Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with polymorphic expression. B cells have an essential contribution in immune system activation via the production of different cytokines and functioning as potent antigen-presenting cells. Therefore, a drug that particularly targets B cells may represent an ideal therapeutic approach for SLE. Rituximab (RTX), an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody causing transient B-cell depletion, has been used to manage SLE. This study aims to assess Rituximab effects on lupus nephritis (LN) patients when added to conventional immunosuppressants. Twenty four patients, 15-32 years old, with class III/IV/V LN were involved in this study. All were on steroids before lupus nephritis occurrence. They were given rituximab induction therapy and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) maintenance therapy. RTX was indicated for refractory and relapsing SLE. Several investigations done before and after RTX treatment and in the last follow up (done one year after starting Rituximab). Those included protein in urine, serum creatinine, double stranded DNA, C3, C4, and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR). Proteinuria decreased significantly after RTX treatment and in the last measurement (P=0.01 and P=0.001, respectively). Serum creatinine significantly decreased only in the last measurement (P=0.02). Double stranded DNA decreased remarkably after treatment (P=0.01) with a further decrease in the last measurement (P=0.006). C3 and C4 increased after treatment but the increase was significant only for C3 (P=0.002) and this increase continues till the last measurement (P=0.0006). Active urine sediments found in fifteen patients and disappeared after RTX treatment. Rituximab can be promising in treating lupus nephritis when used along with traditional immunosuppressants. It can reduce disease activity and improve renal function in such patients.
The study aims to demonstrate the importance of instructional methods in teaching Arabic language as a second language or teaching the Arabic language to non-native speakers. The study is in line with the tremendous development in the field of knowledge, especially in the field of technology and communication, and the emergence of many electronic media in education in general and language teaching in particular. It employs an image in teaching vocabulary and presenting the experience of the Arabic Language Institute for Non-Speakers-King Abdul-Aziz University. The study follows the descriptive approach to solve the problem represented by the lack of interest in the educational methods when teaching Arabic as a second language. Accordingl
... Show MoreWater produced from power plants is one of the most important sources of water pollution, especially for areas like Baghdad, Contaminated industrial wastewater is a major environmental challenge due to the rapid growth of industries, leading to increased accumulation of harmful pollutants in water resources, the work is intended to study the impact of water generated from a power plant in the south on the level of heavy metals before and after the treatment process and after its discharge to the Tigris River. Objective is to determine the extent of heavy metals such as iron, copper, chromium, and zinc concentration in water extracted from various points and subsequently study the monthly variations of these elements with a view to assessmen
... Show MoreKey words:Jasminumsambac, Volatile oil, Antioxidant.
Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in the urinary tract and the tenth most common malignancy worldwide. Exosomes are 40–100 nm-diameter nanovesicles that are either released straight from the plasma membrane during budding or merged with the plasma membrane by multivesicular bodies. Objectives: To assess the proportion of serum and urinary Exosome levels in urinary bladder cancer patients, as well as their impact on the disease. Methods: From January 2023 to June 2023, a total of 45 samples of blood and urine were collected from individuals diagnosed with bladder cancer at the Ghazi Hariri Hospital for Specialized Surgery. They included 45 male and female patients, varying in age, as well as 45 heal
... Show MoreChromium tanned leather wastes (CTLW) and vegetable tanned leather wastes (VTLW) were used as adsorbent materials to remove the Biebrich scarlet dye (BS), as an anionic dye from wastewater, using an adsorption method. The effects of various factors, such as weight of leather waste, time of shaking, and the starting concentration of Biebrich scarlet dye, temperature and pH were studied. It described the adsorption process using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The obtained results agreed well with the Langmuir model, and the maximum adsorption capacities of CTLW and VTLW were 73.5294 and 78.1250 mg.g⁻¹, respectively, suggesting a monolayer adsorption process. The adsorption kinetic was found to follow a pseudo-second-order kinetic
... Show MoreSeeds, beans, leaves, fruit peel and seeds of five plants (Ferula assa-foetida, Coffea robusta, Olea europaea, Punica granatum and Vitis vinifera, respectively) were extracted with four solvents (distilled water, 80% methanol, 80% acetone and a mixed solvent that included methanol, ethanol, acetone and n-butanol at proportions 7:1:1:1). Such manipulation yielded 20 extracts, which were phytochemically analyzed for total polyphenols (TP) and flavonoids (TF). The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity (RSA) and DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) relative inhibition activity (RIA) were also assessed for each extract. The results revealed that mixed solvent extract of V.
... Show MoreIn this study the new azo compounds (3compounds) for nitrogen bases (Adenine and Cytosine) are synthesized through two reaction steps (formation of diazonium salt and coupling reaction). The compounds have been characterized by FTIR, melting point, and ultra-violate (UV) spectra. All synthesized compounds have been estimated in vitro for their antimicrobial activities against two species of bacteria(E.coli, S.aureus)and one kind of fungi ( Aspergillus flavus) .The results show that these compounds have very good antibacterial and antifungal activities especially compounds 1 and 3.To study the effect of these compounds were making some physiological tests on rats are made ,the results of hematological study showed decreasing level of
... Show More