Modeling and performance evaluation of the eICIC/ABS in H-CRAN

International audienceIn this paper, we propose mathematical models to evaluate the performance of the interference remediation technique eICIC/ABS (enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination / Almost Blank Sub-frame) in the context of Heterogeneous Cloud based Radio Access Networks (H-CRAN) architecture and 5G networks. The objective is to propose a dynamic resource management tool to ease decisions on the activation/deactivation of micro-cells as well as on the distributions of subframes among macro and micro cells. First, we propose a Markov chain based model that fits the behavior of the considered scheme and allows the analysis of the cell throughput according to traffic load, radio conditions and the distribution of available resources among macro and micro cells. Then, we propose an approximation model with a closed form formula. The two models are validated and evaluated in terms of accuracy and computation time. Numerical results are compared to matlab simulations that reproduce realistic radio conditions. Results show that both models are accurate. However, the closed form approximation is less complex and provides faster results

Méningiome primitif ethmoïdonasal.

Introduction : Les méningiomes primitifs des fosses nasales et des sinus paranasaux sont des tumeurs bénignes rares, la sémiologie clinique et radiologique n’est pas spécifique. L’objectif de ce travail est de décrire les aspects épidémiologiques, diagnostiques et thérapeutiques de cette localisation ectopique des méningiomes.Observation : Patient âgé de 52 ans, présentant une obstruction nasale bilatérale avec hyposmie et épistaxis depuis 4 ans, l’examen endonasal a montré un processus tissulaire polypoïde occupant les deux fosses nasales, la TdM a montré un processus tumoral ethmoïdonasal étendu aux sphénoïdes et vers les deux fosses nasales sans extension endocrânienne. Le patient a été opéré par voie transfaciale, l’examen anatomopathologique était en faveur d’un méningiome méningothélial gradei. Les contrôles cliniques, endoscopiques et scannographiques n’ont pas montré de résidu tumoral ni de récidive avec un recul de 4ans.Conclusion : Les fosses nasales et les sinus paranasaux représentent une localisation ectopique exceptionnelle des méningiomes extra crâniens primitifs. Ces tumeurs se développent lentement et leur pronostic est généralement bon après exérèse chirurgicale.Mots clés : Méningiomes ectopiques, sinus paranasaux, anatomie pathologique, immunohistochimie, chirurgie.Introductione : Primary extracranial meningiomas of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are rare benign tumors, the clinical and radiological presentations are not specific. The objective of this work is to describe the epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this ectopic location of meningiomas.Case report : 52-year-old patient, presented a bilateral nasal obstuction with hyposmie and epistaxis for 4 years, the endonasal examination showed a polypoid process occupying both nasal cavity, the CT examination showed a ethmoïdonasal tumoral process extending to sphenoid bones and both nasal cavity without endocranial extension. The patient was operated by transnasal approach, histopathological examination was in favour of a méningothélial meningioma rank i.The clinical, endoscopic and CT controls did not show tumor residue or a local recurrence with a recession of 4years. Nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses represent an exceptional ectopic location of primary extracranial meningiomas , these tumors are slowly growing, and their prognosis is generally good after surgical excision.Keyswords : ectopic meningioma, paranasal sinuses, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, surgery

Assessment of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Cystoseira mediterranea and Padina pavonica from Algerian North-East for a Potential Use as a Food Preservative

The aim of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of two marine algae, Cystoseira mediterranea and Padina pavonica, extracts. Total phenols (TPC), carotenoids, and phlorotannins contents of the extracts obtained by four extraction solvents were determined and compared. The highest TPC content was observed for aqueous extract of C. mediterranea with 37.09±0.46 mg GAE/g DE followed by ethanol extract of P. pavonica (24.28±0.99 mg GAE/g DE), which showed the highest phlorotannins content (1.18±0.18 mg PE/g DE), while its methanol extract held carotenoids content of 66.96±4.78 μg g–1 DE. Ethanol extract of C. mediterranea exhibited the best antioxidant activity with an EC50 of 58.3±1.16 μg ml–1. The antibacterial activity screening against MRSA and E. coli showed that ethanol extract of C. mediterranea towards a Methicillin resistant Staphyloccocus aureus (20.33±0.28 mm) and E. coli (15.66±0.57 mm) was more efficient with MICs about 80 mg ml–1 and 20 mg ml–1, respectively. Ethanol extract of C. mediterranea seems to have the highest potential for use in food industries

An Unexpected Case of Non-uremic Calciphylaxis in a Patient With Multiple Risk Factors

A 58-year-old woman with a history of morbid obesity, asthma, and prior warfarin use presented to the hospital with shortness of breath and a three-month history of painful, ulcerated ulcers with retiform purpura of her bilateral distal extremities. A punch biopsy specimen demonstrated focal necrosis and hyalinization of the adipose tissue with subtle arteriolar calcium deposition, findings consistent with calciphylaxis. We discuss the presentation of non-uremic calciphylaxis and review the risk factors, pathophysiology, and interdisciplinary management approach of this rare disease

Caveolin-1 protects B6129 mice against Helicobacter pylori gastritis.

