In this study, the potential of adsorption of amoxicillin antibiotic (AMOX) from aqueous solutions using prepared activated carbon (AC) was studied. The used AC was prepared from an inexpensive and available precursor (sunflower seed hulls (SSH)) and activated by potassium hydroxide (KOH). The prepared AC was examined for its ability to remove AMOX from aqueous contaminated solutions and characterized with the aid of N2 -adsorption/desorption isotherm Brunauer–Emmett– Teller, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared. Zeta potential of the prepared activated carbon from sunflower seed hulls (SSHAC) were studied in relation to AMOX adsorption. The physical and chemical properties of SSHAC were analyzed and it showed successful preparation of SSHAC with a preferable surface area, micropores volume and average pore diameter of 928.706 m2 /g, 0.565 cm3 /g and 2.55 nm, respectively due to the hierarchical porosity of the prepared adsorbent. SSHAC exhibited a removal percentage of 95% for AMOX at a solution pH of 6, SSHAC dosage of 0.75 g/L and an initial AMOX amount of 50 mg/L. Equilibrium analysis were performed in a batch model within the range of 5–9 solution pH, 0.25–1.25 mg/mL SSHAC dosage and 50–250 mg/L AMOX initial concentration. The experimental data obtained were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir model with a maximum AMOX adsorption capacity of 272.44 mg/g. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models were utilized to examine the kinetic data obtained at various inlet AMOX concentrations. The kinetic experimental data were well fitted with the pseudo-first-order equation. A proposed adsorption mechanism by π–π interactions were introduced. From the obtained results, SSHAC is recommended as a highly efficient adsorbent for removal of AMOX from aqueous solutions
Background: Few updated retrospective histopathological-based studies in Iraq evaluate a comprehensive spectrum of oro-maxillofacial lesions. Also, there was a need for a systematic way of categorizing the diseases and reporting results in codes according to the WHO classification that helps occupational health professionals in the clinical-epidemiological approach.
Objectives: to establish an electronic archiving database according to the ICD-10 that encompasses oro-maxillofacial lesions in Sulaimani city for the last 12 years, then to study the prevalence trend and correlation with clinicopathological parameters.
Subjects and Methods: A descri
... Show MoreEndophytic fungi live inside plants or any part of them without creating any visible pathogenic signs. Endophytic fungi are found within medicinal plants and have shown strong biologic activity, such as anticancer and antioxidant activities, as well as producing extracellular enzymes. In this study, different fungal strains were isolated from the leaves of the medicinal plant Ziziphus spina, including Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium sp., Rhizopus sp., and Mucor sp. Extracellular enzymes have been quantified using agar plate-based methods in which fungi were grown in specified growth media to detect the enzymes produced. The results showed that A. niger has the highest ability to produce amy
... Show MoreThe plant Dianthus Orientalis that belongs to the Caryphyllaceae family is one of the useful plants in Iraq. Its seeds are commonly used for toothache. This project provides the first comprehensive research done in Iraq and the world to study the phytochemicals and the methods of extraction and isolation of active constituents from Dianthus orientalis wildly grown in Iraq. The plant was harvested from Penjwin in AL-Sulaymaniyah city, Iraq in September 2019.The whole plant were washed carefully, dried in shade area for two weeks, and milled in a mechanical grinder to a coarse powder. The plant was defatted by maceration with hexane for 7days and dried after that extracted by cold extraction methods using
... Show MoreBackground: Medical students often face substantial psychological stress, which can increase the risk of substance use, professional detriment, and insufficient patient care. However, substance use in medical students remains understudied in Iraq. This study highlights the prevalence, patterns, risk factors, and negative effects of substance use among medical students at the University of Baghdad. A cross-sectional study involving 414 medical students at the University of Baghdad was conducted. The questionnaire included sociodemographic variables and the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test to screen for psychoactive substance use. The lifetime prevalence of substance use was 38.9%. Among substance users, 42.8
... Show MoreNowadays, there is increased interest in the biosynthesis of microbial melanin related to their numerous biological functions and applications in many fields, especially in medical fields, including immune-modulating, antimicrobial antibiotic, antiviral antivenin, anticancer, antitumor activity, and anti-biofilm activity. Pyomelanin is a hydrophobic macromolecule that is typically dark brown or black in color, formed by the oxidative polymerization of phenolic or indolic compounds. Pyomelanin is reported to be safe for consumption, thus providing a crucial strategy for biocontrol of biofilm. Furthermore, natural pyomelanin is known as a potent antioxidant, photoprotective, and free radical scavenging. Objective: This study focuses on the
... Show MoreThe Cassia glauca Lam. is the tree that belongs to the Fabaceae family and is native to India has many uses in indigenous systems of medicine, folk medicine, and traditional Brazilian medicine. Has many pharmacological activities such as anti-diabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-hemolytic, anticancer, cardio-protective, and Hepato-protection. The aim of study is to Isolation, identification, and quantification of some compounds from aerial parts of Cassia glauca since no phytochemical investigation had previously been done in Iraq for this plant. The aerial parts were defatted in n. hexane for 48 hours. The defatted materials were extracted in 85% ethanol using the hot method (soxhlet), then the extract was fra
... Show MoreMicroalgae present much usefulness for antimicrobial research because of its enormous biodiversity and rapid growth rate. From this study results it is reaveled that Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were isolated from a pond of water in the province of Diwaniyah. The culture supernatants were obtained when extracted with methanol solvent. Antimicrobial activity of extracts was tested for pathogens, and the best inhibition zone obtained was against Candida albicans (32mm), S.aureus (15mm), and to E.coli (9mm). While it showed no effect against both S.epidermidis and Klebsiella spp. Biofilm was formed by all tested isolates with differences in its strength formation. The C. reinhardtii
... Show MoreRare earth metal oxides (REMOs) have gained considerable attention in recent years owing to their distinctive properties and potential applications in electronic devices and catalysts. Particularly, cerium dioxide (CeO2), also known as ceria, has emerged as an interesting material in a wide variety of industrial, technological, and medical applications. Ceria can be synthesized with various morphologies, including rods, cubes, wires, tubes, and spheres. This comprehensive review offers valuable perceptions into the crystal structure, fundamental properties, and reaction mechanisms that govern the well-established surface-assisted reactions over ceria. The activity, selectivity, and stability of ceria, either as a stand-alone catalyst or as
... Show MoreCarbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage is a critical issue for mitigating climate change. Porous aromatic Schiff base complexes have emerged as a promising class of materials for CO2 capture due to their high surface area, porosity, and stability. In this study, we investigate the potential of Schiff base complexes as an effective media for CO2 storage. We review the synthesis and characterization of porous aromatic Schiff bases materials complexes and examine their CO2 sorption properties. We find that Schiff base complexes exhibit high CO2 adsorption capacity and selectivity, making them a promising candidate for use in carbon capture applications. Moreover, we investigate the effect of various parameters such as temperature, and pressu
... Show MoreIn this study, the feasibility of Forward–Reverse osmosis processes was investigated for treating the oily wastewater. The first stage was applied forward osmosis process to recover pure water from oily wastewater. Sodium chloride (NaCl) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) salts were used as draw solutions and the membrane that was used in forward osmosis (FO) process was cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane. The operating parameters studied were: draw solution concentrations (0.25 – 0.75 M), oil concentration in feed solution (FS) (100-1000 ppm), the temperature of FS and draw solution (DS) (30 - 45 °C), pH of FS (4-10) and the flow rate of both DS and FS (20 - 60 l/h). It was found that the water flux and oil concentration in FS increas
... Show More