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Background: Inflammatory mechanisms play an important role in both atherosclerosis and stroke. There are several inflammatory peripheral blood count markers associated with carotid artery stenosis degree, symptomatic carotid artery lesions and carotid artery stent restenosis that reported in previous studies. However, the prognostic role of the blood cell counts and their ratios in predicting in-hospital and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing carotid artery stenting (CAS) has not been comprehensively investigated. Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) proved its' efficiency in patients with solid tumors and its' role was rarely examined in cardiovascular disorders and stroke. The current study evaluated the effect of this novel risk index on in-hospital and long-term outcomes in a large patient population who underwent CAS. Method: A total of 732 patients with carotid artery stenosis who underwent CAS were enrolled to the study. SII was calculated using the following formula: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio pound total platelet count in the peripheral blood (per mm3) and the patients were stratified accordingly: T1, T2 and T3. In-hospital and 5-year outcomes were compared between the tertiles of SII. Results: During the hospitalization, major stroke, ipsilateral stoke, myocardial infarction, death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) rates were significantly higher in high SII level (T3) compared to SII levels (T1 and 2). In longterm outcomes, ipsilateral stroke, major stroke, transient ischemic attack, death, and MACE were significantly higher in the patients with higher SII level (T3). The 5-year Kaplan-Meier overall survival for T1, T2, and T3 were 97.5%, 96.7% and 86.0% respectively. In-hospital and 5-year regression analyses demonstrated that high SII was independently associated with MACE and mortality. Conclusion: SII was independently associated with in-hospital and long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing CAS. Immune and inflammation status, as assessed easily and quickly using SII, has a good discriminative value in these patients. WOS:000686903400007 2-s2.0-85109196298 PubMed: 34242858

This paper proposes a novel rectenna design for the compact RF energy harvesting system operating at 900 MHz. The rectenna design is based on a probe fed split-ring resonator on an elliptical slotted ground plane and an RF-DC rectifying circuit in the form of Villard voltage doubler circuit. The energy harvesting antenna is numerically modeled and fabricated on a 1.524 mm thick Rogers RO4003C substrate with a compact overall size of 81.25 mm x 87.5 mm (λ0/4.1 x λ0/3.8). The measured reflection coefficient indicates the proposed energy harvesting antenna to operate at 890 MHz with 51.3 MHz bandwidth covering GSM 900 band. As an RF-DC rectifying electronic circuit, a one stage voltage doubler circuit based on zero bias Schottky barrier diode in conjunction with the inductive impedance matching and λ/4 impedance transformer circuits has been designed. The DC voltage of nonlinear RF rectifier circuit is obtained as 1.7 V at the output load for -11 dBm input power level. The measured and simulated results confirm the proposed rectenna system to have a technical potential for the operation of low power and low voltage electronic devices.

Keskin, Muhammed/0000-0002-4938-0097; WOS: 000411505100002 PubMed: 28694392 Objective: This study is an examination of 1) overall mortality trend in the Turkish Adult Risk Factor (TARF) study stratified by sex and place of residence, and 2) brief report on main aspects of the 2016 survey. Methods: The period of last 18 years was divided into 2 for trend analysis of data. Required information on deaths was obtained. Baseline age >= 40 years at the beginning of each period was the inclusion criterion. Cox regression analyses were performed. Results: Among over 2500 participants in each, deaths were recorded in 281 and 334 individuals in Periods 1 and 2, respectively, and baseline mean age was 54.6 years and 56.4 years, respectively, in each period. Age-adjusted hazard ratio for mortality in Period 2 remained virtually the same for rural males, rose to borderline significance for urban males and rural females (p=0.06, p=0.09), and increased 1.72-fold for urban females (p=0.006), as compared to Period 1. Whereas males gained an average of 3.8 years of survival in the later period compared with the earlier period, females gained only 1.8 years. This narrowed the difference in mean age at death in favor of women from 2.5 years to 0.5 year. Of 1144 participants to be surveyed in the TARF 2016, 48 were lost to follow-up, 695 were examined, and 39 participants were ascertained to be deceased. In 362 cases, verbal information was obtained regarding health status. Conclusion: Gain in survival in Turkish women has distinctly stagnated compared with men, and hazard of death has risen significantly for women and urban residents in the past decade, suggesting interaction between female sex and urban residence. Both phenomena require recognition and adoption of appropriate measures. Turkish Society of Cardiology; TOFAS, Istanbul We are indebted to the Turkish Society of Cardiology, and particularly to the firm TOFAS, Istanbul, for their partial support for the TARF survey, and to the Turkish Institute of Public Health for logistical support.

