Background: Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) and BiodentineTM cements are new materials with numerous exciting clinical applications. Both have appreciable properties which include good physical properties and the ability to stimulate tissue regeneration as well as good antibacterial effects. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the antibacterial effects of MTA and BiodentineTM, when they were mixed with different concentrations of aqueous solutions of Black Seed extract, against Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and methods: MTA and BiodentineTMwere prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The method of Mawlood was followed to prepare the Black Seed aqueous solution. Agar diffusion method on Brain Heart Infusion agar was employed.Twenty, 9 cm diameter, petri-plates with 25 ml of Muller Hinton agar media were prepared. A sterile spreader was used to inoculate the microorganisms. With a micropipette 0.1 ml of the Enterococcus faecalis suspension was added to the surface of the plates. Within 15 minutes, after inoculation of the plates, 4 cavities, each one measuring 5 mm in diameter and 4 mm in depth, were made in each agar plate. A total of 20 agar plates were divided into 2 groups consisted of 10 plates each; Group A: each plate contained 4 wells filled with MTA alone and MTA mixed with 10%, 30% and 50% of Black Seed aqueous solutions respectively.Group B: each plate contained 4 wells filled with BiodentineTMalone and BiodentineTMmixed with 10%, 30% and 50% of Black Seed aqueous solutionsrespectively. Next day after incubation, the agar plates were examined for bacterial inhibition zones. With a scientific ruler the diameter of the antibacterial inhibition zones were measured. The data were recorded and statistically analyzed, by the ANOVA and the Student's t-test. Results: Both cements had antibacterial effects, which were increased with the addition of the aqueous solutions of Black Seed extract. The increase in the diameter of Enterococcus faecalis inhibition zones was directly proportional with the increase in the concentration of the added Black Seed aqueous extract. Conclusion: Adding aqueous solutions of Black Seed extract to both MTA and Biodentine™ increased their potential to inhibit the growth of Enterococcus faecalis. Key words: Mineral Trioxide Aggregate, Biodentine TM, Black Seed.
Games engagement has become one of the main concerns in game industry. Early study revealed that Malaysian digital traditional games are suffering with the same issue due to several factors. One of it is the lack of the game itself. Although many Malaysian traditional games have been digitized, none of them has incorporated rewards despite its importance in games engagement. Realizing the importance of rewards in games engagement, one of Malaysian traditional Congkak has been chosen to be enhanced by incorporating rewards. Experiments have been conducted among 50 gamers among the Millennials. Prior interview, game demo and human test are conducted. Experiments focused on the influence of rewards on games flow, games challenge, and its ef
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The sorption of Cu2+ ions from synthetic wastewater using crushed concrete demolition waste (CCDW) which collected from a demolition site was investigated in a batch sorption system. Factors influencing on sorption process such as shaking time (0-300min), the initial concentration of contaminant (100-750mg/L), shaking speed (0-250 rpm), and adsorbent dosage (0.05-3 g/ml) have been studied. Batch experiments confirmed that the best values of these parameters were (180 min, 100 mg/l, 250 rpm, 0.7 g CCDW/100 ml) respectively where the achieved removal efficiency is equal to 100%. Sorption data were described using four isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, and Radke-Prausnitz). Results proved that the pure ads
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Background Psoriasis is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin conditions; its prevalence ranges from 1 to 3%. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine that enhances inflammation, is overexpressed in synovium and skin plaques in psoriasis. TNF-α plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. IL-10 is the most crucial cytokine for reducing excessive immune responses and decreasing pro-inflammatory reactions in all autoimmune disorders. Objective To evaluate the effect of Apremilast on ILـ10, TNFـα, and BMI in obese psoriatic patients. Methods Thirty patients included in this investigative study to measure the concentrations of TNFـα, ILـ10 and BMI, before and after receiving Apremilast. TNFـα and
... Show MoreThe aim of this study is to evaluating the antibacterial activity of Laurus nobilis leaves extract in hospital environment isolates. Maceration and Soxhlet apparatus were used to prepare aqueous and methanolic extracts. The total phenolic content and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were conducted to determine the active compounds in the extracts. The results showed that the methanolic and aqueous extracts contain four flavonoids derivatives (kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin and Rutin) were identified on the basis of matching retention time with the standards. The total phenolic contents were 56.81 and 81.56 mg/g in 50 mg/ml, in aqueous and methanolic extracts respectively. The antibacterial activity of Laurus nobilis leaves ext
... Show MoreIn this work, the antibacterial effectiveness of face masks made from polypropylene, against Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenic was improved by soaking in gold nanoparticles suspension prepared by a one-step precipitation method. The fabricated nanoparticles at different concentrations were characterized by UV-visible absorption and showed a broad surface Plasmon band at around 520 nm. The FE-SEM images showed the polypropylene fibres highly attached with the spherical AuNPs of diameters around 25 nm over the surfaces of the soaked fibres. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) of pure and treated face masks in AuNPs conform to the characteristics bands for the polypropylene bands. There are some differences
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The ability of microorganisms to attach to living and non-living surfaces and create a biofilm is the cause of numerous long-lasting illnesses, as well as their strong resistance to drugs. Bacterial biofilms consist of intricate assemblies of immobile bacteria. These are located in an extracellular matrix and adhere to various surfaces for a long period. The present study evaluated the antibacterial effectiveness of Plantago major extract against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm. The specimens analyzed in this investigation were skin infections of clinical origin. The current study was not previously studied, particularly in terms of S. aureus biofilm breakdown and inhibition. The disc diffusion method was used to test the antimicrobial activi
... Show MoreThe ability of microorganisms to attach to living and non-living surfaces and create a biofilm is the cause of numerous long-lasting illnesses, as well as their strong resistance to drugs. Bacterial biofilms consist of intricate assemblies of immobile bacteria. These are located in an extracellular matrix and adhere to various surfaces for a long period. The present study evaluated the antibacterial effectiveness of Plantago major extract against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm. The specimens analyzed in this investigation were skin infections of clinical origin. The current study was not previously studied, particularly in terms of S. aureus biofilm breakdown and inhibition. The disc diffusion method was used to test the antimicrobial activi
... Show MoreIn the current study, three types of algae namely Tetradesmus nygaardi (MZ801740), Scenedesmus quadricauda (MZ801741) and Coelastrella sp (MZ801742) were extracted by 95% ethanol and hexane against two types of gram positive and two types of gram negative bacteria by wells diffusion methods. Eleven concentrations from the extract of algae (2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 mg/ml) were utilized. It was noticed that ethanolic extraction was more effective than hexane in Scenedesmus quadricauda than the two other mentioned algal species against all pathogenic bacteria, Acintobacter baumanii (ATCC: 19606), Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC: 13883) Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC: 29212) and Staphylococc
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The investment climate is the main engine of economic development. If an appropriate and attractive investment climate is created that takes into account economic, administrative, political and environmental issues, it will contribute to the development of industry, transfer of technology, diversification of agricultural production, increased productivity, the promotion of a green economy and support for sustainable and inclusive growth. Thus, analyzing the investment climate of a country can provide reasons and roots for the complexity of the problems in the economy. In the Iraqi economy, the problem has not been rooted in the economy, but the roots of the problem are deeper and inherent in the management of the economy. Investm
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