PVA, Starch/PVA, and Starch/PVA/sugar samples of different
concentrations (10, 20, 30 and 40 % wt/wt) were prepared by casting
method. DSC analysis was carried; the results showed only one glass
transition temperature (Tg) for the samples involved, which suggest
that starch/PVA and starch/PVA/sugar blends are miscible. The
miscibility is attributed to the hydrogen bonds between PVA and
starch. This is in a good agreement with (FTIR) results. Tg and Tm
decrease with starch and sugar content compared with that for
(PVA). Systematic decrease in ultimate strength, due to starch and
sugar ratio increase, is attributed to (PVA), which has more hydroxyl
groups that made its ultimate strength higher than that for
starch/PVA, and starch/PVA/sugar blends. It is observed from water
uptake tests that the solubility time decreases with starch ratio; it is
attributed to decrease in hydroxyl groups caused by PVA ratio
decrease. The inter- and inter-molecular bonds of the hydroxyl
groups enhanced the solubility process of the starch/PVA blends in
water. The water immersion causes hydrogen bonds (inter and
intermolecular bonds) to decompose, that increases the film
solubility. Water absorption and capacity of degradability are most
important in biodegradable materials. The results suggest the samples
that have undergone investigation, can be used for shopping, and
food packaging.
The study of soil burial for the sample at (3cm) depth, and at (13cm)
depth has exhibited weight loss increase with soil burial time. The
biodegradability rapidly increases at the first (6-7) weeks; it is found
that the weight loss at (3cm) depth is greater than that at (13cm) that
was attributed to the differences in the availability of oxygen ratio. It
is found that PVA undergoes lowest weight loss, the weight loss
changes with starch, and sugar content. In dry soil, the weight loss is
lower. The results proved that the biodegradation decreases with soil
burial time after seven weeks of burial. It is concluded that the
samples involved are biodegradable material that can be used for
packaging applications and biologically friendly synthetic polymer
blends to solve the solid waste accumulation problem.
Road-side dust samples were collected during August in 2020 from selected areas of, Al-Rusafa, Baghdad, Iraq. A sedimentological and mineralogical analysis of street dust was conducted. Three areas were selected to study street dusts which are Al-Baladitat, Al-Obaidi and Ziona. The laboratory analyses were done in the Department of Geology, College of Science, University of Baghdad. The heavy metal contents were determined in the roadside dust using XRF Method. It was found that the dust is of muddy texture, and is believed to be transmitted with the various storms blowing on Baghdad or by the wheels of Cars. The results of mineralogical investigation revealed that the dust samples composed of quartz, feldspar, calcite, gypsum and s
... Show MoreNon-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 84% of all lung cancer types diagnosed so far. Every year, regardless of gender, the NSCLC targets many communities worldwide. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a uracil-analog anticancer compound. This drug tends to annihilate multiple tumour cells. But 5-FU's most significant obstacle is that it gets very easily metabolized in the blood, which eventually leads to lower anticancer activity. Therfore a perfect drug delivery system is needed to overcome all the associated challenges.
In this experiment, an attempt was made to prepare 5-FU loaded poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles using solvent evaporation method and subsequently observed the effect of molecular weight of poly l
... Show MoreMedical images play a crucial role in the classification of various diseases and conditions. One of the imaging modalities is X-rays which provide valuable visual information that helps in the identification and characterization of various medical conditions. Chest radiograph (CXR) images have long been used to examine and monitor numerous lung disorders, such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, atelectasis, and hernia. COVID-19 detection can be accomplished using CXR images as well. COVID-19, a virus that causes infections in the lungs and the airways of the upper respiratory tract, was first discovered in 2019 in Wuhan Province, China, and has since been thought to cause substantial airway damage, badly impacting the lungs of affected persons.
... Show MoreBreast cancer is the commonest cancer affecting women worldwide. Different studies have dealt with the etiological factors of that cancer aiming to find a way for early diagnosis and satisfactory therapy. The present study clarified the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes and some etiological risk factors among breast cancer patients in Iraq. This investigation was carried out on 25 patients (all were females) who were diagnosed as breast cancer patients attended AL-Kadhemya Teaching Hospital in Baghdad and 10 apparently healthy women were used as a control, all women (patients and control) aged above 40 years. The Wizard Promega kit was used for DNA isolation from breast patients and normal individuals. B
... Show MoreBackground: Although various imaging modalities are available for evaluating suspicious breast lesions, ultrasound-based Shear-Wave Elastography (SWE) is an advanced, non-invasive technique complementary to grayscale sonography. This technique evaluates the elasticity of a specific tissue by applying sonic pressure to that tissue.
Objective: The aim is to assess the role of SWE in evaluating solid breast masses in correlation to histopathological study results.
Subjects and Methods: This prospective study was done in a tertiary care teaching hospital from September 2019 to August 2020. A study population of 50 women aged 18 years or above with an
... Show MoreSeventy 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
... Show MoreThe production of reactive oxygen species in most diseases including osteoarthritis (OA) is confirmed to be the most destractive process to human cells. To investigate the role of free radicals in patients with OA and by comparing lipid peroxidation marker maloan dialdehyde (MDA) and Vit E as one of the potent antioxidant in Sera of (OA) patients with those in healthy population. The study includes 34 patients with knee OA diagnosed by doctors using different diagnostic parameters techniques , 18 females and 16 males and their age ranged 45 – 78 years , in addition to 32 healthy control 16 males and 16 females. The result revealed a significant elevation in serum MDA sera in both patient groups ( male and female)
... Show MoreBackground: A successful endodontic treatment is aimed at the sterilization of the entire pulp space. The use of extracts from Rhamnus prinoides as a novel irrigating material for root canal has not been studied . Hence, the antimicrobial efficacy of the alcoholic extract of Rhamnus prinoides as an irrigation material against E. faecalis was evaluated in comparison with the 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCL) solution used for root canals of permanent teeth. Methods: A total of 30 single-rooted human permanent teeth were thoroughly cleaned, shaped, and disinfected. Then, each tooth was subjected to a two-week infection with Enterococcus faecalis at 37 °C . Afterward, the samples were divided into three groups (10 teeth per group): 0.9
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