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.
In this research the a-As flims have been prepared by thermal evaporation with thickness 250 nm and rata of deposition (1.04nm/sec) as function to annealing temperature (373 and 373K), from XRD analysis we can see that the degree of crystalline increase with , and I-V characteristic for dark and illumination shows that forward bias current varieties approximately exponentially with voltage bias. Also we found that the quality factor and saturation current dependence on annealing temperatures.
Ni2O3 nanomaterial, a phase of nickel oxide, is synthesized by a simple chemical process. The pure raw materials used in the present process were nickel chloride hexahydrate NiCl2.6H2O and potassium hydroxide KOH by utilizing temperature at 250 oC for 2 hour. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the synthesized specimens of Ni2O3 were investigated employing diverse techniques such as XRD, AFM, SEM and UV-Vis, respectively. The XRD technique confirms the presence of Ni2O3 nanomaterial with crystal size of 57.083 nm which indexing to the (2θ) of 31.82; this results revealed the Ni2O3 was a phase of nickel oxide with Nano structure. The synthesized Ni2O3 will be useful in manufacturng electrodes materials f
... Show MoreGlobally, over forty million people are living with Human Immunodeficiency Viral (HIV) infections. Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) consists of two or three Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and has been used for more than a decade to prolong the life of AIDS-diagnosed patients. The persistent use of HAART is essential for effectively suppressing HIV replication. Frequent use of multiple medications at relatively high dosages is a major reason for patient noncompliance and an obstacle to achieving efficient pharmacological treatment. Despite strict compliance with the HAART regimen, the eradication of HIV from the host remains unattainable. Anatomical and Intracellular viral reservo
Abstract
This research aims to study and improve the passivating specifications of rubber resistant to vibration. In this paper, seven different rubber recipes were prepared based on mixtures of natural rubber(NR) as an essential part in addition to the synthetic rubber (IIR, BRcis, SBR, CR)with different rates. Mechanical tests such as tensile strength, hardness, friction, resistance to compression, fatigue and creep testing in addition to the rheological test were performed. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)test was used to examine the structure morphology of rubber. After studying and analyzing the results, we found that, recipe containing (BRcis) of 40% from th
... Show MoreThirty five samples were collected from patients (1-30) years old, suffered from, infected skin , rushes, boils , oral thrush, anal & vaginal itches. Candida albicans 57.3% (20 isolates) and Candida tropicalis 22.5% (8 isolates) Aspergillus fumegatus 11.5% (4 isolates) Aspergillus nigar 8.7%(3 isolates) , were isolated & identified from these samples. Alcoholic & water hot extracts of the punica granatum (Pomegranate) peels as well as the dried powder were prepared. The anti-fungal activity of the extracts was evaluated by means of the agar-well diffusion assay. The extract exhibited potent activity against yeast. The Minimum inhibitory concentra
... Show More
The subject of the act and its transformations in the presentation is of great importance at the level of study, analysis and interpretation, and through that the researcher adopted the following title (The Dramatic Act and Its Transformations in the Iraqi Theatrical Show). The play of Black Astronomy was chosen as a sample for analysis, and the aim of the research came in order to achieve a special knowledge of the extent of the transformation that occurred between the dramatic structure of the act and theatrical embodiment and its multiple elements of operation in the Iraqi theatrical shows. It was limited to the show of the Iraqi theater in the year (2020) and included the theoretical framework that accommodated three sections. As for
... Show MoreBreast cancer is among the primary causes of death among Iraqi women and is a serious worldwide health concern. ALK or anaplastic lymphoma kinase, is connected to several cancers, including breast cancer.. The goal of this research was to assess the prevalence of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) with Alkaline phosphatise (ALP) and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) together as diagnostic markers. The study comprised 60 patients with metastatic breast cancer and 60 healthy volunteers. The blood levels of the enzymes (ALP), (LDH), and ALK in Iraqi breast cancer patients are compared to those of healthy controls. It was shown that compared to healthy people, patients had breast cancer noticeably greater levels of ALK, ALP, and NDH .These biomarkers m
... Show MoreThe culture of theatre performance has a vital role in the process of reading the linguistic and visual signs of the performance. And the process of transforming a theatre performance from its original context into a new hosting cultural context starts from the actual reading of the text. Directors derives their new signs out of his personal culture, depending on the society where they lives and the culture that forms the social conventions, traditions and beliefs. The text is usually written within its own historical and temporal culture. The process of its production usually takes it away from its original culture, when it interprets the codes of the original writer and their visual and linguistic signs and instils new alternative sign
... Show MoreThe objective of this investigation was to study the effects of a mixture of three arbuscular mycorrhizae (Glomus etunicatum, G. leptotichum and Rhizophagus intraradices) on the development of fusarium wilt disease in tomato plants in the presence and absence of organic matter (peatmoss). Results indicated an increase in mycorrhizal root dry weight especially in the presence of the organic matter, on the other hand this parameter was significantly decreased when Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersiciwas added simultaneously with the mycorrhiza, Moreover, mycorrhiza and organic matter significantly reduced the damping off seedling disease, disease severity and rate of infection of tomato leaves and roots caused by the pathogenic fungus, These
... Show More