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:. Children with spina bifida occulta require early surgery to prevent neurological deficits. The treatment of patients with a congenitally tethered cord who present in adulthood remains controversial.
Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the outcome obtained in 61 adult patients with congenital TCS and no prior surgical treatment who underwent surgical untethering.
Methods: This prospective study was conducted on 61 adult patients who underwent surgical untethering for spina bifida occulta at four neurosurgical centers in Baghdad / Iraq between March 2000 and January 2018. Patients who had undergone prior myelomeningocele repair or tet
... Show MoreThe aim of the current study was to investigate endosulfan effects on the Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme and gene in albino mice. Thirty selected male albino mice were randomly divided into 3 groups. The first group was control group (G1), while the other two treated groups were injected intraperitoneally twice per week with two doses of endosulfanG2 (3 mg/kg) and G3 (17 mg/kg) for 21 and 45 days respectively. The results recorded a significant decrease in AChE enzyme in the group treated with 17 mg/kg b.wt. (3986.67 ±170.32 U/L),compared to the control (5584.33 ±140.35 U/L)and treatment group with 3 mg/kg b.wt.(5556.00 ±341.01) U/L for 21 days. Also, there was a significant decrease in the enzyme level
... Show MoreBack ground: This is a prospective study of Head injury in Najaf.
Aim: to study the causes & out come & way of transferring the rat to the hospital & best way to investigate them.
Patients & methods:A prospective analytical study of 200 cases of Head injury patients, who were admitted to Saddam Teaching Hospital , in Najaf between 18 t" of November 1996 and 1st of September 1998.
Results: All age groups were included in this study, male to female ratio was 4:1 and the highest incidence was seen at the age group below 14 years. The two most common causes of
head injury were road traffic accident (RTA)(51 %) and assault (22%),of RTA pedestrians accounted for (87.25%). RTA accounted of (8
Husbands’ violence towards their wives is one of the greatly important issues in social sciences. Accordingly, the current study aims at determining the levels of violence practiced by husbands towards their wives to propose a professional program from the perspective of the general practice of social work to overcome such a phenomenon. The study is descriptive in nature, where the researcher has used a comprehensive social survey method. To achieve the goal of the study, the researcher has prepared a questionnaire that consisted of two parts. The first part contains the primary data of the two sections, and the second contains (38) phrases distributed over four axes to measure the levels and types of violence among the sample’s memb
... Show MoreMonitoring the river’s water quality is important to predict the environmental risk. The Tigris River is Baghdad’s main source for living organisms, drinking water, and agro-industrial purposes. Three selected sites were carried out using different water quality parameters from July 2017 to April 2018 in the Tigris River in Baghdad. Fourteen water quality parameters: water temperatures, turbidity, electrical conductivity, pH, calcium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, phosphate, dissolved oxygen (DO), alkalinity, total hardness, total dissolved substances TDS, and biological oxygen demand (BOD5). According to CCME WQI analysis, the water quality of Tigris River water was Fair for aqua
The construction of highly safe and durable buildings that can bear accident damage risks including fire, earthquake, impact, and more, can be considered to be the most important goal in civil engineering technology. An experimental investigation was prepared to study the influence of adding various percentages 0%, 1.0%, and 1.5% of micro steel fiber volume fraction (Vf) to reactive powder concrete (RPC)—whose properties are compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and absorbed energy—after the exposure to fire flame of various burning temperatures 300, 400, and 500 °C using gradual-, foam-, and sudden-cooling methods. The outcomes of this research proved that the maximum reduction in mechanical prop
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Fac Med Baghdad 2014; Vol.56, No.2 Received: Jan., 2014 Accepted March. 2014
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Exposure to cryogenic liquids can significantly impact the petrophysical properties of rock, affecting its density, porosity, permeability, and elastic properties. These effects can have important implications for various applications, including oil and gas production and carbon sequestration. Cryogenic liquid fracturing is a promising alternative to traditional hydraulic fracturing for exploiting unconventional oil and gas resources and geothermal energy. This technology offers several advantages over traditional hydraulic fracturing, including reduced water consumption, reduced formation damage, and a reduced risk of flow-back fluid contamination. In this study, an updated review of recent studies demonstrates how the
... Show MoreThis study presents an investigation about the effect of fire flame on the punching shear strength of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete flat plates. The main considered parameters are the fiber type (steel or glass) and the burning steady-state temperatures (500 and 600°C). A total of 9 half-scale flat plate specimens of dimensions 1500mm×1500mm×100mm and 1.5% fiber volume fraction were cast and divided into 3 groups. Each group consisted of 3 specimens that were identical to those in the other groups. The specimens of the second and the third groups were subjected to fire flame influence for 1 hour and steady-state temperature of 500 and 600°C respectively. Regarding the cooling process, water sprinkling was applied directly aft
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