Background: Rituximab is a chimeric IgG1 kappa immunoglobulin that has been genetically modified to incorporate human constant region sequences together with murine light- and heavy-chain variable region sequences. People use it to treat rheumatoid arthritis and certain malignancies. Objective: The study aimed to assess the potential association between the serum levels of Factor I, CD59, interleukins (IL)-6, and interferon-gamma (IFN)-γ and the response to Rituximab treatment in Iraqi rheumatoid arthritis patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the rheumatology center at Baghdad Teaching Hospital. Ninety adult patients who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and are receiving Rituximab intravenous infusions were included. The enrolled patients were divided into a responder group (45 patients) and a non-responder group (45 patients). The response to Rituximab was assessed according to the 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28). Results: The serum levels of Factor I and CD59 were significantly higher in the non-responders group in comparison to the responders group. In addition, the serum IL-6 and IFN-γ levels were significantly elevated in the non-responders group in comparison to the responders group. The estimated marker serum levels showed a strong, significant correlation with the 6-month change in DAS28. Conclusions: In Rituximab nonresponder RA patients, serum levels of Factor I, CD59, Factor H, IL-6, and IFN-γ are higher, and they have good potential to be used in the assessment of the response to Rituximab therapy.
Background: The healing process involves the restoration of the body’s structural integrity. The extracellular matrix, blood cells, cytokines, and growth factors are all involved in this dynamic, intricate, multicellular process. Hemostasis, the inflammatory phase, the proliferative phase, and the maturation phase are all included. Opuntia ficus-indica oil (OFI) and Punica grantum (PGS) oil are extensively used natural treatments that are regarded as advantageous for their sedative, spasmolytic, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as for angiogenesis promotion, fibroblast increase, collagen production and deposition, and extracellular-matrix remodeling. Materials and methods: Twenty-four New Zealand rab
... Show MoreThe present study aims to detect CTX-M-type ESBL from Escherichia coli clinical isolates and to analyze their antibotic susceptibility patterns. One hundred of E. coli isolates were collected from different clinical samples from a tertiary hospital. ESBL positivity was determined by the disk diffusion method. PCR used for amplification of CTX-M-type ESBL produced by E. coli. Out of 100 E. coli isolates, twenty-four isolates (24%) were ESBL-producers. E. coli isolated from pus was the most frequent clinical specimen that produced ESBL (41.66%) followed by urine (34.21%), respiratory (22.23%), and blood (19.05%). After PCR amplification of these 24 isolates, 10 (41.66%) isolates were found to possess CTX-M genes. The CTX-M type ESBL
... Show MoreIn current article an easy and selective method is proposed for spectrophotometric estimation of metoclopramide (MCP) in pharmaceutical preparations using cloud point extraction (CPE) procedure. The method involved reaction between MCP with 1-Naphthol in alkali conditions using Triton X-114 to form a stable dark purple dye. The Beer’s law limit in the range 0.34-9 μg mL-1 of MCP with r =0.9959 (n=3) after optimization. The relative standard deviation (RSD) and percentage recoveries were 0.89 %, and (96.99–104.11%) respectively. As well, using surfactant cloud point extraction as a method to extract MCP was reinforced the extinction coefficient(ε) to 1.7333×105L/mol.cm in surfactant-rich phase. The small volume of organi
... Show MoreThis paper deals with finding an approximate solution to the index-2 time-varying linear differential algebraic control system based on the theory of variational formulation. The solution of index-2 time-varying differential algebraic equations (DAEs) is the critical point of the equivalent variational formulation. In addition, the variational problem is transformed from the indirect into direct method by using a generalized Ritz bases approach. The approximate solution is found by solving an explicit linear algebraic equation, which makes the proposed technique reliable and efficient for many physical problems. From the numerical results, it can be implied that very good efficiency, accuracy, and simplicity of the pre
... Show MoreMagnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects of unsteady blood flow on Casson fluid through an artery with overlapping stenosis were investigated. The nonlinear governing equations accompanied by the appropriate boundary conditions were discretized and solved based on a finite difference technique, using the pressure correction method with MAC algorithm. Moreover, blood flow characteristics, such as the velocity profile, pressure drop, wall shear stress, and patterns of streamlines, are presented graphically and inspected thoroughly for understanding the blood flow phenomena in the stenosed artery.
The adsorption study of thymol, was carried out at (25±0.1) °C, using granulated surfactant modified Iraqi Na – montmorillonite clay (initiated modified bentonite); in a down-flow packed column, the modified mineral was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. A linear calibration graph for thymol was obtained, which obey Beer's law in the concentration range of 5-50 mg/L at 274 nm against reagent blank. Single-factor-at-a-time approach; showed that the equilibrium time required for complete adsorption was 45 minute with flow rate (4.0drop/ mint). The adsorption of thymol increased with rising pH of the adsorbate solution, increase of solute uptake when the initial adsor
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