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With the growing demands for personalized medicine and medical devices, nanomedicine is a modern scientific field, and research continues to apply nanomaterials for therapeutic and damaged tissue diagnosis. In this regard, substantial progress has been made in synthesizing magnetic nanoparticles with desired sizes, chemical composition, morphologies, and surface chemistry. Among these materials, nanomagnetic iron oxides have demonstrated promise as unique drug delivery carriers due to cancer treatment. This carrier could lead to responsive properties to a specific trigger, including heat, pH, alternative magnetic field, or even enzymes, through functionalization and coating of magnetic nanoparticles, along with biocompatibility, good chemical stability, easy functionalization, simple processing, and ability to localize to the tumor site with the assistance of external magnetic field. Current studies have focused on magnetic nanoparticles’ utilities in cancer therapy, especially for colorectal cancer. Additionally, a bibliometric investigation was performed on the public trends in the field of the magnetic nanoparticle to drug delivery and anticancer, which represented progressing applications of these carriers in the multidisciplinary zones with a general view on future research and identified potential opportunities and challenges. Furthermore, we outline the current challenges and forthcoming research perspective for high performance and fostering advanced MNPs in colorectal cancer treatment. Graphical Abstract

Tigecycline is unique glycylcycline class of semisynthetic antimicrobial agents developed for the treatment of polymicrobial infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Tigecycline evades the main tetracycline resistance genetic mechanisms, such as tetracycline-specific efflux pump acquisition and ribosomal protection, via the addition of a glycyclamide moiety to the 9-position of minocycline. The use of the parenteral form of tigecycline is approved for complicated skin and skin structure infections (excluding diabetes foot infection), complicated intra-abdominal infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in adults. New evidence also suggests the effectiveness of tigecycline for the treatment of severe Clostridioides difficile infections. Tigecycline showed in vitro susceptibility to Coxiella spp., Rickettsia spp., and multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonnorrhoeae strains which indicate the possible use of tigecycline in the treatment of infections caused by these pathogens. Except for intrinsic, or often reported resistance in some Gram-negatives, tigecycline is effective against a wide range of multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens. Herein, we summarize the currently available data on tigecycline pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, its mechanism of action, the epidemiology of tigecycline resistance, and its clinical effectiveness.

Objectives The increasing crisis regarding multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant microorganisms leads to appealing therapeutic options. Methods During the last 30 years, minocycline, a wide-spectrum antimicrobial agent, has been effective against MDR Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial infections. As with other tetracyclines, the mechanism of action of minocycline involves attaching to the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit and preventing protein synthesis. Results This antimicrobial agent has been approved for the treatment of acne vulgaris, some sexually transmitted diseases and rheumatoid arthritis. Although many reports have been published, there remains limited information regarding the prevalence, mechanism of resistance and clinical effectiveness of minocycline. Conclusion Thus, we summarize here the currently available data concerning pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, mechanism of action and resistance, antibacterial activity and clinical effectiveness of minocycline.

Spectra data from two instruments (UV-Vis/NIR and FT-NIR) consisting of three and one detectors, respectively, were employed in order to discriminate the geographical origin of milk as a way to detect adulteration. Initially, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to see if clusters of milk from different origins are formed. Separation between samples of different origins were not observed with PCA, hence, feed-forward multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network (MLP-ANN) models were designed. ANN models were developed by changing the number of input variables and the best models were chosen based on high values of generalized R-square and entropy R-square, as well as small values of root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute deviation (Mean Abs. Dev), and -loglikelihood while considering 100% classification rate. Based on the results, whether the spectra data was collected from a single or three detector instrument the same clustering was observed based on geographical origin.

