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: 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
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Despite 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
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The 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.
The bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is the most popular orthognathic procedure performed by maxillofacial surgeons to treat skeletal class II and class III and to correct mandibular asymmetries. The study aimed to evaluate the lingual splitting patterns and lateral bone cut end (LBCE) in bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) and their relation with the ramal thickness and the presence of impacted third molars using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). This prospective observational study included patients with mandibular prognathism who were treated with BSSO with or without Le Fort I osteotomy. Cone beam computed tomography was used to measure the ramal thickness preoperatively and to evaluate the LBCE, and the lingu
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In this study, we focused on the random coefficient estimation of the general regression and Swamy models of panel data. By using this type of data, the data give a better chance of obtaining a better method and better indicators. Entropy's methods have been used to estimate random coefficients for the general regression and Swamy of the panel data which were presented in two ways: the first represents the maximum dual Entropy and the second is general maximum Entropy in which a comparison between them have been done by using simulation to choose the optimal methods.
The results have been compared by using mean squares error and mean absolute percentage error to different cases in term of correlation valu
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