Enabling energy efficient molecular communication via molecule energy transfer

Molecular communication via diffusion (MCvD) is inherently an energy efficient transportation paradigm, which requires no external energy during molecule propagation. Inspired by the fact that the emitted molecules have a finite probability to reach the receiver, this paper introduces an energy efficient scheme for the information molecule synthesis process of MCvD via a simultaneous molecular information and energy transfer (SMIET) relay. With this SMIET capability, the relay can decode the received information as well as generate its emission molecules using its absorbed molecules via chemical reactions. To reveal the advantages of SMIET, approximate closed-form expressions for the bit error probability and the synthesis cost of this two-hop molecular communication system are derived and then validated by particle-based simulation. Interestingly, by comparing with a conventional relay system, the SMIET relay system can be shown to achieve a lower minimum bit error probability via molecule division, and a lower synthesis cost via molecule type conversion or molecule divisio

Incidence of reversible amenorrhea in women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy with or without docetaxel

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the incidence of reversible amenorrhea in women with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy with or without docetaxel.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We studied the incidence and duration of amenorrhea induced by two chemotherapy regimens: (i) 6 cycles of 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/m², epirubicin 100 mg/m²and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m²on day 1 every 3 weeks (6FEC) and (ii) 3 cycles of FEC 100 followed by 3 cycles of docetaxel 100 mg/m²on day 1 every 3 weeks (3FEC/3D). Reversible amenorrhea was defined as recovery of regular menses and, where available (101 patients), premenopausal hormone values (luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol) in the year following the end of chemotherapy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One hundred and fifty-four premenopausal patients were included: 84 treated with 6FEC and 70 with 3FEC/3D. The median age was 43.5 years (range: 28–58) in the 6FEC arm and 44 years (range: 29–53) in the 3FEC/3D arm. Seventy-eight percent of patients were treated in the context of the PACS 01 trial. The incidence of chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea at the end of chemotherapy was similar in the two groups: 93 % in the 6FEC arm and 92.8 % in the 3FEC/3D arm. However, in the year following the end of chemotherapy, more patients recovered menses in the 3FEC/3D arm than in the 6FEC arm: 35.5 % versus 23.7 % (p = 0.019). Among the 101 patients for whom hormone values were available, 43 % in the 3FEC/3D arm and 29 % in the 6FEC arm showed premenopausal levels one year after the end of chemotherapy (p < 0.01). In the 3FEC/3D group, there was a statistically significant advantage in disease-free survival (DFS) for patients who were still amenorrheic after one year, compared to patients who had recovered regular menses (p = 0.0017).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study suggests that 3FEC/3D treatment induces more reversible amenorrhea than 6FEC. The clinical relevance of these findings needs to be investigated further.</p

Hematopoietic growth factors as supportive therapy for cancer- and chemotherapy-induced conditions.

A number of human hematopoietic growth factors have been genetically cloned and recombinant proteins produced. Several phase I and II clinical trials have already been published and results from phase III studies are becoming available. The use of erythropoietin to alleviate chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression is being tested. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor have been extensively studied in patients receiving chemotherapy at standard or escalated doses and after bone marrow transplantation and appear to ameliorate chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and to speed bone marrow engraftment after high-dose cancer therapy. Interleukin-3 and interleukin-6 are quite early in their clinical development, but appear able to alleviate post-chemotherapy thrombocytopenia

Fetal hemopoiesis in diffusion chamber cultures

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