BMSim:An Event-Driven Simulator for Performance Evaluation of Bluetooth Mesh Networks

Bluetooth Mesh (BM) is one of the promising networking technologies for Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks released by Bluetooth SIG in 2017. BM provides a protocol for multi-hop scalable networking of IoT devices over the widely-used Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. However, the capabilities and limits of this technology are not fully studied to determine the IoT applications for which this technology can be used. One of the barriers towards this is the lack of a suitable BM network simulator for performance investigations under various conditions and settings. This paper presents a full-fledged open-source event-driven simulator (BMSim) for the performance evaluation of BM networks. The accuracy of the developed simulator is verified by real experiments. Also, BMSim is used to perform a comprehensive investigation of the performance of the BM protocol in various network conditions and configuration settings. The impact of several configuration parameters on the BM network performance is studied. Since the simulator is capable of simulating dynamic networks and run-time configurations, a BM network with node mobility is also investigated. The results reveal the importance and necessity of proper BM parameter configuration mechanisms to achieve the required quality-of-service and network efficiency

The Burden of Diseases From Exposure to Environmental Cigarette Smoke: A Case Study of Municipal Staff in Qazvin, Iran

This study aimed to estimate the burden of diseases (BoD) from environmental cigarette smoke (ECS) exposure. More precisely, the study examined the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) related to cigarette smoking in municipal staff based on a prospective cohort study. This cross-sectional study was designed among municipal employees, aged 25-55 years in Qazvin, Iran during 2019-2020. The data on cigarette smoking and environmental exposure were obtained using a standard questionnaire. Finally, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood sugar (FBS), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein were measured to assess the relation between active cigarette smoking and the prevalence of NCDs, including hypertension and diabetes in workers. The prevalence of cigarette smoking was 16.2%. In addition, 15% of staff were exposed to ECS. The prevalence of anemia and high TG levels in current cigarette smokers was 2.71 (P=0.024) and 1.4 times higher than among non-smokers (P=0.027). The total number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) caused by lung cancer, asthma, and ischemic heart disease (IHD) attributable to ECS was 0.65 per 1000 adults annually. Further, the number of 0.058 death was estimated per 1000 adults annually at the workplace. Most deaths were caused by IHD (79%), followed by lung cancer (12%) and asthma (9%). It was revealed that the number of DALYs and deaths attributable to secondhand smoke (SHS) was 0.34 and 0.3 vs. 0.028 and 0.029 per 1000 adults in men and women, respectively. The results demonstrated that exposure to ECS is an important factor in increasing the risk of the prevalence of NCDs and can increase the BoD attributable to cigarette smoking

Ispitivanje stabilnosti kitozanskih nanočestica s DNA-FAP-B za gensku isporuku u epitelne stanice pluća

A successful gene delivery system requires efficiency and stability during storage. Stability studies are imperative for nanomedicines containing biotechnological products such as plasmids and targeting peptides. Chitosan-DNA-FAP-B nanoparticles are novel non-viral vectors for specific gene delivery to the lung epithelial cells. In this study, the storage stability of chitosan-DNA-FAP-B nanoparticles at –20, 5 and 24 ºC was examined. Size, zeta potential and transfection efficiency of these nanoparticles in storage were also evaluated. Stability studies showed that chitosan-DNA-FAP-B nanoparticles were stable after 1 month when stored at –20 °C and retained their initial size, zeta potential and transfection efficiency. However, their stability was not desirable at 5 and 24 ºC. Based on these results, it can be concluded that chitosan-DNA-FAP-B nanoparticles can be a promising candidate for gene delivery to lung epithelial cells with good storage stability at –20 ºC during 1 month.Dobar sustav za gensku isporuku mora biti učinkovit i stabilan prilikom skladištenja. Stoga su ispitivanja stabilnosti nužna za nonosustave s biotehnološkim produktima kao što su plazmidi i ciljni peptidi. Kitozanske nanočestice s DNA-FAP-B su novi nevirusni vektori za specifičnu gensku isporuku u epitelne stanice pluća. U radu je ispitana njihova stabilnost na –20, 5 i 24 ºC, veličina čestica, zeta potencijal i transfekcijska učinkovitost. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da su kitozanske nanočestice s DNA-FAP-B stabilne nakon mjesec dana skladištenja na –20 °C i da zadržavaju početnu veličinu, zeta potencijal i sposobnost transfekcije, a nisu stabilne skladištenjem na 5 i 24 ºC. Može se zaključiti da su kitozanske nanočestice s DNA-FAP-B potencijalni kandidati za gensku isporuku u epitelne stanice pluća te da su dovoljno stabilne ako se skladište mjesec dana na –20 ºC

Human placental mesenchymal stromal cell‐derived small extracellular vesicles as a treatment for severe COVID‐19: A double‐blind randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract The current study aimed to investigate the effects of human placental mesenchymal stromal cell‐derived small extracellular vesicles (hPMSC‐sEVs) as a treatment for COVID‐19. This double‐blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted on two groups of patients with COVID‐19‐associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. After randomization, the control group received standard treatment and placebo, and the intervention arm received standard treatment plus hPMSC‐sEVs. The number of hospital deaths was considered the primary outcome. After meeting the exclusion and inclusion criteria, 21 and 24 patients were allocated to intervention and control arms, respectively. Besides admission SpO2 levels, which were significantly lower in the intervention arm (p = 0.008), all the baseline demo‐biographic and laboratory variables were similar between the groups. It was shown that hPMSC‐sEVs could significantly (p = 0.015) decrease the mortality ratio in the intervention group (4/21 [19.04%]) compared to the controls (13/24 [54.16%]). The mean time to death in the intervention and control groups was 28.06 and 11.10 days, respectively (p < 0.001). This study showed that hPMSC‐sEVs are a possible treatment for critically ill patients with COVID‐19