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 principal concern of this study is Disjunct and Conjunct adverbials in the
English language. The study sets out to explore and clarify the types, nature and
structure of disjuncts and conjuncts. It also aims at testing student's performance to
evaluate the use and usage of the disjuncts and conjuncts in their written performance.
Two tests, accordingly, were given to some fifty students of at the Dept. of English, at
the college of languages (third and fourth stages) in the University of Sulaimani. The
hypothesis that the study was based on are those students use disjuncts and conjuncts
hardly enough in their writings and when doing so, they generally tend to stick only to
the most commonly used and familiar o
In a resource-limited world, there is an urgent need to develop new economic models, from the traditional unsustainable industrial model of product consumption and disposal, to a new model based on the concepts of sustainability in its comprehensive sense, the so-called circular economy, using fewer resources in manufacturing processes and changing practices in product disposal to waste, by removing its use, recycling and manufacturing to start another manufacturing process. In an era of intense competition in domestic and global markets, the importance of the circular economy is highlighted in its ability to strengthen the competitiveness of enterprises in those markets, by reducing the cost and increasing the quality of the pro
... Show MoreTransportation and distribution are the most important elements in the work system for any company, which are of great importance in the success of the chain work. Al-Rabee factory is one of the largest ice cream factories in Iraq and it is considered one of the most productive and diversified factories with products where its products cover most areas of the capital Baghdad, however, it lacks a distribution system based on scientific and mathematical methods to work in the transportation and distribution processes, moreover, these processes need a set of important data that cannot in any way be separated from the reality of fuzziness industrial environment in Iraq, which led to use the fuzzy sets theory to reduce the levels of uncertainty.
... Show MoreBegging is an ancient social phenomenon since the Man's creation. It was simple at its beginning to get a living and the family needed, but presently, this simple social phenomenon converted to a big phenomenon which controlled by competent groups away from the values and principles. Their doings are far from humanity representing by the cutting of a hand or a foot and facial distortion or removed eye as a way of attracting people's emotions to get material and incorporeal helps; these doings became a trade which is exchanged by slave traders. Furthermore, different illegal and greedy methods were followed as a way of blackmailing others; contrariwise other cases of begging are doing by a people who real poor and needy. In this case, the
... Show MoreAnkylosing spondylitis (AS) represents one kind of advanced arthritis formed via inflammatory stimuli long-term in the spin‘s joints. Interleukin (IL)-29 (interferon- lambda1(IFN- λ1)), interleukin (IL)-28A (interferon- lambda 2 (IFN- λ2)) and interleukin (IL)-28B (interferon- lambda 3(IFN-λ3)) are three interferon lambda (IFN- λs) molecules that have recently been identified as new members of the IFN family. IL-28B expression in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is not well understood. 150 male healthy controls ((HC) and 160 males with AS as patients group participated in this study. Serum level and gene polymorphism were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Sanger sequencing for IL-28B, respectively. The results showed
... Show MoreBreast cancer is the most common cancer among women over the world. To reducing reoccurrence and mortality rates, adjuvant hormonal therapy (AHT) is used for a long period. The major barrier to the effectiveness of the treatment is adherence. Adherence to medicines among patients is challenging. Patient beliefs in medications can be positively or negatively correlated to adherence. Objectives: To investigate the extent of adherence and factors affecting adherence, as well as to investigate the association between beliefs and adherence in women with breast cancer taking AHT. Method: A cross-sectional study included 124 Iraqi women with breast cancer recruited from Middle Euphrates
... Show MoreThis is the first record of a new species of cyanobacteria Westiellopsis akinetica in the Iraqi environment, Samples were collected on June 2013 and the existence of it was not documented before. We isolated and purified this species ten years ago in Iraq, but we couldn't identify accurately based on all taxonomic handbooks. This is due to the species features being different from the other documented species in the available taxonomic lectures. It resembled many species by morphological characteristics such as Fischerella muscicola, Fischerella thermalis, Westiellopsis biateralis SA16. Westiellopsis interrupta, Westiellopsis persica SA33, Westiellopsis prolifica and Symphyonema bifilamentata. Describing a new species of the Westiellops
... Show MoreIn view of the large profits made by the sex trade on the one hand, and the minor penalties imposed on the traffickers (brokers) compared with the severe penalties imposed on the drug trade and illegal weapons, on the other hand, this trade has become popular and spread in most countries of the world, and the cornerstones of this trade and A safe haven for them is hotels, especially luxury ones with international brands where their guests are rich and some may look for sex for money. Given the great physical and psychological damage to the victims, this research highlights the civil liability of hotels towards these victims in US and Iraqi law.In order not to limit the
... Show MoreIn our time, not too long ago, the universities of the world have been fast to take care of the study of an innovative type of technical and human studies, called the science of "comparative literature". Comparative research studies have grown and flourished rapidly in response to the demands of both mental and artistic life. This shows the increasing awareness at both the modern national and the international levels in order to develop through connecting with the international intellectual, nental and artistic currents to nurture ethics and originality. Comparative studies show that the beginning of the comparative literature goes back to the time when the Latin literature was connected to the Greek literature and th
... Show MoreThis study examined the tagged (the matter, its ruling, and examples of its applications in Ahmadiyya interpretations), the study of devising formulas of commissioning, especially the matter from the book of interpretation, which is: (Ahmadiyyeh’s interpretations), and the contemplative of the nature of (Ahmadiyya’s interpretations) realizes that the cognitive, linguistic and juristic knowledge product and the verses of judgments And other is the focus of this immortal travel, as it is truly a comprehensive book containing what the students of knowledge, scholars and the general public need in terms of interpreting the legal verses, and it is not possible to reach an understanding of the Book of God Almighty, and to clarify his purpo
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