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 growing ability of Television to transfer and present events as they occur and sometimes transfer events alive makes it the most important sources to receive news and find out what is going on in the world. These channels form the importance of multiple sources and displayed content, especially news. What adds to the importance of the research is that the people under study are Iraqi professors
The problem of the study is represented by an essential inquiry about the favorite satellite channels to obtain news for Iraqi professors
The aims of the study are identified by finding out the most favorite satellite channels as a source of news for Iraqi professors and the habits of exposer to the news by them
The research is a des
Background: Difficulties arise when attempting to imagine the interpupillary line and comparing it with the Fox plane guide and not more difficult than holding any instrument over the movable pupils just to demonstrate the interpupillary line. The aim of this study was to introduce ear lobes as alternative landmarks for the interpupillary line during orientation of the occlusal plane. Also, the other aim was to compare the ear lobes with the pupils of the eyes to verify that they were indifferent as anatomical landmarks. Materials & methods: The alternative landmarks, ear lobes, were presented and the method for orienting the occlusal plane with these landmarks was introduced. Digital pictures of 30 subjects, who participated in the study,
... Show MoreA sensitive and accurate colorimetric method was developed for the determination of the Sitagliptin phosphate monohydrate, here and after will be named Sitagliptin, in its pure and pharmaceutical form. The suggested approach is based on boosting the sensitivity of the traditional spectrometric methods by derivatizing Sitagliptin into a colored product that absorbs the visible spectrum at 573 nm. The proposed method has effectively improved the sensitivity and the limit of detection for the analysis of Sitagliptin. A linear calibration curve was obtained over the concentration range of 0.1-10 μg/ml with a correlation coefficient of 0.9983. The calculated recovery was within the range of 98.98–100.11%. While the limit of detection LOD and
... Show MoreThis paper provides the result of an investigation to use of crushed clay brick as
aggregates in producing concrete. Eight different crushed clay brick aggregate concretes were
used in this investigation. Compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and pulse velocity of
crushed clay brick aggregates concrete were determined and compare to natural aggregate
concrete. The compressive strength of crushed clay brick aggregates concretes were always
lower than the compressive strength of natural aggregates concrete regardless the age of
concrete, but the crushed clay brick aggregates concrete showed better performance as the age of
concrete increases and average reduction in compressive strength were 33.5% at the age
Polyaniline organic Semiconductor polymer thin films have been prepared by oxidative polymerization at room temperature, this polymer was deposited on glass substrate with thickness 900nm, FTIR spectra was tested , the structural,optical and electrical properties were studied through XRD ,UV-Vis ,IR measurements ,the results was appeared that polymer thin film sensing to NH3 gas.
Copper indium disulphide, CuInS2, is a promising absorber material for thin film photovoltaic which has recently attracted considerable attention due to its suitability to reach high efficiency solar cells by using low cost techniques. In this work CuInS2 thin films have been deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis onto glass substrates at ambient atmosphere, using different [Cu]/[In] ratio in the aqueous solutions at substrate temperature 3000C
and different annealing temperatures . Structural and optical properties of CIS films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and optical spectroscopy. Sprayed CIS films are polycrystalline with a chalcopyrite structure with a preferential orientation along the 112 direction and no remains of oxides
The research aims to explore the difficulties that encounter teaching geography of cities as perceived by female students. A total of (113) third stage female students / Geography Dept / college of education for women were chosen as a sample for the study. To collect the required data, a questionnaire was used as an instrument; it consisted of six parts represent teaching difficulties. It was a three-point Likert scale instrument with 1 signifying ‘main difficulty, 2 ‘sub-difficulty, and 3 ‘no difficult'. The difficulties organized in descend order, to analyze data, SPSS tool was used. The results revealed that the difficulties of content ranged (2.15-1.18), difficulties of education techniques ranged (2.47-2.04), difficulties of t
... Show MoreThe measurements of major and trace elements in different brands of milk powder selected from the Iraqis market via the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) Technique have been studied in the present work. The result of the measurements reveals the high concentrations of sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Furthermore, low concentrations of aluminum, silicon, iron, bromine, molybdenum, iodine, barium, titanium, manganese, cobalt, chrome, nickel, copper, zinc and lead were detected. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) and Kjeldahl technique were also employed to determine the concentrations of nitrogen. It was found that the nitrogen concentration was in the range of (1.96 - 3.23) % which is within the permissible li
... Show MoreAbstract
The study discussed three areas in strategic thinking, namely, (patterns elements, outcomes) , this study aimed to measure extent to which strategic leaders have the type or types of patterns of strategic thinking, and measure the extent of their use of the elements of strategic thinking, and measurement of strategic thinking outcomes for managers at various levels , And to know the relationship between the modes of strategic thinking, elements and outcomes in organizations. the study included five banks and four hospitals and four colleges and universities, has been a research sample consisted of 168 individuals, distributed in positions (Director General , Director of Directorate , Director of
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