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 aim of this study is for testing the applicability of Ramamoorthy and Murphy method for identification of predominant pore fluid type, in Middle Eastern carbonate reservoir, by analyzing the dynamic elastic properties derived from the sonic log. and involving the results of Souder, for testing the same method in chalk reservoir in the North Sea region. Mishrif formation in Garraf oilfield in southern Iraq was handled in this study, utilizing a slightly-deviated well data, these data include open-hole full-set logs, where, the sonic log composed of shear and compression modes, and geologic description to check the results. The Geolog software is used to make the conventional interpretation of porosity, lithology, and saturation. Also,
... Show MoreIt is very necessary for the political theater to be within the space of every theatrical performance, so that the theater carries the diverse and enlightened values and cultures of this world. political theatre. In the first chapter, the researcher dealt with (the methodological framework), which includes the research problem identified by the researcher with the following question (the functional diversity of the directorial vision in the political theater)
Importance, purpose, limits and seal by defining terminology.
In the second chapter, the researcher dealt with the theoretical framework on two topics, the first (transformations of directorial vision in theatrical performance) and the second topic (aesthetic experiences i
The study of services in villages is one of the imperative matters that must be focused on, because it leads to increased attention, which reduces the differences between the countryside and the urban. The extent of its.
It is well known that community services need to be reached by a person, unlike the anchor services that reach people, here the population distribution plays an important and prominent role in signing these services, so the dispersed distribution pattern and the gathering pattern appeared in the distribution, thus an effect on the time and distance that the person walked to obtain The services are community-based. Therefore
... Show MoreThis research deals with the nature of the Turkish attitude towards the events of the Arab Spring which the Arab region witnessed recently, as this attitude is characterized by hesitation and utter confusion about those events at its beginning. However, the development of events and the consequent repercussions led the Turkish decision makers of the foreign policy to reconsider their attitude towards those events for political, economic, cultural and social motives.
This study examines the causes of time delays and cost overruns in a selection of thirty post-disaster reconstruction projects in Iraq. Although delay factors have been studied in many countries and contexts, little data exists from countries under the conditions characterizing Iraq during the last 10-15 years. A case study approach was used, with thirty construction projects of different types and sizes selected from the Baghdad region. Project data was gathered from a survey which was used to build statistical relationships between time and cost delay ratios and delay factors in post disaster projects. The most important delay factors identified were contractor failure, redesigning of designs/plans and change orders, security is
... Show Morehemorrhagic fever (VHF), one of which is Filoviridae. The Filoviridae family includes the Ebola virus , is responsible for the current VHF outbreak in West Africa. Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) occur in various regions around the world, yet traditional diagnostic testing for these diseases has typically been conducted in major reference laboratories located in Europe and the United States. In this review, we explore the current understanding of the mechanisms driving the pathogenesis of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) and examine the progress in developing preventive and therapeutic strategies for these infections.