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 research work is "The passive voice as a grammatical phenomenon in four selected textbooks". The research deals with the grammatical phenomenon passive in German. The research consists of two parts, the theoretical and the empirical part. The present research work is divided into 3 sections:
The first section includes the definition of passive, passive types, process passive, state passive, passive with modal verbs, and other types of passive. The second section provides illustrations of the four selected textbooks. The third chapter presents the passive voice in textbooks, namely German language teaching for foreigners by Dora Schulz and Heinz Griesbach, Delfin von Aufderstrasse H. and others, Em von Balme, M. and others and
... Show MoreBackground: This study was carried out from first of June 2008 till first of June 2009 at thallassemia center Diyala governorate on families who have more than one affected member with thalassemia and other member who also gives positive results for hepatitis C infection in addition to the index (infected) case.
Material and methods: The study sample includes (13) families with (13) index cases who test positive for anti-hepatitis C antibody. Each family have at least two patients with thalassemia, the overall number is (29).
Results: This study reveals that 76.92% (10 families) have at least one more member in the same family who also test positive for anti-hepatitis C antibody. Prevalence after exclu
Background: Perinuclear Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibodies (pANCA) have been found in patients with rheumatiod arthritis. Cathepsin G was the major target antigen.The present study was to investigate the unknown target antigen of ANCA (Cathapsin G ) in patients with rheumatiod arthritis Objective: This study is to investigate the prevalence of anti-Cathapsin G and rheumatoid factor in Iraqi patients with rheumatiod arthritis.
Patienties&Methods: From1st January until 30 June of 2011 fourty five rheumatiod arthritis patients referred to the immunological department in the teaching laboratory of medical city and twenty five apparently healthy individual used as a control group were investeged to
Background: Manuka honey (MH) is a mono-floral honey derived from the Manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium). MH is a highly recognized for its non-peroxide antibacterial activities, which are mostly related to its unique methylglyoxal content (MGO) in MH. The beneficial phytochemicals in MH is directly related to their favorable health effects, which include wound healing, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of MH on pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8 and TNF-α) in patients with gingivitis and compare it with chlorhexidine (CHX) and distilled water (DW). Materials and Methods: This study was a randomized, double blinded, and parallel clinical trial. Forty-fiv
... Show MoreThe present theoretical study analyzes the legacy of the Chicago School of Urban Sociology and evaluates it in the light of the growth and development of Chicago City and the establishment of sociology in it. Sociology has become an academic discipline recognized in the United States of America in the late nineteenth century, particularly, after the establishment of the first department of sociology in the University of Chicago in 1892. That was during the period of the rapid industrialization and sustainable growth of the Chicago City. The Chicago School relied on Chicago City in particular, as one of the American cities that grew and expanded rapidly in the first two decades of the twentieth century. At the end of the nineteenth centur
... Show MoreKeratin is a fibrous, insoluble structural protein that is highly cross-linked with hydrophobic, hydrogen, and disulfide bonds. Keratinases are enzymes that belong to the category of serine hydrolases that are capable of breaking down keratin. The results of the determination of the better fermentation system showed that the production of keratinase from local A.terreus A13 isolate by submerged fermentation (SmF) system was the best system to give the highest specific activity (113.4 U/mg) of keratinase compared with solid-state fermentation (SSF). The optimum conditions for keratinase production by SmF, were determined via cultivation conditions, including carbon source, nitrogen source, temperature, pH of the medium,
... Show MoreIn this study a new composite nano material was prepared and characterized through the polymerization of inter attuplgie layered m-phenylendiamine with p-kresol. The results indicated that the propagated polymer separated the clay aluminosilicate layers as a two dimensional nano-sheets soaked in the prepared polymer matrix with losing the original fibrous structure of Attuplgite clay.
have suffered from deteriorating residential neighborhoods, poor economic, social and urban living conditions of the population and deteriorating the infrastructural and superior services. These problems were the secretions of these cities' rapid urbanization. Based on the principles of sustainable urban planning and in order to achieve adequate opportunities for the lives of the population and provide them with sustainable livelihoods, policies have emerged to upgrade along the lines of community participation and programmes to reform and develop those neighbourhoods, raise their efficiency and make them livable. Thus, the problem of research was identified "The absence of a comprehensive cognitive perception of the most prominent facto
... Show MoreThe Character is one of the elements of Storytelling, as it is the center of the plot, making it the basis on which the talk is about. The talk is the portrayal of the character while they’re acting; the novelist presents the character by interacting with the events, and the extent of the negative and positive appearing impact on the character. It should be noted that everyone has two personalities or more, each one appearing in a different position or situation. For instance, a man can be a father, a lover, an employee, a son or anyone else .. in another position, he might be a master, and in another a looser begging for the mercy of his humiliator, and sometimes he can show weakness to the one he loves, or show strength to his enemie
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