Energy efficient decision fusion for differential space-time block codes in wireless sensor networks

147-156The non-coherent techniques that do not require the channel state information have gained significant interest especially when multiple transmitter and receiver nodes are involved in communication. In this paper, we analyze the energy efficiency of differential and coherent cooperative Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO) method using space-time block codes (STBC). We exploit the benefits of the extension of the observation interval of differential STBC to three blocks in Wireless sensor networks (WSNs). We propose an energy efficient decision fusion (EEDF) algorithm in WSNs which utilizes the benefits of Multiple symbol differential detection (MSDD) decision fusion by optimally selecting the ring amplitude of the differential amplitude phase shift keying (DAPSK) constellation. The simulation results show that processing differential multiple symbols provides significant energy saving compared to the conventional two-symbol processing. Furthermore, significant performance gain is achieved for the proposed algorithm compared to 16 DPSK MSDD decision fusions

Effect of compositions in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) on skin hydration and occlusion.

Purpose: To study the effects of varying lipid concentrations, lipid and oil ratio, and the addition of propylene glycol and lecithin on the long-term physical stability of nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLC), skin hydration, and transepidermal water loss. Methods: The various NLC formulations (A1-A5) were prepared and their particle size, zeta potential, viscosity, and stability were analyzed. The formulations were applied on the forearms of the 20 female volunteers (one forearm of each volunteer was left untreated as a control). The subjects stayed for 30minutes in a conditioned room with their forearms uncovered to let the skin adapt to the temperature (22°C±2°C) and humidity (50%±2%) of the room. Skin hydration and skin occlusion were recorded at day one (before treatment) and day seven (after treatment). Three measurements for skin hydration and skin occlusion were performed in each testing area. Results: NLC formulations with the highest lipid concentration, highest solid lipid concentration, and additional propylene glycol (formulations A1, A2, and A5) showed higher physical stability than other formulations. The addition of propylene glycol into an NLC system helped to reduce the particle size of the NLC and enhanced its long-term physical stability. All the NLC formulations were found to significantly increase skin hydration compared to the untreated controls within 7 days. All NLC formulations exhibited occlusive properties as they reduced the transepidermal water loss within 7 days. This effect was more pronounced with the addition of propylene glycol or lecithin into an NLC formulation, whereby at least 60% reduction in transepidermal water loss was observed. Conclusion: NLCs with high lipid content, solid lipid content, phospholipid, and lecithin are a highly effective cosmetic delivery system for cosmetic topical applications that are designed to boost skin hydration

Phenotypic and genotypic differences between Indian and Scandinavian women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Objective Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a transient form of diabetes characterized by impaired insulin secretion and action during pregnancy. Population-based differences in prevalence exist which could be explained by phenotypic and genetic differences. The aim of this study was to examine these differences in pregnant women from Punjab, India and Scandinavia. Methods Eighty-five GDM/T2D loci in European and/or Indian populations from previous studies were assessed for association with GDM based on Swedish GDM criteria in 4018 Punjabi Indian and 507 Swedish pregnant women. Selected loci were replicated in Scandinavian cohorts, Radiel (N = 398, Finnish) and STORK/STORK-G (N = 780, Norwegian). Results Punjabi Indian women had higher GDM prevalence, lower insulin secretion and better insulin sensitivity than Swedish women. There were significant frequency differences of GDM/T2D risk alleles between both populations. rs7178572 at HMG20A, previously associated with GDM in South Indian and European women, was replicated in North Indian women. The T2D risk SNP rs11605924 in the CRY2 gene was associated with increased GDM risk in Scandinavian but decreased GDM risk in Punjabi Indian women. No other overlap was seen between GDM loci in both populations. Conclusions Gestational diabetes mellitus is more common in Indian than Swedish women, which partially can be attributed to differences in insulin secretion and action. There was marked heterogeneity in the GDM phenotypes between the populations which could only partially be explained by genetic differences.Peer reviewe

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) for efficient delivery of palm phytonutrients

