Background: The miswak is a teeth cleaning twig made from a twig of the Salvadora persica tree (known as arak in Arabic).A traditional alternative to the modern toothbrush, it has a long, well-documented history and is reputed for its medicinal benefits. It also features prominently in Islamic hygienical jurisprudence. Materials and methods: Twenty maxillary first premolars were treated with the selected solutions which included siwak water extract (5%, 10%) and sodium fluoride 0.05% for 2minutes once daily for 20 days interval, deionized water was used as control negative. Then the concentration of the dissolved calcium ion in the etching solution of 2N HCL was measured. Results: The least amount of the dissolved calcium ion was registered for water siwak extract 10%, then sodium fluoride0.05%followed by water siwak extract5%. A significant difference was found between the two concentrations of siwak water extract, while no significant difference was recorded between the mentioned agents and sodium fluoride. There was highly significant difference between deionized water group and other groups except between water and siwak water extract5% the difference was significant. Conclusions: Siwak water extract is successful in improving tooth resistance against caries challenge as it mineralize and harden enamel surface.
In this study, NaOH dissolution method was applied to dissolve cellulose fibers which extracted from date palm fronds (type Al-Zahdi) taken from Iraqi gardens. In this process, (NaOH)-solution is brought into contact with the cellulose fibers at low temperature. Experiments were conducted with different concentrations of NaOH (4%, 6%, 8% and12%) weight percent at two cooling bath temperatures (-15 oC) and (-20oC). Maximum cellulose dissolution was 23 wt% which obtained at 8 wt% concentration of NaOH and at cooling bath temperature of -20oC. In order to enhance the cellulose fibers dissolution, the sample was pretreated with Fenton's reagent which consists of
... Show MoreIn this study, NaOH dissolution method was applied to dissolve cellulose fibers which extracted from date palm fronds (type Al-Zahdi) taken from Iraqi gardens. In this process, (NaOH)-solution is brought into contact with the cellulose fibers at low temperature. Experiments were conducted with different concentrations of NaOH (4%, 6%, 8% and12%) weight percent at two cooling bath temperatures (-15 oC) and (-20oC). Maximum cellulose dissolution was 23 wt% which obtained at 8 wt% concentration of NaOH and at cooling bath temperature of -20oC. In order to enhance the cellulose fibers dissolution, the sample was pretreated with Fenton's reagent which consists of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), oxalic acid (C2H2O4) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4). This
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The Specific activity of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) was measured in healthy persons and in patients with benign and malignant brain tumors. The results show decrease of the EC-SOD specific activity in sera of patients with benign and malignant brain tumors in comparison to that of control group.This study concentrated on studying the changes that occur in sera EC-SOD activity of patients with benign and malignant brain tumors, in comparison to that of normal individuals. The result also revealed that this isoenzyme is present in many different molecular weights forms (as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), some of these with no enzymatic activity. Conversion among these forms occurs in the malignant sera
Health literacy is an important method used by the authorities to strengthen the health system. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of some basic health principles among women of different educational states. This is a crosssectional study, performed from December 2014 until January 2016, Baghdad. All candidates were: females > 18 years, neither medical staff nor students. They were divided into two groups: educated and uneducated. The sample included 213 women, there were 112 educated and 101 uneducated women. Regarding educated group, accurate answers regarding route of transmission of typhoid fever was 73.2% in educated subjects vs. 49.5% in uneducated subjects. Main source of information for both groups was p
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Concrete is widely used in construction materials since early 1800's. It has been known that concrete is weak in tension, so it requires some addition materials to have ductile behavior and enhance its tensile strength and strain capacity to improve their uses. In this study reactive powder concrete (RPC) was used with steel fiber by using different types of cement; (Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and/or Portland- Limestone cement (PLC)) with three types of mixtures (OPC at the first mix, 50 % OPC and 50 % PLC at the second mix and PLC at the third mix). The behavior of RPC with steel fibers on compressive strength and tensile strength of concrete with different ages of curing (7, 14, 28 and 60) days and shrinkage have been studied. The clo
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Background: Pulpotomy is an accepted treatment for the management of cariously exposed pulps in symptom free primary molars to achieve one of the most important goals for Pedodontists, which is the retention of the pulpally involved deciduous teeth healthy until the time of normal exfoliation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative success of pulpotec, formocresol and Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) in cariously exposed primary molar teeth, using clinical and radiographical examinations. Materials and methods: Thirty nine children with 45 primary molars requiring pulpotomy were selected in this study, 15 teeth treated by each type of pulpotomy medicament. Clinical and radiographical follow up for the patients was performed
... Show MoreBreast cancer (BC) is one of the most frequently observed malignancy in females worldwide. Today, tamoxifen (TAM) is considered as the highly effective therapy for treatment of breast tumors. Oxidative stress has implicated strongly in the pathophysiology of malignancies. This study aimed to investigate the changes in the levels of oxidants and antioxidants in patients with newly diagnosed and TAM-treated BC. Sixty newly diagnosed and 60 TAM-treated women with BC and 50 healthy volunteers were included in this study. Parameters including total oxidant capacity (TOC), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and catalase (CAT) activity were determined before and after treatment with TAM. The serum levels of TOC and oxidative stress index (OSI) were
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