Serum amino acid profiles in clinically normal Noma horses.

Plasma or serum amino acids are used to evaluate nutritional status and metabolic disorders. In this study, we aimed to set reference values of serum amino acid concentrations in the Noma horse, a Japanese native horse. Thirty-one horses were classified into six age groups: neonatal foal (0-4 days), foal (0.5-1 years), youth (5 years), middle age (10 years), old (15 years), and extra-old (>20 years). Horses >5 years of age were analyzed together as the adult group. In the adult horses, there were no significant differences among the serum amino acid concentrations of each age group. The foal group had higher concentrations of alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, α-aminoadipic acid, and 3-methyl-histidine than the adult group. The neonatal foal group had higher serum concentrations of phenylalanine, lysine, alanine, proline, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, ß-alanine, and ß-amino-iso-butyric acid and lower tryptophan concentrations and Fischer's ratios than the adult group. The neonatal foal group had higher ß-amino-iso-butyric acid concentrations and lower tryptophan and 3-methyl-histidine concentrations than the foal group. Therefore, reference values might be set separately in neonatal foals, foals, and adult horses. The data for the serum amino acid concentrations can be used for health care through physiological and pathological evaluations in Noma horses.

A noma case report: A warning message from Northern Uganda.

Noma, or Cancrum oris, is a severe and rapidly progressing gangrenous infection that primarily affects the face. It is most commonly observed in children living in impoverished conditions, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Rapid diagnosis and early management are crucial to prevent devastating consequences, such as functional limitations and serious psychological repercussions. Herein, we present a case of an 8-month-old child affected by noma, whose positive outcome is attributed to the prompt recognition by healthcare personnel. In our patient, the condition was likely related to malnutrition and the preceding extraction of a deciduous tooth reported by the mother and probably associated with a traditional Ugandan practice called Ebiino. This is the second case reported in Uganda, and given the limited healthcare access in most of the country, coupled with the high prevalence of poverty and other predisposing factors, it becomes evident that the incidence of noma is underestimated. Noma, as a neglected disease, requires greater awareness within communities and among healthcare professionals. A collective effort is needed to significantly reduce risk factors and promote prevention of this life-threatening disease.

Noma disease among internally displaced persons in Northeast Nigeria: a retrospective descriptive study.

Background: Recently recognized by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease, Noma, an acute and destructive gangrenous disease affecting the gums and facial structures within the oral cavity, has a high mortality rate if untreated. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and impact of Noma among internally displaced populations in Northeastern Nigeria. Design: A retrospective study. Methods: This retrospective study investigates the prevalence and impact of Noma among internally displaced populations in Northeastern Nigeria. Noma is endemic in Northern Nigeria, Africa, and its occurrence has been linked to extreme poverty, malnutrition, poor hygiene, and inadequate healthcare - conditions exacerbated by the ongoing Boko Haram conflict. Results: The retrospective descriptive cross-sectional analysis of 17 cases reveals a median age of 8 years, with most of the patients being children who suffer significant social stigmas, such as difficulties in speaking, eating, and social integration, including reduced school attendance and marital prospects. Conclusion: The study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive research into the etiology of Noma and its socio-economic impact. It emphasizes the necessity for early and effective intervention strategies, particularly in conflict-stricken areas with limited healthcare access.

Progressive Pattern Interleaver with Multi-Carrier Modulation Schemes and Iterative Multi-User Detection in IoT 6G Environments with Multipath Channels.

Sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks demand a more efficient implementation of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) schemes for severe multipath fading environments to serve multiple users. Using non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) schemes in IoT 6G networks is a promising solution to allow multiple users to share the same spectral and temporal resource, increasing spectral efficiency and improving the network's capacity. In this work, we have evaluated the performance of a novel progressive pattern interleaver (PPI) employed to distinguish the users in interleaved division multiple access (IDMA) schemes, suggested by 3GPP guidelines as a NOMA scheme, with two multi-carrier modulation schemes known as single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), resulting in SC-FDMA-IDMA and OFDM-IDMA schemes. Both schemes are multi-carrier schemes with orthogonal sub-carriers to deal against inter-symbol interference (ISI) and orthogonal interleavers for the simultaneous access of multiple users. It has been suggested through simulation outcomes that PPI performance is adequate with SC-FDMA-IDMA and OFDM-IDMA schemes in terms of bit error rate (BER) under multipath channel conditions. Moreover, regarding bandwidth requirement and the implementation complexity of the transmitted interleaver structure, PPI is superior to the conventional random interleaver (RI).

