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.
Three hundred and fifty five patients with hepatitis were investigated in this study all cases gave negative result with HBs Ag , IgM-anti HCV , IgM-anti HEV, IgM-anti HDV and anti-HIV tests . The frequency of IgM-anti HAV was 113 and the percentage was 32 % in all ages but when these patients divided into five groups dependent on ages. The highest percentage of IgM-anti HAV was (45%) in age <10 and the percentage declined with age increase till to 9% in age >41 year.
The antidiabetic thiozolidinediones (TZDs) a class of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor (PPAR) ligands has recently been the focus of much interest for their possible role in regulation of inflammatory response. The present study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of pioglitazone in experimental models of inflammation in rats. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti inflammatory effect of TZDs (pioglitazone 3mg/Kg) on acute, sub acute and chronic model of inflammation by using egg-albumin and formalin–induced paw edema in 72 rats, relative to reference drugs Dexamethasone 5mg/Kg and Piroxicam 5mg/Kg. In each inflammation model, 24 rats wer
... Show More
Thirty 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 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 MoreIt is the regression analysis is the foundation stone of knowledge of statistics , which mostly depends on the ordinary least square method , but as is well known that the way the above mentioned her several conditions to operate accurately and the results can be unreliable , add to that the lack of certain conditions make it impossible to complete the work and analysis method and among those conditions are the multi-co linearity problem , and we are in the process of detected that problem between the independent variables using farrar –glauber test , in addition to the requirement linearity data and the lack of the condition last has been resorting to the
... Show MoreThe phenomenon of child labor, any activity performed by a child and represents a contribution to the production, this phenomenon had been rife in Iraqi society, after that the proportion of child labor for the age group (6-14 years) amounting to 3% in 2006, became for the same age group of 8% in 2008*.
It is recognized that each phenomenon reasons, the phenomenon which our atten
... Show MoreDoxycycline and levofloxacin are heterocyclic organic compounds that are now popularly used to treat some bacterial infections. In this study which was conducted on patients from a private clinic, we compared the use of two commonly used antibiotics for the treatment of diagnosed cases with vaginal chlamydial infection: levofloxacin and doxycycline. Vaginal chlamydial infection is considered to be a very common sexually transmitted infection. It may have minimal symptoms which can lead to neglect by the patient until it leads to some important complications among which is the inability to become pregnant. This indicates early diagnosis and treatment of this infection. By comparing the results of treatment we concluded that there is no much
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: In 1972 complete description of the
inflammation of posterior third of the vocal cords was
done, with barium swallow confirming Gastro
Esophageal Disease [CRED] & subsequent successful
symptomatic treatment with antacid. The possible
association between GERD & chronic laryngitis was
initially known as acid laryngitis .2
*from the Department of ENT, Hawlear Medical College, Hawlear university. Department of ENT, Rezgary Teaching Hospital, Erbil.
Correspondence to :
Dr.Said Mustafa Said
Corespondence Address to : Dr.Said Mustafa Said _ E- mail: Email [email protected] Mob. 07504563829
Recived at : 15 th Dec 2009 Accepted at : 3ed Nov 2010
OBJECTIVE: To record the common presentat
... Show More