Background: Bacteremia is the status, which is detected via a positive blood culture test with no contamination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that direct medical procedures and total costs are significantly high. Antibiotic resistance can play a major role in the costs, which are related to the long duration of treatment. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the rate and profiles of antimicrobial susceptibility of blood culture isolates from Tehran, Iran. Methods: In the current cross-sectional study, a total of 5,000 blood culture samples were collected from patients hospitalized in the Loghman General Hospital, Tehran, Iran, with positive blood culture results from 2012 to 2013. Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents was analyzed using National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards guidelines. Results: Coagulase-negative staphylococci (38.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (20.5%), Acinetobacter (11.9%), and Escherichia coli (11.7%) were the most frequent bacteria isolated from the blood cultures, collectively accounting for > 80% of the isolates. Of isolated microorganisms, 63.75% and 36.24% belonged to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, respectively. Moreover, 88% of the isolates were MRSA (oxacillin-/methicillin-resistant), and 7% were VRE (vancomycin-resistant). Conclusions: The most frequent isolated organisms were Gram-positive bacteria, and the rate of MDR (multi-drug resistance) was high. The results of the current study obviously indicate the misuse of antibiotic in society. National surveillance studies in Iran will be useful for clinicians to choose the right empirical treatment and will help control and prevent infections caused by resistant organisms.

This study presents a new simple control strategy for direct driven permanent magnet synchronous generator wind turbines, using no wind speed sensor. It is shown that the fluctuation in output power, not only exists at below the rated wind speed, but also appears in above the rated speed region. Therefore, it employs power-smoothing strategies within a wide range of wind speeds and provides soft performance of the pitch angle system for above the rated speed range. In previous studies, power smoothing is mainly limited to the wind speeds below the rated value, whereas, in this study, all operating speed ranges of the turbine, including wind speeds above the rated value, are considered. Fluctuation in the output power for above the rated speed is analysed and it is shown that there is a significant level of fluctuation in the output power. Therefore, a new strategy is proposed to have more power smoothing as well as having soft performance of pitch angle system for above the rated speed region. The performance of the proposed strategy is evaluated by MATLAB/ Simulink simulation and its validity and effectiveness are verified.

Objective: Haemophilus influenzae is the causative agent of invasive and noninvasive infections such as chronic obstructive lung disease exacerbation, sinusitis, otitis media, and conjunctivitis. The study was undertaken to direct detection, capsular typing, and investigate the occurrence of beta-lactamase resistance genes in H. influenzae strains isolated from sinusitis samples. Materials and methods: We investigated the presence of H influenzae in 137 sinusitis samples obtained from the patients had referred to Rasoole-Akram Hospital in Tehran in 2017. DNA extraction was performed according to the QIAamp kit. polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed with specific primers to determine H. influenzae and capsular-typing and to detect resistance genes. Results: Eleven samples were positive for the presence of H. influenzae. Overall, 5, 2, and 4 isolates were H. influenzae type b, type A, and nontypeable H. influenzae, respectively. Of 11 isolates of H. influenzae, only two isolates (18) were beta-lactamase positive and carried the TEM-1 gene, but others were negative for the ROB-1 gene. As well, the current study showed that 45.5 (n; five of 11 encapsulated H. influenzae) of isolates were type b, which were the predominant types. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the conventional PCR can help increase detection rates of bacterial cause of sinusitis and resistance genes in clinical samples for effective treatment in individual sensitive to invasive infection. Copyright (C) 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Background: Avian Influenza disease annually entails a significant economic loss to the poultry industry around the world. Influenza virus is a polymorphic virus of the orthomyxoviridae family (single-stranded RNA genome), and nucleoprotein (NP) is the structural and internal protein of the virus. The aim of the work was to purify nucleoprotein for further investigations with a simple, low-cost, fast and practical method. Methods: In this study, H9N2 influenza virus was isolated in specific pathogen-free embryonated chicken eggs by allantoically inoculating 103 to 105 egg-infective doses (EID50) for 9 to 11 days, purified by 10% (W/V) polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 with a sucrose gradient of 60% to 30%. The influenza virus proteins were collected and prepared as fractions by preparative electrophoresis. Finally, the purified NP was subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot procedures. Results: The protein analysis with SDS-PAGE and silver nitrate staining indicated that the desired samples contained purified nucleoprotein and lacked other viral proteins. The results of the investigation of lyophilized fractions containing nucleoprotein on the SDS-PAGE revealed the absence of viral RNA in nucleoprotein and its high purity. Conclusion: According to this study, purified nucleoprotein can be used to produce nucleoprotein vaccines, as well as to study structural, molecular and diagnostic and therapeutic materials.

