Background: 37% phosphoric acid (PA) is the traditional enamel etching technique prior to bracket adhesion, yet it has been implicated in numerous enamel injuries. The purpose of the current study was to create a calcium phosphate (CaP) etching paste in a simplified capsule formula that can underpin clinically adequate bracket bond strength without jeopardizing the integrity of enamel upon the debracketing procedure. Materials and Methods: micro-sized hydroxyapatite (HA) powder was mixed with 40% PA solution to prepare experimental acidic CaP paste. Sixty human premolars were assigned into two groups of 30 each. Enamel conditioning was accomplished using 37% PA-gel for control group and CaP paste for experimental group. Each group was further divided into two subgroups regarding the water storage (WS) period (24 h and 30 days). Shear bond strength (SBS) test conducted with examination of debonded surfaces for adhesive remnants and enamel damage using a digital microscope. Results: CaP paste produced significantly lower SBS values than PA (p < 0.01), yet sufficient for clinical use. PA etching caused often cracked enamel surfaces with excessive retention of adhesive remnants (mainly ARI scores 2 and 3). Contrarily, enamel treated with the experimental CaP paste exhibited smooth, unblemished surfaces mostly clean of adhesives residues (scores 0 and 1). Conclusion: a newly developed CaP paste in a capsule formula fosters clinically adequate bracket adhesion with a sustained bonding performance, allows a harmless bracket removal with minimal or no adhesive residues on debonded surfaces; thus, it can be introduced as a suitable alternative to PA.
Background: Young children’s oral health maintenance and outcomes are influenced by their parent’s knowledge and beliefs, which affect oral hygiene and healthy eating habits. This study aims at assessing caries risk in children aged 6 months to 6 years attending the Specialized Center of Preventive and Pediatric Dentistry Center at Al-Resafa sector in Baghdad. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 15 May – 15 June 2018, all children attended the center (80 children) were assessed by using the standard caries risk assessment tool of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). Results: The highest percentage of children was as follows: no fluoride exposure 44(55%), did not brush 46(5
... Show MorePolyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of aromatic compounds that contain at least two rings. These compounds are found naturally in petroleum products and are considered the most prevalent pollutants in the environment. The lack of microorganism capable of degrading some PAHs led to their accumulation in the environment which usually causes major health problems as many of these compounds are known carcinogens. Xanthene is one of the small PAHs which has three rings. Many xanthene derivatives are useful dyes that are used for dyeing wood and cosmetic articles. However, several studies have illustrated that these compounds have toxic and carcinogenic effects. The first step of the bacterial degradation of xanthene is conducted by d
... Show MoreEssential approaches involving photons are among the most common uses of parallel optical computation due to their recent invention, ease of production, and low cost. As a result, most researchers have concentrated their efforts on it. The Basic Arithmetic Unit BAU is built using a three-step approach that uses optical gates with three states to configure the circuitry for addition, subtraction, and multiplication. This is a new optical computing method based on the usage of a radix of (2): a binary number with a signed-digit (BSD) system that includes the numbers -1, 0, and 1. Light with horizontal polarization (LHP) (↔), light with no intensity (LNI) (⥀), and light with vertical polarization (LVP) (↨) is represen
... Show MoreThis study investigated a novel application of forward osmosis (FO) for oilfield produced water treatment from the East Baghdad oilfield affiliated to the Midland Oil Company (Iraq). FO is a part of a zero liquid discharge system that consists of oil skimming, coagulation/flocculation, forward osmosis, and crystallization. Treatment of oilfield produced water requires systems that use a sustainable driving force to treat high-ionic-strength wastewater and have the ability to separate a wide range of contaminants. The laboratory-scale system was used to evaluate the performance of a cellulose triacetate hollow fiber CTA-HF membrane for the FO process. In this work, sodium chloride solution was used as a feed solution (FS) with a concentratio
... Show MoreMefenamic acid was esterified with starchwith[1:1] Molar ratio, as drug substituted with natural polymer, to prolongthe period of hydrolysis of drug polymer with other advantages. The new prodrug starch was characterized by FT-IR and UV-Visible and 1H-NMR spectroscopies. The physical properties were studied and controlled drug release was studied in different pH values at 37oC. The stability of drug was carried out by measuring the absorbance of mefenamic starch which hydrolyzed in HCl solution of pH 1.1 (artificial gastric fluid) and phosphate buffer of pH 7.4 (simulating intestinal fluid SIF) at 37oC for several days. The thermal analysis such as DSC was studied.
Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected disease in tropical countries, including Iraq. Several studies have sought to examine chemotherapies for leishmaniasis treatment but most of them are of toxic and/or undesirable side effect, therefore, the need for investigating new fewer toxic therapies is essential. Aim of study: In this study, the cytotoxic effect of Artemisinin (ART), a novel herbal compound, was screened against the two forms, promastigotes and amastigotes, of the Iraqi isolate of Leishmania tropica, the causative agent of Baghdad boil. Material and methods: Different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6 and 7.8) µM of Artemisinin were screened to investigate the leishmanic
... Show MoreBackground: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected disease in tropical countries, including Iraq. Several studies have sought to examine chemotherapies for leishmaniasis treatment but most of them are of toxic and/or undesirable side effect, therefore, the need for investigating new fewer toxic therapies is essential. Aim of study: In this study, the cytotoxic effect of Artemisinin (ART), a novel herbal compound, was screened against the two forms, promastigotes and amastigotes, of the Iraqi isolate of Leishmania tropica, the causative agent of Baghdad boil. Material and methods: Different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.25, 15.6 and 7.8) µM of Artemisinin were screened to investigate the leishmanicidal activity of th
... Show MoreLeishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by Leishmania parasite, this disease considers a major health problem among worldwide. Treatments available are expensive or with cytotoxic side effect. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of an herbal new compound, called artemisinin, derived from a Chinese plant called Artemisia annua. Various concentrations were studied in vitro against L. tropica amastigotes by chamber counting to investigate its effect on the proliferation of promastigotes. Three incubation periods were adopted (24, 48, 72) hours. The results showed a significant decrease in surviving promastigotes, in parallel with the normal parasite count of untreated promastigotes, along the periods studied. This stu
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