On Enhancing Reliability in B5G NTNs with Packet Duplication via Multi-Connectivity

Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) can be used to provide ubiquitous 5G and beyond services to un(der)served areas. To ensure reliable communication in such networks, packet duplication (PD) through multi-connectivity is a promising solution. However, the existing PD schemes developed for terrestrial environments may not be reactive enough for the NTN environment where propagation delays are significantly longer. This paper proposes a dynamic PD activation scheme for NTNs based on hybrid automatic repeat request feedback. The scheme aims to reduce the number of duplicated packets while maintaining high reliability. To evaluate the proposed scheme, simulations are conducted in a scenario with two transparent payload lowearth orbit satellites. The results show a significant reduction of 87.2% in the number of duplicated packets compared to blind duplication, with only marginal compromise in reliability.Comment: Accepted for publication in 2023 IEEE International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environments (WiSEE 2023

Adipsin Is Associated with Multiple Sclerosis: A Follow-Up Study of Adipokines

Background and Objective. The role of adipokines in regulation of immune responses has been recognized, but very little is known about their impact on multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, we analysed whether the major adipokines are differentially expressed in plasma of patients with different MS subtypes and clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and explored their association with major disease characteristics. Methods. The levels of adiponectin, adipsin, leptin, and resistin in the plasma of 80 patients with different subtypes of MS and CIS were followed up annually over the two years. The data obtained were correlated with disease activity, EDSS and volumes of T1-weighted lesions (T1-LV), and fluid attenuation inversion recovery lesions (FLAIR-LV) on MRI. Results. In MS group, a correlation was found between the level of adipsin and EDSS score at baseline (r=0.506, p<0.001). In RRMS, the levels of adipsin correlated with EDSS scores (r=0.542, p=0.002), T1-LV (r=0.410, p=0.034), and FLAIR-LV (r=0.601, p=0.0001) at baseline and an increase in the T1-LV over the follow-up (r=0.582, p=0.003). Associations with other adipokines were not detected. Conclusion. Our exploratory study provides novel insights on the impact of adipokines in MS and suggests that adipsin exerts predictive potential as a biomarker of neurodegeneration

Adipokines NUCB2/nesfatin-1 and visfatin as novel inflammatory factors in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a common lung disease characterized by airflow limitation and systemic inflammation. Recently, adipose tissue mediated inflammation has gathered increasing interest in the pathogenesis of the disease. In this study, we investigated the role of novel adipocytokines nesfatin-1 and visfatin in COPD by measuring if they are associated with the inflammatory activity, lung function, or symptoms. Plasma levels of NUCB2/nesfatin-1 and visfatinweremeasured together with IL-6, IL-8, TNF-, andMMP-9, lung function, exhaled nitric oxide, and symptoms in 43 male patients with emphysematous COPD. The measurements were repeated in a subgroup of the patients after four weeks’ treatment with inhaled fluticasone. Both visfatin and NUCB2/nesfatin-1 correlated positively with plasma levels of IL-6 ( = 0.341, = 0.027 and rho = 0.401, = 0.008, resp.) and TNF- ( = 0.305, = 0.052 and rho = 0.329, = 0.033, resp.) and NUCB2/nesfatin-1 also with IL-8 (rho = 0.321, = 0.036) in patients with COPD. Further, the plasma levels of visfatin correlated negatively with pulmonary diffusing capacity ( = −0.369, = 0.016). Neither of the adipokines was affected by fluticasone treatment and they were not related to steroid-responsiveness.The present results introduce adipocytokines NUCB2/nesfatin-1 and visfatin as novel factors associated with systemic inflammation in COPD and suggest that visfatin may mediate impaired pulmonary diffusing capacity.Copyright © 2014 Sirpa Leivo-Korpela et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Phenolic Compounds Known to Be Present in Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) Enhance Macrophage Polarization towards the Anti-Inflammatory M2 Phenotype

Macrophages are pleiotropic immune cells whose phenotype can polarize towards the pro-inflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 direction as a response to environmental changes. In obesity, the number of macrophages in adipose tissue is enhanced, and they shift towards the M1 phenotype. Activated M1 macrophages secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines involved in the development of systemic low-grade inflammation, complicating obesity. Polyphenols are widely found in the vegetable kingdom and have anti-inflammatory properties. We and others have recently found that lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) supplementation is able to prevent the development of low-grade inflammation and its metabolic consequences in experimentally induced obesity. In the present study, we investigated the effects of twelve phenolic compounds known to be present in lingonberry (resveratrol, piceid, quercetin, kaempferol, proanthocyanidins, delphinidin, cyanidin, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid) on macrophage polarization, which is a meaningful mechanism determining the low-grade inflammation in obesity. Mouse J774 and human U937 macrophages and commercially available phenolic compounds were used in the studies. Three of the twelve compounds investigated showed an effect on macrophage polarization. Resveratrol, kaempferol, and proanthocyanidins enhanced anti-inflammatory M2-type activation, evidenced as increased expression of Arg-1 and MRC-1 in murine macrophages and CCL-17 and MRC-1 in human macrophages. Resveratrol and kaempferol also inhibited pro-inflammatory M1-type activation, shown as decreased expression of IL-6, NO, and MCP-1 in murine macrophages and TNF-α and IL-6 in human macrophages. In the further mechanistic studies, the effects of the three active compounds were investigated on two transcription factors important in M2 activation, namely on PPARγ and STAT6. Resveratrol and kaempferol were found to enhance PPARγ expression, while proanthocyanidins increased the phosphorylation of STAT6. The results suggest proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, and kaempferol as active constituents that may be responsible for the positive anti-inflammatory effects of lingonberry supplementation in obesity models. These data also extend the previous knowledge on the anti-inflammatory effects of lingonberry and encourage further studies to support the use of lingonberry and lingonberry-based products as a part of a healthy diet.publishedVersionPeer reviewe