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 objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rowatinex and tamsulosin in the treatment of patients with ureteric stone.
Forty patients with ureteric stone ranged (4- 12) mm, were included in this study. They were randomized into two groups where the first group includes twenty patients treated with Rowatinex three times daily (Group 1), and the second group includes twenty patients treated with tamsulosin 0.4mg/day (Group 2). All patients were randomly assigned to receive the designed standard medical therapy for a maximum of 3 weeks.
Each group was given an antibiotic as prophylaxis and an injectable non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used on demand. At the outpatient clinic all subjects were a
... Show MoreThe current research deals with spatial relations as a tool to link urban landmarks in a homogeneous composition with monumental sculptures, by identifying these landmarks and the extent of their impact on them, which constitutes an urgent need to evaluate the appropriate place and its effects on them, so that this analytical study is a critical approach adopted in artistic studies of monumental models in Arabcapitals .The current research came in four chapters, the first chapter of which dealt with the research problem, its importance and the need for it, then its objectives that were determined in revealing the spatial relations and their impact on
... Show MoreIn this study, the preparation and characterization of hyacinth plant /chitosan composite, as a heavy metal removal, were done. Water hyacinth plant (Eichhorniacrasspes) was collected from Tigris river in Baghdad. The root and shoot parts of plant were ground to powder. Composite materials were prepared at different ratios of plant part (from 2.9% to 30.3%, wt /wt) which corresponds to (30-500mg) of hyacinth plant (root and shoot) and chitosan. The results showed that all examined ratios of plant parts have an excellent absorption to copper (Cu (II)). Moreover, it was observed that 2.9% corresponds (30mg) of plant root revealed highest removal (82.7%) of Pb (II), while 20.23% of shoot removed 61% of Cd (II) within 24 hr
... Show MoreThe utilization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to enhance wellbore injectivity presents a cost-effective and sustainable strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions while improving reservoir performance. This study introduces an environmentally friendly method employing a water-soluble chitosan salt (CS) that generates a carbonated-rich acid solution upon contact with dry CO₂ at 25 °C and 508 psi. CS solutions (100–2000 ppm) were prepared and evaluated for CO₂ uptake, acid generation, and rheological behavior. Results show that 1000 ppm achieves an optimal CO2 uptake (2612 mg/l), with moderate viscosity increase (from 1.52 to 3.37 cp), while higher concentrations exhibit a sharp rise due to polymer-like network formation. Core floodi
... Show MoreThis work involved the successful synthesis of three new Schiff base complexes, including Ni(II), Mn(II), and Cu(II) complexes. The Schiff base ligand was created by reacting the malonyldihydrazide molecule with naphthaldehyde, and the final step involved reacting the ligand with the corresponding metallic chloride yielding pure target complexes. FTIR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, mass, and UV/Vis spectroscopies were used to comprehensively characterize the produced complexes. These substances have been employed in this study to photo-stabilize polystyrene (PS) and lessen the photo-degradation of its polymeric chains. Several methods, including FTIR, weight loss, viscosity average molecular weight, light and atomic force microscopy, and energy disper
... Show MoreObjectives To compare the clinical efficacy of microvascular decompression surgery (MVD) and gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) as a treatment for patients with primary trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and evaluate the outcome regarding pain relief, recurrence, and complications with both modalities of treatment. Patients and Methods A randomized prospective study conducted in SaadAlwitry Neurosciences Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Eighty-four patients with TN from January 2016 to January 2018, 45 patients had GKR while 39 patients treated with MVD. The pain evaluated pre-and post-operatively using the Barrow Neurological Institute Pain Intensity scale (BNIPI), visual analog scale (VAS) and Brief Pain Inventory Facial (BPI-Facial) scoring systems. In GKR p
... Show MoreThe novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which represents a global public health crisis. Based on recent published studies, this review discusses current evidence related to the transmission, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, management and prevention of COVID-19. It is hoped that this review article will provide a benefit for the public to well understand and deal with this new virus, and give a reference for future researches.
This study was conducted to determine the ability of water treatment system (Vortisand) to reduce some chemical and physical properties for tigris river raw water, It consisted of turbidity, electrical conductivity, pH, total hardness, calcium Hardness as well as temperature in order to determine the unit`s efficiency for reducing their concentration as compared to those in the water produced by some classical potable water projects (Dora and Wathba) in Baghdad. Samples were collected during the cold months (December 2016 and January 2017) and during the hot months (May and June 2017). The results showed that this system has the ability to reduce some properties such as turbidity, the values were 215NTU in raw water and decreased to NTU
... Show MoreThis work introduces a newly synthesized triazole derivative, 5-([(2-furanyl)methyl]-thiomethyl)-4-(naphtha-2-yl)-3-hydroxyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole (FTNT), as an effective corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel A106 G/B in 0.1 M HCl solution. The structure of the novel derivative was confirmed by FTIR, 1 H NMR, and 13 C NMR spectra. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements reveal that FTNT markedly suppresses corrosion, with inhibition efficiency reaching 81.6% at 600 ppm. Thermodynamic analysis indicates spontaneous, physisorption/chemisorption-augmented adsorption of FTNT on the steel surface, best described by the Freundlich isotherm. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) surface examination demonstrated that a protective FTNT coating precipitated on
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