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 proposal of nonlinear models is one of the most important methods in time series analysis, which has a wide potential for predicting various phenomena, including physical, engineering and economic, by studying the characteristics of random disturbances in order to arrive at accurate predictions.
In this, the autoregressive model with exogenous variable was built using a threshold as the first method, using two proposed approaches that were used to determine the best cutting point of [the predictability forward (forecasting) and the predictability in the time series (prediction), through the threshold point indicator]. B-J seasonal models are used as a second method based on the principle of the two proposed approaches in dete
... Show MoreObjectives: Determine the age and gender distribution of children who experience diabetes mellitus (DM) under
the age of 15 years and the presence of some associated factors that might be a predisposing factor for the
disease including obesity.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at diabetic clinic in Children Welfare Teaching Hospital
in Baghdad City during 2006. The study sample included diabetic children less than 15 years of age. Data were
taken from the patients' record and by direct interview with the patients' parents. Information included
demographic data, as well as past history of the patient and his/her family relative to diabetes and other immune
diseases.
Results: Data analysis showed t
This study aims to know how and what is the media processing presented by the television talk shows for the religious extremism topics in terms of topics, hosted personalities, and ways to address this global phenomenon.
The study is based on descriptive research, and the researcher used the analytical-survey method, analyzing the episodes of (Awkar Al Dhalam) T.V Show which was presented on Al-Iraqiya News Channel, and (Islam Hur) T.V Show which was presented on Al-Hurra in 2019 with 25 episodes from each Show, The sample and research community was chosen with the intent to cover the research problem and its
The study reached several conclusions, including:
- The various dialogs in the episo
‘Ode to a Nightingale’(1819) is a typical poem of a Romantic poet like John Keats, but
‘The Nightingale’(1798) is an uncharacteristic poem of a Romantic poet like Coleridge.
The paper proposes a comparison between Coleridge’s ‘The Nightingale’ and Keats’
‘Ode to a Nightingale’.Coleridge’s poem diverges from the Romantic norm; it carries some
characteristics new to Romantic poetry like the realistic and objective portrayals of nature and
the nightingale, while Keats’ poem adhere to the characteristics of Romantic poetry; it
portrays nature and the nightingale subjectively and unrealistically. Coleridge’s poem is very
much influenced by the scientific approaches to environment, and natural his
Introduction/Aim. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in pediatric population and adolescents. Limited data is available on the characteristics of RMS in Iraqi pediatric patients. The aim of the study was to examine the clinical and histological aspects of RMS in Iraqi children, with a focus on their response to treatment, prognosis, and survival. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Oncology Unit of Children's Welfare Teaching Hospital, Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq and included patients who were newly diagnosed with RMS and received treatment during the period between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019. The patients were followed up from the time of diagnosis until October 1, 2020.
... Show MoreCD40 is a type 1 transmembrane protein composed of 277 amino acids, and it belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily. It is expressed in a variety of cell types, including normal B cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and endothelial cells, as a costimulatory molecule. This study aims to summarize the CD40 polymorphism effect and its susceptibility to immune-related disorders. The CD40 gene polymorphisms showed a significant association with different immune-related disorders and act as a risk factor for increased susceptibility to these diseases.
Abstract Software-Defined Networking (commonly referred to as SDN) is a newer paradigm that develops the concept of a software-driven network by separating data and control planes. It can handle the traditional network problems. However, this excellent architecture is subjected to various security threats. One of these issues is the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which is difficult to contain in this kind of software-based network. Several security solutions have been proposed recently to secure SDN against DDoS attacks. This paper aims to analyze and discuss machine learning-based systems for SDN security networks from DDoS attack. The results have indicated that the algorithms for machine learning can be used to detect DDoS
... Show MoreBackground: Osteoid osteoma(OO) is a relatively common benign skeletal neoplasm of unknown etiology that is composed of osteoid and woven bone, usually seen in adolescent and young males Although, the clinical, radiological and scintigraphic features of OO have been well described, these features may be misleading or altered in the cases of lesser trochanter of the femur which is relatively uncommon location for OO with a few number of cases reported up to date. Case Presentation: We report a case of a 20-year-old man who presented with painful limpThe pain had begun six months earlier and was made worse by walking and by exercise., with normal initial X-rays .The diagnosis was made after six months when typical Computed tomography, magneti
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