Gungor, Baris/0000-0002-8883-117X WOS: 000408984000010 PubMed: 28752145 OBJECTIVE: Red cell distribution width (RDW) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have been found to be associated with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardiovascular diseases. However, correlation of these parameters with presence of left atrial (LA) thrombus and/or spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) in patients with non-valvular AF has not been clarified. This study was an investigation of correlation of RDW, NLR, and clinical risk factors with LA thrombus and dense SEC in patients with non-valvular AF in the Turkish population. METHODS: The demographic, laboratory, and echocardiographic properties of 619 non-valvular AF patients who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) examination before direct current cardioversion (DCCV) or AF ablation treatment were retrospectively investigated. Complete blood count (CBC) and biochemical parameters were studied 6 to 12 hours before TEE examination. Left atrial stasis (LAS) markers were noted as presence of left atrial/left atrial appendage (LA/LAA) thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast (DSEC). RESULTS: Total of 325 (52%) patients with LAS were compared with 294 patients (48%) without LAS. In the LAS group, there were 274 (84%) patients with LA/LAA thrombus and 51 (16%) patients with DSEC. LAS (+) group, values for RDW (14.85 +/- 1.48 vs. 13.77 +/- 1.30; p6 months, and international normalized ratio

Ozde, Cem/0000-0001-8846-9185 WOS: 000514249400013 PubMed: 31812229 Energy drinks (EDs) are widely consumed by adolescents and young adults. Almost all kinds of arrhythmias have been reported following EDs consumption, most of which is atrial fibrillation (AF). Atrial conduction time prolongation and heterogeneous sinusal impulses propagation to the atriums are the key electrophysiological mechanisms leading AF. We aimed to evaluate the acute effects of Red Bull ED ingestion on atrial electromechanical conduction times in healthy young adults. After a 12-hour fasting, 54 healthy young adults consumed 330 mL of Red Bull ED. Atrial electromechanical coupling (PA), intra-atrial electromechanical delay (intra-AEMD), and interatrial electromechanical delay (inter-AEMD) were measured at baseline and 2-hour after Red Bull ED ingestion by echocardiographic tissue-Doppler imaging (TDI) method. PA-lateral (49.7 +/- 11.2 vs 54.1 +/- 11.0 msn, p = 0.001) and PA-septal (40.8 +/- 9.1 vs 43.7 +/- 10.5 msn, p = 0.032) times were statistically significantly prolonged after Red Bull ED ingestion. There was also a statistically significant increase in the duration of inter-AEMD (14.4 +/- 10.6 vs 18.1 +/- 8.5 msn, p = 0.010) after ED ingestion. It was showed that even a single can of ED can acutely increase atrial electromechanical conduction times in young adults. These findings may be the cause of ED-associated AF. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) within the normal range in euthyroid subjects (having normal free triiodothyronine (fT3) and thyroxine (fT4)) is related to the risk of overall mortality or a composite endpoint of death and nonfatal events. Material and methods: In 614 middle-aged adult hospital screenees, free of uncontrolled diabetes at baseline, the association of sex-specific TSH tertiles with death was prospectively assessed using Cox regression, with the composite endpoint assessed using logistic regression in adjusted analyses, stratified by gender. Results: In total, 64 deaths and additional incident nonfatal events in 141 cases were recorded at a mean 7.55 years' follow-up. Multivariable linear regression revealed TSH to be significantly associated among men with age (p = 0.006), but in women inversely with fT3 and fT4 (p < 0.001, and p = 0.024 respectively). In logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, fT3, fT4, systolic blood pressure and serum total cholesterol, sex-specific baseline TSH tertiles were associated in men neither with the risk of death nor with composite endpoint. In contrast, in women, the highest compared with the bottom TSH tertile predicted the risk of composite endpoint (relative risk: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.07-3.82) and, much more strongly, the mortality risk, independently of fT4 increments. Conclusions: The significant association of higher range of normal serum TSH in euthyroid middle-aged adults with the risk of death and nonfatal adverse outcomes in women alone cannot be accounted for by the action of thyroid hormone and is consistent with involvement of TSH in the pro-inflammatory state.

