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.
This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of different techniques for extraction and purification of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). An isolate of the virus free of possible contamination with other viruses infecting the same host and transmitted by the same vector Bemisia tabaci Genn. was obtained. This was realized by indicator plants and incubation period in the vector. Results obtained revealed that the virus infect Nicotiana glutinosa without visible symptoms, while Nicotiana tabaccum var. White Burley was not susceptible to the virus. The incubation period of the virus in the vector was found to be 21 hrs. These results indicate that the virus is TYLCV. Results showed that Butanol was more effective in clarification the
... Show MoreThis paper aims to propose a hybrid approach of two powerful methods, namely the differential transform and finite difference methods, to obtain the solution of the coupled Whitham-Broer-Kaup-Like equations which arises in shallow-water wave theory. The capability of the method to such problems is verified by taking different parameters and initial conditions. The numerical simulations are depicted in 2D and 3D graphs. It is shown that the used approach returns accurate solutions for this type of problems in comparison with the analytic ones.
This study was conducted in the poultry field of the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad for the period from 10/15/2021 to 11/25/2021 in order to show the effect of adding different levels of Ganoderma lucidum to broiler diets on microbial and immunological In it, 200 unsexed (Ross 308) chicks of one day old breed were used, with a starting weight of (40) g. The chicks were distributed and randomly divided into four treatments with 50 birds for each treatment. One treatment included five replicates (10 birds/repeat) and the experiment treatments were T1, T2, and T3, T4 and the percentages of adding reishi mushrooms 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 g/kg of feed respectively, and the birds were fed for the duration of the exper
... Show MoreBackground: Acute radiodermatitis is a common side effect during and after radiotherapy course in breast cancer patients treated by radiotherapy. This study assess the frequency of acute radiodermatitis and record the predictive factors for acute radiodermatitis. Patients and Methods: A descriptive case series study conducted at Baghdad, Iraq from August 2020 to September 2021. 70 female scheduled for radiotherapy sessions enrolled in this study. sociodemographic data were recorded and Skin examination before radiotherapy and weekly till the end of the radiotherapy sessions was done to report the frequency, risk factors, clinical picture and grades of acute radiodermatitis based on The National Cancer Institute’s Common Terminology Crite
... Show MoreComplexes of (Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+ and Hg2+) with the ligand Ethyl cyano (2-methyl carboxylate phenyl azo acetate) (ECA) have been prepared and characterized by FTIR, (UV-Visible), Atomic absorption spectroscopy, Molar conductivity measurements and magnetic moments measurements. The following general formula has been suggested for the prepared complexes [M(ECA)2]Cl2 where M = (Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ ,Zn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+) and the geometry is octahedral.
In the present article, mixed ligand metal (II) complexes have been synthesized with Schiff base (1E, 5Z, 6E)-1,7 bis (4-hydroxy-3- methoxyphenyl)-5-(3-hydroxyphenyl) imino) hepta-1,6-dien-3-one derived from Curcumin and 3-aminophenol as primary ligand and L-dopa as a secondary ligand. The Schiff base act as bidentate and arrange to the metals through the azomethine (C=N) nitrogen and (C=O) oxygen atom. The mode of bonding of the Schiff base has been affirmed on the infrared by the UV-Visible, 1H, and 13C NMR spectroscopic techniques. The magnetic susceptibility and the UV-Vis data of the complexes propose octahedral geometry around the central metal ion. The information appears that the complexes have the structure of [L-M-(L-dopa)] system
... Show MoreWe study in this paper the composition operator that is induced by ?(z) = sz + t. We give a characterization of the adjoint of composiotion operators generated by self-maps of the unit ball of form ?(z) = sz + t for which |s|?1, |t|<1 and |s|+|t|?1. In fact we prove that the adjoint is a product of toeplitz operators and composition operator. Also, we have studied the compactness of C? and give some other partial results.
This work studies the impact of input machining parameters of Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) on the machining process performance. Tool steel O1 was selected as the workpiece material, copper as the electrode material, and kerosene as the dielectric medium. Experimental runs have been carried out with a Design of Experiment (DOE) technique. Twenty tests are accomplished with the current range of (18 to 24 Ampere), a pulse duration range of (150 to 200 µs), and a pulse-off time range of (25 to 75 µs). Based upon the experimental study's output results, the EDM parameter's effect (voltage of power supply, discharge current, pulse duration, and pulse pause interval) on the responses of the process represented by sur
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