In this paper, the design of an ultracompact cavity-backed waveguide aperture antenna operating at C-band with 14% fractional bandwidth at 5.8 GHz is discussed. The measured results demonstrated a 96% antenna efficiency, greater than 78% aperture efficiency, 18 dB return loss, and 15 dBi gain with 0.6 dB flatness over the entire desired bandwidth (5.4–6.2 GHz). Measurements were found to be in excellent agreement with the simulation results. With a size of 126 mm (length) $\times86$ mm (width) $\times48$ mm (height), the proposed antenna is also ultracompact in comparison with other reported antennas with the same aperture size and electromagnetic features. The compactness of the proposed antenna was accomplished by employing a novel approach to excite the output aperture. This approach was achieved by incorporating the cavity-backed waveguide apertures and waveguide steps. The antenna structure is composed of three aluminum layers firmly screwed to each other. Each layer is manufactured by using the computer numerical control milling machine. The proposed antenna is an appropriate candidate for high-power applications due to its metallic structure and high radiation efficiency. The proposed structure is very robust and has carefully been designed to exhibit low sensitive to manufacturing tolerances.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori or Hp) has been strongly associated with the peptic ulcer diseases, chronic gastritis, ulcers, and gastric cancer. Genes associated with pathogenicity have been designated for H. pylori, and some of them appear to be related to more severe clinical consequences of the infection. The present study was conducted to determine cagA, vacA, cagE, iceA1, oipA, and iceA2 genes in H. pylori strains isolated from gastroduodenal patients, who referred to Shariati hospital in Tehran, Iran. Methods: Gastric biopsy specimens were collected during endoscopy from patients, who referred to the Shariati hospital in Tehran, Iran during January and November 2015. After isolation of H. pylori from the biopsy culture, genomic DNA was extracted and subsequently used to identify H. pylori and virulence genes using specific primers. Results: The isolation rate of H. pylori strains was 65.7% (169/257). The frequency of cagA, vacA, cagE, iceA1, oipA, and iceA2 was 143 (% 84.6), 169 (100%), 131 (77.5%), 97 (57.3%), 89 (52.6%), and 72 (42.6%), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, a significant difference was observed between investigated genes and strains isolated from PUD and GC patients (p

Battery energy storage system (BESS) is one of the best solutions to compensate the wind power fluctuations and forecasting errors for participation in the power markets by contribution in the energy production several hours ahead. Based on coordination of BESS and wind power, this study aims to present a new strategy to optimise the BESS size and increase the battery lifetime. In the proposed strategy, the average wind power is considered as the dispatch power to minimise the battery capacity and two back up battery sets are utilised to avoid shallow charge-discharge cycles for saving the battery efficiency and lifetime. In addition, the short-term operation criterion is chosen to deal with the prediction error effects. The proposed method is applied to a 2 MW wind turbine as a case study with 2 years wind data. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

This paper presents a new simple control strategy for direct driven PMSG wind turbines, using no wind speed sensor. There are several strategies for wind turbine control. Operation of different strategies in terms of power smoothing is compared. New strategy is proposed to have more power smoothing. Performance of the proposed strategy is evaluated by MATLAB/ Simulink simulations and its validity and effectiveness are verified.

Islanded microgrids as flexible, adaptive and sustainable smart cells of distribution power systems should be operated in accordance to both techno-economic purposes. Motivated by this need, the microgrid operators are in charge to elevate the active accommodation of both demand-side and supply-side distributed energy resources. To that end, in this paper, a new flexible frequency dependent energy management system is proposed through which distributed generators have time varying droop controllers with a gain-adaptive strategy. Besides to cope economically with uncertainty arise frequency excursions, a new, comfort-aware and versatile frequency dependent demand response program is mathematically formulated and conducted to the energy management system. It is aimed to co-optimize the microgrid energy resources such a way the day-ahead operational costs are managed subject to a secure frequency control portfolio. The presented model is solved using a two-stage stochastic programming and by a tractable efficient mixed integer linear programming approach. The simulation results are derived in 24-h scheduling time horizon and implemented on a typical test microgrid. The effectiveness of the proposed hourly gain assignment and frequency responsive load management program has been verified thoroughly by analyzing the results.