Antitrombotik ilaçlar stabil anjina pektoris veakut koroner sendrom (kararsız angina pektoris, ST segment yükselmesiz miyokartinfarktüsü, ST segment yükselmeli miyokart infarktüsü) ile başvuran hastalariçin olmazsa olmaz ve en uygun ilaç tedavisidir. Antiplatelet ve antikoagülanilaçlar, akut koroner sendromda ölüm ve transmural miyokart infarktüsüinsidansını azalttı. Bu ilaçların trombüs oluşumunu engelleme ve trombositleriinhibe etme mekanizması ile benzer şekilde kanama riskini artırırlar. Buradagöğüs ağrısı ile kliniğimize başvuran ve anterior miyokart infarktüsü tanısıkonulan bir olgu sunulmuştur. Hastaya rutin klopidogrel 600 mg ve asetilsalisilikasit 300 mg oral başlandıktan sonra sol ön inen arter (LAD)’e predilatasyon vestent implantasyonu uygulandı. Klopidogrel alınmasından iki saat sonra koroneryoğun bakım ünitesindeki takibinde kanlı balgam ve nefes darlığı gelişti.Toraks yüksek rezonans bilgisayarlı tomografide difüz alveoler hemorajisaptandı ve klopidogrel kesildi. Klopidogrele bağlı difüz alveoler hemoraji çoknadir görülen bir komplikasyon olmakla birlikte bu ilacın ne kadar sıklıktakullanıldığı düşünülürse tanı ve tedavinin önemi ortaya çıkar., Anti-thrombotic drugs are inevitable andrepresent the most suitable drug therapy for patients presenting with stableangina pectoris and acute coronary syndromes [unstable angina pectoris, non-STsegment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and STEMI]. Anti-platelet andanti-coagulant drugs have reduced the incidence of death and transmuralmyocardial infarction in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). Besidestheir favourable effect in terms of inhibiting thrombus formation, theyincrease the risk of bleeding by inhibiting platelets in ACS by the samemechanism. Here we present a case of a patient who was admitted to ourinstitution with chest pain and who was diagnosed with anterior myocardialinfarction. After initiating anti-platelet therapy with 300 mg acetylsalicylicacid orally and 600 mg clopidogrel orally, the patient underwent primarypercutaneous coronary intervention, which ended with predilatation and stentimplantation of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). After 2 hours ofclopidogrel ingestion, the patient presented with bloody sputum and dyspnoea inthe coronary care unit just after the intervention. Thoracic high-resonancecomputed tomography (HRCT) revealed diffuse alveolar haemorrhage, andclopidogrel was stopped. Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage due to clopidogrel is avery rare major complication, and considering how commonly clopidogrel is used,diagnosis and management of this complication are crucial.

