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.
ABSTRACT Backgrounds: Maxillary canine impaction is complicated and time consuming to treat, for being highly diverse in inclination and location; it may be a companied by root resorption of the neighboring teeth. CBCT has been used for its' diagnostic reliability in localization of impacted canine and revealing its' serious local complications. Objectives: Localization of maxillary impacted canine using cone beam computed tomography for assessment of angulation, distance from occlusal plane, alveolar width and proximity to adjacent teeth. Subjects and Methods: The study sample was 33 subjects 16 females and 17 males attended to Al-Wasitti general hospital in Baghdad city-Oral and maxillofacial radiology department for CBCT scan investigati
... Show MoreInfrared photoconductive detectors working in the far-infrared region and room temperature were fabricated. The detectors were fabricated using three types of carbon nanotubes (CNTs); MWCNTs, COOH-MWCNTs, and short-MWCNTs. The carbon nontubes suspension is deposited by dip coating and drop–casting techniques to prepare thin films of CNTs. These films were deposited on porous silicon (PSi) substrates of n-type Si. The I-V characteristics and the figures of merit of the fabricated detectors were measured at a forward bias voltage of 3 and 5 volts as well as at dark and under illumination by IR radiation from a CO2 laser of 10.6 μm wavelengths and power of 2.2 W. The responsivity and figures of merit of the photoconductive detector
... Show MoreLaboratory studies were conducted at the biological control unit, college of Agriculture, University of Baghdad to evaluate some biological aspects of the predator Chilocorus bipustulatus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), which is considered one of the most important predators on many insect pests, especially the scale insect, Parlatoria blanchardi, (Homoptera: Diaspididae) on date palms. The results showed that biological parameters of the predator were varied according to different degree of temperature. Egg incubation period was significantly different and reached to 7.5 and 5.44 day at 25 and 30°C respectively, Fertility was the same 100% at both temperature degrees. Larval growth periods were 17.41 and 16.12 day as well as the mortality du
... Show MoreIn this study, the Halder-Wagner method was used for an analysisX-ray lines of Tio2 nanoparticles. Where the software was used to calculate the FWHM and integral breath (β) to calculate the area under the curve for each of the lines of diffraction. After that, the general equation of the halder- Wagner method is applied to calculate the volume (D), strain (ε), stress (σ), and energy per unit(u). Volume (β). Where the value of the crystal volume was equal to (0.16149870 nm) and the strain was equal to (1.044126), stress (181.678 N / m2), and energy per unit volume (94.8474 J m-3).The results obtained from these methods were then compared with those obtained from each of the new paradigm of the HalderWagner method, the Shearer developm
... Show MoreBackground: Bone mineral density has been assessed using Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry. Bone mineral density is measured according to the results of the Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry examination of the vertebral column and pelvis. Although diabetes mellitus type II (DM) is known to affect bone mineral density, at the present time this particular relationship is not clear. Objective: The aim of current study was to evaluate the effects of type II diabetes mellitus on bone mineral density of the upper and lower limbs as well as gender differences. Patients and Methods: This study involved 165 patients complaining of bone pain (85 males and 80 females), 85 patients of who suffered from diabetes, involving both genders. In addition,
... Show MoreThe experiment was carried out in the green house of botanical garden belong to Department of Biology/College of Education for Pure Science- Ibn–al- Haitham/University of Baghdad, for the growth season 2015 using plastic pots. The experiment aimed to study the effect of two concentrations of sodium chloride (50, 100) mM.L-1 in addition to the control and four concentrations of kinetin (25, 50, 75, 100) mg.L-1 in addition to the control and the influence of application and non application of fertilizlizer NPKZn in the level 160 kg.h1- and their interactions on some growth parameters (fresh weight for both root and vegetative part, dry weight for leaves , value of secondary productivity, biomass duration for vegetative part and dry weight f
... Show MoreDespite Iraq's possession of the energies material, human and agricultural resources and great economic but that contribution of the agricultural sector in the total gross fixed capital formation and gross domestic product in the Iraqi economy remained low and declining continuously since the nineties of the last century, as well as the inability of agricultural production to meet the country's needs of food . The food gap increased strategic food crops until it reached 1049 thousand tons in 2010. On this basis, there is a need to study and analysis the behavior of the function of gross fixed capital format
... Show MoreThe charge density distributions of 10 B nucleus are calculated using the
harmonic oscillator wave functions. Elastic and inelastic electron scattering
longitudinal form factors have been calculated for the similar parity states of 10B
nucleus where a core of 4He is assumed and the remaining particles are
distributed over 3/ 2 1p and 1/ 2 1p orbits which form the model space.
Core-polarization effects are taken into account. Core-polarization effects are
calculated by using Tassie model and gives good agreement with the measured
data.
The problem of present study is determined by answering the following questions:
1) What is the effect of using the oral open- ended questions on Students' achievement in the third-stage of Arabic department in the college of Education? 2) What is the effect of the oral open-ended questions on developing the creative thinking of students in
... Show MoreThe objective of the study: is to investigate the correlations between the HER2 neu gene status with the clinicopathological parameters of infiltrative breast carcinoma. A total of seventy four Iraqi breast cancer patients were collected from one center (Department of Public Health) paraffin blocks were collected from histopathology department central public health laboratories, Bagdad, Iraq from 2014-2015. The cases which has been taken included invasive ductal and invasive lobular carcinoma type Women age were ranged from 24-80 years old. Evaluation of Her-2/neu gene amplification status was done using FISH and CISH techniques that showed a significant correlations with clinicopathological parameters.