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.
This article aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of intellectual capital research published in the Scopus database from 1956 to 2020 to trace the development of scientific activities that can pave the way for future studies by shedding light on the gaps in the field. The analysis focuses on 638 intellectual capital-related papers published in the Scopus database over 60 years, drawing upon a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer. This paper highlights the mainstream of the current research in the intellectual capital field, based on the Scopus database, by presenting a detailed bibliometric analysis of the trend and development of intellectual capital research in the past six decades, including journals, authors, countries, inst
... Show MoreThe research aims to show the possibility of adopting the market approach to measure the fair value of biological assets in Iraq, by applying to a sample of the company listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange, where the Middle East Fish Production and Marketing Company was selected from among 7 companies representing the agricultural sector in Iraq, and according to the availability of data and for five years, the financial statements were presented of the measurement and disclosure of biological assets at fair value according to the market approach, One of the most important conclusions reached by the researcher is the The possibility of measuring and disclosing biological assets at fair value according to the market approach in the Ira
... Show MoreThe research aims to find out the impact of wages and benefits systems on the performance of employees, which included the research community on a sample of employees in the company, and the sample consisted of (50) employees and an employee, A questionnaire composed as prepared (23) paragraph, use the promised statistically methods in data collected by the questionnaire analysis. The research reached a number of results, the most prominent of which were: There is a correlation between wage systems, benefits and performance of employees, and the presence of the impact of the systems of wages and benefits to the performance of employees. The research was presented a set of recommendations including: increasing the effectiveness of
... Show MoreBackground: Orthodontic mini-implants are increasingly used in orthodontics and the bone density is a very important factor in stabilization and success of mini-implant. The aim of this study was to observe the relationship among maximum bite force (MBF); body mass index (BMI); face width, height and type; and bone density in an attempt to predict bone density from these variables to eliminate the need for CT scan which have a highly hazard on patient. Materials and Methods: Computed tomographic (CT) images were obtained for 70 patients (24 males and 46 females) with age range 18-30 years. The maxillary and mandibular buccal cortical and cancellous bone densities were measured between 2nd premolar and 1st molar at two levels from the alveol
... Show MoreThe research aims to identify the impact of the merger of the companies affiliated to the Ministry of Industry and Minerals on their financial profitability since the companies before the merger suffered a rise in losses and the deficit reached very high levels that affected its overall performance and even on the morale of workers as losses are increasing and solutions Efficiency is absent. The problem stems from knowing the impact of the merger on the profitability ratios of the companies. The research field was represented by the companies affiliated to the Ministry of Industry and Minerals (21) companies, while the research sample reached (6) companies after the merger (14) companies before the merger, was based on data The f
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