ObjectiveBuerger’s disease is one of the worst diseases causing peripheral artery occlusions (especially lower extremity) with increased morbidity and mortality. Endovascular treatment of the diseased arteries gains preference over bypass surgery nowadays. Here, we aimed to present the clinical outcomes of 16 consecutive Buerger’s disease patients underwent extended endovascular recanalization which is a new technique to restore direct blood flow to at least one foot artery, with the performance of angioplasty for each tibial and foot artery obstructions.MethodsA total of 16 consecutive patients with confirmed diagnosis of Buerger’s disease that percutaneously treated in our center between February 2014 and March 2018 were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 44.25 ± 4.28 ranging from 36 to 50 years. After physical examination and complementary diagnostic tests, performance of extended angioplasty for occluded arteries was intended to restore direct blood flow to at least one of the blow-the-knee arteries.ResultsA successful extended endovascular treatment was performed in 20 of 22 limbs, achieving a technical success of 91%. All patients were successfully discharged without any complication. Mean follow-up duration was 21.43 ± 7.08 months. Reintervention was performed in one patient and minor amputation was needed in one of the failed limbs. Limb salvage rate was 100%. A significant difference was observed based on Rutherford classification, ankle brachial index, direct blood flow to foot, presence of ulcer and rest pain when compared before and after the intervention.ConclusionWe showed successful extended endovascular recanalization of Buerger’s disease patients with a high technical success rate and sustained clinical improvement. Extended endovascular recanalization could be a therapeutic option in Buerger’s disease patients, since they are not good candidates for surgery.

WOS: 000435652100003 Aim: To date there has been no data about the prevalence of coronary artery anomaly (CAA) in the Turkish population of the Black Sea Region who underwent trans-radial coronary angiography. We aimed to determine the frequency and characteristics of CAA in our patients. Material and Method: All the coronary angiographies performed from September 2015 to September 2016 in our hospital were reviewed. Demographic characteristics and laboratory parameters of patients were reviewed retrospectively from the patients' data set. A total of 1617 patient were included in our study. Results: CAAs were found in 73 patients (4.51%), of whom 41 (56.16%) had intrinsic coronary artery anatomy. Twenty-two (30.13%) patients had anomaly of origination and course and 10 (13.69%) patients had anomaly of coronary artery termination. The mean age was 59.35 +/- 11.86 in the study group and 60.11 +/- 6.61 in the control group. Myocardial bridge was the most common anomaly in our study with a prevalence of 2.16%. Absent LMCA was the second most common anomaly in our study with a prevalence of 0.80% and coronary artery fistula was third with a prevalence of 0.61%. Discussion: We found the prevalence of CAAs among the Turkish population of the Black Sea Region to be similar to previously published studies from our country. To avoid misunderstandings one must know the normal anatomy of coronary vasculature, variations, and the anomalies. When coronary angioplasty or cardiac surgery is planned in patients with CAA, special attention must be paid not to harm coronary arteries in unexpected locations.

Acute dyspnea is a major complaint of patients admitted to cardiology and emergency departments (ED). Acute dyspnea can be life-threatening, and is seen in cases of asthma, pulmonary embolism, acute heart failure and myocardial infarction. The present case is that of a 32-year-old man admitted to the ED with orthopnea position and agitation. Physical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG), transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of thorax and coronary angiography (CAG) helped to rule out chest disease pathologies such as pneuomo-thorax, pulmonary embolism and coronary artery disease, but were not enough to make an appropriate diagnosis in this case. Because of high pretest probability of aortic dissection, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed and a diagnosis of Stanford type A dissection closing left main coronary artery (LMCA) ostia from beat to beat was made.

