CN2F: A Cloud-Native Cellular Network Framework

Upcoming 5G and Beyond 5G (B5G) cellular networks aim to improve the efficiency and flexibility of mobile networks by incorporating various technologies, such as Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), and Network Slicing (NS). In this paper, we share our findings, accompanied by a comprehensive online codebase, about the best practice of using different open-source projects in order to realize a flexible testbed for academia and industrial Research and Development (R&D) activities on the future generation of cellular networks. In particular, a Cloud-Native Cellular Network Framework (CN2F) is presented which uses OpenAirInterface's codebase to generate cellular Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) and deploys Kubernetes to disperse and manage them among some worker nodes. Moreover, CN2F leverages ONOS and Mininet to emulate the effect of the IP transport networks in the fronthaul and backhaul of real cellular networks. In this paper, we also showcase two use cases of CN2F to demonstrate the importance of Edge Computing (EC) and the capability of Radio Access Network (RAN) slicing

Mortality and disability-adjusted life years in North Africa and Middle East attributed to kidney dysfunction : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

The authors would like to thank the hard work of the staff of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) for providing the best possible epidemiologic estimation of diseases in almost all regions and countries of the world, trying to reduce and eliminate poverty of knowledge and information about the diseases globally. Also, the core team authors sincerely thank all the collaborators of the GBD 2019 study who contributed to this study by providing data or a precise review of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the ERA. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Peer reviewe

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Evaluation of miR-143 and miR-338 Expression Profiles in Tumor Tissue and Margin in Patients with Gastric Cancer

&nbsp; Background & objectives: Micro-RNAs are non-coding RNAs with a length of approximately 22 nucleotides, which, by binding to the target gene's mRNA, regulate its expression and play an important role in tumor suppression. Changes in the expression level of microRNAs play a crucial role in the pathobiology of multiple cancers. In this study, the expression levels of miR-143 and miR-338 were compared in gastric cancer and its margin. Methods: This case-control study was performed on 35 biopsy samples of gastric cancer and adjacent tissue of the patients who were admitted to Imam Reza Hospital. Total RNA was extracted from the tissue using Trizol reagent and based on the company's instructions. Then, the acquired microRNAs were used to synthetize cDNA. Expression of microRNAs was measured by RT-PCR. U6 was used as a house keeping gene. Statistically, the obtained results were analyzed using Graph pad Prism software. Results: According to the results obtained in this study, the expression levels of miR-143 (p&le;0.1244) and miR-338 (p&le;0.0059)&nbsp; in tumor tissue, compared to the adjacent tissue,&nbsp; were down-regulated. Reduced expression of miR-143 and miR-338 in the tumor tissue, in comparison to margin tissue, was about four folds. Conclusion: This study showed that the average expression level of miR-143 and miR-338 was significantly decreased in gastric cancer tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues, and these results strongly suggest that miR-143 and miR-338 may play a key role in gastric cancer progression; therefore, they may be considered tumor markers

An integrated theoretical framework for cloud computing adoption by universities technology transfer offices (TTOs)

Cloud Computing (CC) as a new phenomenon technologyhas become a significant term in the world ofinformation systems (IS). Adopting new technologiesand developing new systems as new strategies helporganizations to gain competitive advantage and become more efficient and productive. As cloud-basedsolutions have many advantages for organizations itis valuable for them to understand the determinants ofcloud computing adoption. Organizations including Technology-Transfer-Offices (TTOs) need to improvetheir business methods by adopting CC. Despite theadvantages of Cloud Computing, only a few studieshave examined CC adoption in the IS field and in particular there is no study in the context of TTO. Thispaper aims to fill this gap by analyzing the determinants of CC adoption by Malaysian TTOs. Many factorsinfluence CC adoption. The aim of this paper is toidentify the factors and barriers which influence theadoption of CC by TTOs. To assess the determinantsof CC adoption by TTOs, researcher proposed anintegrated theoretical framework based on two theories of adoption: the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI)theory and Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE)

Polymorphism (rs16917496) at the miR-502 Binding Site of the Lysine Methyltransferase 5A (SET8) and its Correlation with Colorectal Cancer in Iranians