Cluster-Based Strategy for Maximizing the Sum-Rate of a Distributed Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS)-Assisted Coordinated Multi-Point Non-Orthogonal Multiple-Access (CoMP-NOMA) System.

This article proposes a distributed intelligent Coordinated Multi-Point Non-Orthogonal Multiple-Access (CoMP-NOMA) collaborative transmission model with the assistance of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) to address the issues of poor communication quality, low fairness, and high system power consumption for edge users in multi-cellular networks. By analyzing the interaction mechanisms and influencing factors among RIS signal enhancement, NOMA user scheduling, and multi-point collaborative transmission, the model establishes RIS-enhanced edge user grouping and coordinates NOMA user clusters based on this. In the multi-cell RIS-assisted JT-CoMP NOMA downlink transmission, joint optimization of the power allocation (PA), user clustering (UC), and RIS phase-shift matrix design (PS) poses a challenging Mixed-Integer Non-Linear Programming (MINLP) problem. The original problem is decomposed by optimizing the formulas into joint sub-problems of PA, UC, and PA and PS, and solved using an alternating optimization approach. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme effectively reduces the system's power consumption while significantly improving the system's throughput and rates.

Noma in the WHO's list of neglected tropical diseases: A review of its impact on undeveloped and developing tropical regions.

Background: Noma is a neglected tropical disease and a global health concern. Objectives: To elucidate the epidemiology, management, prevention, and public health implications of Noma. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, supplemented by Google Scholar and World Health Organization databases, were searched using keywords to gather both published and grey literature from 1970 to 2023 in English. Results: Approximately 30,000-40,000 cases occur annually, with varying incidences across various African countries, such as Nigeria, Niger, and Chad. Incidence in Nigerian and Ethiopian states range from 0.6 to 3300 and 1.64 to 13.4 per 100,000 population, respectively. Mortality is approximately 8.5% in Niger. Risk factors include malnutrition, immunocompromised status, poor dental hygiene, inadequate sanitation, gingival lesions, low socioeconomic status, chronic and infectious diseases, low birth weight, high parity, diarrhoea, and fever. Diagnosis is primarily made based on clinical signs/symptoms and accordingly staging of disease is done. Stage I, II and II presents with acute necrotizing gingivitis, facial edema with halitosis, and necrotizing stomatitis, respectively. If the patient survives acute stages, the progress to Stage IV and Stage V manifests as trismus, difficulty in deglutition and phonation, and facial disfigurement, with increased severity in last stage. Treatment encompasses antibiotic therapy (amoxicillin, metronidazole, chlorhexidine, ampicillin, gentamicin), surgical interventions, wound management (honey dressing, ketamine), and nutritional support. Prevention strategies include oral hygiene, vaccination, health education, and community-based interventions. Conclusion: Noma's recent inclusion in WHO list of neglected tropical diseases is a milestone in recognizing the importance of prevention and early intervention to globally enhance health outcomes.

Understanding noma: WHO's recognition and the path forward in global health.

The World Health Organization's (WHO) designation of noma as a neglected tropical disease (NTD) on 15 December 2023 marks a crucial advancement in global health efforts. This move sheds light on a condition predominantly affecting undernourished children in isolated regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Recognized as the 21st NTD, noma, or cancrum oris, is a serious condition leading to orofacial gangrene. The disease largely impacts young children and those with compromised immune systems, including individuals with human immunodeficiency virus or leukaemia. Determining the exact prevalence of noma is complex, hindered by rapid disease progression, societal stigma and a lack of reporting, especially in impoverished areas. The WHO's acknowledgment is a significant step, emphasizing the need for more in-depth research and resources to address this overlooked disease. It highlights the critical role of multifaceted prevention strategies, including economic empowerment, improved nutrition and enhanced vaccination efforts. This recognition is pivotal in guiding international health initiatives towards better outcomes for some of the most at-risk populations globally.

