Progressive Processing of Continuous Range Queries in Hierarchical Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we study the problem of processing continuous range queries in a hierarchical wireless sensor network. Contrasted with the traditional approach of building networks in a "flat" structure using sensor devices of the same capability, the hierarchical approach deploys devices of higher capability in a higher tier, i.e., a tier closer to the server. While query processing in flat sensor networks has been widely studied, the study on query processing in hierarchical sensor networks has been inadequate. In wireless sensor networks, the main costs that should be considered are the energy for sending data and the storage for storing queries. There is a trade-off between these two costs. Based on this, we first propose a progressive processing method that effectively processes a large number of continuous range queries in hierarchical sensor networks. The proposed method uses the query merging technique proposed by Xiang et al. as the basis and additionally considers the trade-off between the two costs. More specifically, it works toward reducing the storage cost at lower-tier nodes by merging more queries, and toward reducing the energy cost at higher-tier nodes by merging fewer queries (thereby reducing "false alarms"). We then present how to build a hierarchical sensor network that is optimal with respect to the weighted sum of the two costs. It allows for a cost-based systematic control of the trade-off based on the relative importance between the storage and energy in a given network environment and application. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a near-optimal control between the storage and energy and reduces the cost by 0.989~84.995 times compared with the cost achieved using the flat (i.e., non-hierarchical) setup as in the work by Xiang et al.Comment: 41 pages, 20 figure

Could Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Test be Useful in Predicting Inhaled Corticosteroid Responsiveness in Chronic Cough? A Systematic Review

© 2016 Background Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) is a safe and convenient test for assessing T H 2 airway inflammation, which is potentially useful in the management of patients with chronic cough. Objective To summarize the current evidence on the diagnostic usefulness of FENO for predicting inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) responsiveness in patients with chronic cough. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted to identify articles published in peer-reviewed journals up to February 2015, without language restriction. We included studies that reported the usefulness of FENO (index test) for predicting ICS responsiveness (reference standard) in patients with chronic cough (target condition). The data were extracted to construct a 2 × 2 accuracy table. Study quality was assessed with Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2. Results We identified 5 original studies (2 prospective and 3 retrospective studies). We identified considerable heterogeneities in study design and outcome definitions, and thus were unable to perform a meta-analysis. The proportion of ICS responders ranged from 44% to 59%. Sensitivity and specificity ranged from 53% to 90%, and from 63% to 97%, respectively. The reported area under the curve ranged from abou t 0.60 to 0.87; however, studies with a prospective design and a lower prevalence of asthma had lower area under the curve values. None measured placebo effects or objective cough frequency. Conclusions We did not find strong evidence to support the use of FENO tests for predicting ICS responsiveness in chronic cough. Further studies need to have a randomized, placebo-controlled design, and should use validated measurement tools for cough. Standardization would facilitate the development of clinical evidence

Human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells engineered to overexpress growth factors accelerate outcomes in hair growth

Human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) are used in tissue repair and regeneration; however, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. We investigated the hair growth-promoting effects of hUCB-MSCs treatment to determine whether hUCB-MSCs enhance the promotion of hair growth. Furthermore, we attempted to identify the factors responsible for hair growth. The effects of hUCB-MSCs on hair growth were investigated in vivo, and hUCB-MSCs advanced anagen onset and hair follicle neogeneration. We found that hUCB-MSCs co-culture increased the viability and up-regulated hair induction-related proteins of human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs) in vitro. A growth factor antibody array revealed that secretory factors from hUCB-MSCs are related to hair growth. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were increased in co-culture medium. Finally, we found that IGFBP-1, through the co-localization of an IGF-1 and IGFBP-1, had positive effects on cell viability; VEGF secretion; expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), CD133, and b-catenin; and formation of hDPCs 3D spheroids. Taken together, these data suggest that hUCB-MSCs promote hair growth via a paracrine mechanism

The Effect of Clonidine Pretreatment on Epidural Resiniferatoxin in a Neuropathic Pain Rat Model

Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is an ultrapotent synthetic TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1) agonist with significant initial transient hyperalgesia followed by a prolonged analgesic effect in response to thermal stimulus. Using a rat model of neuropathic pain, we evaluated the effect of pretreatment with clonidine－which has been shown to relieve intradermal capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia－on the initial hyperalgesic response and the thermal analgesic property of RTX. Thirty-six male rats were divided into 6 treatment groups (n＝6 each):RTX 500ng, RTX 1μg, clonidine 20μg (Cl), Cl＋RTX 500ng, Cl＋RTX 1μg, or normal saline 20μL (control). We evaluated the short-term (180min) and long-term (20 days) analgesic effects of RTX after thermal stimulation and mechanical stimulation. RTX had significant initial transient hyperalgesia followed by a prolonged analgesic effect in response to the thermal stimulus, but the RTX 500ng and RTX 1μg groups showed no initial short-term thermal hyperalgesic responses when pretreated with clonidine. The Cl＋RTX 1μg ratsʼ behavior scores indicated that they were more calm and comfortable compared to the RTX 1μg rats. Even though we cannot precisely confirm that pretreatment with clonidine potentiates or adds to the analgesic effect of RTX, clonidine pretreatment with epidural RTX eliminated the initial RTX-associated hyperalgesic response and systemic toxicity in this neuropathic pain rat model

Genome-wide comparative analysis of the Brassica rapa gene space reveals genome shrinkage and differential loss of duplicated genes after whole genome triplication

Euchromatic regions of the Brassica rapa genome were sequenced and mapped onto the corresponding regions in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome

Cefotetan versus Conventional Triple Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Elective Colorectal Cancer Surgery

This study examined infectious outcomes in elective colorectal cancer surgery between cefotetan alone or conventional triple antibiotics. From January to December 2007, 461 consecutive primary colorectal cancer patients underwent elective surgery. Group A contained 225 patients who received conventional triple antibiotics (cephalosporin, aminoglycoside and metronidazole) for prophylaxis, and group B contained 236 patients who received cefotetan alone for prophylaxis. Treatment failure was defined as the presence of postoperative infection including surgical-site infection (SSI), anastomotic leakage, and pneumonia or urinary tract infection. The two groups were similar in terms of demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, tumour location, stage, surgical approach (conventional open vs. laparoscopy-assisted), and type of operation. The treatment failure rates were 3.1% in Group A and 3.4% in Group B (absolute difference, -0.3%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39 to 3.07, P=0.866), with SSI being the most common reason for failure in both groups (2.7% in Group A and 3.0% in Group B [absolute difference, -0.3%; 95% CI, 0.37 to 3.37, P=0.846]). Cefotetan alone is as effective as triple antibiotics for prophylaxis in primary colorectal cancer patients undergoing elective surgery

Long-term Treatment Outcomes for Autoimmune Hepatitis in Korea

Immunosuppressive therapy can improve clinical, biochemical and histological features and considerably prolong survival in patients with autoimmune hepatitis. Although ethnicity may affect disease severity and presentation, the long-term outcome of immunosuppression in Korean populations is unknown. This study was aimed to assess the efficacy of immunosuppressive therapy and determine the prognosis of autoimmune hepatitis in Korean populations. We reviewed the medical records of 86 patients diagnosed as having autoimmune hepatitis at the Samsung Medical Center between 1994 and 2008. Seventy-two (83.7%) patients reached remission after a median treatment duration of 3.5 months (range 1 to 44 months). Attempts to withdraw medications were made in 24 cases after the median treatment duration of 36 months (median 6 to 125 months). Thirteen of 24 (54.1%) patients relapsed after treatment withdrawal. Of the 86 patients, 6 (7.2%) experienced disease progression and the overall 5-and 10-yr progression-free survival rates were 91.2% and 85.5%, respectively. In conclusion, immunosuppressive therapy for autoimmune hepatitis results in a favorable rate of remission and excellent progression-free survival, but the relapse rate after treatment withdrawal is high. This suggests that long-term immunosuppressive therapy may be particularly important for treatment of Korean patients