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 lower respiratory tract of sheep was studied to determine the torsion and branching of the bronchial tree. The respiratory system of ruminants and all living organisms is one of the most important organs in the body that controls the amount of gas exchange between the heart and lungs through the airways, it is clear that in sheep it consists of a narrow bronchial tube that reaches the extent of lung tissue repercussions. He used silicon, water, acid, and at room temperature, and the substance was injected with an injection gun through the trachea and was pushed gently to spread and distribute in all parts of the lungs with moderate manual pressure. The results showed that the mold shape in the lung and the bronchial branches of
... Show MoreA paraffin wax and copper foam matrix were used as a thermal energy storage material in the double passes air solar chimney (SC) collector to get ventilation effect through daytime and after sunset. Air SC collector was installed in the south wall of an insulated test room and tested with different working angles (30o, 45o and 60o). Different SC types were used; single pass, double passes flat plate collector and double pass thermal energy storage box collector (TESB). A computational model based on the finite volume method for transient tw dimensional domains was carried out to describe the heat transfer and storage in the thermal energy storage material of collector. Also, equivalent specific heat metho
... Show Moreحضرت معقدات كل من الفنادايل, الخارصين, النحاس والكادميوم بتكافؤهم الثنائي والذهب بتكافؤه الثلاثي بأستخدام صبغة ازوجديدة (6،4،2-ثلاثي هيدروكسي-3-((3-هيدروكسي فنيل) ثنائي زينيل ) فنيل ) ايثان-1-اون المحضرة من ملح الديازونيوم مع ٦,٤,٢- ثلاثي هيدروكسي اسيتوفينون بعد عزل (E)-1-(2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-((3-hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl)phenyl)ethan-1-one تم تشخيصها بواسطة الطرق الطيفية المتاحة والتقنيات التشخيصية لكل من التحليل الدقيق للعناصرواطياف كل من ال
... Show MoreLanguage always conveys ideologies that represent an essential aspect of the world we live in. The beliefs and opinions of an individual or community can be organized, interacted with, and negotiated via the use of language. Recent researches have paid attention to bullying as a social issue. They have focused on the psychological aspect of bullying rather than the linguistic one. To bridge this gap, the current study is intended to investigate the ideology of bullying from a critical stylistic perspective. The researchers adopt Jeffries' (2010) critical stylistics model to analyze the data which is five extracts taken from Hunt’s Fish in a Tree (2015). The analysis demonstrates
... Show MoreTwo simple methods for the determination of eugenol were developed. The first depends on the oxidative coupling of eugenol with p-amino-N,N-dimethylaniline (PADA) in the presence of K3[Fe(CN)6]. A linear regression calibration plot for eugenol was constructed at 600 nm, within a concentration range of 0.25-2.50 μg.mL–1 and a correlation coefficient (r) value of 0.9988. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were 0.086 and 0.284 μg.mL–1, respectively. The second method is based on the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of the derivatized oxidative coupling product of eugenol with PADA. Under the optimized extraction procedure, the extracted colored product was determined spectrophotometrically at 618 nm. A l
... Show MoreThe interplay of species in a polluted environment is one of the most critical aspects of the ecosystem. This paper explores the dynamics of the two-species Lokta–Volterra competition model. According to the type I functional response, one species is affected by environmental pollution. Whilst the other degrades the toxin according to the type II functional response. All equilibrium points of the system are located, with their local and global stability being assessed. A numerical simulation examination is carried out to confirm the theoretical results. These results illustrate that competition and pollution can significantly change the coexistence and extinction of each species.
Fallacies are incorrect reasoning that make an argument seem less logically credible and easier to be identified as unsound. They are widespread; individuals commit them while engaging in various activities, including at work, at home, while creating advertisements, and in the media. This study aims to investigate the rhetorical strategies accompanied with producing the fallacious arguments selected from the American Film “12 Angry Men (1957)”. The study adopts Damer’s (2009) model for the identification of fallacy. As for rhetorical analysis, the study adopts Aristotle’s triangle of rhetoric and McGuigan’s (2007) taxonomy of rhetorical devices. The results uncover that the most violated criteria are relevance, acceptabili
... Show MoreThe present study investigated the use of pretreated fish bone (PTFB) as a new surface, natural waste and low-cost adsorbent for the adsorption of Methyl green (MG, as model toxic basic dye) from aqueous solutions. The functional groups and surface morphology of the untreated fish bone (FB) and pretreated fish bone were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS),respectively. The effect of operating parameters including contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, temperature, and inorganic salt was evaluated. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherm models were studied and the results showed that the adsorption of basic dye followed Freundlich iso
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