One of the new promising therapies in treatment of diabetes mellitus is mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which have an interesting therapeutic potentiality based on their paracrine effect and transdifferentiation potentiality. Also obestatin improves the generation of functional β cells/islet-like cell clusters in vitro, suggesting implications for cell-based replacement therapy in diabetes. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of combination of both MSCs and obestatin on an experimental model of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sixty male rats were divided into; group I (control group), group II (T2DM group) induced by administration of high fat diet (HFD) and injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in low dose, group III (T2DM treated with MSCs), group IV (T2DM treated with obestatin), group V (T2DM treated with MSCs and obestatin). Fasting blood glucose, C-peptide, insulin and lipid profile were measured. HOMA-IR and HOMA-β were calculated. Pancreatic expression of insulin, glucagon like peptide -1 (GLP-1) and pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1 (Pdx1) mRNA levels were measured. In addition pancreatic histological changes, insulin and Bax were analyzed by immunohistochemical examination of islets of Langerhans. Diabetic rats showed significant increase in HOMA-IR, serum glucose and lipid profile levels with significant decrease in insulin, HOMA-β, GLP-1 and Pdx1 levels. MSCs and obestatin caused significant improvement in all parameters with more significant improvement in combined therapy. The protective effects afforded by MSCs and obestatin may derive from improvement of the metabolic profile, antiapoptosis and by increase in pancreatic GLP-1and Pdx1 gene expression.

Long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) is a promising low-power network standard that allows for longdistance wireless communication with great power saving. LoRa is based on pure ALOHA protocol for channel access, which causes collisions for the transmitted packets. The collisions may occur in two scenarios, namely the intra-spreading factor (intra-SF) and the inter-spreading factor (inter-SF) interference. Consequently, the SFs assignment is a very critical task for the network performance. This paper investigates a smart SFs assignment technique to reduce collisions probability and improve the network performance. In this work, we exploit different architectures of artificial neural networks for detecting collisions and selecting the optimal SF. The results show that the investigated technique achieves a higher prediction accuracy than traditional machine learning algorithms and enhances the energy consumption of the network.

Background: Corneal alkali burns are common ophthalmic emergencies which may lead to permanent visual impairment. In spite of great advances made in the treatment of these cases, the structural and functional restoration of corneal alkali burns remains challenging. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) have been demonstrated to enhance corneal healing. However the problem remains in finding a suitable vehicle to deliver BM-MSCs to the site of injury. Objectives: To evaluate the therapeutic potential of BM-MSCs loaded on two biological vehicles (amniotic membrane versus platelet-rich plasma gel) in corneal alkali burns. Materials & Methods: Fifty rats were randomly divided into five equal groups. Group I (control group), group II (corneal ulcer group) and group III (recovery group). Group IV rats with corneal ulcers were treated with amniotic membrane loaded with BM-MSCs while in the group V the rats with corneal ulcers were treated with platelet-rich plasma cells loaded with BMMSCs. The corneal specimens were processed for the light microscope, transmission electron microscope examination, and RT qPCR assay for VEGF and iNOS. Results: Group II showed epithelial separation and denudation with disorganized stroma and disrupted Descemet's membrane and endothelium. Group III showed residual epithelial separation and vacuolation with neovascularization of the disorganized stroma. Group IV showed thinning of corneal epithelium with inflammatory infiltration of the stroma. Group V corneas revealed restoration of corneal epithelial thickness, organized stroma and continuous Descemet's membrane. Also, there was an upregulation of iNOS & VEGF gene expression in groups II and III which was downregulated in group IV and V. Conclusions: The combination of BM-MSCs with PRP gel was a promising treatment for corneal alkali burns and may be applicable for other types of corneal disorders.

<p>Long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN) is a promising low-power network standard that allows for longdistance wireless communication with great power saving. LoRa is based on pure ALOHA protocol for channel access, which causes collisions for the transmitted packets. The collisions may occur in two scenarios, namely the intra-spreading factor (intra-SF) and the inter-spreading factor (inter-SF) interference. Consequently, the SFs assignment is a very critical task for the network performance. This paper investigates a smart SFs assignment technique to reduce collisions probability and improve the network performance. In this work, we exploit different architectures of artificial neural networks for detecting collisions and selecting the optimal SF. The results show that the investigated technique achieves a higher prediction accuracy than traditional machine learning algorithms and enhances the energy consumption of the network.</p>

Background: Breast cancer is the most common diagnosed cancer among females and the leading cause of cancer deaths. Immunohistochemical expression of PDL1 has been associated with bad prognosis in various malignancies including breast cancer. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining of PDL1 was performed on 60 tissue specimens of invasive ductal carcinoma by using the avidin biotin-peroxidase complex method with diaminobenizidine (DAB) chromogen detection system. Results: High expression of PDL1 was detected in tumor cells in 51.7% of cases. High expression was statistically significant with high tumor grade (p<0.001), LVI (p=0.002), infiltrated tumor margins (p=0.039), LN metastasis (p=0.013), ER-status (p=0.012), PR-status (p=0.002) and high Ki-67 expression (p=0.031). Conclusion: High PDL1 expression in tumor cells was associated with poor prognostic factors as high tumor grade, LVI, infiltrated tumor margins, LN metastasis and high Ki-67 expression. Overexpression of PDL1 is related to bad outcome of invasive ductal carcinoma cases.