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: Neonatal septicemia (NNS) is the most serious complication in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) that demand urgent diagnosis and accurate treatment.
Methods: Serum was obtained from 31 neonates aged 1 hour-28 days that were diagnosed clinically and bacteriologically to have neonatal septicemia.
Results: Mean serum levels of both IL-8 and IL-1 recorded a significant increase in neonatal septicemia cases.
Conclusion: Usage of IL-8, IL-1 as diagnostic marker for NNS reduces unnecessary antibiotic therapy and therefore unnecessary costs, pain, and possible side effects of antibiotic
therapy and it may help to reduce development and spread of drug resistant bacteria.
This study was achieved to investigate the accumulation of some heavy metals included: Cadmium, Lead and Nickel in the tissues (gill, intestine, liver, muscles and skin) of Silurus triostegus Heckel, 1843 (Siluriformes, Siluridae) and its larval stage of the nematode Contracaecum sp. (Rhabditida, Anisakidae). As well as to assess the infection patterns of Contracaecum among S. triostegus specimens which were purchased fresh from the local market in Baghdad. One hundred and nine nematodes specimens in larval stage were recovered from the fish host; the overall prevalence of Contracaecum sp. was 38.6%. The sex of the host was not significantly (P ˃ 0.05) associated with the infection of this nematode. Results showed that the ov
... Show More2D Electrical Resistivity has been applied at three selecting areas within the study area using Dipole-dipole and Wenner arrays with an a-spacing of 1 m, and the profile length was 120 m for both. The total data points were 4455 reads for Dipole-dipole, and the total data points for Wenner were 2340 reads, and the depth of each array was 15.4 m and 20.2 m, respectively. The 2D inverse results indicate the resistivity anomalies approximately at depth (2 - 7.8) m formed as a weakness zone lies within the quaternary and Injana Formation deposits and interbedded with secondary gypsum and gypcretes. Additionally, the inverse resistivity distribution model demonstrated that the area is impacted by groundwater that is interaction wit
... Show MoreAbstract:
The issues related to foreign trade is a broad field for discussions and captures the interest of economists for their contribution to the process of economic development in the economies of the countries, especially developing ones. The imports of goods and services in foreign trade constitute an important part of the local by which the economy gets goods and services that the economy cannot produce because of the incompetent base of production. Further, the demand function of imports occupied a good deal of the attention of researchers in the field of international economics for which agricultural imports constitute an important part. The reason for the interest in the subject is due to its im
... Show MoreBackground: Aluminium (Al) intoxication was recognised as a causal agent in p a t i ent s undergoing haemodialysis and then was linked to Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, environmental pollution with Al is mainly v i a drinking water, particularly when acidic rain falls on Al containing soil and bedrock. In addition, aluminium utens i l s are widely used for cooking. Therefore, an increasing concern is emerging for the role of pH in the absorption of aluminium from ingested food.
Materials and methods: The objective of this study was to establish the effect of acidification with1 ml/dL of concentrated acetic acid on the absorption of aluminium from a 5 mM a l u mi n i u m sulphate\ solution taken orally
This research aims to find out "the effectiveness of the self-questioning strategy in the achievement of students Phase III institutes of teacher preparation and decision-making in chemistry." The researcher follows approach quasi-experimental with a post-test, and the sample consisted of (27) from " Teachers Training Institute-AL-Byaa "in Directorate of Education Baghdad Karkh / 2 students divided into two unequal groups: experimental its number (14) students studied using reciprocal teaching strategy and control its number (13) students have studied in the usual way.The two groups were equivalent extraneous variables.
The researcher was prepare achievement test consist of 40 items was the adoption of a measure of decision-makin
... Show MoreBackground: Mental health is integrated into PHC as a strategy of WHO to fill the gap in mental health treatment. Part of this strategy needs a level of task shifting so that mental health care is provided by different level of PHC workers and not only specialists such as psychiatrists and psychologists.
Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of family doctors regarding the provision of psychological health in PHCC and if there is an association between the certificates of these family doctors and their Knowledge and attitudes to psychological health.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study with analytic elements was conducted in 8 famil
... Show MoreDue to the importance of the relationship between the phenomenon of inflation and the exchange rate in the formulation of monetary policy in Iraq, the exchange rate plays a strategic role in limiting the inflation caused by the monetary expansion due to government spending, as a point of a view, the inefficiency of interest to achieve the monetary market balance and stability of the general level of prices as an overall goal of monetary policy in Iraq, the exchange rate has emerged as a brake on inflation in Iraq, as the research found that the monetary authority in the period 2003-2018 provided a methodical development in the formulation of monetary policy towards realizing the effects of inf
... Show MoreComsol multiphysics software is established to make a simulation that is comparable with experimental device. by utilizing comsol, the positive column domain of direct-current glow discharge with argon is considered for both of different applied voltage and working gas pressure. The calculations are exhibited by using a precise collision cross sections and Townsend coefficients for the argon. The impacts of voltage and pressure on the Debye length, number of particles in Debye sphere and plasma frequency are calculated and graphically delineated. With this regard to the dependence of plasma parameters on the applied voltage and pressure, some of them are found to be compatible with the experimental
... Show MoreBackground: the novel coronavirus (2019-ncov), formally known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2), the etiological cause of the (corona virus disease 2019) covid-19, appeared in wuhan, hubei province, china. On 11 march 2020, the world health organization (who) declared this disease as a pandemic. As new information on the clinical characteristics, treatment options, and outcomes for covid-19 emerges approximately every hour, physicians should keep themselves up-to-date on this topic.
Objective: to study the demographic features, clinical signs and symptoms and certain vital and laboratory findings of covid-19 hospitalized cases; and to identify the used medication, complications, length of stay at the hosp