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.
Urea formaldehyde resin was prepared by using basic media by yield 95%. The Remaining of ureaplasts resin were prepared in acetic acid media by high yield. Alkyde resins were prepared by condensation polymerization by react Succinic, Maleic, Phthalic anhydrides with Ethylene glycol or Glycerol. Select samples of the prepared alkyde resins were mixed with Azo dyes in special ratio. The mixtures were used as coatings for wood, and compaised with pure dyes. The Coating that some alkyde resins showed better adhesion from using dyes alone. Preparation of wood coating by mixing ureaplast resins and alkyde resins with Azo dyes in special ratios. The coating showed better adhesion, brighter colors and better resistance to heat from Preceding coat
A harvested prey-predator model with infectious disease in preyis investigated. It is assumed that the predator feeds on the infected prey only according to Holling type-II functional response. The existence, uniqueness and boundedness of the solution of the model are investigated. The local stability analysis of the harvested prey-predator model is carried out. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the persistence of the model are also obtained. Finally, the global dynamics of this model is investigated analytically as well as numerically. It is observed that, the model have different types of dynamical behaviors including chaos.
The electrical activity of the heart and the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal are fundamentally related. In the study that has been published, the ECG signal has been examined and used for a number of applications. The monitoring of heart rate and the analysis of heart rhythm patterns, the detection and diagnosis of cardiac diseases, the identification of emotional states, and the use of biometric identification methods are a few examples of applications in the field. Several various phases may be involved in the analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) data, depending on the type of study being done. Preprocessing, feature extraction, feature selection, feature modification, and classification are frequently included in these stages. Ever
... Show MoreCohesion is well known as the study of the relationships, whether grammatical and/or lexical, between the different elements of a particular text by the use of what are commonly called 'cohesive devices'. These devices bring connectivity and bind a text together. Besides, the nature and the amount of such cohesive devices usually affect the understanding of that text in the sense of making it easier to comprehend. The present study is intendedto examine the use of grammatical cohesive devicesin relation to narrative techniques. The story of Joseph from the Holy Quran has been selected to be examined by using Halliday and Hasan's Model of Cohesion (1976, 1989). The aim of the study is to comparatively examine to what extent the type
... Show MoreNumerous academic and critical studies concerned with the language of poetry, with the differences and diversity in these studies and the critical methods. , the study tries to study this modern approach in the language Iraqi and Arabic poetry according to analyzing and following the functional dimension of the language, regardless of its poetic value which should be on them, as each poetic experience has its own language, thestudy came to investigate the variety of poetry samples, poets from different and far generations. - in an attempt to give an image Career dimension of language, the center of intellectual transformations that have affected the experience of Arabic poetry generally, and the level of language to be exact, as a tool f
... Show MoreThe current study aims to identify the needs in the stories of the Brothers Grimm. The research sample consisted of (3) stories, namely: 1- The story of the Thorn Rose (Sleeping Beauty) 2- The story of Snow White 3- The story of Little Red Riding Hood. The number of pages analyzed reached (15.5) pages, and to achieve the research objectives, Murray's classification of needs was adopted, which contains (36) basic needs that are further divided into (129) sub-needs. The idea was adopted as a unit of analysis and repetition as a unit of enumeration, Reliability was extracted in two ways: 1- Agreement between the researcher and himself over time, where the agreement coefficient reached 97%. The second was agreement between the researcher and tw
... Show MoreEnvironmental pollution is regarded as a major problem, and traditional strategies such as chemical or physical remediation are not sufficient to overcome the problems of pollution. Petroleum-contaminated soil results in ecological problems, representing a danger to human health. Bioremediation has received remarkable attention, and it is a procedure that uses a biological agent to remove toxic waste from contaminated soil. This approach is easy to handle, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly; its results are highly satisfactory. Bioremediation is a biodegradation process in which the organic contaminants are completely mineralized to inorganic compounds, carbon dioxide, and water. This review discusses the bioremediation of petroleum-
... Show MoreObjective: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of Iraqi dentists towards cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) applications in endodontics by using an online survey. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire, consisting of 31 questions, targeted general dental practitioners and specialists in different dental specialities. A total of 306 participants were included. Data were assessed according to the frequency of distribution and the chi-square test was applied to analyse the difference in responses between two independent groups. Results: Among the participants 63.4% were using digital radiography in their daily practice, and 84% had awareness about CBCT's uses, with higher statistically significant responses among e
... Show More