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 study involved preparing a new compound by combining Schiff bases generated from compounds for antipyrine, including lanthanide ions (lanthanum, neodymium, erbium, gadolinium, and dysprosium). The preparation of the ligand from condensation reactions (4-antipyrinecarboxaldehyde with ethylene di-amine) at room temperature, and was characterization using spectroscopic and analytical studies ( FT-IR, UV-visible spectra, 1H-NMR, mass spectrometry, (C.H.N.O), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), in addition to the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurement of the synthesis complexes, among the results we obtained from the tests, we showed that the ligand behaves with the (triple Valence) lanthanide ions, the multidentate
... Show MoreBackground: The mechanical properties of 3D-printed denture base resins are crucial factors for determining the quality and performance of dentures inside a patient’s mouth. Tensile strength and diametral compressive strength are two properties that could play significant roles in assessing the suitability of a material. Although they measure different aspects of material behavior, a conceptual link exists between them in terms of overall material strength and resilience. Aim: This study aims to investigate the correlation between tensile strength and diametral compressive strength after incorporating 2% ZrO2 nanoparticles (NPs) by weight into 3D-printed denture base resin. Methods: A total of 40 specimens (20 dumbbell-shaped and
... Show MoreThis study expands the state of the art in studies that assess torsional retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) multi-cell box girders with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. The torsional behavior of non-damaged and pre-damaged RC multi-cell box girder specimens externally retrofitted by CFRP strips was investigated through a series of laboratory experiments. It was found that retrofitting the pre-damaged specimens with CFRP strips increased the ultimate torsional capacity by more than 50% as compared to the un-damaged specimens subjected to equivalent retrofitting. This indicated that the retrofit has been less effective for the girder specimen that did not develop distortion beforehand as a result of pre-loading. From
... Show MoreThin films of (CdO)x (CuO)1-x (where x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) were prepared by the pulsed laser deposition. The CuO addition caused an increase in diffraction peaks intensity at (111) and a decrease in diffraction peaks intensity at (200). As CuO content increases, the band gap increases to a maximum of 3.51 eV, maximum resistivity of 8.251x 104 Ω.cm with mobility of 199.5 cm2 / V.s, when x= 0.5. The results show that the conductivity is ntype when x value was changed in the range (0 to 0.4) but further addition of CuO converted the samples to p-type.
Background: Large amounts of oily wastewater and its derivatives are discharged annually from several industries to the environment. Objective: The present study aims to investigate the ability to remove oil content and turbidity from real oily wastewater discharged from the wet oil's unit (West Qurna 1-Crude Oil Location/ Basra-Iraq) by using an innovated electrocoagulation reactor containing concentric aluminum tubes in a monopolar mode. Methods: The influences of the operational variables (current density (1.77-7.07 mA/cm2) and electrolysis time (10-40 min)) were studied using response surface methodology (RSM) and Minitab-17 statistical program. The agitation speed was taken as 200 rpm. Energy and electrodes consumption had been studi
... Show MoreNew series of 4,4'-((2-(Aryl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-1,3(2H)-diyl)bis(methylene))Diphenol(3a-g) was successfully synthesized from cyclization of the reduction product of bis Schiff bases (2) with aryl aldehydes bearing phenolic hydroxyl in the presence of acetic acid. The structure of these compounds was identified from FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and EIMs. The Antioxidant capability was screened by DPPH and FRAP assays. Both assays showed antioxidant capability more than BHT as well. Compounds 3b and 3c showed antioxidant capacity slightly less than ascorbic acid. The docking study for theses compound was carried out as III DNA polymerase inhibitor. The results of docking demonstrated that the increase in hinderances around phenolic hydr
... Show MoreSteel-concrete-steel (SCS) structural element solutions are rising due to their advantages over conventional reinforced concrete in terms of cost and strength. The impact of SCS sections with various core materials on the structural performance of composites has not yet been fully explored experimentally, and in this work, both slag and polypropylene fibers were incorporated in producing eco-friendly steel-concrete-steel composite sections. This study examined the ductility, ultimate strength, failure modes, and energy absorption capacities of steel-concrete-steel filled with eco-friendly concrete, enhanced by polypropylene fiber (PPF) to understand its impact on modern structural projects. Eco-friendly concrete was produced by the partial
... Show MoreExperimental measurements were done for characterizing current-voltage and power-voltage of two types of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules; monocrystalline silicon (mc-Si) and copper indium gallium di-selenide (CIGS). The conversion efficiency depends on many factors, such as irradiation and temperature. The assembling measures as a rule cause contrast in electrical boundaries, even in cells of a similar kind. Additionally, if the misfortunes because of cell associations in a module are considered, it is hard to track down two indistinguishable photovoltaic modules. This way, just the I-V, and P-V bends' trial estimation permit knowing the electrical boundaries of a photovoltaic gadget with accuracy. This measure
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