Palm phy­tonu­tri­ents found in crude palm oil con­sist of carotenes and tocols as well as other minor com­po­nents includ­ing sterols, squa­lene, ubiquinones, coen­zyme Q10 and phos­pho­lipids. Palm phy­tonu­tri­ents con­tains all the nat­u­rally occur­ring phy­tonu­tri­ents present in crude palm oil, whereas com­mer­cially avail­able indi­vid­ual phy­tonu­tri­ents, such as Gold-tri E and Tocomin 50% mainly con­sist of palm tocotrienols. The encap­su­la­tion of palm phy­tonu­tri­ents by nanos­truc­tured lipid car­ri­ers (NLC) was inves­ti­gated using Trans­mis­sion Elec­tron Microscopy. NLC was proven to effec­tively encap­su­late palm phy­tonu­tri­ents in oil droplets. Based on the par­ti­cle size analy­sis and rhe­o­log­i­cal study, NLC was found to be the most phys­i­cally sta­ble deliv­ery sys­tem when com­pared to the macro-emulsion and the nano-emulsion car­ri­ers. The long-term chem­i­cal sta­bil­ity of the palm phy­tonu­tri­ent using β-carotene as the pro­to­type active in NLC was also deter­mined. The degra­da­tion of β-carotene in NLC was lower when com­pared to the macro-emulsion and the nano-emulsion car­ri­ers. The effi­cacy of NLC as a deliv­ery sys­tem and the effect of the addi­tion of lecithin and propy­lene gly­col to the NLC for­mu­la­tion were also stud­ied. The para­me­ters inves­ti­gated were skin hydra­tion and trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). NLC with the pres­ence of 1% lecithin and 2% propy­lene gly­col were found to enhance skin hydra­tion and pre­vent water loss

The Effect of Camellia sinensis on Wound Healing Potential in an Animal Model

Camellia sinensis (tea) is reported to have health benefits, including the building of healthy skin. This study evaluated the effects of topical application of Camellia sinensis extract on the rate of wound closure and the histology of wound area. A uniform area of 2.00 cm in diameter was excised from the neck of adult male Sprague Dawley rats. The animals were topically treated with 0.2 mL of vehicle (CMC), Intrasite gel (positive control), or 200 and 400 mg/mL of extract. Wounds dressed with the extract and Intrasite gel healed significantly earlier than those with vehicle. Histological analysis of the wound area after 10 days showed that wounds dressed with the extract had less scar width when compared to the control. The tissue contained less inflammatory cells and more collagen and angiogenesis, compared to wounds dressed with vehicle. In this study, Camellia sinensis showed high potential in wound healing activity

Antimetastatic and Anti-Inflammatory Potentials of Essential Oil from Edible Ocimum sanctum Leaves

Antimetastatic and anti-inflammatory activities of Ocimum sanctum essential oil (OSEO) have been assessed in this study. OSEO at the concentration of 250 μg/mL and above showed a significant (P*<0.05) decrease in the number of migrated cancer cells. In addition, OSEO at concentration of 250 μg/mL and above suppressed MMP-9 activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammatory cells. A dose-dependent downregulation of MMP-9 expression was observed with the treatment of OSEO compared to the control. Our findings indicate that OSEO has both antimetastatic and anti-inflammatory potentials, advocating further investigation for clinical applications in the treatment of inflammation associated cancer

Petroselinum crispumhas antioxidant properties, protects against DNA damage and inhibits proliferation and migration of cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Petroselinum crispum (English parsley) is a common herb of the Apiaceae family that is cultivated throughout the world and is widely used as a seasoning condiment. Studies have shown its potential as a medicinal herb. In this study, P. crispum leaf and stem extracts were evaluated for their antioxidant properties, protection against DNA damage in normal 3T3-L1 cells, and the inhibition of proliferation and migration of the MCF-7 cells. RESULTS: The dichloromethane extract of P. crispum exhibited the highest phenolic content (42.31 ± 0.50 mg GAE g-1) and ferric reducing ability (0.360 ± 0.009 mmol g-1) of the various extractions performed. The extract showed DPPH radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 3310.0 ± 80.5 μg mL-1. Mouse fibroblasts (3T3-L1) pre-treated with 400 μg mL-1 of the extract showed 50.9% protection against H2O2-induced DNA damage, suggesting its potential in cancer prevention. The extract (300 μg mL-1) inhibited H2O2-induced MCF-7 cell migration by 41% ± 4%. As cell migration is necessary for metastasis of cancer cells, inhibition of migration is an indication of protection against metastasis. CONCLUSION: Petroselinum crispum has health-promoting properties with the potential to prevent oxidative stress-related diseases and can be developed into functional food