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.
Abstract Background: Crown lengthening is a surgical procedure that apically positions the gingival edge and/or removes supporting bone in order to increase the amount of supra gingival tooth structure for restorative or cosmetic purposes.
The objective of the study: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the 940nm diode laser in esthetic crown lengthening surgery through clinical observations, patient questionnaires, clinical photographs, and gingival healing following gingival operations. Material and methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 16 patients (11 females and 5 males) had their crowns surgically lengthened using a diode laser (940 nm) in continuou
... Show MoreThis study aims to evaluate the performance of the sewage treatment plant in Al- Diwaniya, one of cities in the southern part in Iraq. This evaluation could be used to facilitate effluent quality assessment or optimal process control of the plant. The influent reaching the plant is considered a medium to strong in strength with BOD5/COD ratio in the range 0.23 and 0.69 which can be considered an easily degradable sewage by the biological processes performed by the activated sludge unit. The quality of the effluent was found to be higher than the Iraqi standards for disposal to water bodies. The BOD5/COD ratios of the treated sewage varied over a wide range as low of 0.13 to 1.48 indicating operational problems in the plant. Regressio
... Show MoreA total of 70 pregnant women with toxoplasmosis were studied to evaluate of some immunological aspects. The women were distributed into three groups: 37 women were IgG positive, 18 women were IgM positive and 15 women were IgG and IgM positive as well as 25 healthy women were considered as control group. Serum samples were collected and ELISA method was employed to assess levels of interleukins 4, 6, 10, Interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10), Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). As compared with control the levels of cytokines were significantly increased in serum of three pregnant women groups with toxoplasmosis and the highest increase was observed in the IgM positi
... Show MoreRheumatoid arthritis is a worldwide inflammatory chronic autoimmune disease with varying severity. Due to no definitive cure for this disease, current therapies aim to decrease the pain and slow further damage. The interleukin (IL)‐36 cytokine was little known for its role in rheumatoid arthritis; this research aimed to evaluate the serum IL36 levels in RA patients compared to healthy controls. This study included 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis registered at the Rheumatology Clinic in Baghdad teaching hospital. The patients were divided into three groups based on the treatments received. Group 1 included patients treated with biological therapy (etanercept, adalimumab), Group2 patients with non-biological treatment (methotr
... Show MoreComposting is one of the solid waste management (SWM) methods where the organic component decomposed biologically under controlled conditions. In this study, a 0.166 m3 bioreactor tank was designed to compose 59.2Kg of simulated common municipal solid food waste having a bulk density, organic matter, organic carbon, pH, nitrogen content, C/N and nitrification index (NH4-N/ NO3-N) of 536.62 kg/m3, 62.34%, 34.76%, 6.53, 1.86%, 23 and 0.34 respectively. The bioreactor operated aerobically for 30 days, and anaerobically for 70 days, until the end of the composting process. Results proved that the composting process could reduce the mass of the waste by 69%. Nitrogen content,
... Show MoreAbstract
β-thalassemia major is a genetic disease that causes sever defect in normal hemoglobin synthesis. The patients with β-thalassemia major need periodic blood transfusions that can result in accumulation of body iron, so treatment with iron chelating agent is required. Complications of this iron overload affecting many vital organs, including the liver. The aim of this work was to evaluate liver enzymes in β -thalassemia major patients with deferasirox versus without it. Two groups of β-thalassemia major patients were involved in this study named group A; 40 β-thalassemia patients of blood transfusion dependent without deferasirox, group B; 40 β-thalassemia patients of blood transfusion dependent on de
... Show MoreThe objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of aspirin, clopidogrel or their combination on different parameters in hypertensive patients.Platelets adhesion, activation, and aggregation are central to thrombus formation, which follows atherosclerotic plaque disruption and causes acute coronary syndromes. Aspirin and clopidogrel exert their antiplatelet effects by inhibiting thromboxane A2 production and adenosine diphosphate–induced platelet aggregation pathways, respectively. This study was designed to evaluate the possible effects of aspirin and clopidogrel given either alone or in combination in patients with essential hypertension on blood pressure and other parameters in addition to lipid profile using a randomized
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to synthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) using aqueous extract of black currant as a reducing agent. The green synthesized black currant selenium nanoparticles (BCSeNPs) were identified by color change. The characterization of SeNPs was achieved by Ultraviolet-visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X–ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These tests were used to detect: stability, morphology, size, crystalline nature, and functional groups present on the surface of BCSeNPs. The results revealed appearance of the brick-red color indicating the specific color of selenium nanoparticles, and UV-Vis spectroscopy showed band absorbanc
... Show MoreThe microdrilling and nanodrilling holes are produced by a Q-switched Nd :YAG laser (1064 nm) interaction with 8009 Al alloy using nanoparticles. Two kinds of nanoparticles were used with this alloy. These nanoparticles are tungsten carbide (WC) and silica carbide (SiC). In this work, the microholes and nanoholes have been investigated with different laser pulse energies (600, 700 and 800)mJ, different repetition rates (5Hz and 10Hz) and different concentration of nanoparticles (90%, 50% and 5% ). The results indicate that the microholes and nanoholes have been achieved when the laser pulse energy is 600 mJ, laser repetition rate is 5Hz, and the concentration of the nanoparticles (for the two types of n
... Show MoreMagnetic plaster kiln dust (MPKD) was synthesized as a unique, low-cost composite reused of byproduct plaster kiln dust (PKD), which is considered a source of air pollution. The FESEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, VSM, and BET tests were used to characterize the MPKD. The characterization revealed that the MPKD was nanotubes non-agglomerated and super-paramagnetic with a high specific surface area (102.7 m2/g). Compared with the specific area of other materials (composites), the MPKD could be considered a promising substance in the field of water/wastewater treatment.