Assessing the water quality status for special use is the main objective of any water quality monitoring studies. The water quality index (WQI) is a mathematical instrument used to transform large quantities of water quality data into a single number which represents the water quality level. In fact, developing WQI in an area is a fundamental process in the planning of land use and water resources management. In this study, a simple methodology based on multivariate analysis is developed to create a groundwater quality index (GWQI), with the aim of identifying places with best quality for drinking within the Qazvin province, west central of Iran. The methodology is based on the definition of GWQI using average value of eight cation and anion parameters for 163 wells during a 3-year period. The proportion of observed concentrations to the maximum allowable concentration is calculated as normalized value of each parameter in observing wells. Final indices for each well are calculated considering weight of each parameter. In order to assess the groundwater quality of study area, the derived indices are compared with those of well-known mineral waters. Using developed indices, groundwater iso-index map for study area and the map of areas of which the indices are near to mineral waters was drawn. In the case study, the GWQI map reveals that groundwater quality in two areas is extremely near to mineral water quality. Created index map provides a comprehensive picture of easily interpretable for regional decision makers for better planning and management.

Meniscus-to-femoral condyle congruity is essential for the development of circumferential hoop stresses and thus function of the meniscus. When meniscal allograft transplantation is performed using bony anchorage of the insertional ligaments, accurate graft-to-host size matching is therefore essential. The standard method currently employed for size matching of meniscal allografts is to rely on plain radiographs of the host's knee, from which expected meniscal dimensions are measured. This study aimed to examine the correlation between tibial plateau dimensions and meniscal dimensions. We studied 44 donor tibial plateaus with medial and lateral meniscal allografts attached intact. Meniscal and tibial plateau dimensions were measured. Linear regression analysis was used to calculate expected meniscal dimensions from each specimen's plateau dimensions. Using specific medial and lateral tibial plateau width and length measurements, meniscal dimensions could be predicted with a mean error of only 5.0+/-6.4%. When predicting meniscal dimensions from only total bony plateau width, the mean error observed was 6.2+/-8.0%. The difference between the two methods was not statistically significant. The results suggest that meniscal dimensions can be predicted accurately from tibial plateau measurements, with only small mean errors. However, potential size mismatches should be carefully borne in mind by surgeons using meniscal allografts.

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Aim:The purpose of this review is to address the smear layer removing the ability of root different canal irrigants including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), a mixture of tetracycline, acid and detergent (MTAD), tetraclean, citric acid, Q-Mix, maleic acid, and smear clear.Background: Smear layer is a layer which is produced during instrumentation. It contains both organic and inorganic materials. It may also contain bacteria and their byproduct considering the root canal situation. This layer may prevent the penetration of the healing material introduced to the canal to the interior of the dentinal tubules. In addition, it can affect the adaptation of sealing materials to the root canal walls. Review results:The smear layer removal ability of MTAD is superior and faster than EDTA. Tetraclean is similarly composed of an acid, an antibiotic, and a detergent. The presence of doxycycline is believed to help the smear layer removal ability of these irrigants. Antibiotics such as tetracycline had similar smear layer removal ability as even citric acid. EDTA is an amino acid with a chelating ability that sequestrates metal ions. Some believed EDTA smear layer removing ability is better than MTAD, tetraclean, SmearClear, and 20% citric acid which is controversial in case of comparison between MTAD and EDTA. Phosphoric acid is efficient enough to be comparable to EDTA in removing the smear layer. Maleic acid is an organic compound with acid etching smear layer removal. Its ability seems to be similar or even better than EDTA. Citric acid as another organic acid is believed to be used as smear removing agent. HEBP is another chelating agent that can be used in combination with NaOCl; however, HEBP is a weak decalcifying agent compared to EDTA and hence cannot be applied as a mere final rinse. QMiX is a combination of CHX, EDTA, and detergent and should be used at final rinse. It is believed that QMiX is as efficient as EDTA. Smear clear is a 17% EDTA solution including an anionic and cationic (cetrimide) surfactant. The ability of QMiX is similar to EDTA. Conclusion:There are different canal irrigation solutions with various smear layer removal ability that some should be used as a mere final rinse and some should not. Clinical significance:The usage of canal irrigation solutions depends on the clinical situation and preference of the dentists. This study provides a good guide for clinician of the field.

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