacetyl chloride, and sodium azide, as well as, the characterization via FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and 13CNMR. The anticorrosion inhibition of these compounds was studied and the measurements of carbon steel (CS) corrosion in sodium chloride solution 3.5% (blank) and inhibitor in solutions were calculated at a temperature range of 293-323 K by the technique of electrochemical polarization. In addition, some thermodynamic and kinetic activation parameters for inhibitor and blank solutions (Ea⋇, ΔH⋇, ΔS⋇, and ΔG⋇) were determined. The results showed high inhibition efficacy for all the prepared compounds,
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