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.
Iraqi bentonite is used as main material for preparing ceramic samples with the additions of alumina and magnesia. X-ray diffractions analyses were carried out for the raw material at room temperature. The sequence of mineral phase's transformations of the bentonite for temperatures 1000 ,1100 ,1200 and 1250 ºC reflects that it finally transformed in to mullite 39.18% and cristobalite 62.82%. Samples of different weight constituent were prepared. The effect of its constitutional change reveals through its heat treatments at 1000,1100,1200,1250and 1300ºC .The samples of additions less than 15% of alumina and magnesia could not stand up to 1300ºC while the samples of addition more than 15% are stable .That is shown by analy
... Show MoreBy unusual method for separating two isomers of a substituted nitro-coumarin using a soxhlet extractor and in controlling temperature to get a selective nitration reaction, several new Schiff base coumarins were synthesized from nitro coumarins as starting material, which were reduced by Fe in glacial acetic acid to produce corresponding amino coumarin derivatives. Then the latter was reacted with different aromatic aldehydes to produce the desired Schiff bases derivatives. After characterization by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) and Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (C-NMR), all these compounds were evaluated as potential Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Agents.
Text Clustering consists of grouping objects of similar categories. The initial centroids influence operation of the system with the potential to become trapped in local optima. The second issue pertains to the impact of a huge number of features on the determination of optimal initial centroids. The problem of dimensionality may be reduced by feature selection. Therefore, Wind Driven Optimization (WDO) was employed as Feature Selection to reduce the unimportant words from the text. In addition, the current study has integrated a novel clustering optimization technique called the WDO (Wasp Swarm Optimization) to effectively determine the most suitable initial centroids. The result showed the new meta-heuristic which is WDO was employed as t
... Show MoreThe pandemic SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmittable with its proliferation among nations. This study aims to design and exploring the efficacy of novel nirmatrelvir derivatives as SARS entry inhibitors by adapting a molecular modeling approach combined with theoretical design. The study focuses on the preparation of these derivatives and understanding their effectiveness, with a special focus on their binding affinity to the S protein, which is pivotal for the virus’s access to the host cell. Considering molecular docking aspects in the scope of a study on nirmatrelvir derivatives and S protein, dynamics simulations with 25 nanoseconds of their binding are explored. The study shows that these derivatives might work as effective antivi
... Show MoreZinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were synthesized through the hydrothermal method at various conditions growth times (6,7 and 8 hrs.) and a growth temperature (70, 90, and 100 ºC). The prepared ZnO nanostructure samples were described using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer to distinguish their surface morphologies and crystal structures. The ZnO samples were confirmed to have the same crystal type, with different densities and dimensions (diameter and length). The obtained ZnO nanostructures were used to manufacture gas sensors for NO2 gas detection. Sensing characteristics for the fabricated sensor to NO2 gas were examined at different operating temperatures (180, 200, 220, and 240) ºC with a low gas concentrati
... Show MoreJoseph Curtis wrote in his book (Introduction to Semiotics narrative and rhetoric) on the development of a semiotic project in exploring the meaning of communion. The book is rich in theoretical and analytical benefits both in the approach of texts and in the pursuit of letters in search of mechanisms of scriptural and scriptural generation and mechanics in narrative production, especially as the book offers exercises that help to assess the distance separating the narrative spread from the sin of the text, for the semiotics, Refers to the theoretical developments of the science of relations, through the combination of conventional definitions and the representative and comparative limitations, to provide an approach to the application o
... Show MoreThe essence of the new work in the satellite TV channels is to provide news coverage of news that will inform the people of what is going on around them in order to increase their political, social, economic and cultural awareness and this drives them to take positions or certain behaviors on according to what the communicator in these channels wants. News and news reports are generally used as a psychological variable to influence public opinion and does not offer interestingness and information. Therefore, satellite TV channels have assumed special attention towards their correspondents desiring to achieve scoop in news coverage and to have the final word in reading events and install it
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