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: Atherosclerosis is a diffuse disease process, being present in one vascular bed predicts its presence in the others. Ankle –brachial pressure index (ABI) is a non invasive test proved to be sensitive and specific in detecting and assessing the severity of peripheral arterial disease.
Patients and Methods: One hundred fifty patients (150) were enrolled in this study, from January - June 2007; all were referred to the Iraqi Centre for Heart Diseases (I.C.H.D.) for further evaluation, with request for further assessment of CAD or lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. Clinical data and physical examination were performed; ABI was calculated by measurement of systolic pressure on both ankl
Abstract
The pressures of life have become a tangible phenomenon in all societies in varying degrees. This disparity determines several factors, including the nature of societies, the level of their urbanization, the intensity of interaction, the intensity of conflict, and the increasing rate of change in those societies. many people name The modern era in which we live the “era of pressures", where one of the most important of these changes is the “new Coronavirus 19-COVID”, which has spread widely throughout the world, as the pandemic, has affected all aspects of daily life, including the educational and academic process, academic activities have been suspended in universities, which caused sudden change
... Show MorePM3 and DFT quantum mechanical calculations were employed to give further
insight into the inhibition efficiency of the newly prepared cefotaxime amic acid
derivative. The calculated physical properties and quantum chemical parameters
correlated to the inhibition efficiency such as EHOMO (highest occupied molecular
orbital energy), ELUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy), the energy gap
(ΔE(HOMO-LUMO)), hardness (η), softness (S), dipole moment (μ), electron affinity
(EA), ionization potential (IE) and active site absorption..…etc., all studied and
discussed at equilibrium geometry in the gas phase and at its right symmetry (C1).
Experimentally the newly prepared cefotaxime derivative could be abso
The radio drama is considered to be one of the arts that is discovered after a long period of theater's discovery. Initially , it was the broad framework of the theater's work when radio was broadcasting the shows on the huge theaters. This beginning encouraged many of the radio specialists to correlate plays with radio and make a novice and distinctive type of art. Thus, radio drama made its first step including the following ( plays, short and long series drama as well as other types of radio arts). Because of the above mentioned , the researcher is stimulating to study directing techniques to process the radio drama script ( Khata'a play as a sample).
The first chapter deals with the
... Show MoreSummary:
Background: life threating fungel disease is now a frequent substantial of the immunocomprimised host population . Candida infection has raised throughout the era of antibiotics & immunosuppressive chemotherapy.
Aim of study : to highlight the need for alternative immunprophlactic tool .Therefore the need to develop prophylactic or therapeutic immunolglobulin against candidacies Materials & Methods: 12.5 mg/ml. of Candida albicans proteinase enzyme was injected S/C into a group of five rabbits weighing 3 Kg. with complete Freund's adjuvant. Antisera was collected from the animals after 28 days . 0.2 ml of this antisera given l/V into two group of rabbits ; followed by 0.1 ml of the antiserum one of thses groups as
The aim of this work is the synthesis of new grafted PVA polymer with a derivative of Erythro-ascorbic acid (pentulosono-ɣ -lactone-2, 3-enedianisoate). All synthesized compounds were characterized by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and FTIR spectra and aldehyde was also characterized by (U.V-Vis), 1HNMR, 13CNMR and mass spectra. They were also evaluated for antimicrobial properties by dilute method against four pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli ,Klebsiella pneumonae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus Albus) and two fungal (Aspergillus Niger, Yeast). All polymer metal complexes showed good activities against the various microbial isolates. The polymer metal complexes showed higher activity than the free polymer. The order of increa
... Show MoreSolvent- free thermal heating, one-pot condensation of acetophenone, ethyl cyanoacetate or malononitrle and substituted Aromatic aldehyde, ammonium acetate give, 2oxo-3-cyano-4-substituted Aryl-6-phenyl pyridine [I]a-h , or 2-amino-3-cyano-4-substituted Aryl-6-phenyl pyridine derivatives[II]a-f , respectively. Treatment of compounds 2-oxo-3-cyano-4-substituted Aryl-6-phenyl pyridine with phosphorous penta sulphide (P2S5), give 2-thioxo-3-cyano-4-substituted Aryl-6-phenyl pyridine derivatives[III]a-c . All prepared compounds
... Show MoreCoating materials have an extraordinarily high use, for industrial or technical applications. This study compares the effect of short glass and polypropylene fibers on the hardness, water absorption and anti-bacterial activity of acrylic composites against Gram positive (Streptococcus sp.) and Gram negative bacteria (E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella sp.).To prepare acrylic polymer and acryliccomposites (glass fibers and polypropylene fiber) the weight fraction (20 %,) (v0= lama acrylic, v1= lama acrylic/ glass fiber, and v2= lama acrylic /poly propylene fiber), of chopped glass fibers and polypropylene were added to acrylic , the resultant solution was stirred by hand for 5 minutes, using the Hand-lay-up technique.
Results s