The high penetration of renewable energy resources presents many challenges to the grid, such as frequency and voltage instability and system dispatching. Therefore, it is necessary that the volatile and randomized power challenges of these resources be solved in such a way that the stability of the power system is not compromised and that these resources can participate in the dispatching program and also the electricity market.

Infections caused by bacteria are a foremost cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The common strategy of treating bacterial infections is by local or systemic administration of antimicrobial agents. Currently, the increasing antibiotic resistance is a serious and global problem. Since the most important agent for infection is bacteria attaching to host cells, hence, new techniques and attractive approaches that interfere with the ability of the bacteria to adhere to tissues of the host or detach them from the tissues at the early stages of infection are good therapeutic strategies. All available national and international databanks were searched using the search keywords. Here, we review various approaches to anti-adhesion therapy, including use of receptor and adhesion analogs, dietary constituents, sublethal concentrations of antibiotics, and adhesion-based vaccines. Altogether, the findings suggest that interference with bacterial adhesion serves as a new means to fight infectious diseases. Anti-adhesion-based therapies can be effective in prevention and treatment of bacterial infections, but further work is needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms.

In this study, a low-loss and compact planar power combiner for solid state power amplifiers (SSPAs) is proposed. It combines eight power amplifier modules with low insertion loss (IL) and high reliability by utilising a novel magic-Tee configuration and E-plane bend along with a suitable microstrip-to-waveguide transition. The fabricated prototype was implemented through automatic milling machines to produce three planar layers that form the final structure. This novel approach enabled precise fabrication, simple assembly of the SSPAs as well as low-cost manufacturing in comparison with existing traditional approaches. This process is suitable for SSPAs operating from 4 to 40 GHz. The combined IL of the implemented combiner network is less than 0.6 dB at Ka-band, 0.5 dB at Ku-band, and 0.4 dB at X-band while exhibiting a 10% fractional bandwidth.

The intermittency in wind power can face electrical network with some challenges such as power quality, frequency deviation and reliability of the system. So estimated power fluctuation in wind farm has to be known in order to reach to the grid integration requirements. In this paper the wind farm power fluctuation is investigated by considering the three factors; wake effect, turbulence and spatial smoothing, simultaneously. The wake effect is investigated for the mean value and turbulence part of the wind speed separately because of different effects of the wake. The engineering models in fluid mechanics is used for analyzing the wake effect and spatial smoothing. The proposed approach is sued for a 160 MW wind farm as a case study.

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is an important cause of nosocomial infections, particularly in burn patients. Hospital Infections caused by these bacteria are difficult to treat. Objectives: The present study aimed at determining the frequency of genes encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes in A. baumannii strains isolated from burn patients in Shahid Motahari hospital. Methods: This study was performed on 100 A. baumannii strains collected from Shahid Motahari hospital in Tehran during 2013 and 2014. The bacteria were cultured and identified. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method according to the CLSI guidelines. PCR assay was done to find the genes encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. Results: In this study, highest resistance to antibiotic was reported for ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, and ceftizoxime (100%), whereas the highest susceptibility was observed for colistin (100%), followed by gentamicin, amikacin, and tobramycin with (93%), (90%), and (87%), respectively. In the total of 100 strains studied, aphA6, aadB, aacC1 and aadA1 genes were found in 657 221 and 37 of A. baumannii isolates, respectively; 8 isolates had aadB and aphA6 genes and 3 had aadB, aadA1, aacC1, and aphA6 genes. Conclusions: This study showed the high frequency aminoglycoside-resistance genes among A. baumanni strains. Thus, the implementation of appropriate programs to prevent the spread of the bacteria seems necessary in the Shahid Motahari hospital.

