Background: The daily cleaning routine of the silicone maxillofacial prostheses by the patient may cause some alteration in the materials properties. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of different disinfection procedures on some properties of silicon dioxide reinforced Cosmesil M511 HTV maxillofacial silicone. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty (160) specimens were prepared by mixing 5% SiO2 nano particles and 0.5% intrinsic cream color into the silicone polymer according to manufacturer's instructions. Specimens were divided into 4 groups according to the performed test (tear strength, surface hardness, surface roughness and color) with 40 specimens each. Each group was further subdivided according to the disinfection procedure conducted (control, microwave exposure, neutral soap and 4% chlorhexidine gluconate). Measurements for tear strength were done using universal testing machine. Surface hardness test was carried out with a Shore A Durometer. Surface roughness was analyzed with a portable digital Profilometer. Color change was established with a Spectrophotometer. After the initial testing, all specimens were submitted to disinfection procedure 3 times a week for 60 days. Measurements were repeated and data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Fisher's LSD or Games-Howell test. Results: Spectrophotometer results showed non-significant decrease in the light absorbance of all experimental groups after disinfection, indicating a strong integration between the nano filler and the polymeric chains, which was not broken during the disinfection procedure. Highly-significant increase in Shore A hardness was recorded, while the decrease in surface roughness was highly significant in all experimental groups. Tear strength reduced significantly after disinfection in all experimental groups. Conclusion: Disinfection seemed to cause different amount of alteration in all of the tested properties of silicone. High color stability is expected in this type of maxillofacial silicone after disinfection.Although microwave exposure had increased the hardness of the material, it is considered a satisfactory disinfection procedure since it caused the least effect on the tear strength and surface roughness of the material. Therefore, microwave exposure is recommended for the disinfection of maxillofacial silicone prostheses.
Background: Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has enormously affected various healthcare services including the one of community pharmacy. The ramifications of these effects on Iraqi community pharmacies and the measures they have taken to tackle the spread of COVID-19 is yet to be explored. In this cross sectional survey, infection control measures by community pharmacies in Sulaimani city/Iraq has been investigated.
Methods: Community pharmacists were randomly allocated to participate in a cross-sectional survey via visiting their pharmacies and filling up the questionnaire form.
Results and discussion:
... Show MoreIn this paper, silicon carbonitried thin films were prepared by the method of photolysis of the silane (SiH4) and ethylene (C2H4) gases, with and without ammonia gas (NH3), which is represented by the ratio between the (PNH3) and (PSiH4 + PC2H4 + PNH3), (which assign by the letter X), X has the values (0, 0.13, 0.33). This method carried out by using TEA-CO2 laser, on glass substrate at (375 oC), deposition rate (0.416-0.833) nm/pulse thin film thickness of (500-1000) nm. The optical properties of the films were studied by using Absorbance and Transmittance spectrums in wavelength range of (400-1100) nm, the results showed that the electronic transitions is indirect and the energy gap for the SiCN films increase with increasing of nitrog
... Show MoreThe present paper is an experimental study to improve the productivity of the conventional solar still. This done by modifying conventional still in a way that the distilled basin is larger than distillation basin, thus providing an increase in the condensation surface and speeding up the condensation process. Moreover, increase in the dimensions of the distilled base helps coupling reflective panels to the distilled base to reflect incident solar radiation to the distillation basin. For this purpose , two solar stills were made, one conventional designand another made according to the proposed design. The two solar stills were tested during the period from February to July 2009 under varying weather conditions of Basra, Iraq (latitude o
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ABSTRACT
A field experiment was carried out in the fields of the college of agricultural engineering sciences, university of Baghdad during the fall season of 2021, in order to find out which of the cultivated genotypes of maize are efficient under nitrogen fertilization. The experiment was applied according to a RCBD (split plot design with three replications). The genotypes of experiment (Baghdad, 5018 and Sarah) and supplying three levels of nitrogen fertilizer, which are N1 (100 kg/ha), N2 (200 kg/ha) and N3 (300 kg/ha), the results of the statistical analysis are showed the superiority of the cultivar Sarah in the trait of number of days until 50% silking, chlorophyll
... Show MoreThe human gastrointestinal system is a complex ecosystem crucial for well-being. During sepsis-induced gut injury, the integrity of the intestinal barrier can be compromised. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin from Gram-negative bacteria, disrupts the intestinal barrier, contributing to inflammation and various dysfunctions. The current study explores the protective effects of limonene, a natural compound with diverse biological properties, against LPS-induced jejunal injury in mice. Oral administration of limonene at dosages of 100 and 200 mg/kg was used in the LPS mouse model. The Murine Sepsis Score (MSS) was utilized to evaluate the severity of sepsis, while serum levels of urea and creatinine served as indicators of renal f
... Show MoreRecently the use of nanofluids represents very important materials. They are used in different branches like medicine, engineering, power, heat transfer, etc. The stability of nanofluids is an important factor to improve the performance of nanofluids with good results. In this research two types of nanoparticles, TiO2 (titanium oxide) and γ-Al2O3 (gamma aluminum oxide) were used with base fluid water. Two-step method were used to prepare the nanofluids. One concentration 0.003 vol. %, the nanoparticles were examined. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to accomplish these tests. The stability of the two types of nanofluids is measured by
... Show MoreThe thermal performance of indirect expansion solar assisted heat pump, IX-SAHP, was investigated experimentally under Iraqi climate. An Indirect-Solar Assisted Heat Pump system was designed, built, instrumented and tested. Experimental tests were conducted by varying the controlling parameters to investigate their effects on the thermal performance of the IX-SAHP such as cooling water flow rate, heating water flow rate, ambient temperature and solar radiation intensity. The investigation covered values of cooling water flow rate of (2, 3, 4, 5 l/min) and heating water flow rate of (2, 3, 4, 5 l/min) under meteorological condition of Baghdad from November 2014 to January 2015.
The results indicated that the performance of the IX-
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