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 corrosion inhibiting properties of the new furan derivative 5-(furan-2-ylmethylsulfonyl-4-phenyl-2,4- dihydro [1,2,4] triazole-3-thione in acidic solution (1.0 M HCl) were explored utilizing electrochemical, surface morphology (AFM), and quantum chemical calculations approaches. The novel furan derivative 5-(furan-2-ylmethylsulfonyl-4-phenyl-2,4- dihydro [1,2,4] triazole-3-thione shows with an inhibitory efficiency value of 99.4 percent at 150 ppm, carbon steel corrosion in acidic medium is effectively inhibited, according to the results. The influence of temperature on corrosion prevention was studied using adsorption parameters and activation thermodynamics. The novel furan derivative creates a protective layer over the metallic surfa
... Show MoreReaxys Chemistry database information SciVal Topics Metrics Abstract A novel CoO–ZnO nanocomposite was synthesized by the photo irradiation method using a solution of cobalt and zinc complexes and used as a coating applied by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) for corrosion protection of stainless steel (SS) in saline solution. The samples were characterized using powder XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical polarization. It was also found that the coating was still stable after conducting the corrosion test: it contained no cracks and CoO–ZnO nanocomposites clearly appeared on the surface. SEM showed that the significant surface cracking disappeared. XRD confirmed that CoO–ZnO nanocomposites comprised CoO and Zn
... Show MoreWith the increasing use of antibiotics around the world, the study and appreciation of antibiotics has become essential. An antibiotic formulation may include one or added active ingredients depending on the type and method of manufacturing the antibiotic. Antibiotics can only combat diseases of bacterial origin. As for viral diseases such as the common cold and influenza, antibiotics will not be able to combat them. The objective of this review is to digest the literature related to estimation of antibiotics and to show the methods that have been used in the estimation of the antibiotics (amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalothin, carbenicillin, and cefotaxime) in medicinal preparations and a biological fluid for example blood
... Show MoreThree new hydrazone derivatives of Etodolac were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity by using egg white induced paw edema method. All the synthesized target compounds were characterized by CHN- microanalysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, and 1HNMR analysis. The synthesis of the target (P1-P3) compounds was accomplished following multistep reaction procedures. The synthesized target compounds were found to be active in reducing paw edema thickness and their anti-inflammatory effect was comparable to that of the standard (Etodolac).
This study focuses on the impact of technology on creating a dystopian world as presented by the English playwright Caryl Churchill in her play A Number (2002). This dramatic work came as a reaction to the most crucial and valuable turning point in the scientific achievements of human engineering, namely, the cloning of the sheep called Dolly. Therefore, A Number is a play that presents an analytical stage for imagining the biotechnological and scientific future. This dramatic vignette captures the playwright’s fears towards the abnormal progress of technology and science and how far such technological progress affects human relationships and identity. It also portrays how technological progress results in the feeling of a lack of
... Show MoreThe present study attempts to examine verbal/nonverbal impoliteness in the classroom interaction and outside it in one of the movies, namely, The Marva Collins. Impoliteness, which is significantly studied within pragmatics, is a negative attitude towards particular behaviors. It always presumes to have emotional concerns for at least one participant who has caused it. This study is an attempt to examine verbal/nonverbal impoliteness in The Marva Collins movie. The study aims to investigate the different types of impoliteness strategies used in the four selected scenes and find out whether the speaker’s status has anything to do with the types of impoliteness. Besides, the functions performed are also examined by following a qual
... Show MoreAmongst the literary writers who used their art to direct the attention towards the issue of woman and her rights in a proper life is the English poet and novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), who has been praised for his “openness to the feminine principle” 1 as Irving Howe put it. Hardy’s wide readings have changed his way of dealing with and thinking about so many critical issues which started to float on the surface of the English society during the mid and late of the 19th century. His readings for a number of writers, who seem of huge impact on his writings as he later admits that – “[his] pages show harmony of view with
... Show MoreCompetitive advantage is a substantial strategic objective for organizations. It requires high levels in the quality of products and services provided to customers, continuous improvement of costing , care for creativity and innovative employees, and speed unique to the marketing and financial engineering, and business re-engineering processes. The situation in this area, requires actors to attract and develop human resources, including help in proper implementation of the strategic tasks that targeted by those institutions. According to the opinions and viewpoints of management scholars, the competitive advantage resource is the most important issue for organizations in the third millennium, which can be a
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