Background: Allelic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cytokine-encoding genes can affect the degree of cytokine production, and may be related to the tendency to infectious illnesses as well as various clinical consequences. Objectives: The aim of this work was to evaluate the possible role of SNPs in the regions of the IL-10 (-592), IL-15 (-367), IL-18 (-656), IL-12 (+1188), IFN-γ (+874), TNF-α (-308), and TNF-β (+252) genes in susceptibility or resistance to brucellosis and its crucial complications. Methods: In a period of one year, 125 patients with acute brucellosis referring to 3 large public teaching hospitals were enrolled in this study. We studied the SNPs of IL-10, IL-15, IL-18, IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α/β genes using the allele specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) with sequence-specific primers. Results: Frequency of GG genotype in the TNF-α and TNF-β-encoding genes increased significantly by 52% and 31.2% in patient and control groups, respectively. For IFN-γ, TA genotype was found highly enhanced in patients (60%), while the frequency of AA and TT genotypes were higher in controls (23.2% and 26.4%, respectively). The AA and CC SNPs in IL-12 were dominant in both patient (78.4%) and control (14.4%) groups. In the patient group, the GG and TT genotypes had a higher frequency for genes encoding IL-15 (33.6%) and IL-18 (89.6%). Conclusions: Based on the present study, some SNPs within the several cytokine genes, including TNF-α/β (-308/+252), IFN-γ (+874), IL-15 (-367), IL-18 (-656), and IL-12 (+1188) are related to the susceptibility or resistance to brucellosis. In order to approve the biological consequence of our results, additional investigations should be carried out in larger population groups.

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Economical harvesting of electrical energy on a large scale considering the environmental issues is a challenge. As a solution, Microgrids (MGs) promise to facilitate the widely penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) and energy storage devices into the power systems, reduce system losses and greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the reliability of the electricity supply to the customers. Although the concept of MG is already established, the control strategies and energy management systems for MGs which cover power interchange, system stability, frequency and voltage regulation, active and reactive power control, islanding detection, grid synchronization, following contingencies and emergency conditions are still under development. Like a conventional power system, a Micro-grid (MG) needs emergency control and protection schemes to have secure and stable operation. Since MG can operate in both grid-connected and islanded mode, in addition to the control loops and protection schemes, extra issues must be considered. Transition between two operation modes requires an extra control plan to eliminate and stabilize transients due to mode changing. This paper presents an overview of the key issues and new challenges on emergency control and protection plans in the MG systems. The most important emergency control and protection schemes such as load shedding methods that have been presented over the past years are summarized.

Background Gonad shielding is one of the fundamental methods by which to protect reproductive organs in patients undergoing conventional radiological examinations. A lack of or inadequate shielding of the gonads may increase the exposure of these organs and result in malignancies future generations. Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of gonad shielding in patients undergoing conventional radiological examinations and the availability of gonad shields and gonad shielding protocols in radiology departments. Materials and Methods A retrospective, observational cross-sectional study on the application of gonad shielding, the availability of gonad shields and the existence of gonad shielding protocols in radiology departments was performed in five different hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran. Results The highest application of gonad shielding was 6.6% for the pediatric hospital. The prevalence of gonad shielding was less than 0.2%. In 64.3% of the radiography rooms, at least one flat-contact gonad shield of a large size was available. Only large-sized gonad shields were available. Curved-contact and shadow gonad shields did not exist. Gonad shielding protocols were not existence in any of the fourteen radiography rooms investigated. Conclusions Comprehensive protection programs with on-the-job training courses for staff members are strongly recommended, as well as, the provision of radiological shields and gonad shielding protocols in radiology departments to reduce the patient’s radiation dose during radiological examinations.

Generally, in a waveguide-based humidity sensors, increasing the relative humidity (RH) causes the cladding refractive index (RI) to increase due to cladding water absorption. However, if graphene oxide (GO) is used, a reverse phenomenon is seen due to a gap increase in graphene layers. In this paper, this interesting property is applied in order to fabricate differential humidity sensor using the difference between RI of reduced GO (rGO) and nano-anatase TiO2 in a chip. First, a new approach is proposed to prepare high quality nano-anatase TiO2 in solution form making the fabrication process simple and straightforward. Then, the resulted solutions (TiO2 and GO) are effortlessly drop casted and reduced on SU8 two channels waveguide and extensively examined against several humid conditions. Investigating the sensitivity and performance (response time) of the device, reveals a great linearity in a wide range of RH (35% to 98%) and a variation of more than 30 dB in transmitted optical power with a response time of only ~0.7 sec. The effect of coating concentration and UV treatment are studied on the performance and repeatability of the sensor and the attributed mechanisms explained. In addition, we report that using the current approach, devices with high sensitivity and very low response time of only 0.3 sec can be fabricated. Also, the proposed device was comprehensively compared with other state of the art proposed sensors in the literature and the results were promising. Since high sensitivity ~0.47dB/%RH and high dynamic performances were demonstrated, this sensor is a proper choice for biomedical applications.

