One of the effective techniques of improving the coverage and enhancing the capacity and data rate in cellular wireless networks is to reduce the cell size (i.e., cell splitting) and transmission distances. Therefore, the concept of deploying femtocells over macrocell has recently attracted growing interests in academia, industry, and standardization forums. Various technical challenges towards mass deployment of femtocells have been addressed in recent literature. Interference mitigation between neighboring femtocells and between the femtocell and macrocell is considered to be one of the major challenges in femtocell networks because femtocells share the same licensed frequency spectrum with macrocell. Further, the conventional radio resource management techniques for hierarchical cellular system is not suitable for femtocell networks since the position of the femtocells is random depending on the users' service requirement. In this article, we provide a survey on the different state-of-the-art approaches for interference and resource management in orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA)-based femtocell networks. A qualitative comparison among the different approaches is provided. To this end, open challenges in designing interference management schemes for OFDMA femtocell networks are discussed.
Background
Belief is that chronic disease prevalence is rising in Bangladesh since death from them has increased. We reviewed published cardiovascular (CVD) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) studies between 1995 and 2010 and conducted a meta-analysis of disease prevalence.
Methods
A systematic search of CVD and T2DM studies yielded 29 eligible studies (outcome: CVD only = 12, T2DM only = 9, both = 8). Hypertension (HTN) was the primary outcome of CVD studies. HTN and T2DM were defined with objective measures and standard cut-off values. We assessed the study quality based on sampling frame, sample size, and disease evaluation. Random effects models calculated pooled disease prevalence (95% confidence interval) in studies with general population samples (n = 22).
Results
The pooled HTN and T2DM prevalence were 13.7% (12.1%–15.3%) and 6.7% (4.9%–8.6%), respectively. Both diseases exhibited a secular trend by 5-year intervals between 1995 and 2010 (HTN = 11.0%, 12.8%, 15.3%, T2DM = 3.8%, 5.3%, 9.0%). HTN was higher in females (M vs. F: 12.8% vs.16.1%) but T2DM was higher in males (M vs. F: 7.0% vs. 6.2%) (non-significant). Both HTN and T2DM were higher in urban areas (urban vs. rural: 22.2% vs. 14.3% and 10.2% vs. 5.1% respectively) (non-significant). HTN was higher among elderly and among working professionals. Both HTN and T2DM were higher in ‘high- quality’ studies.
Conclusions
There is evidence of a rising secular trend of HTN and T2DM prevalence in Bangladesh. Future research should focus on the evolving root causes, incidence, and prognosis of HTN and T2DM.
A B S T R A C T PurposeSelf-reported diabetes has been associated with poor breast cancer outcomes. Research is needed to investigate the relationship between biologically determined glycemic control and breast cancer prognosis.
MethodsArchived baseline blood samples from the Women's Healthy Eating and Living Study were used to measure hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) among 3,003 survivors of early-stage breast cancer (age of diagnosis, 28 to 70 years) observed for a median of 7.3 years for additional breast cancer events and 10.3 years for all-cause mortality. HbA1C levels provide an accurate, precise measure of chronic glycemic levels. Cox regression analysis was performed to assess whether baseline HbA1C levels predicted disease-free and overall survival.
ResultsOnly 5.8% of women had chronic hyperglycemia (defined as HbA1C levels Ն 6.5%). Those with HbA1C Ն 6.5% were older and more likely to be less educated, have nonwhite ethnicity, be obese, and have more advanced breast cancer at diagnosis. HbA1C was significantly associated with overall survival (P trend Ͻ .001). After adjusting for confounders, risk of all-cause mortality was twice as high in women with HbA1C Ն 7.0% compared with women with HbA1C less than 6.5% (hazard ratio [HR], 2.35; 95% CI, 1.56 to 3.54). For disease-free survival, there was a nonsignificant 30% increase in risk for HbA1C levels Ն 7.0% (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.78 to 2.02). During study follow-up, previously diagnosed rather than undiagnosed diabetes seemed to account for the increased risk.
ConclusionChronic hyperglycemia is statistically significantly associated with reduced overall survival in survivors of early-stage breast cancer. Further study of diabetes and its relationship to breast cancer outcomes is warranted.
Objective
Adequate sleep is integral to better mental health and facilitates students’ learning. We aimed to assess sleep quality among medical students and to see whether it was associated with their mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, and stress) and academic performance.
Results
A total of 206 responded, and 95 of them had complete data on demography, lifestyle, academic performance, sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and mental health (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales). The prevalence of poor sleep was 63.2%; it was higher among students who were physically inactive and had more screen time. Poor sleepers demonstrated higher academic performance than sufficient sleepers (p = 0.04). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress were 42%, 53%, and 31% respectively. Sleep quality was significantly associated with depression (p = 0. 03), anxiety (p = 0.007), and stress (p = 0.01).
ObjectiveResearch suggests that physical activity is associated with improved breast cancer survival, yet no studies have examined the association between post-diagnosis changes in physical activity and breast cancer outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether baseline activity and 1-year change in activity are associated with breast cancer events or mortality.MethodsA total of 2,361 post-treatment breast cancer survivors (Stage I–III) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of dietary change completed physical activity measures at baseline and one year. Physical activity variables (total, moderate–vigorous, and adherence to guidelines) were calculated for each time point. Median follow-up was 7.1 years. Outcomes were invasive breast cancer events and all-cause mortality.ResultsThose who were most active at baseline had a 53% lower mortality risk compared to the least active women (HR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.84; p = .01). Adherence to activity guidelines was associated with a 35% lower mortality risk (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.91; p < .01). Neither baseline nor 1-year change in activity was associated with additional breast cancer events.ConclusionsHigher baseline (post-treatment) physical activity was associated with improved survival. However, change in activity over the following year was not associated with outcomes. These data suggest that long-term physical activity levels are important for breast cancer prognosis.
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