Caveolin-1 (Cav1) is a scaffold protein and pathogen receptor in the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic infection of gastric epithelial cells by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a major risk factor for human gastric cancer (GC) where Cav1 is frequently down-regulated. However, the function of Cav1 in H. pylori infection and pathogenesis of GC remained unknown. We show here that Cav1-deficient mice, infected for 11 months with the CagA-delivery deficient H. pylori strain SS1, developed more severe gastritis and tissue damage, including loss of parietal cells and foveolar hyperplasia, and displayed lower colonisation of the gastric mucosa than wild-type B6129 littermates. Cav1-null mice showed enhanced infiltration of macrophages and B-cells and secretion of chemokines (RANTES) but had reduced levels of CD25+ regulatory T-cells. Cav1-deficient human GC cells (AGS), infected with the CagA-delivery proficient H. pylori strain G27, were more sensitive to CagA-related cytoskeletal stress morphologies ("humming bird") compared to AGS cells stably transfected with Cav1 (AGS/Cav1). Infection of AGS/Cav1 cells triggered the recruitment of p120 RhoGTPase-activating protein/deleted in liver cancer-1 (p120RhoGAP/DLC1) to Cav1 and counteracted CagA-induced cytoskeletal rearrangements. In human GC cell lines (MKN45, N87) and mouse stomach tissue, H. pylori down-regulated endogenous expression of Cav1 independently of CagA. Mechanistically, H. pylori activated sterol-responsive element-binding protein-1 (SREBP1) to repress transcription of the human Cav1 gene from sterol-responsive elements (SREs) in the proximal Cav1 promoter. These data suggested a protective role of Cav1 against H. pylori-induced inflammation and tissue damage. We propose that H. pylori exploits down-regulation of Cav1 to subvert the host's immune response and to promote signalling of its virulence factors in host cells

Search for an interaction mediated by axion-like particles with ultracold neutrons at the PSI

We report on a search for a new, short-range, spin-dependent interaction using a modified version of the experimental apparatus used to measure the permanent neutron electric dipole moment at the Paul Scherrer Institute. This interaction, which could be mediated by axion-like particles, concerned the unpolarized nucleons (protons and neutrons) near the material surfaces of the apparatus and polarized ultracold neutrons stored in vacuum. The dominant systematic uncertainty resulting from magnetic-field gradients was controlled to an unprecedented level of approximately 4 pT/cm using an array of optically-pumped cesium vapor magnetometers and magnetic-field maps independently recorded using a dedicated measurement device. No signature of a theoretically predicted new interaction was found, and we set a new limit on the product of the scalar and the pseudoscalar couplings $g_sg_p\lambda^2 < 8.3 \times 10^{-28}\,\text{m}^2$ (95% C.L.) in a range of $5\,\mu\text{m} < \lambda < 25\,\text{mm}$ for the monopole-dipole interaction. This new result confirms and improves our previous limit by a factor of 2.7 and provides the current tightest limit obtained with free neutrons

Saccharothrix sp. PAL54, a new chloramphenicol-producing strain isolated from a Saharan soil

An actinomycete strain designated PAL54, producing an antibacterial substance, was isolated from a Saharan soil in Ghardaïa, Algeria. Morphological and chemical studies indicated that this strain belonged to the genus Saccharothrix. Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence showed a similarity level ranging between 96.9 and 99.2% within Saccharothrix species, with S. longispora DSM 43749T, the most closely related. DNA–DNA hybridization confirmed that strain PAL54 belonged to Saccharothrix longispora. It showed very strong activity against pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria responsible for nosocomial infections and resistant to multiple antibiotics. Strain PAL54 secreted the antibiotic optimally during mid-stationary and decline phases of growth. One antibacterial compound was isolated from the culture broth and purified by HPLC. The active compound was elucidated by uv-visible and NMR spectroscopy and by mass spectrometry. The results showed that this compound was a D(-)-threo chloramphenicol. This is the first report of chloramphenicol production by a Saccharothrix species

Carbapenem Resistance and Acinetobacter baumannii in Senegal: The Paradigm of a Common Phenomenon in Natural Reservoirs

Incidence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is rising in several parts of the world. In Africa, data concerning this species and its resistance to carbapenems are limited. The objective of the present study was to identify the presence of A. baumannii carbapenem-resistant encoding genes in natural reservoirs in Senegal, where antibiotic pressure is believed to be low. From October 2010 to January 2011, 354 human head lice, 717 human fecal samples and 118 animal fecal samples were screened for the presence of A. baumannii by real time PCR targeting blaOXA51-like gene. For all samples positive for A. baumannii, the carbapenemase-hydrolysing oxacillinases blaOXA23-like and blaOXA24-like were searched for and sequenced, and the isolates harbouring an oxacillinase were genotyped using PCR amplification and sequencing of recA gene. The presence of A. baumannii was detected in 4.0% of the head lice, in 5.4% of the human stool samples and in 5.1% of the animal stool samples tested. No blaOXA24 gene was detected but six fecal samples and three lice were positive for blaOXA23-like gene. The blaOXA23-like gene isolated in lice was likely a new oxacillinase sequence. Finally, the A. baumannii detected in stools were all of recA genotype 3 and those detected in lice, of recA genotype 4. This study shows for the first time a reservoir of blaOXA23-like-positive gene in human head lice and stool samples in Senegal