Background: The use of electronic apex locators for working length determination eliminates many of the problems associated with the radiographic measurements (interference of anatomical structures, errors in projection such as elongation or shortening, and lack of three-dimensional representation). Its most important advantage over radiography is that it measures the length of the root canal to the apical constriction, not to the radiographic apex. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of a new fifth generation apex locator (Joypex 5) in recording the apical constriction and comparing it with a third generation apex locator (Root ZX) in vitro. Materials and method: Twenty four single-rooted sound human premolars, extracted for t

Background: Aesthetic archwires are used to overcome the aesthetic problems of stainless steel wires but the color of the coating layer can be changed with time when exposed to oral environments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of color change of different aesthetic archwires from different companies under different coloring solutions. Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty samples of coated archwires from three companies (Highland, G&H and Dany) were immersed in 5 solutions (artificial saliva, turmeric, tea, coffee and Miranda) to evaluate the degree of color changes after 7, 14 and 21 days using visible spectrophotometer. Data were collected and analyzed using one way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s tests. Resu

Background: The Initial (primary) stability is one of the factors that play an important role in the success of the dental implants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the initial stability of dental implant with horizontal plate by using five analytical tests: insertion torque, removal torque, resonance frequency analysis, push-in test and pull-out test. Materials and methods: Two different lengths of dental implants (5mm and 10mm) were tested in this study; each dental implant was 4mm in diameter with a square threads shape of 1mm pitch and 0.5mm depth. The crestal area was 4.2mm diameter contained a right angle margin circumferential ring while the apical area was tapered with two self-tapping grooves. In this study, the initial s

Leishmaniosis is a tropical neglected parasitic disease that is endemic in many countries, including Middle East, with no existing effective vaccines. The bite of female sand-fly transmits the causative agent, Leishmania spp., to humans. High toxicity, resistance and treatment failure of the available chemotherapy against visceral leishmaniosis demands the investigation of new anti-leishmanial compounds. Lupeol is a form of triterpene isolated from several medicinal plants and possesses an antimicrobial property. In this study, cytotoxic effect of lupeol was screened against the mammalian amastigotes form and insect promastigote form of Leishmania donovani, following three cycles of incubation at different concentrations by MTT assay. Resul

Background: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different bleaching methods on the shear bond strength of orthodontic Sapphire brackets bonded to human premolars teeth using light cured composite resin and to determine the predominant site of bond failure. Materials and Methods: Thirty freshly extracted human premolars were selected and randomly divided into three groups (10 per group). These groups are: control (unbleached) group, hydrogen peroxide group (HP) 37.5% ; which is the in- office bleaching method group, carbamide peroxide group (CP) 16%; which is the at- home bleaching method group. After bleaching process was performed, all the teeth stored in distilled water in a sealed container at room temperature for

Plant regeneration and cormel production was carried out from callus cultures initiated from White Prosperity and Priscilla Gladiolus Varities. It is aimed to produce plants and cormels in vitro all year round. The study included many experiments, these were the effect of Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and Kinetin (Kin) interaction on callus initiation, effect of Benzyl adenine (BA) on shoot regeneration from callus culture, effect of NAA on rooting after 30, 40 and 50 days in culture. The role of the type of agricultural medium (Peat moss or river sand and their mixture on plantlets survival after weaning was studied. Results showed that the interaction between NAA and Kin induced callus on axillary bud explants. Callus was best ini

: Clobetasol propionate (CP) is a potent corticosteroid used for skin conditions but often causes side effects due its systemic absorption. To improve its solubility and reduce it side effects (like skin irritation, skin atrophy, hypopigmentation and steroidal acne), Microsponge (Msg) has been employed as a unique three-dimensional particle that can encapsulate hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. This study aims to develop and evaluate CP Msg-loaded hydrogels. Two Clobetasol-loaded ethylcellulose-based Msg formulas were prepared using the quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method, then they were incorporated into Carbopol hydrogel. Two ratios of Carbopol 940 (1% and 1.5% w/w) were used. The prepared hydrogel were assessed for appearance, pH, dr

The Leishmania donovani parasite causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL), an acute and fatal form of leishmaniasis. Because traditional therapy alternatives, such as glucantime and other pentavalent medicines, are toxic and have side effects, new treatments with fewer negative effects are needed. Only a handful of drugs are clinically beneficial to treatments of the disease, but considerable limitations threaten their very usage. Novel, safe, and efficient drugs, including those against antimalaria and leishmaniasis co-infections, are so essential. Artemether (ATM) is an Artemisinin derivative that has been demonstrated to be useful in the treatment of malaria and, more recently, leishmaniasis. The current research was carried out to evaluate th

Visceral leishmaniosis is one of the most fatal old-world neglected disease with estimated 90 thousand worldwide cases emerge each year. In Iraq, the cutaneous and visceral form are endemic but available chemotherapies are either toxic with diverse side effects, expensive available drugs or parasite …

Ciprofloxacin is a broad spectrum fluoroquinolone, effective in the treatment of a wide range of infections, including genitourinary tract infections.In this study, bioadhesive vaginal tablets of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride were prepared by direct compression method using a combination of bioadhesivepolymers carbopol 934P(Cp), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and sodium alginate (SA) in different ratios.The prepared tablet formulations were characterized by measuring their swelling capacity, surface pH, bioadhesive properties, and in-vitro drug dissolution. It was found that the bioadhesive force was directly proportional to carbopol 934P content in different formulae and was further enhanced by the inclusion of carboxymethylcellulose.