Optimal Decoding Order and Power Allocation for Sum Throughput Maximization in Downlink NOMA Systems.

In this paper, we consider a downlink non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system over Nakagami-m channels. The single-antenna base station serves two single-antenna NOMA users based on statistical channel state information (CSI). We derive the closed-form expression of the exact outage probability under a given decoding order, and we also deduce the asymptotic outage probability and diversity order in a high-SNR regime. Then, we analyze all the possible power allocation ranges and theoretically prove the optimal power allocation range under the corresponding decoding order. The demarcation points of the optimal power allocation ranges are affected by target data rates and total power, without an effect from the CSI. In particular, the values of the demarcation points are proportional to the total power. Furthermore, we formulate a joint decoding order and power allocation optimization problem to maximize the sum throughput, which is solved by efficiently searching in our obtained optimal power allocation ranges. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to confirm the accuracy of our derived exact outage probability. Numerical results show the accuracy of our deduced demarcation points of the optimal power allocation ranges. And the optimal decoding order is not constant at different total transmit power levels.

Noma in an 18 months Toddler: A Rare Case Report with Review of Literature.

Introduction: Noma is a polymicrobial necrotizing infection of the mouth and face which destroys the soft and hard tissues of the oral and paraoral structures. Malnutrition, poverty, lack of basic hygiene, and chronic disease state etc., possess a risk of developing noma. Noma neonatorum is a progressive gangrenous disease affecting the premature infants. Aim: We present a rare case of noma in an 18 months toddler with a chronic debilitating condition predisposing to the disease progression. Results: The necrotizing infection of the face developed after six months of multiple episodes of chronic blood-tinged diarrhea. The facial defect was managed with release of fibrosis and reconstruction with a superiorly based nasolabial flap. Discussion: Noma reflects extreme malnutrition and poverty with a vast range of etiopathological agents. This case emphasizes the need to understand the host risk factors and etiopathologic agent predisposing to this rare opportunistic and dormant but devastating disease, the morbidities associated with it and measures to prevent it.

High burden of noma in the Gambella region of Ethiopia: a 12-year retrospective study on noma cases from the Facing Africa database.

BACKGROUND: Noma, an infectious disease, mainly affects impoverished children. This study retrospectively assessed noma's prevalence in Ethiopia using data from the Facing Africa database and the 2022 United Nations Development Programme poverty index report. METHODS: A thorough review of medical records spanning 2007 to 2019 identified a total of 235 noma cases. A standardized data extraction template was employed to systematically gather pertinent clinical and demographic data for subsequent analysis. Prevalence rates were calculated nationally and regionally for both the general population and children aged ≤10 y. RESULTS: The analysis revealed estimated national prevalence rates of 0.65 per 100 000 individuals at risk and 1.9 per 100 000 children aged <10 y at risk. The Gambela region exhibited the highest prevalence rate (11.2 per 100 000), whereas the Benshangul Gumuz region had the lowest (0.25 per 100 000). Similar patterns were observed among children aged ≤10 y, with the Gambela and Benshangul Gumuz regions reporting rates of 32.9 and 0.74 per 100 000, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights noma's significant impact on children aged <10 y in Ethiopia, especially in the Gambella region. It offers crucial baseline data to assist public health professionals, policymakers and healthcare providers in formulating evidence-based strategies to combat noma and improve affected individuals' well-being.

Surgical complications and subsequent revision surgeries among noma cases treated in Ethiopia.

Introduction: Noma, an overlooked infectious disease, inflicts severe facial tissue damage, posing substantial challenges in patient care. This study delves into surgical complications and subsequent revision surgeries among noma cases treated in Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: The research employed a cross-sectional retrospective review of medical records treated between 2007 and 2019 retrieved from the Facing Africa database. Results: The review encompasses 235 noma cases. Twenty-four cases (19 females and 5 males) experienced various complications, predominately major complications leading to subsequent revision surgeries. The identified complications included flap necrosis, abscess formation, tenderness, graft site infection, flap bulking, dental misalignment, corner of the mouth dehiscence, infected bone and plate, flap malpositioning, restricted mouth opening with ankylosis, neuropathic pain, recurrent flap infection, and offensive odor. Revision surgeries included wound cleansing, abscess drainage, skin graft removal, exploratory surgery, wound care, debulking, scar removal, debridement, trismus release, commisuroplasty, and flap repositioning. Conclusion: These findings illuminate the intricacies of noma surgery in Ethiopia, emphasizing the importance of understanding the nature and frequency of complications for optimizing treatment outcomes. Insights from this study can guide healthcare providers, especially novice surgeons, and policymakers, in refining surgical interventions and enhancing outcomes for noma patients. Improved knowledge in this realm is crucial for advancing patient care and developing targeted interventions. Level of Evidence: 5.

