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.
During the 1970s, communicative view of language teaching began to be incorporated into syllabus design. The central question for the proponents of this view was: what does the learner want/need to do with the target language? This lead to the emergence of a teaching method (or approach) called communicative language teaching (CLT) during the late 1970s and early 1980s focusing on the functions that must be incorporated into a classroom. According to Brown (2001:43) CLT is a unified but broadly based, theoretically well informed set of tenets about the nature of language and of language learning and teaching. Harmer (2001:84) states that the communicative approach is the name which was given to a set of beliefs which included not only a
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Central banks seek to control and supervise credit and follow it up effectively due to the high credit risks surrounding it that may lead to damage to banks, and may even lead to damage to the reputation and confidence of the banking system as a whole.
The main role of supervisory control is to control credit by controlling it from excessive expansion during periods of economic inflation or its revitalization and improvement and expansion of credit transactions in cases of economic recession, or when central banks desire to support the national economy or support a sector of various
... Show MoreThe aim of this research is to apply the concept of total value management to improve the process design of producing the toothpaste in Al Mammon factory one of the in the general company of food industry. The concept of total value management is concerning with achieve more than one values which are important for the customers as these values are related to the customers satisfaction. The research problem is that the factory did not measure the effectiveness of process design as this company has weakness in analyzing this effectiveness in synchronies with total value management. On the other side, the company did not give more attention to the cost of products and selling prices within the value cost/ profit which is one of the
... Show MoreObjectives: The study aimed to evaluate health behavior, evaluate Health Action Process Approach, determine the effectiveness of the Health Action Process Approach based the application of program on students’ engaging in regular physical exercise.
Methodology: The research design for this study was a quasi-experimental. The study sample included high school male students, the final sample size was(160 ) Non-probability sampling (convenience sample) are chosen, (80) students study group and (80) students control group.
Results: The results show there was no statistically significant difference in the HAPA constructs among family's socioeconomic class groups and less tha
... Show MoreAbstract Liver cancer with hepatocellular carcinoma a serious clinical illness that progresses quickly and has a bad prognosis because to increased malignancy. Fibrosis is the precursor of liver cancer, which progresses to cirrhosis and carcinoma Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is a chemical molecule that has been used as a carcinogenic agent to promote cancer in test animals because of its strong carcinogenic potential. Herbal plants have long been used as inexpensive, effective alternatives to pharmaceuticals in various liver-associated complications, since they contain many bioactive compounds useful in liver disorders. Hibiscus tiliaceus L. (Malvaceae) contain various phytochemicals in the plant extracts such as Flavonoids, phe
... Show MoreChronic periodontitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease affecting tooth supporting structures in response to bacterial dental plaque causing irreversible tissue destruction. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an effective mediator in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Polymorphisms in the COX-2 gene may contribute to its overexpression and increased disease susceptibility. To evaluate the association between -1195 A/G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promotor area of the cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) gene and severity of chronic periodontitis in a sample of Iraqi population. -1195A/ G COX-2 SNP was investigated in 70 chronic periodontitis (CP) cases and 30 healthy controls. CP cases composed of 2 subgroups (35 moderate CP cases and 35 severe CP
... Show MoreThe research aimed at designing a rehabilitation program using electric stimulation for rehabilitating knee joint working muscles as a result of ACL tear using an apparatus developed by the researchers that stimulate the muscle vibration and work as well as the ability to rehabilitate the join in shorter periods. In addition to that, it aimed at identifying the effect of this program on rehabilitating the knee joint working muscles. The researchers used the experimental method on Baghdad clubs’ players who suffer from complete knee joint ACL tear aged (19 – 24) years old. The results showed that the training program developed the working muscles significantly achieving normal levels of activity.
The research aimed to determine the role of the agricultural extension in educating farmers about the legislation on the protection of the rural environment from pollution with chemical pesticides working in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Training and the Department of Agricultural Extension in the directorates of agriculture of Najaf and Qadisiyah, and to determine the role of the agricultural extension in the axis of farmers' use of the correct methods to protect the rural environment from pollution with chemical pesticides and the axis of the reasons that lead farmers to pollute the rural environment with chemical pesticides, and to achieve the objectives of this research prepared A questionnaire in the light of rev
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