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.
This study aimed new indications that may clarify the relationships between the total and standard lengths, and the length of the otolith, as well as the thickness and weight of these bones compared to the body weights of two different species of invasive fish in the Iraqi aquatic environment, the common carp
This study consists of two parts, field and experimental. In field part; cadmium concentrations were measured in soil and parsley Petroselinum crispum samples of five different agricultural areas in Baghdad city. These areas were located in Al-Rashdiah, Tounis quarter, Al-Shamasiah quarter, Al-Itaifiah and Al-Twaithah. Soil cadmium concentrations were (1.72, 1.25, 1.52, 3.45 and 3.33) mg/kg in Al- Rashdiya, Tunis quarter, Al- Shamasiya quarter, Al- Attaifiya and Al-Tuaithah respectively, while concentrations in parsley were (0.28, 0.26, 0.28, 0.39 and 0.38) mg/kg respectively. Experimentally, five groups of albino mice males (10 mice each) were administered with different concentrations of cadmium (0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 7.5) mg Cd/kg
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The goal of current research to describe and diagnose the level of attention of doctors to design and regulatory dimensions, (strategic vision, organizational structure, organizational processes, business systems, personnel), and the performance of hospitals and dimensions, in six hospitals in medicine and selected a sample for research, as well as identify organizational design effect in the performance of hospitals and dimensions (efficiency, the development of human resources, patient satisfaction, achieve financial results, quality of health care).
Research has focused in part theoretical on key variables to look organizational des
... Show MoreMercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead, were measured in sediment samples of river and marine environmental of Basra governorate in southern of Iraq. Sixteen sites of sediment were selected and distributed along Shatt Al-Arab River and the Iraqi marine environment. The samples were distributed among one station on Euphrates River before its confluence with Tigris River and Shatt Al-Arab formation, seven stations along Shatt Al-Arab River and eight stations were selected from the Iraqi marine region. All samples were collected from surface sediment in low tide time. ICP technique was used for the determination of mercury and arsenic for all samples, while cadmium and lead were measured for the same samples by using Atomic Absorption Spectrosc
... Show MoreBackground: In recent years, bone marrow angiogenesis is indicated to be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of certain hematological malignancies like acute leukemia, lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. Recent studies have suggested that bone marrow angiogenesis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia and also has prognostic value in the disease.
Objectives: at the present study, bone marrow angiogenesis in ALL will be examined using immunohistochemical staining for CD34, and this will be correlated with various pathological, laboratory and clinical parameters.
Patients and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was done on 60 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (32 ma
This research presents a numerical study to simulate the heat transfer by forced convection as a result of fluid flow inside channel’s with one-sided semicircular sections and fully filled with porous media. The study assumes that the fluid were Laminar , Steady , Incompressible and inlet Temperature was less than Isotherm temperature of a Semicircular sections .Finite difference techniques were used to present the governing equations (Momentum, Energy and Continuity). Elliptical Grid is Generated using Poisson’s equations . The Algebraic equations were solved numerically by using (LSOR (.This research studied the effect of changing the channel shapes on fluid flow and heat transfer in two cases ,the first: cha
... Show MoreThe present study aims to give some details about the normal anatomical and histological structure of the liver, pancreas and gall bladder in Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758 and Mesopotamichthys sharpeyi (Günther, 1874). Anatomical results revealed that the liver of C. carpio is a reddish-brown in color, located in the anterior part of abdominal cavity and dispersed between most of the intestines, which is divided into two lobes; while in M. sharpeyi the liver is light brown in color located in the anterior part of abdominal cavity and extends to the end of the intestinal tract with two lobs. The gallbladder situated in the right side of the liver in both species. Histological results in both species showed that the liver consists
... Show MoreThe current study aims to examine the level of problems faced by university students in distance learning, in addition to identify the differences in these problems in terms of the availability of internet services, gender, college, GPA, interactions, academic cohort, and family economic status. The study sample consisted of (3172) students (57.3% females). The researchers developed a questionnaire with (32) items to measure distance learning problems in four areas: Psychological (9 items), academic (10 items), technological (7 items), and study environment (6 items). The responses are scored on a (5) point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Means, standard deviations, and Multivariate Analysis of Vari
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