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a highly troublesome pathogen and a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among hospitalized burn patients. Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of the AdeABC genes and the role of the efflux pump (s) in the imipenem resistance of A. baumannii strains isolated from burn patients. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 60 A. baumannii isolates collected from 240 wound samples of burn patients admitted to the Burn Unit of Shahid Motahari Burn hospital, Tehran, Iran. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion and broth microdilution according to the clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) guidelines. The activity of the efflux pump was evaluated using the efflux pump inhibitor, the phenylalanine-arginine Β-naphthylamide (PAΒN). The AdeABC genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Results: In this study, 100% of the isolates were resistant to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, cefepime, piperacillin, meropenem, co-trimoxazole, and piperacillin/tazobactam; 56 (94%) to gentamicin; 50 (81%) to amikacin; 58 (97%) to imipenem; and 45 (76%) to tetracycline. Additionally,all the isolates were susceptible to colistin. The susceptibility of the strains to imipenem was highly increased in the presence of the efflux pump inhibitor such that for 58 (96.6%) of the isolates, the PAΒN reduced the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) by 4- to 64-fold. The adeA and adeB genes were detected in 60 (100%) of the isolates, and the adeC gene was present in 51 (85%). Conclusions: The efflux pump may play a role in antibiotic resistance in A. baumannii isolates. The ability of A. baumannii isolates to acquire drug resistance by the efflux pump mechanism is a concern. Thus, new strategies are required in order to eliminate the efflux transport activity from resistant A. baumannii isolates causing nosocomial infections.

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in 4% - 6% of women in the reproductive age and is a common cause of infertility. Even though the number of investigations is scarce, studies show that Helicobacter pylori infection may influence reproduction. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the levels of H. pylori specific antibodies IgA, IgG and anti-CagA at both PCOS and non-PCOS women with their spouses using the serological test. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 127 women with their spouses (age range, 30 - 60 years) were selected. These patient were referred to infertility center of Shariati Hospital in Tehran, Iran, with a diagnostic criteria of PCOS based on Androgen Excess Society (AES). The specific antibodies of IgA, IgG and anti-CagA were measured using the commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit. Results: The positive titers of H. pylori antibodies IgA, IgG and anti-CagA in the PCOS group were 45 (35%), 79 (62%) and 77 (60.5%), respectively, while in non-PCOS group were 38 (30%), 76 (60%) and 50 (39.5%), respectively. The sera positive for IgA, IgG and anti-CagA antibodies in spouses of the non-PCOS group were 38 (30%), 84 (66%) and 79 (62%) respectively, but in spouses of the PCOS group were 51 (40%), 83 (66%) and 48 (38%), respectively. The results showed that H. pylori infection probably did not affect infertility or reproduction. Conclusions: Findings of this study demonstrate no significant difference between levels of H. pylori specific antibodies of IgA, IgG, anti-CagA and the presence of PCOS disorders, and also indicate that serologic testing is a sensitive method for the detection of H. pylori antibodies. The high prevalence of H. pylori positive antibody levels in both PCOS and non-PCOS patients can be probably associated with the high frequency of H. pylori infection.

An on-chip optical humidity sensor using Nano-anatase TiO2 coating is presented here. The coating material was prepared so that the result is in solution form, making the fabrication process quick and simple. Then, the solution was effortlessly spin-coated on an SU8 straight channel waveguide. Investigating the sensitivity and performance (response time) of the device revealed a great linearity in the wide range (35% to 98%) of relative humidity (RH). In addition, a variation of more than 14 dB in transmitted optical power was observed, with a response time of only ~0.7 s. The effect of coating concentration and UV treatment was examined on the performance and repeatability of the sensor. Interesting observations were found, and the attributed mechanisms were described. In addition, the proposed sensor was extensively compared with other state-of-the-art proposed counterparts from the literature and remarkable advantages were found. Since a high sensitivity of ~0.21 dB/%RH and high dynamic performances were demonstrated, this sensor is proposed for use in biomedical applications.