Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a collection of chronic, recurrent inflammatory illnesses of the gastrointestinal system, including Crohn's disease (CD). Infliximab is one of the biological medications used to treat CD. Therapeutic drug monitoring has evolved as a treatment in IBD, aiming to optimize benefit while meeting more demanding, objective end criteria. Objective: To determine the achievement of target trough level (TL), develop anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) to infliximab, assess response to therapy, and study TL relations with different variables. Methods: The present study was cross-sectional and conducted from May 2022 to November 2022. It included 40 CD patients allotted into 2 groups: group 1 patients achieved the TL target, and group 2 patients did not achieve the TL target. Results: Twenty-two patients achieved target TL, while 18 patients did not. Dose escalation is recommended for 11 patients, switching therapy for 15 patients, and continuing the same dosage regimen for 14 patients. In addition, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, serum calprotectin and ADAs were significantly lower in patients who achieved target infliximab TL. Only serum calprotectin can be used to predict the achievement of the target TL of infliximab. Conclusions: Therapeutic drug monitoring of infliximab to determine the TL and ADAs can help to explain why some patients do not respond to this drug. Serum calprotectin may be used as a novel marker to predict the TL and response to infliximab.
This study was focused on biotreatment of soil which polluted by petroleum compounds (Diesel) which caused serious environmental problems. One of the most effective and promising ways to treat diesel-contaminated soil is bioremediation. It is a choice that offers the potential to destroy harmful pollutants using biological activity. The capability of mixed bacterial culture was examined to remediate the diesel-contaminated soil in bio piling system. For fast ex-situ treatment of diesel-contaminated soils, the bio pile system was selected. Two pilot scale bio piles (25 kg soil each) were constructed containing soils contaminated with approximately 2140 mg/kg total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). The amended soil:
... Show MoreThe communication networks (mobile phone networks, social media platforms) produce digital traces from their usages. This type of information help to understand and analyze the human mobility in very accurate way. By these analyzes over cities, it can give powerful data on daily citizen activities, urban planners have in that way, relevant indications for decision making on design and development. As well as, the Call detail Records (CDRs) provides valuable spatiotemporal data at the level of citywide or even nationwide. The CDRs could be analyzed to extract the life patterns and individuals mobility in an observed urban area and during ephemeral events. Whereas, their analysis gives conceptual views about human density and mobility pattern
... Show MoreThe aim of the current research is to measure the sense of coherence among individuals with physical disabilities. The researcher adopted a scale of (29) paragraphs spread over three domains designed by Antonovski (1993) to measure the sense of coherence. A sample of (210) disabled individuals was chosen randomly to collect the required data. The data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The result showed a lack of sense of coherence among the sample.
Most of the recent works related to the construction industry in Iraq are focused on investigating the validity of local raw materials as alternatives to the imported materials necessary for some practical applications, especially in thermal and sound insulation. This investigation includes the use of limestone dust as partial substitution of cement in combination with foam agent and silica fume to produce sustainable Lightweight Foam Concrete (LWFC). This study consists of two stages. In the first stage, trial mixes were performed to find the optimum dosage of foam agent. Limestone dust was used as a partial replacement for cement. Chemical analysis and fineness showed great similarity with cement. Many concrete mixes were prepared
... Show MoreThe thermal performance of three solar collectors with 3, 6 mm and without perforation absorber plate was assessed experimentally. The experimental tests were implemented in Baghdad during the January and February 2017. Five values of airflow rates range between 0.01 – 0.1 m3/s were used through the test with a constant airflow rate during the test day. The variation of the following parameters air temperature difference, useful energy, absorber plate temperature, and collector efficiency was recorded every 15 minutes. The experimental data reports that the increases the number of absorber plate perforations with a small diameter is more efficient rather than increasing the hole diameter of the absorber plate with decr
... Show MoreThe study focused on examining the behavior of six concrete beams that were reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars to evaluate their performance in terms of their load-carrying capacity, deflection, and other mechanical properties. The experimental investigation would provide insights into the feasibility and effectiveness of GFRP bars as an alternative to traditional reinforcement materials like steel bars in concrete structures. The GFRP bars were used in both the longitudinal and transverse directions. Each beam in the study shared the following specifications: an overall length of 2,400 mm, a clear span of 2,100 mm, and a rectangular cross-section measuring
The N-[(2,3-dioxoindolin-1-yl)-N-methylbenzamide] was prepared by the reaction of acetanilide with isatin then in presence of added paraformaldehyde, the prepared ligand was identified by microelemental analysis, FT.IR and UV-Vis spectroscopic techniques. Treatment of the prepared ligand with the following selected metal ions (CoII, NiII, CuII and ZnII) in aqueous ethanol with a 1:2 M:L ratio, yielded a series of complexes of the general formula [M(L)2Cl2]. The prepared complexes were characterized using flame atomic absorption, (C.H.N) analysis, FT.IR and UV-Vis spectroscopic methods as well as magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements. Chloride ion content was also evaluated by (Mohr method). From the obtained data the octahed
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