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.
Background: Joubert syndrome (JS) is a very rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by agenesis of cerebellar vermis, abnormal eye movements, respiratory irregularities, and delayed generalized motor development. Retinal dystrophy and cystic kidneys may also be associated with this clinical syndrome. The importance of recognizing JS is related to the outcome and its potential complications. This syndrome is difficult to diagnose clinically because of its variable phenotype. Its neuroimaging hallmarks include the characteristic molar tooth sign and bat wing-shaped fourth ventricle
The increasing requirement and use of dental implant treatments has rendered dental implantology indispensable in dentistry. The aim of this study is to determine the optimum concentration of calcium silicate to be incorporated into a polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) matrix used as an implant material to enhance the bioactivity and mechanical properties of the composite compared with unmodified PEKK. In this study, different weight percentage (wt%) of micro-calcium silicate (m-CS) is incorporated into PEKK with ethanol as a binder. Subsequently, the mixture is dried in a forced convection oven at 120°C and poured into customized molds to fabricate a bioactive composite via compression molding (310°C, 15 MPa, and 20 min holding time
... Show MoreAn excellent reputation earned by initiating and practicing sustainable business practices has additional benefits, of which are reducing environmental incidents and an improvement in operational efficiency as this has the potential to help firms improve on productivity and bring down operating costs. Taken further, with ever-increasing socially and environmentally-conscious investors and the public alike, this act of natural resources management could have a significant implication on market value and income of the practicing firms.
The above proposition has been supported by sustainable business practices literature that is continuously conversing and deliberating upon the impact of efficient resource d
... Show MoreCredit card fraud has become an increasing problem due to the growing reliance on electronic payment systems and technological advances that have improved fraud techniques. Numerous financial institutions are looking for the best ways to leverage technological advancements to provide better services to their end users, and researchers used various protection methods to provide security and privacy for credit cards. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the challenges and the proposed solutions to address them. This review provides an overview of the most recent research on the detection of fraudulent credit card transactions to protect those transactions from tampering or improper use, which includes imbalance classes, c
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Today, the financial and banking sector is witnessing a qualitative shift thanks to financial technology services, which provide their services to many individuals and companies in quick, easy and less expensive ways compared to traditional means. Financial technology is a new form of financial science that combines financial transactions and technological skills concerned with providing financial services and improving the work environment within Banking institutions, and financial technology provides many advantages such as lower transaction costs, instant payment, and saving more time and effort in conducting banking
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