Olanzapine (OLZ) is classified as a typical antipsychotic drug utilized for the treatment of schizophrenia. Its oral bioavailability is 60% due to its low solubility and pre-systemic metabolism. Hence, the present work aims to formulate and evaluate OLZ nanoparticles dissolving microneedles (MNs) for transdermal delivery to overcome the problems associated with drug administration orally. OLZ nanoparticles were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method. The optimized OLZ nanoparticle formula was utilized for the fabrication of dissolving MNs by loading OLZ nanodispersion into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micromould cavities, followed by casting the polymeric solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP-K30) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form MN matrix. The results revealed that the optimized OLZ nanoparticle formula (NP-5) exhibited particle size 115.76±5.45 nm, entrapment efficiency 78.4±5.46, and zeta potential -19.01±1.6 mV. The results of MNs revealed that MN-4 exhibits a high drug content of 98.52%, and ex vivo permeation through rabbit skin exhibited that MN-4 permeates more effectively than a simple patch by approximately 5.16 fold. In vivo pharmacokinetics study revealed that the area under curve AUC 0-∞ of MN-4 was 6054.56±376 ng. h/ml as compared with AUC0-∞ of marketed OLZ tablet was 3975.77±373 ng. h/ml. It can be concluded that the dissolving MN-4 patch is considered a promising formula to overcome the problems associated with drug administration orally and could improve drug bioavailability, in addition to the ease of administering the medication to schizophrenic patients.
The study aims to reveal the degree of application of the alternative evaluation strategy in social studies in public education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It also aims to identify the opinions of experts on how to implement this. The study adopted the mixed methodology, which represented in the descriptive-analytical method, and qualitative methods through the grounded theory. The study used two tools namely: a questionnaire for assessments of social studies teachers and semi-structured interview questions. The results of the study showed a medium degree of appreciation for the application of alternative evaluation strategies by social studies teachers in general education with an average of (2.28). The results also showed that ther
... Show MoreScleral acrylic resin is widely used to synthesize ocular prosthesis. However, the properties of this material change over time, thus requiring the prosthesis to be refabricated. Many studies were conducted to improve these properties by reinforcing this material with nanoparticles. This study aims to evaluate the effect of silver nanoparticle powder on the mechanical properties (transverse flexural strength, impact strength, shear bond strength, surface microhardness, and surface roughness) of scleral acrylic resin used for ocular prostheses. Two concentrations were selected from the pilot study and evaluated for their effects on scleral acrylic resin properties. According to the pilot study, 0.01 and 0.02wt% AgNPs powder improved
... Show MorePlatinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) exhibit promising biomedical properties, but concerns about biocompatibility and synthesis-related toxicity remain. This study aimed to develop eco-friendly PtNPs using aqueous broccoli extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent, and to assess their multifunctional biomedical potential. PtNPs were synthesized through sonochemical reduction of K₂PtCl₆ in broccoli extract, followed by purification and comprehensive physicochemical characterization. UV–Vis confirmed nanoparticle formation at 253 nm, while XRD and FTIR analyses verified the crystalline FCC structure and phytochemical capping. TEM revealed mainly spherical PtNPs with an average core size of 14.83 ± 7.67 nm. Conversely, DLS showe
... Show MoreThe coagulation and flocculation process using coated magnetic nanoparticles is considered one of the effective technologies for turbidity removal. This study investigates an application of magnetic nanoparticles coated with citric acid in the coagulation and flocculation process on Tigris River water in Baghdad, Iraq. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNP1) were synthesized by the co-precipitation method and coated with citric acid (MNP2). The prepared MNP1 and MNP2 were characterized by XRD, FTIR, AFM, FE-SEM, EDS, and zeta potential analysis. For coagulation process, the effect of different types of coagulants (alum, FeCl3, MNP1, MNP2), coagulant dosage (10–110 mg/l), and initial pH (3–9) were examined in this work. The best coagulant was MNP2
... Show MoreThe effects of T-shaped fins on the improvement of phase change materials (PCM) melting are numerically investigated in vertical triple-tube storage containment. The PCM is held in the middle pipe of a triple-pipe heat exchanger while the heat transfer fluid flows through the internal and external pipes. The dimension effects of the T-shaped fins on the melting process of the PCM are investigated to determine the optimum case. Results indicate that while using T-shaped fins improves the melting performance of the PCM, the improvement potential is mainly governed by the fin’s body rather than the head. Hence, the proposed T-shaped fin did not noticeably improve melting at the bottom of the PCM domain; additionally, a flat fin is ad
... Show MoreBackground: Refractory/relapsed acute leukemia has always been a challenging problem for hematologist. Over the past decade emphasis has been made in the development of regimens containing fludarabine, combined with cytosine arabinoside for the treatment of refractory/relapsed acute leukemias. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the combination of fludarabine, high dose cytarabine, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor in refractory relapsed cases of acute leukaemia,
Methods: a prospective study is being conducted at the national center of hematology and hematology unit /Baghdad teaching hospital from July 2008 to July 2010.Twenty Patients with refractory/relapsed acute leukemia were treated with flud
Background:The demand for esthetic orthodontic appliances is increasing so that the esthetic orthodontic archwires were introduced. This in vitro study was designed to evaluate the surface roughness offiber-reinforced polymer composite (FRPC) archwires compared to coated nickel-titanium (NiTi) archwires immersed in artificial saliva. Materials and Methods:Three types of esthetic orthodontic archwires were used: FRPC (Dentaurum), Teflon coated NiTi (Dentaurum) and epoxy coated NiTi (Orthotechnology). They were round (0.018 inch) in cross section and cut into pieces of 15 mm in length.Forty pieces from each type were divided into four groups; one group was left at a dry condition and the other three groups were immersed in artificial saliva (
... Show MoreBackground: White spot lesion considered as irreversible tooth demineralization presenting challenge to orthodontists during treatment schedules, fluoride was the most successfully used measure to overcome this challenge. Materials and method: A total of forty sound human permanent premolars were used in the present study and categorized into four groups, in one group the teeth were bonded with stainless steel brackets using Resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) and the other three groups the teeth were bonded with light cured composite Resilience® (Ortho technology Co., USA). Group A; Acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) topical gel (Mfg by DEEPAK PRODUCTS, INC, USA), fluoride ion 1.23% applied on examine area for four minute. Gro
... Show MoreBackground: Because of the demands for aesthetic orthodontic appliances have increased, aesthetic archwires have been widely used to meet patient's aesthetic needs. The color stability of aesthetic archwires is clinically important, any staining or discoloration will affect patient’s acceptance and satisfaction. This study was designed to evaluate the color stability of different types of aesthetic archwires after immersion into different types of mouth washes. Materials and methods: Four brands of nickel titanium coated aesthetic arch wires: Epoxy coated (Orthotechnology and G&H) and Teflon coated (Dany and Hubit) were evaluated after 1 week, 3 weeks and 6 weeks of immersion into two types of mouthwashes (Listerine with alcohol and
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