Background: One of the gene expression regulatory mechanisms is mediated by small noncoding RNAs called microRNA (miRNA). They interact with a recognition sequence located mostly in 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) of mRNAs. Polymorphisms in miRNAs recognition sequences could affect gene expression which in turn may alter disease susceptibility. SET8, a member of the SET domain-containing methyltransferase, acts in a variety of biological processes such as genomic stability. Here, we report correlation of rs16917496 polymorphism, located in the recognition sequence of miR-502 within 3'-UTR of SET8, with colorectal cancer (CRC) in Iranians. Materials and Methods: One hundred and seventy CRC patients and 170 noncancer counterparts were recruited in this case–control study. Genotyping of rs16917496 was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Results: There was no significant association of rs16917496 with CRC in population under study (P value for genotype and allele distribution were >0.05). However, stratification analysis based on smoking status revealed that TT+TC genotypes of SET8 rs16917496 are strongly associated with increased risk of CRC (odds ratio: 5.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.37–24.34, P - 0.005) in smoker subgroup. Conclusion: Correlation of rs16917496 T allele with CRC in smokers is emphasizing the importance of individuals' genotype in the recruitment of adverse health hazards of smoking more profoundly for certain people compared to others

Photodynamic Therapy with Zinc Phthalocyanine Inhibits the Stemness and Development of Colorectal Cancer: Time to Overcome the Challenging Barriers?

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a light-based cancer therapy approach that has shown promising results in treating various malignancies. Growing evidence indicates that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are implicated in tumor recurrence, metastasis, and cancer therapy resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC); thus, targeting these cells can ameliorate the prognosis of affected patients. Based on our bioinformatics results, SOX2 overexpression is significantly associated with inferior disease-specific survival and worsened the progression-free interval of CRC patients. Our results demonstrate that zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc)-PDT with 12 J/cm2 or 24 J/cm2 irradiation can substantially decrease tumor migration via downregulating MMP9 and ROCK1 and inhibit the clonogenicity of SW480 cells via downregulating CD44 and SOX2. Despite inhibiting clonogenicity, ZnPc-PDT with 12 J/cm2 irradiation fails to downregulate CD44 expression in SW480 cells. Our results indicate that ZnPc-PDT with 12 J/cm2 or 24 J/cm2 irradiation can substantially reduce the cell viability of SW480 cells and stimulate autophagy in the tumoral cells. Moreover, our results show that ZnPc-PDT with 12 J/cm2 or 24 J/cm2 irradiation can substantially arrest the cell cycle at the sub-G1 level, stimulate the intrinsic apoptosis pathway via upregulating caspase-3 and caspase-9 and downregulating Bcl-2. Indeed, our bioinformatics results show considerable interactions between the studied CSC-related genes with the studied migration- and apoptosis-related genes. Collectively, the current study highlights the potential role of ZnPc-PDT in inhibiting stemness and CRC development, which can ameliorate the prognosis of CRC patients

Thyroid Hormone Changes in Early Kidney Transplantation and Its Correlation with Delayed Graft Function

Introduction: Thyroid hormones affect kidney function and may alter with changes in kidney function, as well. We evaluated changes in serum levels of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) early after kidney transplantation and their relationship with delayed graft function (DGF). Materials and Methods: Fifty-five consecutive kidney allograft recipients were enrolled in the study. Serum levels of T3, T4, and TSH were measured on the day before transplantation, and also on posttransplant days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21. Results were compared between patients with a normal allograft function and those with DGF. Results: The mean T3 level decreased from 110.41 ± 49.79 ng/dL before transplantation to 80.78 ± 51.42 ng/dL on the 1st day after transplantation (P = .04), while T4 reduction reached a significant level on the 3rd day after transplantation (8.27 ± 3.27µg/dL to 5.50 ± 2.57 µg/dL, P = .004). Patients with DGF experienced a significantly greater decrease in the serum level of T3 at the end of the 1st week after transplantation compared with patients with normal kidney function (P = .02). This significant decrease in T3 continued until the end of the 2nd week. Serum levels of T4 reduced comparably in the two groups, until the end of the 1st week, when it showed a significantly more reduction in the patients with DGF (P = .04). Conclusion: Both T3 and T4 reduced early after kidney transplantation, and this reduction was significantly more prominent in those with DGF. This is compatible with a consequence rather than a cause of DGF, explained in the setting of sick euthyroid syndrome