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 today's world, the science of bioinformatics is developing rapidly, especially with regard to the analysis and study of biological networks. Scientists have used various nature-inspired algorithms to find protein complexes in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. These networks help scientists guess the molecular function of unknown proteins and show how cells work regularly. It is very common in PPI networks for a protein to participate in multiple functions and belong to many complexes, and as a result, complexes may overlap in the PPI networks. However, developing an efficient and reliable method to address the problem of detecting overlapping protein complexes remains a challenge since it is considered a complex and har
... Show MoreInformativity, being an essential component of text/discourse, plays a significant role in highlighting the intended meaning and finally contributes to the overall process of rendering a text cross-culturally. It has, however, been overlooked by translators in doing their jobs. In poetic translation, informativity plays a particularly significant role as it sheds light on the ungraspable traits of meaning.
This study tries to explore this aspect in a translation of Emily Dickenson's Slant of Lights to see where the translator fell short in this aspect with attempts to produce an alternative translation taking into consideration the various orders of informativity. For this purpose, a model of informativity is forwarded t
... Show MoreBrowse Iraqi academic journals and research papers
Background: To assess the alveolar bone crest level (ABCL) by Cone Beam Computed To-mography (CBCT) and to investigate several variables as predictors for the height of the alveolar bone in adolescents. Materials and methods: Age, sex, and ethnic groups were rec-orded for each patient. CBCT images were used to obtain measurements of the interproximal alveolar bone level from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar crest. The highest measurement in each sextant was recorded along with any presence of a vertical bone defect or calculus. Results: Total of 720 measurements were recorded for 120 subjects. No vertical bony defects or calculus were observed radiographically. Statistically significant (P< 0.05) differences were observed be
... Show MoreThis paper presents a robust algorithm for the assessment of risk priority for medical equipment based on the calculation of static and dynamic risk factors and Kohnen Self Organization Maps (SOM). Four risk parameters have been calculated for 345 medical devices in two general hospitals in Baghdad. Static risk factor components (equipment function and physical risk) and dynamics risk components (maintenance requirements and risk points) have been calculated. These risk components are used as an input to the unsupervised Kohonen self organization maps. The accuracy of the network was found to be equal to 98% for the proposed system. We conclude that the proposed model gives fast and accurate assessment for risk priority and it works as p
... Show MoreThe corrosion inhibition effect of a new furan derivative (furan-2-ylmethyl sulfanyl acetic acid furan-2-ylmethylenehydrazide) on mild steel in 1.0 M HCl was investigated using corrosion potential (ECORR) and potentiodynamic polarization. The obtained results indicated that the new furan derivative (furan-2-ylmethyl sulfanyl acetic acid furan-2-ylmethylenehydrazide) (FSFD) has a promising inhibitive effects on the corrosion of mild steel in 1.0 M HCl across all of the conditions examined. The density functional theory (DFT) study was performed on the new furan derivative (FSFD) at the B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) basis set level to explore the relation between their inhibition efficiency and molecular electro
Problem Statement: Despite the critical role of arm movement in freestyle swimming, many learners— specially female students at Baghdad University's College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences— face difficulties executing the pushing phase of the stroke correctly. This phase essential for generating propulsion and maintaining body coordination in water. Traditional teaching methods lack immediate feedback on the quality and force of arm movements, impeding effective motor learning and coordination. Approach: the researchers developed a custom-made device designed to measure the pressure force exerted by the palms during freestyle swimming. The device features pressure sensors attached both hands, a processor that analyzes the colle
... Show MoreNonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a group of Iraqi obese children attending children welfare teaching hospital