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 aim of present study is to determine the optimum parameters of friction stir welding process and known the most important parameter along with percentage contribution of each parameter which effect on tensile strength and joint efficiency of FS welded joint of dissimilar aluminum alloys AA2024-T3 and AA7075-T73 of 3 mm thick plates by applied specific number of experiments using Taguchi method .AA2024 was placed on the advancing side and AA7075 on the retreating side. FSW was achieved under three different rotation speeds (898, 1200 and 1710) rpm, three different welding speeds (20, 45 and 69) mm\min , three different pin profiles (cylindrical, threaded cylindrical and cone) and tool tilt angle 2◦. Taguchi method w
... Show MoreThe two-neutron halo-nuclei (17B, 11Li, 8He) was investigated using a two-body nucleon density distribution (2BNDD) with two frequency shell model (TFSM). The structure of valence two-neutron of 17B nucleus in a pure (1d5/2) state and in a pure (1p1/2) state for 11L and 8He nuclei. For our tested nucleus, an efficient (2BNDD's) operator for point nucleon system folded with two-body correlation operator's functions was used to investigate nuclear matter density distributions, root-mean square (rms) radii, and elastic electron scattering form factors. In the nucleon-nucleon forces the correlation took account of
... Show MoreГоды, принадлежащие концу XIX – началу XX столетия, вошли в русскую литературу под красивым названием Серебряный век. В это время в стране появился целый ряд выдающихся поэтов, имена которых навсегда останутся в русской и мировой литературе. Это Ахматова, Гумилев, Блок, Маяковский и многие другие. Все эти люди творили в нелегкое для России время. Началом Серебряного века условно считают 189
... Show MoreThe data preprocessing step is an important step in web usage mining because of the nature of log data, which are heterogeneous, unstructured, and noisy. Given the scalability and efficiency of algorithms in pattern discovery, a preprocessing step must be applied. In this study, the sequential methodologies utilized in the preprocessing of data from web server logs, with an emphasis on sub-phases, such as session identification, user identification, and data cleansing, are comprehensively evaluated and meticulously examined.
In this work, ZnS thin films have been deposited by developed laser deposition technique on glass substrates at room temperature. After deposition process, the films were annealed at different temperatures (200ºC , 300 ºC and 400ºC ) using thermal furnace.The developed technique was used to obtain homogeneous thin films of ZnS depending on vaporization of this semiconductor material by continuous CO2 laser with a simple fan to ensure obtaining homogeneous films. ZnS thin films were annealed at temperature 200ºC, 300 ºC and 400ºC for (20) minute in vacuum environment. Optical properties of ZnS thin film such as absorbance, transmittance, reflectance, optical band gap, refractive index extinction coefficient and absorption coefficien
... Show MoreIt is the grace of God and his grace that he accepts repentance for his slaves, forgives their bad deeds in return for their misfortune, or offers them a good deed, but pardons many of them for free. Therefore, it is not long for God Almighty to forgive His mercy for many of His slaves and bring them to Paradise with no punishment or punishment, even if they have committed some sins, because of the multitude of their favorable navigational disadvantages, or even without gratitude thanks to him and him. With all this, some have overlooked the old and new on these things and amazed at the hadeeth ((God may have seen the people of the full moon and said do what you want, I have forgiven you)). Therefore, the scholars tried to answer some of
... Show MoreThe effect of 410nm with 100 mW output power and one centimetre spot size (0.128 W/cm2 power density) Diode laser irradiation at different exposure times on the growth of Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus was evaluated. Seventy swap samples were collected from burn and infected wounds of 35 patients admitted to the burn-wound unit in Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital in Baghdad during the period from December 2014 to February 2015. These bacteria were isolated and identified depending on their growth on selective media, cultural characteristics, Gram stain morphology and biochemical tests and finally were confirmed by Vitek 2 compact system test .Susceptibility of bacterial isolates to 15antibiotics
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is to identify the impact of the dimensions of the European Excellence Model in evaluating the performance of the bank of the research sample, as well as to interpret which dimensions are more important to the banks of the research sample. Based on the dimensions of this model, the United Bank for Investment and Finance has chosen a research community, and has met with officials of the United Bank for Investment and Finance at various administrative levels to measure the practices of excellence management in the European model, and the analytical approach has been the case study and the construction of the checklist as a tool to collect information. The research has reached the most important results There is a discr
... Show MoreThe study aims to identify the metamemory and perceptual speed among College students, the correlation between metamemory and perceptual speed among College students, and to which extend does metamemory contribute to perceptual speed among College students. The sample consisted of group of students were selected randomly by the researcher from five-different disciplines at the college of education for pure sciences. To collect study data, the researcher utilized two scales: perceptual speed scale that has translated to Arabic language by (Al-Shraqawi, Al- Shaikh, and Nadia Abed Al-Salam (1993). The second scale is metamemory scale (2002) which has translated to Arabic by Abu Ghazal (2007). The results revealed that college students have
... Show More