Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune vesiculobullous mucocutaneous disease with life-threatening consequences. Rituximab (RTX) has recently emerged as an effective treatment for PV. Objectives: This study aims to determine changes in neutrophil and platelet counts for PV patients treated with RTX or corticosteroids combined with Imuran (azathioprine). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology at Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Thirty PV patients received two types of treatment: 15 patients were administered RTX and 15 patients took corticosteroids with Imuran (azathioprine). Neutrophil and platelet counts were detected at the hospital laboratory. Results: The age range of PV patients was 27–67 years, and the mean ±SD was 44.866 ± 10.979 years for the patient group treated with RTX and 44.133 ± 11.519 for the patient group treated with corticosteroids and Imuran. In patients treated with RTX, 26.6% were males and 73.33% were females, with a female-to-male ratio of 2.75:1. In patients treated with corticosteroids with Imuran, 40% were males and 60% were females, with a female-to-male ratio of 1.5:1. The results revealed that among patients treated with RTX, 30% of them had mucocutaneous lesions, 6.66% had oral lesions, and 13.33% had cutaneous lesions. Among the other groups treated with corticosteroids and Imuran, 23.33% had mucocutaneous lesions, 13.33% had oral lesions, and 13.33% had cutaneous lesions. Among the patients treated with RTX, 53.33% had normal range of neutrophil count, while 46.6% had neutrophil count above the NR, while in patients treated with corticosteroids and Imuran, 40% had a normal range and 60% had above the normal range. Conclusion: RTX was a more effective treatment compared to corticosteroids with Imuran because no patient remained in an active state during this study. PV was prevalent in females aged 40 years with mucocutaneous lesions.
This study is aimed to use the aerobic packed bed in biotreatment of the wastewater which is discharge from AL-KARAMA teaching hospital in Baghdad. The performance of packed-bed treatment method was examined for elimination of the organic compounds from wastewater under aerobic conditions. In this research different parameters were studied. They were: inoculums concentration, circulation rate of wastewater through the bed, packing type and the temperature. Results showed that the system efficiently removed about 82% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 80% of the Biological oxygen demand (BOD). Percent reduction in turbidity was about 92% and reduction in nitrate concentration was about 87%. It was found that best performance of the pack
... Show MoreThe purpose of this study was to examine the association of oral administration of Carbamazepine during pregnancy and the histological changes in the ovaries of mice. Timed-pregnant mice were divided into experimental and control groups. 60 mice in the experimental group received daily oral of 15 mg/kg of carbamazepine via intragastric tube on gestational days 0 to 18. 20 mice were used as control group. They received normal saline via the same route. Dams underwent laparotomy on pregnancy days 13, 15, and 18 and the ovaries were collected. Routine histological processing of the ovaries histology of paraffin sections stained with haemotoxylin and eosin, were conducted. The ovary under the effect of the drug, there was signs of degeneration
... Show MoreThe research is concerned about studying the absorption spectrum of the solution coumarin dye C47. The chloroform solvent was used with C47 dye in three different concentrations 10-4, 10-5 and 10-6 M. The laser dye solution was prepared by dissolving the required amount of dye in chloroform alcohol, while studying absorption spectrum before and after irradiation with gamma ray by cobalt-60 source 60Co at exposure time, which are 0, 4, 6 and 18 hours with different absorbed doses 0, 136, 204 and 612 Gy. The results show that red shift in the absorption spectrum was increased by increasing the concentration of laser dye solutions , while the increase of gamma dose led to increase the red shift after irradiation, as the exposure period and irr
... Show MorePurpose To extract the lower anterior teeth, the oral surgeon needs to anesthetize the pulpal tissue of the accused tooth and the surrounding tissues. The lingual nerve innervates the lingual soft tissue to the lower teeth, this nerve usually anesthetized alongside the inferior alveolar nerve by a block technique. However, the lingual tissue of the lower anterior teeth usually anesthetized by either infiltration or periodontal ligament injection (PDL) techniques. This study was intended to compare between these two techniques. Methods Forty-eight teeth were extracted from 24 patients. Non-adjacent two lower anterior teeth in the same patient were selected. The lingual soft tissue in one of them was anesthetized by PDL injection technique wh
... Show MoreLittoral and benthic invertebrates from Roundwood Reservoir System were sampled. Oligochaetes and molluscs were the dominant organisms in the littoral and benthic areas Trichopterans and chironomids were the most abundant insect groups. Scuba diving samples reinforced that view. Other groups of macroinvertebrates were poorly represented. Vertical and horizontal hauls of zooplankton revealed that there were twelve species of zooplankton present. Daphnia hyalina Leydig and Bosmina coregoni Baird were the two dominant species.
BACKGROUND: Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) is mostly an inherited trait and is not an uncommon problem. Prevalence of CVD differs among different ethnic and geographic properties of the population that affect their genetic constitution. Ishihara plates remain an internationally accepted tool for screening red-green CVD. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of red-green CVD among adult males from Baghdad province. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One thousand and five (1005) adult males were enrolled in this study, using a systematic sampling technique, and were screened for CVD utilizing 24-plate Ishihara plates and re-tested by EnChroma 39-Color plates. All males were residing in Baghdad and the center of Iraq. RESULTS: Among all tested males, 948 r
... Show MoreRandom throwing of industrial waste has a significant impact on the environment unless it takes into account the conditions of engineered destroying and/or re-used. Taking the advantage of re-using waste materials in engineering projects represents a well-planned project in order to resolve a lot of engineering problems for some difficult soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capability and effects of Rubber Shreds (RS) from scrap torn belts towards improving the shear strength of soft clay. A direct shear tests were conducted on soft clay-RS mixture. The following parameters were investigated to study the influence of RS content, water content, normal stress, and dilation ratio. From experimental test results it was fou
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