Advantages of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging over modified Duke criteria and clinical presumption in patients with challenging suspicion of infective endocarditis

According to European Society of Cardiology guidelines (ESC2015) for infective endocarditis (IE) management, modified Duke criteria (mDC) are implemented with a degree of clinical suspicion degree, leading to grades such as possible or rejected IE despite a persisting high level of clinical suspicion. Herein, we evaluate th

A new approach to wafer level thin-film encapsulation for RF-MEMS Switches

The paper will discuss in detail a new fabrication process developed for the encapsulation of RF-MEMS switches. A shell covering the unreleased switch is created with two layers of PECVD silicon nitride patterned with holes and separated by an aluminum layer which is removed at the end of the shell fabrication sequence. The cavity beneath the shell is then made free burning by oxygen plasma the sacrificial photoresist spacer covering the switch. The mechanical design of the shell and the optimization of the film parameters are reported and discussed. The shell is then covered with a sealing polymer that should not penetrate into the holes. In order to achieve this result a special design for the hole pattern is presented

A new approach to wafer level thin-film encapsulation for RF-MEMS Switches

The paper will discuss in detail a new fabrication process developed for the encapsulation of RF-MEMS switches. A shell covering the unreleased switch is created with two layers of PECVD silicon nitride patterned with holes and separated by an aluminum layer which is removed at the end of the shell fabrication sequence. The cavity beneath the shell is then made free burning by oxygen plasma the sacrificial photoresist spacer covering the switch. The mechanical design of the shell and the optimization of the film parameters are reported and discussed. The shell is then covered with a sealing polymer that should not penetrate into the holes. In order to achieve this result a special design for the hole pattern is presented

68Ga-DOTATOC PET for Treatment Efficacy Evaluation of Cardiac Sarcoidosis

International audienc

Cutting-Edge Imaging of Cardiac Metastases from Neuroendocrine Tumors: Lesson from a Case Series

With the increasing availability of high-performance medical imaging for the management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), a progressive growth of asymptomatic and incidentally detected cardiac metastases (CMs) has been observed in the recent years. In clinical practice, CMs of NENs are often incidentally detected by whole-body 68Ga-labeled somatostatin analogs or 18F-fluorodihydroxyphenylalanine positron emission tomography/computed tomography, and afterwards accurately characterized by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and/or gated cardiac computed tomography when CMR is contraindicated or not available. The interpreting physician should familiarize with the main imaging features of CM, a finding that may be encountered in NETs patients more than previously thought. Herein, we present a case series of four patients with CMs from small-intestine NETs highlighting strengths and weaknesses of a multimodality imaging approach in clinical practice

Cutting-edge imaging of cardiac metastases from neuroendocrine tumors: Lesson from a case series

With the increasing availability of high-performance medical imaging for the management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), a progressive growth of asymptomatic and incidentally detected cardiac metastases (CMs) has been observed in the recent years. In clinical practice, CMs of NENs are often incidentally detected by whole-bod

High power SP4T MEMS switch for space applications

This paper presents the development of a fully packaged and connectorized SP4T MEMS switch for space applications. The device is provided with metal hermetic box, SSMA and SMA connectors and space qualified DC-DC Converter to operate with standard 0-5V signals. The fully packaged switches show insertion loss better than 0.65dB and isolation better than 50dB up to 240MHz. Power handling capability up to 2.5W was demonstrated during the 160h of the applied burn-in test. The devices has been developed by RF Microtech (Perugia - Italy), FBK (Fondazione Bruno Kessler - Trento - Italy) and Optoi Microelectronics (Trento - Italy)