Reliable relay assisted communications for IoT based fall detection.

Robust wireless communication using relaying system and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) will be extensively used for future IoT applications. In this paper, we consider a fall detection IoT application in which elderly patients are equipped with wearable motion sensors. Patient motion data is sent to fog data servers via a NOMA-based relaying system, thereby improving the communication reliability. We analyze the average signal-to-interference-plus-noise (SINR) performance of the NOMA-based relaying system, where the source node transmits two different symbols to the relay and destination node by employing superposition coding over Rayleigh fading channels. In the amplify-and-forward (AF) based relaying, the relay re-transmits the received signal after amplification, whereas, in the decode-and-forward (DF) based relaying, the relay only re-transmits the symbol having lower NOMA power coefficient. We derive closed-form average SINR expressions for AF and DF relaying systems using NOMA. The average SINR expressions for AF and DF relaying systems are derived in terms of computationally efficient functions, namely Tricomi confluent hypergeometric and Meijer's G functions. Through simulations, it is shown that the average SINR values computed using the derived analytical expressions are in excellent agreement with the simulation-based average SINR results.

An efficient algorithm for resource optimization in IRS-mmWave-NOMA B5G wireless networks.

The effectiveness of implementing intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) for millimeter-wave (mmWave)-non-orthogonal multiple-access (NOMA) systems has allowed for significant sum-rate improvements. The majority of recent research has not discussed how well the IRS-mmWave-NOMA combination performs. Therefore, a new technique for resource optimization in IRS-mmWave-NOMA B5G wireless networks is proposed in this research. The key concept is to use an iterative algorithm to solve the optimization issue while incorporating many crucial constraints like the selection of the IRS beam, transmit power distribution, and decoding order, among others. Simulation results show that the proposed approach outperforms existing state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of computation delay, sum rate and NMSE. The computational complexity also validated the simplicity and hardware-friendly feature of the proposed algorithm.

Implementation of the deep learning method for signal detection in massive-MIMO-NOMA systems.

The deep learning method (DLM) is one way to fix issues in optical nonorthogonal multiple access (O-NOMA) systems that are caused by signals that overlap and interfere with each other. NOMA increases the optical framework's spectrum efficiency, allowing several users to share the same time-frequency resources. However, NOMA-DLM-based detection's complicated interference patterns and variable channel conditions are challenging for conventional detection methods to manage. By utilizing deep neural networks' advantages, these methods are able to overcome these challenges and improve detection performance. An overview of the main features and advantages of DLM detection in massive multiple input and output (M-MIMO) O-NOMA systems is given in this article. It describes the essential elements, such as the training procedure and the network design. In order to process the sent symbols or decode data streams, DLM networks are built to process the incoming signal, power allocation coefficients, and extra information. Gradient descent optimization is used to update the network parameters iteratively while training the network, and a diverse and representative dataset is created. Additionally, the challenges of detecting deep learning in O-NOMA systems are examined. It recognizes that in order to get the best results, significant computational resources, a large amount of training data, and careful model design are required. It looks at and compares the 16 × 16, 32 × 32, and 64 × 64 M-MIMO-NOMA models in terms of bit error rate (BER), complexity, and power spectral density (PSD). The suggested DLM algorithms have been demonstrated to perform better than traditional methods by achieving an excellent BER of 10-3 at 4.1 dB and PSD (-2500) performance with low complexity.

Empowering the Vehicular Network with RIS Technology: A State-of-the-Art Review.

