Background: Hypertension is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated, it's classified as either primary (essential) hypertension or secondary hypertension, and it increases the risk of ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Several classes of medications collectively referred to as antihypertensive drugs like beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, renin inhibitors and statins (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor. Statin medication may have some beneficial effects when subjects have dental plaque or signs of periodontitis as gingival bleeding. The purpose of this study were to assess the oral health in hypertensive patients are treated with statins in terms of salivary flow rate, pH and oral health indices. Materials and Methods: Ninety saliva specimens collected from three groups of subjects (thirty healthy patients "control" Group I), thirty hypertensive patients treated with anti-hypertensive medications without taking statins (Group II) and thirty hypertensive patients treated with anti-hypertensive medications with statins (Group III). Unstimulated saliva was collected from each patients and participants for assessment of salivary flow rate and salivary pH. Results: Salivary flow rate is reduced in Group II and III patients compared with Group I. Significant low salivary flow rate observed in Group III patients (hypertensive treated with statins) compared with Group II (hypertensive untreated with statins) and Group I (healthy subjects); The median value of gingival index is significantly higher in Group II compared with corresponding value in Group I, while it attended a significant low value in Group III patients; There is no significant difference in DMF score between Group I and Group III, while a significant high score observed in Group II compared with Group I ; The percent of carries restoration in patients of Group II is significantly low compared with corresponding value of Group I . Although the percent of carries restoration in patients of Group III is less than corresponding value of Group I but it does not reach significant level. Conclusions: Patients using statins therapy are more likely have an improvement in gingival index, DMF score and carries restoration. The salivary flow rate is reduced in patients treated with statins medications, statins therapy have a beneficial effect on the oral cavity.
Studies on the flexural behavior of post-tensioned beams subjected to strand damage and strengthened with near-surface mounted (NSM) technique using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) are limited and fail to examine the effect of CFRP laminates on strand strain and strengthening efficiency systematically. Furthermore, a design approach for UPC structures in existing design guidelines for FRP strengthening techniques is lacking. Hence, the behavior of post-tensioned beams strengthened with NSM-CFRP laminates after partial strand damage is investigated in this study. The testing program consists of seven post-tensioned beams strengthened by NSM-CFRP laminates with three partial strand damage ratios (14.3% symmetrical damage, 14.3%
... Show MoreThe present study explores the solar-induced photocatalytic degradation of reactive red (RR) and reactive turquoise (RT) dyes in a single system using TiO2 immobilized in xanthan gum (TiO2/XG), synthesized using the sol–gel dip-coating technique for direct precipitation. SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis were used to assess the characteristics of the resulting catalyst. Moreover, the effects of different operating parameters, specifically pH, dye concentration, TiO2/XG concentration, H2O2 concentration, and contact time, were also investigated in a batch photocatalytic reactor. The immobilized TiO2/XG catalyst showed a slight adsorption degradation efficiency and then improved the RR and RT dye degradation activity (92.5 and 90.8%
... Show MoreThis work introduces a new electrode geometry for making holes with high aspect ratios on AISI 304 using an electrical discharge drilling (EDD) process. In addition to commercially available cylindrical hollow electrodes, an elliptical electrode geometry has been designed, manufactured, and implemented. The principal aim was to improve the removal of debris formed during the erosion process that adversely affects the aspect ratio, dimensional accuracy, and surface integrity. The results were compared and discussed to evaluate the effectiveness of electrode geometry on the machining performance of EDD process with respect to the material removal rate (MRR,) the electrode wear rate (EWR), and the tool wear ratio (TWR). Dimensional features an
... Show MoreGas-lift technique plays an important role in sustaining oil production, especially from a mature field when the reservoirs’ natural energy becomes insufficient. However, optimally allocation of the gas injection rate in a large field through its gas-lift network system towards maximization of oil production rate is a challenging task. The conventional gas-lift optimization problems may become inefficient and incapable of modelling the gas-lift optimization in a large network system with problems associated with multi-objective, multi-constrained, and limited gas injection rate. The key objective of this study is to assess the feasibility of utilizing the Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique to optimize t
Videogames are currently one of the most widespread means of digital communication and entertainment; their releases are attracting considerable interest with growing number of audience and revenues each year. Videogames are examined by a variety of disciplines and fields. Nevertheless, scholarly attention concerned with the discourse of videogames from a linguistic perspective is relatively scarce, especially from a pragma-stylistic standpoint. This book addresses this vital issue by providing a pragma-stylistic analysis of the digital discourse of two well-known action videogames (First Person Shooter Games). It explores the role of the digital discourse of action videogames in maintaining real-like interactivity between the game and the
... Show MoreExploring the antibacterial potential of neem oil (Azadirachta indica) in combination with gentamicin (GEN) against pathogenic molds, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has drawn concern due to the quest for natural treatment options against incurable diseases. Prospective research directions include looking for natural cures for many of the currently incurable diseases available now. microbial identification system, were used to identify the isolates. The research utilized a range of methods, such as the diffusion agar well (AWD) assays, TEM (transmission electron microscopy) analysis, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays, and real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) to analyze bacterial expression and the antibacterial action of neem oil (Azadira
... Show MoreThe Neutron Fermi Age, t, and the neutron slowing down density, q (r, t) , have been measured for some materials such as Graphite and Iron by using gamma spectrometry system UCS-30 with NaI (Tl) detector. This technique was applied for Graphite and Iron materials by using Indium foils covered by Cadmium and the measurements done at the Indium resonance of 1.46 eV. These materials are exposed to a plane 241Am/Be neutron source with recent activity 38 mCi. The measurements of the Fermi Age were found to be t = 297 ± 21 cm2 for Graphite, t = 400 ± 28 cm2 for Iron. Neutron slowing down density was also calculated depending on the recent experimental t value and distance.