A unified radio control architecture for prototyping adaptive wireless protocols

Experimental optimization of wireless protocols and validation of novel solutions is often problematic, due to limited configuration space present in commercial wireless interfaces as well as complexity of monolithic driver implementation on SDR-based experimentation platforms. To overcome these limitations a novel software architecture is proposed, called WiSHFUL, devised to allow: i) maximal exploitation of radio functionalities available in current radio chips, and ii) clean separation between the logic for optimizing the radio protocols (i.e. radio control) and the definition of these protocols

Add-on cannabidiol treatment for drug-resistant seizures in tuberous sclerosis complex

Importance Efficacy of cannabidiol has been demonstrated in seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes but appears not yet to have been established in conditions with primarily focal seizures, such as tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).Objective To evaluate efficacy and safety of 25-mg/kg/day and 50-mg/kg/day cannabidiol dosages vs placebo against seizures associated with TSC.Design, Setting, and Participants This double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (GWPCARE6) enrolled patients between April 6, 2016, and October 4, 2018; follow-up was completed on February 15, 2019. The trial was conducted at 46 sites in Australia, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States. Eligible patients (aged 1-65 years) were those with a clinical diagnosis of TSC and medication-resistant epilepsy who had had at least 8 TSC-associated seizures during the 4-week baseline period, with at least 1 seizure occurring in at least 3 of the 4 weeks, and were currently taking at least 1 antiepileptic medication.Interventions Patients received oral cannabidiol at 25 mg/kg/day (CBD25) or 50 mg/kg/day (CBD50) or a matched placebo for 16 weeks.Main Outcomes and Measures The prespecified primary outcome was the change from baseline in number of TSC-associated seizures for cannabidiol vs placebo during the treatment period.Results Of 255 patients screened for eligibility, 31 were excluded and 224 were randomized. Of the 224 included patients (median [range] age, 11.4 [1.1-56.8] years; 93 female patients [41.5%]), 75 were randomized to CBD25, 73 to CBD50, and 76 to placebo, with 201 completing treatment. The percentage reduction from baseline in the type of seizures considered the primary end point was 48.6% (95% CI, 40.4%-55.8%) for the CBD25 group, 47.5% (95% CI, 39.0%-54.8%) for the CBD50 group, and 26.5% (95% CI, 14.9%-36.5%) for the placebo group; the percentage reduction from placebo was 30.1% (95% CI, 13.9%-43.3%; P < .001) for the CBD25 group and 28.5% (95% CI, 11.9%-42.0%; nominal P = .002) for the CBD50 group. The most common adverse events were diarrhea (placebo group, 19 [25%]; CBD25 group, 23 [31%]; CBD50 group, 41 [56%]) and somnolence (placebo group, 7 [9%]; CBD25 group, 10 [13%]; CBD50 group, 19 [26%]), which occurred more frequently with cannabidiol than placebo. Eight patients in CBD25 group, 10 in CBD50 group, and 2 in the placebo group discontinued treatment because of adverse events. Twenty-eight patients taking cannabidiol (18.9%) had elevated liver transaminase levels vs none taking placebo.Conclusions and Relevance Cannabidiol significantly reduced TSC-associated seizures compared with placebo. The 25-mg/kg/day dosage had a better safety profile than the 50-mg/kg/day dosage

Loop resolution mechanism for Flow-Aware Multi-Topology Adaptive Routing

Flow-Aware Multi-Topology Adaptive Routing is a new proposal which provides multipath transmissions in the networks based on any IP routing protocol. However, due to utilization of flow tables which store flow forwarding information, it suffers from routing instability and the occurrence of failures. This problem is solved by the mechanism proposed in this letter. The mechanism is based on a Time-To-Live field from the IP protocol header. The mechanism is simple, yet very effective. The evaluation shows that at the cost of additional operations performed by routers the problem is completely eliminated

Wireless software and hardware platforms for flexible and unified radio and network control (WiSHFUL)

B

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in Drug-Resistant Epilepsy in the MORE Multicenter Patient Registry

Background and ObjectivesThe efficacy of deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT DBS) in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) was demonstrated in the double-blind Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus for Epilepsy randomized controlled trial. The Medtronic Registry for Epilepsy (MORE) aims to understand the safety and longer-term effectiveness of ANT DBS therapy in routine clinical practice.MethodsMORE is an observational registry collecting prospective and retrospective clinical data. Participants were at least 18 years old, with focal DRE recruited across 25 centers from 13 countries. They were followed for at least 2 years in terms of seizure frequency (SF), responder rate (RR), health-related quality of life (Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory 31), depression, and safety outcomes.ResultsOf the 191 patients recruited, 170 (mean [SD] age of 35.6 [10.7] years, 43% female) were implanted with DBS therapy and met all eligibility criteria. At baseline, 38% of patients reported cognitive impairment. The median monthly SF decreased by 33.1% from 15.8 at baseline to 8.8 at 2 years (p 10 implantations) had 42.8% reduction in median monthly SF by 2 years in comparison with 25.8% in low-volume center. In patients with cognitive impairment, the reduction in median monthly SF was 26.0% by 2 years compared with 36.1% in patients without cognitive impairment. The most frequently reported adverse events were changes (e.g., increased frequency/severity) in seizure (16%), memory impairment (patient-reported complaint, 15%), depressive mood (patient-reported complaint, 13%), and epilepsy (12%). One definite sudden unexpected death in epilepsy case was reported.DiscussionThe MORE registry supports the effectiveness and safety of ANT DBS therapy in a real-world setting in the 2 years following implantation.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class IV evidence that ANT DBS reduces the frequency of seizures in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy