Background: Recurrent aphthous ulcer is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa. Substance P has activity in the inflammatory response. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) as immune-modulators regulates the immune response and has anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory effects. Pistacia lentiscus (mastic) of Anacardiaceae family have pharmacological activities like anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and used in treatment of wound and repair. The aim of this study is to find the safety and efficacy of a new product mastic orabase; experimentally and clinically. Methods: This research studied two parts: first; experimentally for assessment of mastic orabase effects on rabbit dermal irritation, efficacy of mastic orabase on the induced ulceration, with histopathology of rabbits’ tissues, and safety: therapeutic index and safety factor. Second; clinical efficacy of mastic orabase on the healing of RAU by assessment of ulcer size reduction, inflammation, healing time, pain, saliva substance P and TGF-β levels in RAU patients, and monitoring for any adverse effects or adverse drug reactions. Results: Experimental study of topical mastic orabase treatment showed significant reduction of inflammation and ulcer size, healing time. Safety of mastic orabase was confirmed by no dermal irritation, no toxicity, and wide therapeutic index range. Clinical study showed reduction of inflammation, ulceration, healing in short time, pain was relieved from the first topical dose, and the anti-inflammatory activity of mastic orabase was confirmed by reduction of salivary substance P and TGF-β elevation. Conclusion: Mastic orabase showed dose-dependent efficacy in the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulceration, short healing time. This may be related to effect of mastic orabase on proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators; substance P and TGF-β.
This study aimed at comparing the performance of vertical, horizontal and hybrid subsurface flow systems in secondary treatment for the effluent wastewater from the primary basins at Al-Rustumia wastewater treatment plant, Baghdad, Iraq. The treatments were monitored for six weeks while the testsduration were from 4 to 12 September 2018 under continuous wastewater feeding for chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solid (TSS),ammonia-nitrogen(NH4-N) and phosphate (PO4-P) in comparison with FAO and USEPA standards for effluent discharge to evaluate the suitability of treated water for irrigation purposes. Among the systems planted with Phragmites Australia, the hybrid subsurface flow system which cons
... Show MoreVolumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) are comparable for nasopharyngeal cancerous radiation therapy. This research intends to analyze the high-quality plan using accomplishment, conformance, and homogeneity criteria.
The study involved 40 patients with a postnasal cancerous tumor. The patients underwent computed tomography (CT) simulation to scan the anatomical details of the patients' heads. Then, their data was forwarded to the treatment planning system (TPS) workstation for IMRT and VMAT planning. The plans were evaluated using the IOA, HI, and CI indices.
The nasopharynx coverage results consist of the GTV and PTV at 95%. The statistical study reveals that VMAT provides
... Show MoreCognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most important relatively recent; treatment programs that attempt to modify behavior and control psychological disorders by modifying the individual's thinking style and awareness of himself and his environment, and cognitive reconstruction by replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. The current study aimed to know the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral treatment program in reducing nervous fatigue among mothers of children with cerebral palsy. The sample on which the nervous fatigue scale was applied consisted of (30) mothers whose son suffers from cerebral palsy, and the results indicated that (24) mothers suffer from nervous fatigue. This sample was divided
... Show MoreThis study evaluated the toxicity of ciprofloxacin to spleen and liver when used for the treatment of mice infected with S. typhi for seven days. The dose concentration used in these experiments was 100mg/kg. Mice were divided into two groups . The first group (negative control) was not given ciprofloxacin, but rather a sterile phosphate buffer solution (PBS) as an alternative. Ciprofloxacin was administered to the second group. After seven days , the animals were sacrificed and organs (liver and spleen) were collected . The histopathological examination showed normal hepatocytes in the liver and normal structure of spleen cells in animals of control group . However, the treated group showed dilated and congested blo
... Show MoreThis work aimed to study the effect of laser surface treatment on the mechanical characteristics and corrosion behaviour of grey cast iron type A159. Many technical applications used conventional surface treatment, but laser surface hardening has recently been used to enhance the surface properties of many alloys. The mechanical characteristics, including microstructure, microhardness, and wear resistance of A159 grey cast iron, were studied, in addition to corrosion behaviour. The experimental laser parameters in this work were 0.9, 1.2, and 1.5 KW power with continuous wave carbon dioxide lasers with scanning speeds of 10 and 12 mm/s were used. The results found that phase-transitional alterations in microstructure were influenced by lase
... Show MoreBackground: The main drawback of soft lining materials was that they debonded from the denture base after a certain period of usage. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to determine the impact of oxygen and argon plasma treatment on the shear bonding strength of soft liners to two different kinds of denture base materials: conventional acrylic resin and high impact acrylic resin. Materials and Methods: Heat cure conventional and high impact acrylic blocks (40 for each group) were prepared. A soft liner connected the final test specimen of two blocks of each acrylic material. Shear bond strength (SBS) was assessed using universal testing machine. Additional blocks were also prepared for analyzing Vickers microhardness, contact ang
... Show MoreThe present study aims to establish an empirical correlation between biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the sewage flowing in Al-Diwaniyah wastewater treatment plant. The strength of the wastewater entering the plant varied from medium to high. High concentrations of BOD5 and COD in the effluent were obtained due to the poor performance of the plant. This was observed from the BOD5 /COD ratios that did not confirm with the typical ratios for the treated sewage. Regression equations for BOD5 and COD removal percentages were suggested which can be used to evaluate rapid effluent assessment after the treatment processes or optimal process control to improve the performance of wastewater treatment plants.
... Show MoreMicrobiological contamination by fungi impacts the quality and safety of wheat grain storage. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of cold plasma in restricting the growth of the fungus, Aspergillus niger, which was isolated from wheat grains. A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operating at atmospheric pressure generated cold plasma that was used to treat the fungus, and the impact of this treatment was investigated at various periods 1, 2, 4, 6, and 15 minutes. The results revealed a highly significant decrease in the growth and number of spores of Aspergillus niger compared to the controls. This study revealed an efficient technique for enhancing wheat grain storage that could be a foundation for further large-scale studies.
... Show MoreIn an earlier paper, the basic analytical formula for particle-hole nuclear state densities was derived for non-Equidistant Spacing Model (non-ESM) approach. In this paper, an extension of the former equation was made to include pairing. Also a suggestion was made to derive the exact formula for the particle-hole state densities that depends exactly on Fermi energy and nuclear binding energies. The results indicated that the effects of pairing reduce the state density values, with similar dependence in the ESM system but with less strength. The results of the suggested exact formula indicated some modification from earlier non-ESM approximate treatment, on the cost of more calculation time