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.
لم تولد الجماهيرية العالية للسينما من فراغ، إنّما تحققت من إيمان المتلقي العميق، بأن الفيلم أبعد من محاولة للترفيه، فالسينما هي فلسفة العصر، التي تتناول القضايا المهمة لتقدمها عبر حكايتها مؤطّرة بمنطق محدّد ومدفوعة ببناء عاطفي مؤثر، يهيئ المتلقي للاهتمام بهذه القضايا واستيعابها، والتغير المناخي واحد من أهم المواضيع التي بدأت السينما في الحقبة السابقة بتبنيها وتقديمها ضمن بنى حكائية تزيد من وعي المتل
... Show MoreBackground: Patients who have both neurological impairment and kyphotic deformity can be treated medically, and this treatment can be achieved with anti-tuberculous drugs alone.
Objective: To evaluate conservative medical management of patients with tuberculosis of the spine (Pott disease). The prognostic significance of various clinical, radiological, and long-term follow-up findings in these patients was also evaluated.
Methods: Between January 2009 and January 2018 data were collected prospectively at The Neurosciences Hospital/ Baghdad/ Iraq in 44 patients with Pott disease in the thoracic and lumbar spine. These patients had no major neurological deficits or
... Show MoreMetronidazole therapy is recommended in the treatment of giardiasis,athough some clinical reports mention the resistance to this drug from many pathogens. Many studies were applied to show the effect of probiotic to prevent or to heal diseases of gastrointestine, but only few is known about probiotic activity against infections of protozoa. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of Bifidobacterium against infection with Giardia lamblia in experimental mice. It was found that daily application of viable Bifidobacterium cells with a single dose (0.1ml∕mice∕day) significantly reduced the shedding of Giardia lamblia parasite cysts in feces, and infection completely disappeared at the da
... Show MorePersistence of antibiotics in the aquatic environment has raised concerns regarding their potential influence on potable water quality and human health. This study analyzes the presence of antibiotics in potable water from two treatment plants in Baghdad City. The collected samples were separated using a solid-phase extraction method with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) cartridge before being analyzed. The detected antibiotics in the raw and finished drinking water were analyzed and assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with fluorometric detector and UV detector. The results confirmed that different antibiotics including fluoroquinolones and
Abstract
The present research paper provides an analysis of Thomas Dekker’s
exaltation of the figure of the Babylonian woman as a tragic heroine in his dramatic
art. The paper falls into two sections. The first section outlines the deliberate
mispresentation of the figure of the Babylonian woman in the Bible and the
misreading of that figure. The second section reveals Dekker’s rectification of the
distorted image of the Babylonian woman, whom he defends and glorifies as a
heroine and a victim of misinterpretation and conspiracy.
Iraq's oil industry has been passed in different periods , began with domination of Western companies to invest in Iraqi oil at twenties of the last century , through the process of nationalization of the shares of those companies , beginning of the seventies , and ending with the new policies adopted by the government recently, which was contracting with international companies to develop the oil industry , because of what the outcome of the oil industry from a decline in artistic and physical ability as a result to the conditions of war and embargo imposed on Iraq before 2003.
The Iraqi government has introduced licensing of a contract to
... Show MoreThis review investigates the practice and influence of chatbots and ChatGPT as employable tools in writing for scientific academic purposes. A primary collection of 150 articles was gathered from academic databases, but it was systematically chosen and refined to include 30 studies that focused on the use of ChatGPT and chatbot technology in academic writing contexts. Chatbots and ChatGPT in writing enhancement, support for student learning at higher education institutions, scientific and medical writing, and the evolution of research and academic publishing are some of the topics covered in the reviewed literature. The review finds these tools helpful, with their greatest advantages being in areas such as structuring writings, gram
... Show MoreBioavailability is the objective for an optimum formulation. The target of the analysis is to maximize both the fluidity and disintegration profile of class II weakly compounds that are water-soluble. Anti-dyslipidemia drug rosuvastatin calcium (RC) (bioavailability 20%) through formulating as nanofibers (NFs) using electrospinning (ES) technology. Twenty formulas were prepared, and different polymers and polymer combinations with various concentrations were used such as polyethylene oxide (PEO) polyvinyl pyrrolidine (PVPK-30), and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). Three distinct groups of maximum parameters, including polymeric solution, electrospinning method, and ambient parameter, are capable of influencing the creation alon
... Show MoreBackground: Pelvic masses are common in women & can present at any age of woman life, it could be benign or malignant mass and may originate from gynecological organs like cervix, uterus, uterine adnexia, or from other pelvic organs like intestine, bladder, ureters, skeletal muscle, and bone.Objective: We attempted to determine the increasing of platelet counts(> 450.000 /micro liter) and CA125serum level (> 35 U/mL) as useful tools for predicting and confirming malignancy in gynecological pelvic mass.Patients and methods: A prospective unmatched hospital based case-control study carried out at Baghdad Teaching Hospital, about 126 women were enrolled in our study, divided into two groups 60 women were control group (free o
... Show MoreThe purpose of this study was to develop poloxamer-based in-situ gel of chloramphenicol aiming to increase bioavailability and prolong corneal contact time, controlling drug release, and enhancing ocular bioavailability. The in-situ gel was prepared using different concentrations of poloxamer 407 combined with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) or carbapol 940 to achieve gelation temperature about physiological temperature and improve rheological behavior and gelling properties of poloxamer gel. The prepared formulations were evaluated for their appearance, pH, and sol-gel transition temperature. The formulations F2, F3, and F5 have a gelation temperature within the accepted range 35-370C an
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