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.
The present paper aims at finding out the Variance Ratio of Trips Set Out by Scholars of Both Marrouzzeen and Baihaq .The researcher has come up with conclusion including certain findings ,one of which is that the trip is considered an essential base with high effectiveness since the old times and has been evolved .This means that the trip has been the main source of knowledge and sciences from the scholars directly .This had driven the scholars of both Baihaq and Marrouz cities .It has been noticed , though this paper, that the number of the Marrouz scholars who visited was less than those of Baihaq . The researcher has focused on their meetings or conferences and investigated what has been going on in suc
... Show MoreThe current study is designed to investigate the histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the thyroid gland in adult male Sciurus anamalus. This study found that the thyroid gland of the Caucasian squirrel is located in the neck area, below the larynx, on both sides of the trachea. It has two lobes (right and left) with cylindrical shape. The histological studies revealed that the thyroid gland is surrounded by a capsule which consists of connective tissue and forming of two layers which are outer layer and inner layer, and a layer of adipose tissue appears overlapping the outer layer. The inner tissue of the gland consists of follicles with different shapes and sizes, and is lined with simple cuboidal epithelial tissue (foll
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Background Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) and trinucleotide repeat-containing 9 (TNRC9) gene polymorphisms have been associated with some cancers. We aimed to assess the association of FGFR2 rs2981582 and TNRC9 rs12443621 polymorphisms with hepatocellular cancer risk. Methods One hundred patients with HCV-induced HCC, 100 patients with chronic HCV infection, and 100 controls were genotyped for FGFR2 rs2981582 and TNRC9 rs12443621 using allele-specific Real-Time PCR analysis. Results FGFR2 rs2981582 genotype TT was associated with increased risk of HCC when compared to controls (OR = 3.09, 95% CI = 1.24–7.68). However, it was significantly associated with a lower risk of HCC when using HCV patients as controls (OR =
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A multistep synthesis was established for the preparation of a new vanillic acid-1, 2, 4-1triazole-3-thiol conjugate (
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Steel-concrete-steel (SCS) structural element solutions are rising due to their advantages over conventional reinforced concrete in terms of cost and strength. The impact of SCS sections with various core materials on the structural performance of composites has not yet been fully explored experimentally, and in this work, both slag and polypropylene fibers were incorporated in producing eco-friendly steel-concrete-steel composite sections. This study examined the ductility, ultimate strength, failure modes, and energy absorption capacities of steel-concrete-steel filled with eco-friendly concrete, enhanced by polypropylene fiber (PPF) to understand its impact on modern structural projects. Eco-friendly concrete was produced by the partial
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This paper analyzes the effect of scaling-up model and acceleration history on seismic response of closed-ended pipe pile using a finite element modeling approach and the findings of 1 g shaking table tests of a pile embedded in dry and saturated soils. A number of scaling laws were used to create the numerical modeling according to the data obtained from 1 g shake table tests performed in the laboratory. The current study found that the behaviors of the scaled models, in general have similar trends. From numerical modeling on both the dry and saturated sands, the normalized lateral displacement, bending moment, and vertical displacement of piles with scale factors of 2 and 35 are less than those of the pile with a scale factor of 1 and the
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Mature oil reservoirs surrounded with strong edge and bottom water drive aquifers experience pressure depletion and water coning/cresting. This laboratory research investigated the effects of bottom water drive and gas breakthrough on immiscible CO2-Assisted Gravity Drainage (CO2-AGD), focusing on substantial bottom water drive. The CO2-AGD method vertically separates the injected CO2 to formulate a gas cap and Oil. Visual experimental evaluation of CO2-AGD process performance was performed using a Hele-Shaw model. Water-wet sand was used for the experiments. The gas used for injection was pure CO2, and the “oleic” phase was n-decane with a negative spreading coefficient. The aqueous phase was deionized water. To evaluate the feasibilit
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The importance of research lies in the school administration and that the school is the main cell of the educational system and its ultimate goal, and therefore modern education requires the presence of sophisticated leaders represented in educational administration at various levels. Administrative leaderships and the two researchers' belief that the institution’s ability and success or failure depend on a special type of leader who is highly effective and efficient, directing workers ’behavior towards creativity and achievement in order to achieve the goals of the institution in serving the educational bodies, increasing the effectiveness of leadership and developing the creative behavior of secondary school principals in
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