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.
The subject of research entitled "The Mechanisms of build up the dramatic construction in the films of the world of nature - National Geographic's films as a model" emerges from the importance of the subject of the dramatic construction and its departure from its classic style due to the evolution of the visual presentation and its instruments and the specificity and emergence of a form of television production represented by the films of the world of nature which began to occupy an important space in the map of television and television channels specialized in this subject, which drove the researcher to study the mechanisms of producing the dramatic construction in this kind of film s. This research came in three chapt
... Show MoreThis research is concerned with studying (the concept of freedom in the texts of Yaşar Kamal the play), as the Turkish playwright (Kamal Yasar) is one of the contemporary playwrights who have been interested in and criticize society, and perhaps the concept of freedom in his texts took a different form, through his ability to renew and present his attempts to create A theatrical form different from his earlier writers in dealing with the life of the peasants and the oppression that went through them, as the researcher identified the problem of his research with the following question: What is the concept of freedom in the texts of Yashar Kamal? The research aims to define the concept of freedom in the texts of Yashar Kamal of the play,
... Show MoreThe importance of physical and nonphysical architectural design values made architectural designers need good experience to be experts of architectural values reasonably without neglecting any value in the design process. The importance of such values made that ignoring any values and mistakes occurs in the design process. Simultaneously, architectural designers' different nature and the difference in their experiences are causing different understandings of the design values, thus causing architectural mistakes. The research problem appears from the randomly propagating of mistakes in contemporary architecture, which is about to become a phenomenon in Al Sulaymaniyah city. The research aims to find the main reason
... Show MoreElectrocoagulation process was employed for the treatment of river water flows in Iraq. In this study, a batch Electrocoagulation process was used to treat river water taken from Al - Qadisiyah water treatment plant. electrolysis time, voltage and inter-electrode spacing were the most important parameters to study . A statistical model was developed using the RSM model. The optimum condition after studying the parameter effect the process was 1 cm separating, 30 volts . The RSM model shows the ideal condition of removal for both the TSS and turbidity at 1 cm, 20 volts and 55 min.
Background: Adenoiditis is a common cause of otitis media with effusion (OME) in children & perhaps OME is one of the most common diseases leads to hearing impairment in children with subsequent impairment of speech development & learning difficulties , however, treatment remains controversial. Objectives: To evaluate if there is a significant advantage of tympanostomy tube insertion in association with adenoidectomy over adenoidectomy in association with myringotomy alone in treatment of children with OMEType of the study: This is a prospective study. Patients & methods: The study consisted from 63 children diagnosed as cases of bilateral OME & variable degrees of adenoid hypertrophy. The patients were divided randomly i
... Show MoreMost of drinking water consuming all over the world has been treated at the water treatment plant (WTP) where raw water is abstracted from reservoirs and rivers. The turbidity removal efficiency is very important to supply safe drinking water. This study is focusing on the use of multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict the turbidity removal efficiency of Al-Wahda WTP in Baghdad city. The measured physico-chemical parameters were used to determine their effect on turbidity removal efficiency in various processes. The suitable formulation of the ANN model is examined throughout many preparations, trials, and steps of evaluation. The predict
The atmospheric air cold plasma has been used to manufacture gold nanomaterials for treating parasitic leishmaniasis. This study experimentally assessed the treatment of Leishmania parasites (L. donovani and L. tropica) by gold nanoparticles. Specifically, atmospheric pressure nonthermal plasma was generated using different diameters (1.0, 2.8, 3.8 and 4.3 mm) of high voltage electrode. Aqueous gold tetrachloride salts (HAuCl4·4H2O) were used as precursor to produce gold nanoparticles. UV-vis spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction were conducted for characterization of the nanoparticles. The optimum condition (a diameter of 1 mm) was chosen to prepare gold nanoparticles, where the grain size was found to be 17 nm. Accordingly, the nanoparticle
... Show MoreThe aim: In this study, we present and evaluate the vest-over-pants technique as a simple way to correct urethrocutaneous fistulas after hypospadias. Materials and methods: Between October 2018 and June 2020, twenty male patients aged 5 to 20 years came to us with post hypospadias repair fistula, these patients underwent vest-over-pant repair of their fistula. The size of fistula was ranging between 2.5-5 mm. The distribution of fistula was coronal (3 patients), distal penile (9 patients), midshaft (2 patients) and proximal penile (6 patients). In 14 patients there were single fistula and 6 patients had more than one fistula. Eleven of patients were exposed to a previous failed fistula repair procedure. Results: Six months after the operati
... Show MoreReintervention after balloon angioplasty is often considered inevitable in children with coarctation of the aorta (COA). The present study aimed to evaluate predictors of re-intervention after balloon angioplasty for COA, with the goal of identifying patient and procedural characteristics that may influence long-term outcomes