WOS: 000433094100005 PubMed ID: 29607427 OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the diameter of coronary artery stents and age, gender, diabetes mellitus (DM), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), renal dysfunction, and the clinical presentation of myocardial ischemia in the cohort of patients with implanted stents in coronary arteries with severe stenotic lesions. METHODS: This study included 2256 patients (mean age, 59.3 +/- 10.9 years; men, 62%) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The clinical status of the patients at presentation was subcategorized as follows: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, and stable angina pectoris. The diameters, without any type or brand differentiation, were divided into two groups as follows: Group I, which included 2.5-and 2.75-mm-diameter stents, and Group II, which included >= 3-mm-diameter stents. RESULTS: The type of procedure, including primary PCI, early invasive strategy, and elective stenting, was not found to be a significant factor affecting the diameter of coronary artery stents. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a relationship between the diameter of coronary artery stents and age, gender, DM, and LVEF. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the diameter of coronary artery stents was independently associated with gender, age, a history of DM, and moderate-to-severe systolic left ventricular dysfunction.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (CRT-D) is the preferred treatment for patients with severe heart failure, dyssynchrony, and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death or for primary ventricular arrhythmia survivors. Rarely, left ventricular epicardial pacing can induce ventricular tachyarrhythmia rather than a beneficial effect. We describe an ischemic cardiomyopathy patient who underwent CRT-D therapy and developed sustained torsades de pointes (TdP) immediately after switching to biventricular pacing (BVP) mode. Here, TdP possibly developed owing to the change in the dispersion of repolarization of the left ventricle myocardium. The diagnosis and management of BVP-induced ventricular arrhythmia is discussed.

PubMed ID: 28238569, Objective No studies have been conducted in Turkey to compare the quality of stroke prevention therapies provided in different healthcare settings in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate possible differences between secondary (SH) and tertiary hospital (TH) settings in the effectiveness of implementing AF treatment strategies. Methods Baseline characteristics of 6273 patients with non-valvular AF enrolled in the RAMSES (ReAl-life Multicentre Survey Evaluating Stroke Prevention Strategies in Turkey) study were compared. Results Of the study population, 3312 (52.8%) patients were treated in THs and 2961 (47.2%) patients were treated in SHs. Patients treated in the SH setting were older (70.8 ± 9.8 vs. 68.7 ± 11.4 years, p

Cinier, Goksel/0000-0001-5064-1816; Keskin, Muhammed/0000-0002-4938-0097 WOS: 000416614300002 PubMed: 28864320 Although the long-term clinical benefit of adjunctive thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) remains controversial, the impact of TA in patients with large thrombus has not been evaluated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of adjunctive TA during PPCI on clinical outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and a large thrombus. We assessed the effect of adjunctive TA on in-hospital and 3-year clinical outcomes in 627 patients with STEMI and a large thrombus in the native coronary artery. The cumulative 3-year incidence of all-cause death was not significantly different between the 2 groups (91.5% vs 89.0%, log-rank test p = 0.347). After adjusting for confounders, the risk of all-cause death in the TA group was not significantly lower than that in the non-TA group (hazard ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 0.60 to 3.54, p = 0.674). The adjusted risks of target lesion revascularization, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis were also not significantly different between the 2 groups. In conclusion, adjunctive TA during PPCI was not associated with better in-hospital and 3-year all-cause deaths in patients with STEMI and a large coronary artery thrombus. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis and identification of high‐risk non‐ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is an important issue. Fragmented QRS (fQRS) complexes are defined as various RSR’ patterns on 12‐lead resting electrocardiography (ECG). Previous studies revealed that fQRS is related with increased ventricular arrhythmias and cardiovascular mortality. The relation between fQRS and mortality in acute coronary syndromes, mitral valve disease severity and structural heart disease has been shown in different studies. The aim of this study was to investigate relation between fQRS and long‐term cardiovascular mortality in NSTEMI patients. METHODS: Patients who admitted to our emergency unit and diagnosed NSTEMI between 2012 and 2013, 433 patients were included prospectively. fQRS complexes determined in 85 patients. Patients were divided into two groups according to fQRS existence. All patients evaluated for their clinical, laboratory, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic characteristics. Angiographic features of 315 patients who underwent coronary angiography was also recorded. In‐hospital, 30‐day and 12‐month mortality was compared between these groups. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors were similar in both groups except hyperlipidemia. GRACE risk score was higher in patients with fQRS and positively correlated with existence of fQRS. In hospital and 30‐days mortality were similar but late mortality was higher in fQRS group. Predictors of late mortality were found to be age, heart rate, male sex in addition to fQRS. CONCLUSION: We found a relation between fQRS and late mortality. Fragmented QRS may be seen as a cautionary signal for extensive myocardial damage and thereby increased long‐term mortality for patients with NSTEMI.

