Background: The desire for an attractive appearing fixed orthodontic appliance fueled the use of ceramic brackets and clear accessories. Elastics are one of the most versatile materials available to orthodontists so studying their effect on the esthetic appearance is important. This an in vivo study, conducted to evaluate the effect of exposing stretched clear elastomeric ligatures to the oral environment from four different companies (OrthoTechnology, Morelli, Ortho Organizer, and Ormco). Materials and Methods: A total of 240 elastomeric modules were examined, 60 modules from each brand. Each of the 60 patients enrolled in the study, received 4 elastomeric modules on the 4 lower incisors, one from each brand. The specimens were placed on the teeth for 1, 2 and 4 weeks. After removal each module was kept in a sealed plastic bag and prepared for imaging and color measurement. Color measurements were made before and after use of the specimens. Images were taken by a cellular attachable microscope connected to a mobile phone with special J-cam program and the color change was calculated according to CIE Labcolor spaces system by the Adobe Photoshop program. The resulting data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA, LSD and Chi square tests. Results: The results showed that, all the elastomeric ligatures discolored after use. The discoloration increased with an increased incubation period in the mouth reaching the peak at 4 weeks interval and the yellowness index was the mostly effected color component. Elastomeric ligatures from Morelli brand were the most prone to discoloration, while Ortho Organizers and Ormco ligatures were the least prone to discoloration with the presence of large individual variation. Conclusion: It is necessary to alert the patient about the color changes that the clear ligatures experienced and the staining effect of certain foods. The orthodontist should select brands that are more resistant to color changes.
Background: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most commonly encountered valve lesion in modern clinical practice. Severe mitral regurgitation may cause systolic dysfunction. Left ventricular ejection fraction may not be an accurate measurement of LV function in patients with mitral insufficiency. Myocardial performance index (MPI) is a simple non invasive measure of myocardial function. Methods: The study involved 50 patients with valvular mitral regurgitation and 50 healthy subjects as a control group. Transthoracic echocardiography was carried out for all patients and control group. The echocardiographic measurements included left ventricular end diastolic and end systolic dimensions, left atrial diameter, ejection fraction (EF), and myoca
... Show MoreThe objective of this study is to evaluate the level of parathyroid hormone, Co enzyme Q and total antioxidant status in serum’s women with fibromyalgia syndrome firstly, then to demonstrate if these biochemical markers affected by age and obesity.
This study was performed at Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Consultation Unit in Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Venous blood sample were drawn from (59) female with FMS and (30) control (without FMS). The serum was obtained after on standing in order to coagulate then centrifuged. The mean age± SD of FMS group was (42.22±15.34) years and for control was (40.7±18.22) years. Those participants were subdivided into four different groups acc
... Show MoreIn this study, gamma-ray spectrometry with an HPGe detector was used to measure the specific activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in soil samples collected from IT1 oil reservoirs in Kirkuk city, northeast Iraq. The “spectral line Gp” gamma analysis software package was used to analyze the spectral data. 226Ra specific activity varies from 9 0.34 Bq.kg-1 to 17 0.47 Bq.kg-1. 232Th specific activity varies from 6.2 0.08 Bq.kg-1 to 18 0.2 Bq.kg-1. 40K specific activity varies from 25 0.19 Bq.kg-1 to 118 0.41 Bq.kg-1. The radiological hazard due to the radiation emitted from natural r
... Show MoreObjective: The aim of the present study is to assess the practices of nurses towards standard precautions at Azady
Teaching Hospital in the City of Kirkuk.
Methodology: A descriptive study, which uses the assessment approach and it was conducted on nurses from January
18th, 2009 to September 30th, 2009, using non-probability sampling a purposive sample of (37) subject (male and
female nurses) who worked at surgical wards in Azady Teaching Hospital in Kirkuk city was selected. Two study
instruments were utilized for proper data collection [questionnaire and observational checklist]; a questionnaire was
developed for the purpose of the study. It was comprised of two parts which included the nurses' demographic
characte
The research problem stems from a chief question: “What is the nature of the responsibility that «Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed» and «Al-Mada» Newspapers have undertaken in promoting the values of citizenship and national belonging in the society? The research aims to achieve a number of goals, including: Determining the most prominent themes that were emphasized in the opinion articles in these two newspapers within the framework of the responsibility of promoting the values of citizenship and national belonging in society, and revealing the most prominent topics that were discussed in opinion articles in the two sample newspapers regarding the promotion of the mentioned values. This research is a desc
... Show MoreBackground: Enterococcus faecalis is emerging as an important endodontic pathogen, which can persist in the environment for extended periods after treatment and may cause endodontic failure. It is known to produce biofilms, a community of bacteria enclosed within a protective polymeric matrix. This study aimed to establish whether the biofilm formation by Enterococcus faecalis can be inhibited with steralium, co+steralium, and 5% sodium hypochlorite in the root surface environment. Materials and Methods: Extracted human teeth were biomechanically prepared, vertically sectioned, placed in the tissue culture wells exposing the root canal surface to E. faecalis to form a biofilm. At the end of the 3rd and 6th weeks, all groups were treated fo
... Show MoreABSTRACT Background: This study measured the effects of three parameters pH value, length of immersion and type of archwire on metal ions released from orthodontic appliances. Materials and Methods: Ninety maxillary halves simulated fixed orthodontic appliances that were immersed in artificial saliva of different pH values (6.75, 5 and 3.5) during 28 day period. Three types of archwires were used: stainless steel, nickel titanium and thermal activated nickel titanium. The quantity of nickel and chromium ions was determined with the use of atomic force spectrophotometer while iron ions by spectrophotometer. Each orthodontic set was weighted two times, before the ligation and immersion in the artificial saliva and after 28 days at the end of
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