Development the Physical Properties of Polymeric Blend (SR/ PMMA) by Adding various Types of Nanoparticles, Used for Maxillofacial Prosthesis Applications

As maxillofacial defects increased due to cancer; it became necessary to select high-quality prosthetic materials in this field. Silicone rubber is widely used in damaged maxillofacial affected areas replacement surgery as bio material. The aim of this research, prepared a nano composites materials, from polymer blend (silicone rubber: 5% PMMA) reinforced by different types of nano-powders; pomegranate Peels Powder (PPP), Seeds powder of dates Ajwa (SPDA) and TiO2 nano-powders with loading level (0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4%). Some physical properties such as density, water absorption, and Thermo-Physical test, FTIR analysis, as well as, FTIR, antibacterial tests were done on prepared samples. The results showed that the composites material based of polymer blend with optimum percent are of 0.2% of pomegranate Peels Powder (PPP), 0.3% of Seeds powder of dates Ajwa (SPDA) and 0.1% of TiO2 nano-powders that have ideal characteristic. Also for antibacterial tests, polymeric blend composites with optimum percent of this nano-powders show that more antibacterial efficiency against S.aureus bacteria than E.coli bacteria

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Nanofibrous Scaffolds based on Poly(caprolactone)/Chitosan/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Blend for Skin Tissue Engineering

Nowadays, blending of natural and synthetic polymers has attracted a considerable interest in tissue engineering for reaching desirable properties. In this study, blend nanofibrous scaffolds were electrospun from poly(caprolactone)/chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend solutions in 2: 1: 1.5 mass ratio. SEM results showed that uniform and bead-less nanofibers with 136±21nm average diameter were obtained from electrospun poly(caprolactone)/chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend solutions. Tensile strength test and contact angle measurement demonstrated that addition of PCL led to higher mechanical and physical properties of the resulting web. As a result, addition of PCL in the blend supported the web physical integration in aqueous media of body. Fibroblast cells were cultured on nanofibrous webs to investigate web biocompatibility. The biological results showed appropriate biological properties for the produced nanofibrous webs. Tissue engineered scaffolds were prepared by seeding mesenchymal stem cells on half of the scaffolds. In vivo studies were carried out to investigate the effect of scaffolds on healing of excisional cutting wounds created on the back of the rats. From pathological studies, wounds treated with scaffolds (both acellular and cell-seeded ones) showed better healing compared with control specimens. The results showed that wounds acquired complete healing by the scaffolds within 10-day of post operation, while control wounds achieved healing after 15 days of post surgery operation. It is notable that, cell-seeded-scaffold-treated-wounds showed best healing process due to stem cells ability for collagen regeneration

Heterogeneous photoelectro-Fenton using ZnO and TiO2 thin film as photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation Malachite Green

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) particles as photocatalysts are known to be effective in the degradation of various organic pollutants. Here we use a simple way of preparing an active TiO2 thin film for Malachite Green (MG) elimination from an aqueous solution based on a combination of advanced oxidation processes (electro Fenton and photocatalytic degradation) under UV wavelengths irradiation. The TiO2 and ZnO as nano-photocatalytic material as thin layers on the glass surface are applied. For the characterization of synthesized ZnO and TiO2 paste, SEM, TEM and XRD were used. The effects of operational variables on the degradation of MG were studied by central composite design (CCD). The results showed that MG was degraded by the TiO2 and ZnO pastes in photoelectro-Fenton system under UV irradiation at optimum conditions with 79.4 and 97.5% degradation efficiency, respectively, which reaction constant of thin film ZnO was 1.96 times as high as that of the TiO2 paste in the mentioned system. The optimum degradation conditions for thin film ZnO were as follows: pH of 3, 30 mg/L of initial MG concentration, 200 mA of electrical current, 0.4 mmol/L of FeCl3, and 16 min of contact time. In addition, the degradation rates of MG by both photocatalysts in the photoelectro-Fenton system could be explained in terms of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood pseudo-first-order kinetic equation

Hepatitis B infection among hemodialysis patients in Al-Jazirah State: a seroepidemiological survey

Hemodialysis patients are more susceptible to HBV infection because they have low immunity and can be inflicted through an improperly sterilized machine or through a tainted blood transfusion. A cross-sectional study aimed to study the prevalence of HBV among hemodialysis patients in Aljazeera State, Hospital for Renal Disease and Surgery during the period between March and August 2018. A total of ninety-one blood samples were obtained randomly from hemodialysis patients. The plasma was examined for the presence of HBsAg using a sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA). Data collected by a structured questionnaire included sociodemographic data such as age, sex, marital status, education level, duration of dialysis, previous HBV vaccination, history of surgical operation, history of jaundice and history of blood transfusion. Detectable marker for HBV infections (HBsAg) were found in 21 (23.1%) patients, while the remaining 70 patients (76.9%) were negative. We noted that education level and a history of jaundice had a significant effect on the seroprevalence of HBV, with a P value <0.05

Age-Related Frontal Hyperactivation Observed across Different Working Memory Tasks: An fMRI Study

Purpose: To evaluate patterns of activation, convergence and divergence of three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Working Memory (WM) tasks in two different age groups. We want to understand potential impact of task and subjects’ age on WM activations as well as most important areas with regard to WM functions

Patricia Douglas Interview, December 20, 1976

Patricia Douglas offers her definition of what the University of Montana is and what a liberal arts education is. She details the University’s main sources of funding, and explains why the Montana University System made its largest funding request, as of 1976, due to inflation. Douglas summarizes trends in enrollment at the University and clarifies why forecasting enrollment is difficult to predict. She emphasizes the University’s importance in her life, and the opportunities that she feels the institution presents to young Montanans and non-traditional students. Douglas details her role as Assistant to the President, and her work with President Bowers communicating with Montanans about how the University could serve them.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/umhistory_interviews/1024/thumbnail.jp