Urinary stones are one of the most common painful disorders of the urinary system. Four new technologies have transformed the treatment of urinary stones: Electrohydraulic lithotripsy, ultrasonic lithotripsy, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, and laser lithotripsy.The purpose of this study is to determine whether pulsed holmium laser energy is an effective method for fragmenting urinary tract stones in vitro, and to determine whether stone composition affects the efficacy of holmium laser lithotripsy. Human urinary stones of known composition with different sizes, shapes and colors were used for this study. The weight and the size of each stone were measured. The surgical laser system which used in our study is Ho:YAG laser(2100nm) with four adjustable parameters (Pulsed mode, Rep rate, Power, Exposure time ). After each laser irradiation, the laser parameters (different energy setting, Rep rate) and the time of each stone fragmentation were recorded and also the stones fragments were weighed and sorted using a metal ruler. All stones studied were successfully fragmented with Ho:YAG laser. Although there were differences in stone fragmentation time and ablation based on composition and sizes of the stones, in addition to factors related to laser system itself like mode of operation (single or double pulse mode) and pulse energy and pulse repetition rate and the power. The results of holmium laser lithotripsy for urinary stones have been uniformly excellent. The holmium: YAG laser has demonstrated its efficacy as a method of choice for fragmentation of urinary tract stones. Advantages include ability to fragment stones of all composition.
Seventy five E. coli isolates were collected from urine of patients with urinary tract infections in AL-Kadhimia and AL-Yarmook teaching hospitals in Baghdad for a period between 22/11/2009 to 15/3/2010, from these samples twenty five isolates were selected according to their pattern of the highest resistance as these showing multi-drug resistances and tested to specify their minimum inhibitory concentration for (meropenem, gentamicin and amikacin), meropenem was found having the lowest MIC comparing with others. This study also includes in vitro effects of various combinations of three types of antimicrobials (meropenem, gentamicin and amikacin) against twenty five E. c
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Background: This in vitro study was carried out to evaluate the effect of various endodontic irrigants (sodium hypochlorite, ethylene diaminetetracetic acid and normal saline) on sealing ability of (Biodentine, mineral trioxide aggregate, and amalgam) used to repair furcal perforations. Material and methods: One hundred and twenty extracted human molars with divergent roots were used in this study. A standard root canal access cavity was prepared in each tooth and furcal perforation was made and was standardized by using k file size 100 instrument to get a perforation of (1.32mm) in diameter .The teeth were randomly divided in to three groups of 40 teeth according to the type of material used to repair the perforations (Group A: The furcal
... Show MoreBackground: Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) has been used as a traditional medicine for many years to cure different kinds of diseases. Studies have been reported that Gotu Kola extracts might be used as a cure for oral diseases such as periodontal disease. In the present study, Gotu Kola leaves extracted with water will be used to evaluate its effect on some microorganisms living in the human saliva using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Material and Method:Gotu Kola fresh leaves extract have been used with water as a solvent, a rotary evaporator was used to separate the solvent from the extract. The following microorganisms: Streptococci, Lactobacilli, and Staphylococcus aureus have been isolated fromthe Saliva of ten voluntee
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Background: The marginal adaptation has a key role in the success and longevity of the fixed dental restoration, which is affected by the impression and the fabrication techniques .The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the marginal fitness of lithium disilicate crowns using two different digital impression techniques (direct and indirect techniques) and two different fabrication techniques (CAD/CAM and Press techniques). Materials and Methods: Thirty two sound upper first premolar teeth of comparable size extracted for orthodontic reason were selected in this study .Standardized preparation of all teeth samples were carried out with modified dental surveyor to receive all ceramic crown restoration with 1 mm deep
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Background: Prophylaxis methods are used to mechanically remove plaque and stain from tooth surfaces; such methods give rise to loss of superficial structure and roughen the surface of composites as a result of their abrasive action. This study was done to assess the effect of three polishing systems on surface texture of new anterior composites after storage in artificial saliva. Materials and methods: A total of 40 Giomer and Tetric®N-Ceram composite discs of 12 mm internal diameter and 3mm height were prepared using a specially designed cylindrical mold and were stored in artificial saliva for one month and then samples were divided into four groups according to surface treatment: Group A (control group):10 specimens received no surfa
... Show MoreABSTRACT Background:Hydrogen absorption and related degradation in the mechanical properties of Ni-Ti based orthodontic wires has been demonstrated following exposure to fluoride prophylactic agents. This study was designed to investigate the effects of three fluoride containing agents on the load deflection characteristics of heat activated nickel titanium arch wires during unloading phase. Material and method: Eighty specimens of heat activated nickel titanium arch wires were obtained from Ortho Technology Company, half of which had a 0.016 inch round and 0.019x0.025 rectangular. Ten specimens from both wire size were immersed in one of the tested fluoride prophylactic agents (neutral sodium fluoride gel, stannous fluoride gel or phos-flu
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Resin-modified glass ionomer cement tends to shrink due to polymerization of the resin component. Additionally, they are more prone to syneresis and imbibition during the setting process. This
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Objective. This study aimed to evaluate the orthodontic bond strength and enamel-preserving ability of a hydroxyapatite nanoparticles-containingself-etch system following exposure to various ageing methods. Materials and Methods. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nHAp) were incorporated into an orthodontic self-etch primer (SEP, Transbond™ plus) in three different concentrations (5%, 7%, and 9% wt) and tested versus the plain SEP (control) for shear bond strength (SBS), adhesive remnant index (ARI) scores, and enamel damage in range-finding experiments using premolar teeth. The best-performing formulation was further exposed to the following four artificial ageing methods: initial debonding, 24 h water storage, one-month water stora
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We aimed to examine the effect of amoxicillin and azithromycin suspensions on the microhardness of sliver-reinforced glass ionomer and nano-resin modified glass ionomer (GI). Method: Thirty discs (2mm height x 4mm diameter) of each type of GI were prepared, which were randomly assigned to amoxicillin, azithromycin, and artificial saliva groups. Microhardness was evaluated by Vickers hardness test before and after three immersion cycles. Results: The overall model (P < 0.001), before/after intervention (P < 0.001), intervention group (type of antibiotic) (P=0.013), and type of glass ionomer (P < 0.001) showed significant differences among study groups (P < 0.001). Post hoc test showed only non-significant before/after difference for Azithrom
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