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

Background The study covered thirty-three species which grown wildly in Iraq and a comparative study for all kinds of morphological characters were done. Principal Findings The most stable and important taxonomic characters were pointed out, diagrams, illustrations, scheduals, micrographs were also documented. Stamens, nutlets, basal leaves, bracts, bracteoles, calyces, corollas and their trichomes were very important taxanomic characters. The trichomes were variable in variable species therefore used as a diagnostic characters for the species. Conclusions New species Salvia margasurica Al-Musawi & Al-Hussaini was suggested to be new record for science. Keywords: Salvia, Morphology, Spec. Nov.

Abstract: The aim of the present work is to measure radon concentration in wood. Solid state nuclear track detectors of type CR – 39 was used as measurement device. Eight different samples of imported and local wood were collected from markets. Samples were grinded, dried in order to measure radon concentrations in it. Cylindrical diffusion tube was used as detection technique. Results show that the higher concentration was in Iraqi sample 1 which recorded (14.02 ± 0.9) Bq / m3, while the less was in Emirates Sample which recorded (5.35 ± 1.2) Bq / m3. From the present work, all wood samples were with lowest concentrations of radon gas than other building materials.

ABSTRACT— In primary teeth, root canal treatment is a time consuming and challenging procedure, particularly during the most important step in endodontic treatment which is the preparation of the canal. Pulpectomy is the treatment of choice in all the necrotic primary teeth. For better treatment protocol, advancing technology brought the rotary system to reduce the manual dexterity and improve the quality of treatment for pulpectomy. This study aimed to compare and assess the efficacy of cleaning and the time required for the instrumentation during the preparation of root canals of the primary molars using the rotary and the manual (conventional) systems. Thirty root canals of primary teeth were selected. These teeth submitted to a

The aim of this study is to propose reliable equations to estimate the in-situ concrete compressive strength from the non-destructive test. Three equations were proposed: the first equation considers the number of rebound hummer only, the second equation consider the ultrasonic pulse velocity only, and the third equation combines the number of rebound hummer and the ultrasonic pulse velocity. The proposed equations were derived from non-linear regression analysis and they were calibrated with the test results of 372 concrete specimens compiled from the literature. The performance of the proposed equations was tested by comparing their strength estimations with those of related existing equations from literature. Comparis

Background: lip lengthening procedure is one of the surgical options for the correction of gummy smile in patients with short upper lip. Methods: A comparative clinical study was conducted on 15 patients requiring lip lengthening procedure for the esthetic correction of excessive gingival exposure with gummy smile. Scalpel was used in seven patients and diode laser in the remaining eight patients. Under infiltration anesthesia, about one cm strip of mucosa was excised at the vestibular depth and the mucosa of the lip was sutured to the alveolar mucosa. Results: The diode laser group demonstrated less postoperative pain and swelling. Regarding postoperative ecchymosis, three patients in the scalpel group developed ecchymosis and no cases

Ficus (FIC) leaf extract used as corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel alloy (C.S) in two corrosive environments (saline and acidic) with four concentrations (1, 2, 3 and 4 ppm) at varied temperature range between (298-328 K) using electrochemical polarization measurements. The importance of this work focused on the use the green chemistry that is far from the chemical materials effect. The results of polarization presented the FIC inhibitor consider a mixed type (anodic and cathodic) inhibitor. Tafel curve used to evaluate the corrosion inhibition activity. In a saline medium, the best inhibitor efficiency reaches to (87%) in 2 ppm and IE% reach to (99%) for HCl medium inhibited by 1ppm. Langmuir isotherm obeys the study by thermodynamic pa

The liver is one of the largest glands in the digestive system and performs 13 various functions, including the secretion of hormones and enzymes. The gallbladder serves as a storage reservoir for secretions before they are released into the digestive system through the duodenum. The bile ducts branch from the liver’s lobes and ultimately connect to the digestive system, making this structure significant and distinct among different animal species. This review focuses on the differences between dogs and cats, highlighting the importance of these differences from both health and pathological perspectives. After conducting a detailed scientific review of the biliary tree in dogs and cats, we concluded that cats are more susceptible