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) are expected to bring about a revolutionary transformation in vehicular networks, thus paving the way for a future characterized by connected and automated vehicles (CAV). An RIS is a planar structure comprising many passive elements that can dynamically manipulate electromagnetic waves to enhance wireless communication by reflecting, refracting, and focusing signals in a programmable manner. RIS exhibits substantial potential for improving vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication through various means, including coverage enhancement, interference mitigation, improving signal strength, and providing additional layers of privacy and security. This article presents a comprehensive survey that explores the emerging opportunities arising from the integration of RIS into vehicular networks. To examine the convergence of RIS and V2X communications, the survey adopted a holistic approach, thus highlighting the potential benefits and challenges of this combination. In this study, we examined several applications of RIS-aided V2X communication. Subsequently, we delve into the fundamental emerging technologies that are expected to empower vehicular networks, encompassing mobile edge computing (MEC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), millimeter-wave communication (mmWave), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and visible light communication (VLC). Finally, to stimulate further research in this domain, we emphasize noteworthy research challenges and potential avenues for future exploration.

Noma is a facial disfiguring childhood disease: Insights from cases of Noma in Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVES: Noma is a neglected infectious disease that causes severe destruction of facial tissues and poses a significant public health threat. The disease reportedly affects individuals with a debilitating health condition. This study aimed to identify the most vulnerable age group affected by Noma disease and assess the severity of tissue damage among Noma cases in Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the age group most susceptible to noma and assess the disease-associated severity of tissue damage. The research objectives were met by scrutinizing electronic medical records of noma cases treated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 2007 to 2019, obtained from the Facing Africa database. Data collection was carried out using a standardized survey form, while the severity of facial tissue damage was assessed using the NOIPTUS score. RESULTS: Among 164 Noma cases with documented data on disease onset, 92.7 % occurred during childhood, with 92.1 % of those cases being children aged ten years and younger. Approximately 11.6 % of all noma cases had mild tissue damage, classified as NOITULP grade 1, while 26.2 % had an intermediate level of tissue damage, classified as NOITULP grade 2. Severe tissue damage (NOITULP grade 3) was present in 37.2 % of cases, while 25 % had very severe tissue damage (NOITULP grade 4). CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the vulnerability of children, particularly those aged ten years and younger, to Noma disease, supporting the argument that Noma is a facial-disfiguring childhood disease. Targeted interventions and preventive measures during childhood can be vital in controlling Noma incidence.

Secure User Pairing and Power Allocation for Downlink Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access against External Eavesdropping.

We propose a secure user pairing (UP) and power allocation (PA) strategy for a downlink Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) system when there exists an external eavesdropper. The secure transmission of data through the downlink is constructed to optimize both UP and PA. This optimization aims to maximize the achievable sum secrecy rate (ASSR) while adhering to a limit on the rate for each user. However, this poses a challenge as it involves a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem, which cannot be efficiently solved through direct search methods due to its complexity. To handle this gracefully, we first divide the original problem into two smaller issues, i.e., an optimal PA problem for two paired users and an optimal UP problem. Next, we obtain the closed-form optimal solution for PA between two users and UP in a simplified NOMA system involving four users. Finally, the result is extended to a general 2K-user NOMA system. The proposed UP and PA method satisfies the minimum rate constraints with an optimal ASSR as shown theoretically and as validated by numerical simulations. According to the results, the proposed method outperforms random UP and that in a standard OMA system in terms of the ASSR and the average ASSR. It is also interesting to find that increasing the number of user pairs will bring more performance gain in terms of the average ASSR.

Hybrid backscatter communication for IoT devices in remote areas.

The IoT devices placed in remote locations require a battery replacement very often, which is not a convenient option. Backscatter communication can resolve this problem, as backscatter communication is a data transmission in which an RF signal incident from the gateway is used for energy harvesting, and this energy will be employed for data transmission. In this paper, a hybrid contention-based TDMA scheme is proposed, which provides slots to devices by dividing them into groups, and then contention is employed in groups to acquire a slot; if a device is not able to transmit during harvest, then transmit (HTT) period, then it can transmit in variable sub frame and the devices which are not able to completely transmit during HTT period can reserve subframes. The proposed hybrid scheme is compared with the TDMA scheme for average transmission delay.The proposed scheme provides scalability. The difference between the average transmission delay of TDMA and the proposed hybrid scheme is from 6 to 20 s, depending on the number of devices added and when traffic is generated.