Spectrum on demand : a competitive open market model for spectrum sharing for UAV-assisted communications

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)-assisted communication has gathered significant interest of the industry, especially with regards to the vision of providing ubiquitous connectivity for beyond 5G (B5G) networks. In this article, we motivate the need for utilizing licensed spectrum for UAV-assisted communication and discuss its advantages such as reliability and security. Moreover, we explore a new dimension to spectrum sharing by proposing a decentralized competitive open market approach based model, where the different mobile network operators (MNOs) have the opportunity to lease the spectrum to UAV base stations (UAV-BSs), leading to new revenue generation opportunities. The proposed spectrum sharing mechanism is based on the logarithmic utility function and willingness to pay of each UAV-BS. We provide a tradeoff analysis between spectrum sharing and price offered by the MNOs, highlighting the impact of the willingness to pay on the spectrum sharing. The results also highlight the behaviour of price and spectrum shared w.r.t. time, thereby providing an insight into different performance regions until the algorithm converges to it’s optimal value. In addition, we also present future directions that could lead to interesting analyses, especially with regards to incentive-based spectrum sharing and security

Treatment of pre-school children under 6 years of age for schistosomiasis: safety, efficacy and acceptability of praziquantel

BackgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends praziquantel for the control and treatment of schistosomiasis, with no real alternative. Pre-school children are excluded from population treatment programs mainly due to paucity of safety data on this age group.Objectives: This study investigated safety, efficacy and acceptability of praziquantel for the treatment of S. haematobium and S. mansoni infections among pre-school children aged <6years. The study also investigated the burden of schistosomiasis in this age group.Methods: Pre-school children (n=188) from Sudan were included in the study. The children were treated with praziquantel tablets at a single dose of 40 mg/kg body weight. Adverse events were assessed at 24 hours and 7 days later, via questionnaire administration to parents and guardians.Efficacy of treatment was assessed at 1, 3 and 6 months by examining stool and urine samples for schistosome eggs. Acceptability was determined by the number of children spitting or vomiting during administration of the drug.Results: The burden of schistosomiasis among pre-school children aged <6 years was high (31.1%), and this was comparable to that observed among school children-aged 6 years (32%). Praziquantel treatment achieved high cure rates (egg negative) for both S. haematobium and S.mansoni infections when assessed at 1 month after treatment (89.6-92.1%) and remained high for S. haematobium (89.6-100%) up to 6 months. However, cure rate dropped from 90.5% at one month to 58.8% and 69.2% at 3 and 6 months among S. mansoni-treated children.  Praziquantel treatment decreased egg counts considerably with  post-treatment geometric mean egg reductions rates ranging from 96.4% to 99.4% at 1 month. Acceptability of praziquantel treatment was high, only for one child the dose had to be repeated after initial spitting. Treatment resolved haematuria and improved weight of the children. There were no drug-related adverse events in all the treated children duringfollow-up at 24 hours and 7 days.Conclusions: Praziquantel is safe, effective and acceptable among children aged <6 years. Preschool children represent a high risk group for schistosomiasis and should be included in population treatment programs.Keywords:Schistosomiasis,Praziquantel, Safety,Young Children

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenator as a bridge to successful surgical repair of bronchopleural fistula following bilateral sequential lung transplantation: a case report and review of literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lung transplantation (LTx) is widely accepted as a therapeutic option for end-stage respiratory failure in cystic fibrosis. However, airway complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients, serious airway complications like bronchopleural fistula (BPF) are rare, and their management is very difficult.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 47-year-old man with end-stage respiratory failure due to cystic fibrosis underwent bilateral sequential lung transplantation. Severe post-operative bleeding occurred due to dense intrapleural adhesions of the native lungs. He was re-explored and packed leading to satisfactory haemostasis. He developed a bronchopleural fistula on the 14^thpost-operative day. The fistula was successfully repaired using pericardial and intercostal vascular flaps with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (VV-ECMO) support. Subsequently his recovery was uneventful.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The combination of pedicled intercostal and pericardial flaps provide adequate vascular tissue for sealing a large BPF following LTx. Veno-venous ECMO allows a feasible bridge to recovery.</p

Nuclear ING2 expression is reduced in human cutaneous melanomas

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is a severe and sometimes life-threatening cancer. The molecular mechanism of melanomagenesis is incompletely understood. Deregulation of apoptosis is probably one of the key factors contributing to the progression of melanoma. The inhibitor of growth (ING) family proteins are candidate tumour suppressors which play important roles in apoptosis. Downregulated expression of ING proteins have been reported in several tumour types, including the loss of nuclear expression of p33ING1b in melanoma. As ING2 exhibits 58.9% homology with p33ING1b, we hypothesized that the aberrant expression of ING2 may be involved in melanomagenesis. Here, we used tissue microarray technology and immunohistochemistry to examine ING2 expression in human nevi and melanoma biopsies. Our data showed that nuclear ING2 expression was significantly reduced in radial growth phase (RGP), vertical growth phase (VGP), and metastatic melanomas compared with dysplastic nevi (P<0.05). Our data also revealed that nuclear ING2 expression was not associated with patient's gender, age or tumour thickness, ulceration, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, tumour subtype, location and 5-year survival (P>0.05). Taken together, our results suggest that nuclear ING2 expression is significantly reduced in human melanomas and that reduced ING2 may be an important molecular event in the initiation of melanoma development

Body image disturbance and surgical decision making in egyptian post menopausal breast cancer patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In most developing countries, as in Egypt; postmenopausal breast cancer cases are offered a radical form of surgery relying on their unawareness of the subsequent body image disturbance. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of breast cancer surgical choice; Breast Conservative Therapy (BCT) versus Modified Radical Mastectomy (MRM); on body image perception among Egyptian postmenopausal cases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred postmenopausal women with breast cancer were divided into 2 groups, one group underwent BCT and the other underwent MRM. Pre- and post-operative assessments of body image distress were done using four scales; Breast Impact of Treatment Scale (BITS), Impact of Event Scale (IES), Situational Discomfort Scale (SDS), and Body Satisfaction Scale (BSS).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Preoperative assessment showed no statistical significant difference regarding cognitive, affective, behavioral and evaluative components of body image between both studied groups. While in postoperative assessment, women in MRM group showed higher levels of body image distress among cognitive, affective and behavioral aspects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Body image is an important factor for postmenopausal women with breast cancer in developing countries where that concept is widely ignored. We should not deprive those cases from their right of less mutilating option of treatment as BCT.</p