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.
Biped robots have gained much attention for decades. A variety of researches have been conducted to make them able to assist or even substitute for humans in performing special tasks. In addition, studying biped robots is important in order to understand human locomotion and to develop and improve control strategies for prosthetic and orthotic limbs. This paper discusses the main challenges encountered in the design of biped robots, such as modeling, stability and their walking patterns. The subject is difficult to deal with because the biped mechanism intervenes with mechanics, control, electronics and artificial intelligence. In this paper, we collect and introduce a systematic discussion of modelin
In this review, previous studies on the synthesis and characterization of the metal Complexes with paracetamol by elemental analysis, thermal analysis, (IR, NMR and UV-Vis (spectroscopy and conductivity. In reviewing these studies, the authors found that paracetamol can be coordinated through the pair of electrons on the hydroxyl O-atom, carbonyl O-atom, and N-atom of the amide group. If the paracetamol was a monodentate ligand, it will be coordinated by one of the following atoms O-hydroxyl, O-carbonyl or N-amide. But if the paracetamol was bidentate, it is coordinated by atoms (O-carbonyl and N-amide), (O-hydroxyl and N-amide) or (O-carbonyl and O-hydroxyl). The authors also found that free paracetamol and its complexes have antimicrobial
... Show MoreThe problem of research is that there are ways to protect and sustain environmentally important sites in Iraq. There are no documentary sources for these sites, such as the natural landscape of natural and important natural resources, which suffer from severe environmental neglect
The application of the test case prioritization method is a key part of system testing intended to think it through and sort out the issues early in the development stage. Traditional prioritization techniques frequently fail to take into account the complexities of big-scale test suites, growing systems and time constraints, therefore cannot fully fix this problem. The proposed study here will deal with a meta-heuristic hybrid method that focuses on addressing the challenges of the modern time. The strategy utilizes genetic algorithms alongside a black hole as a means to create a smooth tradeoff between exploring numerous possibilities and exploiting the best one. The proposed hybrid algorithm of genetic black hole (HGBH) uses the
... Show MoreObjective: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between caries related microorganisms in children’s saliva, such as Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli, and their demographic factors. Methods: This study involved a sample of 135, both sexes with an age range between 3 and 10 years. Unstimulated saliva was obtained and diluted in normal saline. Saliva was then placed in selective media. Salivaris agar was used for mutans streptococci while Rogosa agar for lactobacilli. After incubation, Streptococcus mutans counting of CFU (colony forming units) with morphology characterization and numbers of CFU per milliliter of saliva for lactobacilli. Demographic factors information was collected using a questionnaire.
... Show MoreThe term "nano gold," also known as "gold nanoparticles," is commonly used. These particles are extremely small, with a diameter of less than 100 nm, which is only a fraction of the width of a human hair. Due to their tiny size, nano gold particles are often found in a colloidal solution, where they are suspended in a liquid stabilizer. This colloidal gold is essentially another name for nano gold. The main method for producing gold nanoparticles in a colloidal solution is the citrate synthesis technique, which involves combining different solutions to precipitate the gold nanoparticles. In biological systems, copper complexes play a significant role at the active sites of many metalloproteins. These complexes have potential applications in
... Show MoreChronic myeloid leukemia (CML), is one of the myeloproliferative disorders with a characteristic cytogenetic abnormality resulting in the BCR-ABL fusion gene. Imatinib Mesylate is an effective agent for treating patients in all stages of CML. According to the annual Iraqi cancer registry 2019, the total number of chronic myeloproliferative disorders was 338. The percentage and incidence rates were 0.94% and 0.86%, respectively, with a higher incidence rate in males than females (1.12 in males and 0.60 in females). In this registry, no details about CML, so this study aimed to estimate the number of CML patients who attended the national center of hematology from 2005 until 2020 and investigate their epidemiological and clinic-pathol
... Show MoreThe research problem is to determine the nature of the historical relationship between the profession of social work and volunteer work. Consequently, the research aims to investigate the nature of this relationship from a socio-historical perspective. Three axes have been used to analyze this relationship: the role of voluntary work in the development of the social work as a profession, the efforts made by social work to reach professionism and to distinguish it from voluntary work, and the relationship between social work and voluntary work. The research is qualitative analytical research and adopts the Mixed Methods Research (MMR). It identifies some literature for the analysis and implementation of a scoping process. It represents a
... Show MoreThe experiment was aimed to evaluate a locally manufactured a dual-action device used for measuring feed pellets durability. The device performs dropping process in conventional devices, then sifting process to separate the pellets from the crumbles simultaneously, with a control the motor speed by using the pulse width modulation (PWM) Technique. The device performance was compared with the durability measuring device of a moving drop box. Rotational speed, diameter of the die holes of the machine was used in this study. The results showed that increasing the rotational speed of the die from 280 to 300 and to 320 rpm, increasing the die holes diameter from 3 to 4 and to 5 mm, led to
This research provides a new method to study praise poetry that can be used as a course to teach English and Arabic to students in the College of Education. This research answers two questions: Is it possible to examine praise poetry as a tagmeme? Is this analysis of great help in teaching English and Arabic to students in the College of Education? The data that will be chosen for the purpose of analysis are two of Shakespeare's sonnets and two of AL Mulik's poems. The sonnets selected for this purpose are 17 and 18. AL Mulik's poems selected for the same purpose are 8 and 9. Each line in both English and Arabic data is numbered by the researcher herself. Then, those lines are grouped into sentences to facilitat
... Show More