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.
A new series of Sulfamethoxazole derivatives was prepared and examined for antifibrinolytic and antimicrobial activities. Sulfamethoxazole derivatives bear heterocyclic moieties such as 1,3,4-thiadiazine {3}, pyrazolidine-3,5-diol {4} 6-hydroxy-1,3,4-thiadiazinane-2-thione {5} and [(3-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)diazenyl] {8}. Their structures were elucidated by spectral methods (FT-IR, H1-NMR). Physical properties are also determined for all compound derivatives. Recently prepared compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity in the laboratory. Each screened compound showed good tendency to moderate antimicrobial activity.
The research dealt with the effect of Kut Barrage on the geomorphological processes and the natural environment system in the course of the Tigris between the cities of Al-Ahrar and Kut in central Iraq. It was clear from the research the contribution of Kut Barrage in changing the surface runoff system between the front and back of the barrage, as well as changing the type of processes and the prevailing geomorphic forms, as the sedimentation activates the front of the barrage and erosion at its back, which affected the change in the morphology of the river, sediment retention at the front of the barrage, the burial of the bottom and reducing the validity of the stream. This also affects the efficiency of the barrage’s work and coastal er
... Show MoreThe snthesis and characterization of cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes of azo ligand 4-[(5-acetyl-2-aminophenyl)- diazenyl]-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one derived from 4-aminoantipyrine and 4-aminoacetophenone are reported. The nature of the compounds have been studied followed by mole ratio and methods of continuous contrast, Beer′s law followed during a condensation rate (1 × 10-4 – 3 × 10-4 M). The analytical data showed that all the complexes are in 1:2 metal-ligand ratio. An octahedral geometry have been suggested for all the compounds and biological studies of all the complexes were evaluated against different types of antimicrobial strains.
A fast moving infrared excess source (G2) which is widely interpreted as a core-less gas and dust cloud approaches Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) on a presumably elliptical orbit. VLT
This research focuses on the epidemic of Job burnout and seeks to achieve sustainable preeminence among the employees of the University of Baghdad. It also identifies the meaning of the differences between the two genders of males and females according to the variables, and it also does the correlation between the two variables. First, the two researchers developed a test of job burnout that incorporates 18 items, which has been proven to be statistically fit. Moreover, they developed a competitive superiority measure consisting of 22 items in it, and its psychometric properties confirm their fit. The two tools were applied to a sample of 120 employees who were randomly selected from six colleges at the University of Baghdad, alongside univ
... Show MoreA tunable band pass filter based on fiber Bragg grating sensor using an in-fiber Mach-Zender interferometer with dual micro-cavities is presented. The micro-cavity was formed by splicing together a conventional single-mode fiber and a solid core photonic crystal fiber (SCPCF) with simple arc discharge technique. Different parameters such as arc power, length of the SCPCF and the overlap gap between samples were considered to control the fabrication process. The ellipsoidal air-cavity between the two fibers forms Fabry-Perot cavity. The diffraction loss was very low due to short cavity length. Ellipsoidal shape micro-cavities were experimentally achieved parallel to the propagation axis having dimensions of (24.92 – 62.32) μm of width
... Show MoreThe researcher is one of the workers in university sports student activities, as he noticed that there is a diversity in the use of leadership patterns among managers of student activities in Iraqi universities between one director and another, which leads to the impact of these leadership styles on performance, positive or negative, in the level of human relations and the achievement of results. The researcher adopted the descriptive method in the survey method with relational relationships. The research sample consisted of (184) sports coaches who represent (27) universities and governmental and private colleges. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (Spss). To extract.statisti
... Show MoreNowadays nanoparticles are used in many fields of life all over the world, and there are numerous ways to obtain them: chemical, physical and biological processes. In recent times, the biological method for the synthesis of nanoparticles associated with using plant extract is widely spread. Optimal conditions for synthesis of silver nanoparticles using aqueous seeds extract of Myristica fragrance were highlighted in this research, such as type of plant extract, weight of extracted plant material, volume ratio of plant extract to AgNO3 and temperature of reaction. The study proved that the optimal status for AgNPs synthesis by using 10 g of M. fragrance seeds powder were added to 100 mL boiled distilled water, then homogenized and filt
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