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: Many genetic factors are known to be related to osteoporosis, and currently the role of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) gene in bone health has been studied intensively. Some variation of this gene, such as rs1042044 and rs6458093, are known to be linked to metabolic diseases and lower bone mineral density, however their specific contribution to osteoporosis remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the combined genotypic effect of rs1042044 and rs6458093 as a genetic risk factor for osteoporosis in postmenopausal Iraqi women.METHODS: Blood samples from 75 osteoporosis patients and 75 healthy controls, aged 45-85, were collected. DNA was extracted, and a region of GLP-1R
... Show MoreThe European Unit has never been affected by a serious phenomena as the phenomena of the advancing of the far right parties. Though these parties vary in their impact in their original countries, they agree on one important issue which is the deconstruction of the European unit and limiting its supernational powers. These increasing popular parties aim at more national independence in decision making away from the decisions taken by Brussels. Moreover, they criticize the financial and administrative corruption accompanied many of the rescuing procedures directed for example towards countries like Greece and Spain during the international economic crisis. This failure nourishes many of the negative feelings against the European unit which
... Show MoreIn this research the a-As flims have been prepared by thermal evaporation with thickness 250 nm and rata of deposition r_d(1.04nm/sec) as function to annealing temperature (373 and 473K), from XRD analysis we can see that the degree of crystalline increase with T_a, and I-V characteristic for dark and illumination shows that forward bias current varieties approximately exponentially with voltage bias. Also we found that the quality factor and saturation current dependence on annealing temperatures.
The synthesis of nanoparticles (GNPs) from the reduction of HAuCl4 .3H2O by aluminum metal was obtained in aqueous solution with the use of Arabic gum as a stabilizing agent. The GNPs were characterized by TEM, AFM and Zeta potential spectroscopy. The reduction process was monitored over time by measuring ultraviolet spectra at a range of λ 520-525 nm. Also the color changes from yellow to ruby red, shape and size of GNP was studied by TEM. Shape was spherical and the size of particles was (12-17.5) nm. The best results were obtained at pH 6.
This study aims to encapsulate atenolol within floating alginate-ethylcellulose beads as an oral controlled-release delivery system using aqueous colloidal polymer dispersion (ACPD) method.To optimize drug entrapment efficiency and dissolution behavior of the prepared beads, different parameters of drug: polymer ratio, polymer mixture ratio, and gelling agent concentration were involved.The prepared beads were investigated with respect to their buoyancy, encapsulation efficiency, and dissolution behavior in the media: 0.1 N HCl (pH 1.2), acetate buffer (pH 4.6) and phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). The release kinetics and mechanism of the drug from the prepared beads was investigated.All prepared atenolol beads remained f
... Show MoreIn this research the a-As flims have been prepared by thermal evaporation with thickness 250 nm and rata of deposition (1.04nm/sec) as function to annealing temperature (373 and 373K), from XRD analysis we can see that the degree of crystalline increase with , and I-V characteristic for dark and illumination shows that forward bias current varieties approximately exponentially with voltage bias. Also we found that the quality factor and saturation current dependence on annealing temperatures.
The article considers a creolized text as a means of modern communication, describing its key verbal and visual components; the relationship of concepts polycode and creolized text has been shown; the universal basic image features have been called; the following kinds of creolized texts have been distinguished; it has been proved that the effective means of attracting the attention of the addressee is the use of expressive font features, which are divided into two groups: topographics (mechanisms of varying of areal syntagmatic of a text) and supragraphcs (change of typeface of font).
This study aims to encapsulate atenolol within floating alginate-ethylcellulose beads as an oral controlled-release delivery system using aqueous colloidal polymer dispersion (ACPD) method.To optimize drug entrapment efficiency and dissolution behavior of the prepared beads, different parameters of drug: polymer ratio, polymer mixture ratio, and gelling agent concentration were involved.The prepared beads were investigated with respect to their buoyancy, encapsulation efficiency, and dissolution behavior in the media: 0.1 N HCl (pH 1.2), acetate buffer (pH 4.6) and phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). The release kinetics and mechanism of the drug from the prepared beads was investigated.All prepare
... Show MoreNi2O3 nanomaterial, a phase of nickel oxide, is synthesized by a simple chemical process. The pure raw materials used in the present process were nickel chloride hexahydrate NiCl2.6H2O and potassium hydroxide KOH by utilizing temperature at 250 oC for 2 hour. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the synthesized specimens of Ni2O3 were investigated employing diverse techniques such as XRD, AFM, SEM and UV-Vis, respectively. The XRD technique confirms the presence of Ni2O3 nanomaterial with crystal size of 57.083 nm which indexing to the (2θ) of 31.82; this results revealed the Ni2O3 was a phase of nickel oxide with Nano structure. The synthesized Ni2O3 will be useful in manufacturng electrodes materials f
... Show MoreAfter 2003, Iraq witnessed new challenges represented by the predominance of sectarian discourses, hatred and extremism at the expense of moderate political discourse and the predominance of sub-affiliations and external agendas at the expense of national affiliation, which led to the creation of an unsafe or stable environment dominated by the character of violence and terrorism. Moderate discourse would work to fuse sub-affiliations into one melting pot in which it would be the first loyalty to the homeland and not to the tribe, party or sect... Etc., and this in turn will contribute to promoting peaceful coexistence between the various other sub-affiliations within the framework of one community construction