Simu5G – An OMNeT++ library for end-to-end performance evaluation of 5G networks

In this paper we introduce Simu5G, a new OMNeT++-based model library to simulate 5G networks. Si-mu5G allows users to simulate the data plane of 5G New Radio deployments, in an end-to-end perspective and including all protocol layers, making it a valuable tool for researchers and practitioners interested in the performance evaluation of 5G networks and services. We discuss the modelling of the protocol layers, network entities and functions, and validate our abstraction of the physical layer using 3GPP-based sce-narios. Moreover, we show how Simu5G can be used to evaluate Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and Cellular Vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) services offered through a 5G network

PREVALENCE OF ASYMPTOMATIC PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL DISEASE AND ITS ASSSOCIATION WITH AGE AND GENDER IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS IN A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective: The true prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in individuals with diabetes has been difficult to determine because of the lack of symptoms and insensitive diagnosis. We estimated the prevalence of PAD and its association with age and gender in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) who were asymptomatic for PAD. Methods: Total 150 Type 2 DM patients were screened and examined for PAD using Ankle Brachial Index and Color Doppler. Prevalence of PAD was further studied and statistically analyzed to find its association with age and gender. Results: Prevalence of PAD in our study was 16%. Out of total 150 Type 2 DM patients, 24 patients were diagnosed to have PAD by Color Doppler. The prevalence was 12.0% in the fifth and sixth decade followed by 3.3% in seventh and eighth decade and 0.7% in <40 years age group. Out of total 150 cases, there were 83 males and among them 15 (18.1%) had PAD and out of 67 females, 9 (13.4%) had PAD. After application of Chi-square test to the above observations, there was no statistically significant association of age and gender with PAD in our study population. Conclusion: In the present study, the prevalence of PAD was 16%; 10% and 6% in males and in females, respectively. There was no statistically significant correlation of PAD with age and gender

Enhancement of Solubility of Artemisinin and Curcumin by Co-Solvency Approach for Application in Parenteral Drug Delivery System

The aim of present study was to enhance solubility of poorly soluble antimalarial drugs, Artemisinin and Curcumin by adopting  Co-solvency approach and to develop parenteral aqueous injectable solution. Solubility enhancement of both drugs was achieved using co-solvency approach. The parenteral injection was prepared by using a ternary co-solvent system which comprised of benzyl alcohol, PEG 400 and tween 80 (as surfactant). Solubility of Artemisinin and Curcumin was found to be higher in benzyl alcohol and PEG 400. Co-solvent system comprising of  benzyl alcohol, PEG 400 and tween 80 in volume fraction of 0.3, 0.9 and 0.2 respectively showed the minimum required solubility of Artemisinin (90 mg per ml) and Curcumin (180 mg per ml). The parenteral injectable formulation was characterized for pH, clarity, viscosity, osmolarity and sterility and the stated parameters were found in acceptable range.  In-vitro erythrocyte toxicity study showed that intravenous administration of optimized formulation will be safe. In-vitro antimalarial assay indicated that efficacy of artemisinin and curcumin parenteral formulation was greater than quinine and combination of Artemether and Lumefantrine. Stability study of the optimized batch showed no change in physical and chemical characteristics. Based on study, one can conclude that Artemisinin and Curcumin can be successfully formulated as parenteral injectable formulation by co-solvency approach for the effective treatment of malarial infectio

Tuberculosis masquerading as oral malignancy

Tuberculosis of the oral cavity is a rare condition. A 55-year-old labourer was referred as a case of oral cancer for further management. The patient had no systemic symptoms. Biopsy of the lesion revealed caseating granulomatous inflammation. Chest X-ray and sputum revealed evidence of asymptomatic pulmonary tuberculosis. The purpose of this paper is to sensitize clinicians to consider oral tuberculosis as a differential diagnosis in patients with an Non-healing oral cavity ulcer

Development and Validation of HPLC method for simultaneous estimation of Rifampicin and Ofloxacin using experimental design

A accurate, precise and robust isocratic HPLC method has been developed and validated for simultaneous determination of Rifampicin and Ofloxacin. The chromatographic separation was carried out on Kinetex C18, 100 A Phenomenex column with a mixture of 0.03M Potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer pH 3.0: Acetonitrile (55:45) as mobile phase at 230 nm. The retention times were 2.91 and 4.87 min for Ofloxacin and Rifampicin, respectively. Calibration plots were linear over the concentration range 1–5 and 2–10 µg/ml for Rifampicin and Ofloxacin, respectively. The method was validated for linearity, sensitivity accuracy, precision, and robustness. Percent recoveries were found to be close to 100% with low variability. Fractional factorial design with four factors was chosen for robustness testing. The volume of acetonitrile and flow rate showed significant effect on retention factor of both the drugs and asymmetry factor of ofloxacin. The method may be adopted for routine analysis at industry

Using Simu5G as a Realtime Network Emulator to Test MEC Apps in an End-To-End 5G Testbed

Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) allows users to run appli-cations on demand near their mobile access points. MEC applica-tions will exploit 5G infrastructure, and they will have to be de-signed by taking into account the characteristics of 5G mobile networks. This work describes how to use a system-level simula-tor of 5G networks – namely Simu5G, which evolves the popular 4G network simulator SimuLTE – as a real-time 5G network em-ulator. This allows designers of networked applications – and MEC ones in particular – to use it as a testbed during the de-ployment. We describe the system setup of Simu5G as an emula-tor, and its emulation capabilities and scale. Moreover, we present a case study of a MEC testbed using Intel’s Open Network Edge Services Software (OpenNESS) toolkit, based on a recent demon-stration in 5GAA (5G Automotive Association)

Quantitative determination of ciprofloxacin residues for cleaning validation in manufacturing equipment surface

233-237In this study, UV spectroscopic and total organic carbon (TOC) Vcsh methods have been developed and validated for the determination of trace amount of ciprofloxacin residues on the manufacturing equipment surfaces and <span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold" lang="EN-GB">to confirm the efficiency of the cleaning procedure. Ciprofloxacin has been selected on the basis of worst case rating approach. The established limit of contamination value for ciprofloxacin is found to be 36.27 µg that should not be exceeded during consecutive equipment cleaning trials. Ciprofloxacin exhibits good linearity in the range <span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold" lang="EN-GB">2-10 µg/mL for UV spectroscopic<span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold" lang="EN-GB"> method and 0.25-1.5 µg/mL for <span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-weight: bold" lang="EN-GB">TOC Vcsh analysis. <span style="mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight:bold" lang="EN-GB">Percentage recovery from spiked stainless steel plate using swab sampling technique is found in the limit of 90.74% and 91.19 % in UV spectroscopic and TOC Vcsh method respectively. Both methods are<span style="mso-bidi-language: GU" lang="EN-GB"> simple, cheap and less time consuming as well as suitable for quantitative determination of ciprofloxacin on manufacturing equipment surfaces well below the limit of contamination. The validated methods are found to be satisfactory for the demonstration of cleaning validation of ciprofloxacin residue on manufacturing equipment surface. </span

Safety and Efficacy of Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsies under Ultrasound and Stereotactic Guidance

Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (VABB) under ultrasound and stereotactic guidance