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 main objective of this study was to evaluate the adsorption efficiency of two adsorbent materials, Iraqi chicken eggshells (ESh) and activated carbon (AC) derived from ESh powder for the removal of a cationic dye (Janus green B; JGD) from aqueous solution. Activated carbon was synthesised from ESh using a simple chemical activation method using phosphoric acid as the activating agent. The physicochemical properties of the adsorbents were characterised by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and point of zero charge (pHpzc). The results of BET analysis confirmed th
... Show More
(13)
(2)
Abstract: The increased interest in developing new photonic devices that can support high data rates, high sensitivity and fast processing capabilities for all optical communications, motivates a pre stage pulse compressor research. The pre-stage research was based on cascading single mode fiber and polarization maintaining fiber to get pulse compression with compression factor of 1.105. The demand for obtaining more précised photonic devices; this work experimentally studied the behavior of Polarization maintaining fiber PMF that is sandwiched between two cascaded singe mode fiber SMF and fiber Bragg gratings FBG. Therefore; the introduced interferometer performed hybrid interference of both Mach-Zehnder
... Show MoreThe goal of the study is to discover the best model for forecasting the exchange rate of the US dollar against the Iraqi dinar by analyzing time series using the Box Jenkis approach, which is one of the most significant subjects in the statistical sciences employed in the analysis. The exchange rate of the dollar is considered one of the most important determinants of the relative level of the health of the country's economy. It is considered the most watched, analyzed and manipulated measure by the government. There are factors affecting in determining the exchange rate, the most important of which are the amount of money, interest rate and local inflation global balance of payments. The data for the research that represents the exchange r
... Show More
The ligand 4-amino-N-(5-methylisoxazole-3-yl)-benzene-sulfonamide(L1) (as a chelating ligand) was treated with Pd(II),Pt (IV) and Au(III) ions in alcoholic medium in order to prepare a series of new metal complexes. Mixed ligand complexes of this primary ligand were prepared in alcoholic medium in presence of the co-ligand 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridyl(L2) with Cu(II) ,Pd(II) and Au(III) ions. The complexes were characterized in solid state using flame atomic absorption, elemental analysis C.H.N.S, FT-IR, UV-Vis Spectroscopy, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The nature of some complexes formed in ethanolic solution has been studied following the molar ratio method, also stability constant was studied and the complexes f
... Show More
(2)
This research aims to know the impact of leadership integrity as explanatory variable including its dimensions (courage, asceticism, justice, rationality, and humanity) on organizational conflict as responding variable. This research depended on the descriptive- constructive approach through the responses of a sample of (79) employees from (Real Estate Office of The State) in Al-Najaf province. The analyzing of the study done by using (Smart PLS) program to calculate (R2, t, p). Many results concluded and one of them, there is significant impact correlation of the leadership integrity on organizational conflict. There are many suggestions have been reached depending on the results reached and one of them is the necessity of de
... Show More
The Ilkhanid Mongols (651-756 AH / 1253-1355 AD) were interested in urbanization and construction in keeping with civilized countries and to have an architectural imprint that competed with the neighboring nations. The Ilkhan Öljeitü Muḥammad Khudābandeh (703-716 AH / 1303-1316 AD), known for his love of building and construction, wanted to have a capital that would immortalize his name and history, so he ordered its construction to compete with contemporary cities, and he summoned workers and engineers from all over the world to contribute to its construction. The city has several educational and service institutions such as schools, ribats, khanqas, mosques, hospitals, markets, and baths, as well as a mausoleum for him, which
... Show More
This research was distributed into two sections, the first section was concerned with the concept of value for De Saussair and its methodological impact on his linguistic structural conceptions with respect of the distinction between synchronism and diachronism, the value role of linking function between the sounds and the though, the basing of his theoretical conception on the language being a form and not a material according to this principle and the value impact on the demonstration that the linguistic element acquires its functional importance from the relations inside the language system. It also stopped at the methodological impact of value on defining the analytical linguistic unit and the value role in semantics through the prin
... Show MoreBackground: Small cardamom or green cardamom is the dried fruit of the tall perennial herbaceous plant, Elettaria cardamomum Maton belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. The major use of small cardamom on world wide is for domestic culinary purpose and in medicine. This study was conducted to test the effect of small cardamom extracts on Mutans streptococci and Candida Albicans in comparison to 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate and de-ionized water in vivo. Materials and Methods: Mutans streptococci and Candid Albicans were isolated, purified and diagnosed according to morphological characteristic and biochemical test. In this experiments, the effect of control agents and small cardamom extracts as a mouth rinses was tested on the saliva
... Show MoreObjective: To find out the relationship between vaginal bleeding during third trimester and pregnancy outcomes. Methodology: A purposive sample is "Non-probability" of (100) women who had diagnostic vaginal bleeding during third trimester (27-40wk) of pregnancy, and who visited the Bint Al-Huda Hospital for the period from 15th Feb. to 17th May 2015.Validity and reliability of questionnaire are determined through pilot study. Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were used to analyze the data, and the data were collected by using interview technique, constructed questionnaire has been desig