Introduction: Methadone hydrochloride (MDN) is an effective pharmacological substitution treatment for opioids dependence, adopted in different countries as methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programmes. However, MDN can exacerbate the addiction problem if it is abused and injected intravenously, and the frequent visits to the MMT centres can reduce patient compliance. The overall aim of this study is to develop a novel extended-release capsule of MDN using the sol-gel silica (SGS) technique that has the potential to counteract medication-tampering techniques and associated health risks and reduce the frequent visits to MMT centres. Methods: For MDN recrystallisation, a closed container method (CCM) and hot-stage method (HSM) were conducted, and MDN crystals were characterised using the polarised light microscope (PLM). MDN crystal thickness was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy (CM) to establish a relationship between MDN crystals thickness and their birefringence colours using the Michel-Levy Birefringence Colour Chart. The experimental series was continued to produce novel silica-based MDN formulations A and B capsules by adding MDN powder at the end and beginning of the SGS process, respectively. The silica-based MDN formulations were characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), SEM, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), PLM and mean grey value (MGV) analyses. The in vitro release studies (n=3) for the silica-based MDN formulations and pure MDN capsules were conducted in a phosphate buffer solution (pH= 7.2) for 7 days. Stability studies were conducted for 1 month by keeping the silica-based MDN capsules under 25°C and 57% RH. Results: The optimal method to produce large numbers of MDN crystals was the CCM, and MDN crystals were characterised as diamond shaped with an intrinsic angle of 62o. The SEM surpassed the CM in measuring MDN crystal thickness, and Mann-Whitney U Test showed statistically significant differences between SEM and confocal thickness measurements (U= 1283, p < 0.05) as the SEM exhibited thinner diamond crystals (6.62 ± 2.9 µm) than the CM measurements (9.6 ± 4.6µm). According to the Michel-Levey birefringence colour chart (using the SEM mean thickness of MDN crystals and their retardation value of 428 nm), most of MDN crystals demonstrated a yellow colour. The FT-IR, SEM, DSC, MGV and PLM analyses of both silica-based MDN formulations revealed that MDN was successfully incorporated inside the silica network producing amorphous material (with no appearance of the melting peak of pure MDN at 233.4°C) with evidence of no physical or chemical interaction between sol-gel silica and MDN. However, the TGA analysis revealed a significantly greater amount of MDN was loaded inside the silica-based MDN formulation B compared to A (t = 2.80, p = 0.009, n=6), as 28.3 ± 0.6 mg of MDN was loaded in the former while 25.6 ± 0.7 mg in the latter. In addition, the silica-based MDN formulation B released 10% more MDN after 7 days than formulation A, and both formulations were stable when stored for 1 month under 57% RH and 25°C. Conclusion: The novel combined use of SEM and PLM techniques shows a potential for the identification of MDN in forensic science as it established a range of birefringence colours of MDN crystals. Moreover, the new silica-based MDN formulation B can help to deter MDN abuse and increase patient adherence to MMT due to its potential to sustain MDN release and reduce the frequent visits to MDN treatment centres.
In this study the Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) received by pediatrics patients undergoing chest, abdomen and skull X-ray examinations was estimated. The study was conducted in two hospitals in Najaf city where three radiographic systems were considered. The study participants were classified into four age groups 0-1 , 1-5 , 5-10 and 10-15 years. Calculations were performed using exposure factors, kVp, mAs and focal-skin distance, together with patient data age. The ESD was calculated for the involved patients who underwent an Antero-posterior (AP) chest, abdomen and skull X-ray examination. The resulted data were analyzed and compared with international dose references. For all studied radiographic examinations and all X-ray mac
... Show More
(3)
(1)
(5)
(5)
This study was planned to evaluate the renal function tests and liver function tests and it carried out in Al-Yarmouk hospital,Baghdad –Iraqin patients withtype 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus by measuring(uric acid,urea and creatinine) ,Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Seventy five individuals of Iraqi adults (male) were divided into three groups, 25 patients with type1 diabetes mellitus ,25 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 25 normal individuals were taken as control group. The mean value of uric acid, urea and creatinine was higher significantly in patients thanin control group (P< 0.05),while the correlation(p< 0.01) between age ,creatinine in type 1 and between age and (Urea, Uric acid ,cr
... Show MoreExtracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) is the most commonplace remedy for kidney stone. Shock waves from outside the body frame are centered at a kidney stone inflicting the stone to fragment. The success of the (ESWL) treatment is based on some variables such as age, sex, stone quantity stone period and so on. Thus, the prediction the success of remedy by this method is so important for professionals to make a decision to continue using (ESWL) or tousing another remedy technique. In this study, a prediction system for (ESWL) treatment by used three techniques of mixing classifiers, which is Product Rule (PR), Neural Network (NN) and the proposed classifier called Nested Combined Classi
... Show More
BACKGROUND: Transverse fractures of the patella are important fractures with a wide variety of subtypes, the common incidence in the age group of 20–50 years. Surgical interference aims to achieve a perfect alignment of the joint surface, in addition to rigid fixation of the fracture for early re-habitation and early movement to retain the extensor mechanism of the knee joint. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the radiological and functional outcomes of the displaced transverse patella fracture in adult patients treated by ORIF using tension band wiring versus cannulated screws with wiring. METHODS: A prospective analytic comparative study was conducted in Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital/Baghdad/Iraq for 18 months from Apr
... Show More
(2)
Background: This study aimed to find whether there is a relation between the mesio-distal crown diameters of the deciduous second molars and the permanent first molars in an Iraqi sample from Baghdad city. Material and methods: The sample consisted of 54 Iraqi children aged 8-9 years at the mixed dentition stage. The measurements included the mesio-distal crown width of the deciduous second molars and the permanent first molars on the study casts using digital sliding vernier. Results: The results revealed absence of the side difference of the widths of teeth measured. High significant gender difference was detected for the permanent first molars and the deciduous second molars except mandibular permanent first molar. On the other hand, hig
... Show More
(7)
Research on the automated extraction of essential data from an electrocardiography (ECG) recording has been a significant topic for a long time. The main focus of digital processing processes is to measure fiducial points that determine the beginning and end of the P, QRS, and T waves based on their waveform properties. The presence of unavoidable noise during ECG data collection and inherent physiological differences among individuals make it challenging to accurately identify these reference points, resulting in suboptimal performance. This is done through several primary stages that rely on the idea of preliminary processing of the ECG electrical signal through a set of steps (preparing raw data and converting them into files tha
... Show More