Myoelectric prosthesis requires a sensor that can reliably capture surface electromyography (sEMG) signal from amputees for its controlled operation. The main problems with the presently available EMG devices are their extremely high cost, large response time, noise susceptibility, less amplitude sensitivity, and larger size. This paper proposes a compact and affordable EMG sensor for the prosthetic application. The sensor consists of an electrode interface, signal conditioning unit, and power supply unit all encased in a single package. The performance of dry electrodes employed in the skin interface was compared with the conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes, and the results were found satisfactory. The envelope detection technique in the sensor based on the tuned RC parameters enables the generation of smooth, faster, and repeatable EMG envelope irrespective of signal strength and subject variability. The output performance of the developed sensor was compared with commercial EMG sensor regarding signal-to-noise ratio, sensitivity, and response time. To perform this, EMG data with both devices were recorded for 10 subjects (3 amputees and 7 healthy subjects). The results showed 1.4 times greater SNR values and 45% higher sensitivity of the developed sensor than the commercial EMG sensor. Also, the proposed sensor was 57% faster than the commercial sensor in producing the output response. The sEMG sensor was further tested on amputees to control the operation of a self-designed 3D printed prosthetic hand. With proportional control scheme, the myoelectric hand setup was able to provide quicker and delicate grasping of objects as per the strength of the EMG signal.
Amputees ; Electric Power Supplies ; Electrodes ; Electromyography ; Hand Strength ; Hand ; Humans ; Noise ; Prostheses and Implants ; Reaction Time ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Skin

We present a case of 50 year old male patient with coexistence of Pneumothorax and Chilaiditi sign. Chilaiditi sign is an incidental radiographic finding of a usually asymptomatic condition in which a part of intestine is located between the liver and diaphragm; however, the term "Chilaiditi syndrome" is used for symptomatic hepatodiaphragmatic interposition. The patient had no symptoms of abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, or emesis. Incidentally, Chilaiditi sign was diagnosed on chest radiography. Pneumothorax is defined as air in the pleural space. Pneumothoraces are classified as spontaneous or traumatic. Spontaneous pneumothorax is labelled as primary when no underlying lung disease is present, or secondary, when it is associated with pre-existing lung disease. Our case is the rare in the literature indicating the coexistence of Chilaiditi sign and pneumothorax.
Chest Pain ; Chilaiditi Syndrome ; complications ; diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumothorax ; complications ; diagnosis

Background: Line probe assay (LPA) is standard diagnostic tool to detect multidrug resistant tuberculosis. Noninterpretable (NI) results in LPA (complete missing or light wild-type 3 and 8 bands with no mutation band in rpoB gene region) poses a diagnostic challenge. Methods: Sputum samples obtained between October 2016 and July 2017 at the Intermediate Reference Laboratory, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, New Delhi, India were screened. Smear-positive and smear-negative culturepositive specimens were subjected to LPA Genotype MTBDRplus Ver 2.0. Smear-negative with culture-negative and culture contamination were excluded. LPA NI samples were subjected to phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (pDST) using MGIT-960 and sequencing. Results: A total of 1,614 sputum specimens were screened and 1,340 were included for the study (smear-positive [n=1,188] and smear-negative culture-positive [n=152]). LPA demonstrated 1,306 (97.5%) valid results with TUB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) band, 24 (1.8%) NI, three (0.2%) valid results without TUB band, and seven (0.5%) invalid results. Among the NI results, 22 isolates (91.7%) were found to be rifampicin (RIF) resistant and two (8.3%) were RIF sensitive in the pDST. Sequencing revealed that rpoB mutations were noted in all 22 cases with RIF resistance, whereas the remaining two cases had wild-type strains. Of the 22 cases with rpoB mutations, the most frequent mutation was S531W (n=10, 45.5%), followed by S531F (n=6, 27.2%), L530P (n=2, 9.1%), A532V (n=2, 9.1%), and L533P (n=2, 9.1%). Conclusion The present study showed that the results of the Genotype MTBDRplus assay were NI in a small proportion of isolates. pDST and rpoB sequencing were useful in elucidating the cause and clinical meaning of the NI results.

In the current pandemic, COVID-19 patients with predisposing factors are at an increased risk of mucormycosis, an uncommon angioinvasive infection that is caused by fungi with Mucor genus which is mainly found in plants and soil. Mucormycosis development in COVID-19 patient is related to various factors, such as diabetes, immunocompromise and neutropenia. Excessive use of glucocorticoids for the treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients also leads to opportunistic infections, such as pulmonary aspergillosis. COVID-19 patients with mucormycosis have a very high mortality rate. This review describes the pathogenesis and various treatment approaches for mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients, including medicinal plants, conventional therapies, adjunct and combination therapies.