SUMMARYAccordion or concertina effect is defined as a pseudolesion of tortuous arteries which confused with false dissection, spasm, thrombus and embolus appearence and that gives great concerns to the operator occurs due to straightening and shortening of the vessels with stiff guide wires during the intervention. We present a case of accordion effect in proximal segment of right coronary artery in 51-year-old patient with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Coronary artery dissection during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty is commonly seen in clinical practice. This case is a brief report on concertina effect. We must keep in mind concertina effect before proceeding with a coronary intervention as an interventional cardiologist.Keywords: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, right coronary artery, accordion effect, pseudocomplication ÖZETAkordiyon veya konçertina etkisi tortiyoze arterlerin bir psödolezyonu olup, yalancı diseksiyon, spazm, trombüs ve emboli görünümü ile karışabilir ve girişim sırasında sert kılavuz tellerle damarların kısaltılıp doğrultulması nedeniyle işlemcide büyük bir endişe uyandırır. Bu makalede ST segment elevasyonlu myokard infarktüsü olup; sağ koroner arterin proximal segmentinde akordiyon etkisi bulunan 51 yaşında bir olgu sunulmuştur. Klinik uygulamada perkütan transluminal koroner anjioplasti esnasında koroner arter disseksiyonu görülmesi yaygındır.Bu vaka konçertina etkisi ile ilgili kısa bir bildiridir. Girişimsel kardiyologların koroner girişimler sırasında konçertina etkisini akıllarında bulundurmaları gerekmektedir.Anahtar sözcükler: ST segment elevasyonlu myokard enfarktüsü, sağ koroner arter, akordiyon etkisi, psödokomplikasyon, Akordiyon veya konçertina etkisi tortiyoze arterlerin bir psödolezyonu olup, yalancı diseksiyon, spazm, trombüs ve emboli görünümü ile karışabilir ve girişim sırasında sert kılavuz tellerle damarların kısaltılıp doğrultulması nedeniyle işlemcide büyük bir endişe uyandırır. Bu makalede ST segment elevasyonlu myokard infarktüsü olup; sağ koroner arterin proximal segmentinde akordiyon etkisi bulunan 51 yaşında bir olgu sunulmuştur. Klinik uygulamada perkütan transluminal koroner anjioplasti esnasında koroner arter disseksiyonu görülmesi yaygındır.Bu vaka konçertina etkisi ile ilgili kısa bir bildiridir. Girişimsel kardiyologların koroner girişimler sırasında konçertina etkisini akıllarında bulundurmaları gerekmektedir

A novel method is presented for electrically tuning the frequency of a compact radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag antenna. A tuning circuit, comprising a radio frequency (RF) switch and discrete passive components, was completely integrated into the antenna element, which is thus free of DC wires. The low-profile printed antennas were fabricated together with the layouts of the DC control circuits and other RF/baseband circuit footprints. A surface-mounted varactor was applied as a frequency-tuning element at the proper places of the meandered slots in the compact antenna. Prototype designs showed that the in-band frequency (return loss < 10 dB) was tunable from 2.4 GHz to 2.8 GHz when the bias voltage varied from 4 V to 7 V. The impact of the tuning circuit on the antenna's return loss and radiation pattern were experimentally studied through comparison with the performance of a reference antenna not incorporating the tuning circuit. The proposed frequency tuning concept can be extended to more complex compact structures as well as other types of antennas to give enhanced electrical performance.

Magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) eliminates apoptotic spermatozoa based on the presence of externalized phosphatidylserine residues. We evaluated the outcome of male fertility treatment when intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) into human oocytes was performed with non-apoptotic MACS-selected spermatozoa.196 couples were treated by ICSI following spermatozoa preparation by MACS (study group; 122 couples) or density gradient centrifugation (DGC) (control group; 74 couples). Fertilization, cleavage, pregnancy, and implantation rates were analyzed.The percentage of sperm with normal morphology after MACS selection was improved. Cleavage and pregnancy rates were higher, respectively, in the study group than in control. A slightly higher implantation rate was also observed in the study group.MACS selection of human spermatozoa increased cleavage and pregnancy rates in oligoasthenozoospermic ART cases. This novel method for selecting non-apoptotic spermatozoa for ICSI is safe and reliable, and may improve the assisted reproduction outcome.

Impedance matching networks are used extensively in radio communications. In this study, π-matching circuit has been used as a matching network. The return loss level of several impedance matched microstrip antennas are compared as a function of matching techniques. The π-matching device is used to construct the antenna tuning units, which is only used to match the front module and the antenna. This circuit impedance region has been investigated analytically under the variable load condition. When the mismatch is occurred, the result is an increase in the energy consumption or transmission quality deterioration. In addition, the input module in antenna system could be damaged if reflection of the signal levels is excessively high. This is interesting application because antennas cannot be considered alone as component with changing electromagnetic properties. The rectangular microstrip antenna was designed at 2.5 GHz frequency by using microstrip feed line. Better return loss level which is −16.86 dB has been obtained for this antenna using π-matching circuit. It is shown that theoretical, simulation, and laboratory results are good agreement. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 410–415, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23101

The design of broadband active-compensated amplifier system is an important problem in microwave systems. In this letter, a wide-band high-gain microwave transistor amplifier (MTA) design is presented with −10 dB input reflection coefficient. To achieve its characteristics, a novel input-matching mechanism is proposed. The recognition and comprehensive interpretation of this new input-matching mechanism is important for future development of wide-band MTA. In this article, broad-band impedance matching is proposed as a method for improving the matching level of amplifier. A new compensation network consisting of negative impedance converter (NIC) circuit is employed at the input of the amplifier operating at 4.2 GHz. The results show that the compensation network can improve the return loss level from −5.9 dB to −13.01 dB, and the resonant frequency can be controlled in a wide RF band. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 192–197, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23046

This paper presents results for a novel active transmit-receive antenna and designing a high port isolation dual frequency orthogonally polarized inset rectangular patch antenna. Measurements show an improvement of 20 dB in port isolation relative to the conventional antenna, operating at 2.4 and 2.6 GHz. An inset microstrip patch antenna operating at 10.5 GHz having 12.22% bandwidth has been used as a reference antenna. It is also shown that the return loss level of the antenna has been enhanced by using active matching with RC mutator networks from −10.62 dB to −14.76 dB respectively. In addition, this paper presents the design of an integrated 2.4/2.6 GHz full duplex dual-band antenna transceiver for WLAN 802.11 a/b/g applications. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 2843–2848, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22845

In this study, a novel technique for bandwidth enhancement of a microstrip antenna with a floating negative inductor matching network is presented. A compensation network consisting of three gallium-arsenide field effect transistors is employed at the input of a microstrip antenna operating at 10 GHz. The performance parameters of the designed microstrip antenna with and without compensation network are compared. The simulation results show that compensation network can improve the bandwidth from 17.21% to 32.67%. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 42: 476–478, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20342

Biventricular thrombi secondary to anterior myocardial infarction is very rare. We present a patient with giant biventricular thrombi subsequent to an old anterior wall myocardial infarction, and devastating consequences, including acute pulmonary artery and femoral artery embolism. We introduce a unique case report with demonstrative and illustrative images.