Microchannels formed in non-conductive substrates like fused silica, glass and quartz, etc, have wide applications in the field of micro-fluidic and lab-on-chip applications due to their optical transparency, chemical inertness, and biocompatible nature. Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) has emerged as a potential low-cost fabrication method to fabricate microfeatures in these materials, compared to conventional laser etching techniques. In this paper, numerical simulation and experimental fabrication of microchannels in a glass substrate using the ECDM based micromilling technique is demonstrated. Stainless steel needle as tool electrode is used in alkaline electrolyte medium. The effects of process parameters viz. tool feed rate, pulse frequency and machining voltage on material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR) of the microchannels were analysed. The experimental results showed that the MRR and SR increases with an increase in machining voltage and tool feed rate but reduces with an increase in the pulse frequency. Simulations using FEM-based model showed similar trends in MRR with that of experiments. A comparison between the cross-section profiles obtained by the experimental work and predicted profile by the numerical simulation showed some deviation between them due to the Gaussian heat flux assumption in the numerical model. Optical images showed that KOH performance is comparatively better than NaOH with respect to thermal damage and width of cut. Further, multi-objective optimization was performed using utility theory coupled with Taguchi’s method to optimize the process parameters. Moreover, the capability of the ECDM process was demonstrated in fabricating various other micro-features such as sinusoidal channel, letter engraving, etc in a glass substrate, which can be extended to other brittle materials like quartz, fused silica, ceramic, etc.

There is a critical need for more accurate, highly sensitive and specific assay for disease diagnosis and management. A novel, multiplexed, single sensor using rapid and label free electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tuning method has been developed. The key challenges while monitoring multiple targets is frequency overlap. Here we describe the methods to circumvent the overlap, tune by use of nanoparticle (NP) and discuss the various fabrication and characterization methods to develop this technique. First sensors were fabricated using printed circuit board (PCB) technology and nickel and gold layers were electrodeposited onto the PCB sensors. An off-chip conjugation of gold NP's to molecular recognition elements (with verification technique) is described as well. A standard covalent immobilization of the molecular recognition elements is also discussed with quality control techniques. Finally use and verification of sensitivity and specificity is also presented. By use of gold NP's of various sizes, we have demonstrated the possibility and shown little loss of sensitivity and specificity in the molecular recognition of inflammatory markers as "model" targets for our tuning system. By selection of other sized NP's or NP's of various materials, the tuning effect can be further exploited. The novel platform technology developed could be utilized in critical care, clinical management and at home health and disease management.

Lingual thyroid results due to aberrant migration during embryological development of thyroid gland. Usually asymptomatic, but can present as dysphagia, respiratory obstruction, dysphonia, foreign body sensation. 1 Here we present a case of an 18 year old male who presented with chief complaints of cough and foreign body sensation for last one month.

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Sudden surge of Post Covid-19 Rhino-orbitomucormycosis cases has left entire ENT fraternity in the center of a war room. We present a quick administrative preparedness for this situation in a tertiary care Government Institute in India. This model may serve as a reference for other centers.

Background: The bone bank unit of interest in this article was established in January 2018, in a tertiary care teaching institute of north India. Aim of this article is to describe the sources of allografts obtained, discard rates of allografts and infection rates in the recipients after use. Material and methods: All the relevant details of donors and recipients were maintained, and donors were screened for standard inclusion and exclusion criteria before obtaining the grafts. Aerobic culture was performed before storage and just prior to use. Samples with incomplete documentation, incomplete donor screening or positive cultures were discarded. Data on surgical site infection in recipients was collected from hospital records retrospectively. Initially ELISA based serological tests were used for screening. Donor has to undergo these tests again after 6 months to account for the window period of proliferation of viruses. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) for these viral agents were introduced in the hospital in May 2018. Results: Allografts from a total of 196 donors were obtained in the bone bank over 2 years. Major source of bone was femoral heads harvested during total hip arthroplasty or hemi-arthroplasty. 44(22.4%) grafts had to be discarded. 95 allografts were used in 88 patients during this time. Most common indication for use was surgery for bone tumors (40%), followed by complex primary or revision arthroplasty (30.5%). Three (3.4%) recipients developed deep infection postoperatively. Conclusion: Frozen allograft bone from hospital based bone banks is a reliable source of allografts. When meticulous precautions for sterility are followed, risk of infection is low. Monitoring of such bone banks should fall within a framework of the local legislature. Incomplete documentation is the major reason for wastage of the samples obtained. NAAT may be useful in screening of donors, as it reduces the wastage and the holding time of the allografts.

With an increasing global population, rising healthcare costs, and greater demand on hospitals and clinicians, a growing need for low cost, rapid, Point of Care Technologies (POCT) exists. The overall goal is to detect or monitor a disease in order to give patients and clinicians fast, accurate, and all-encompassing information regarding the state of the disease. A challenge for many currentpoint-of-care technologies is the difficulty of monitoring several biomarkers simultaneously without the complexity of multiple sensors, labels, or spatially separated transducers. We have previously shown that convoluted signals obtained from protein biomarkers monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy can be "tuned" away from one another by conjugation with gold nanoparticles to allow for the potential simultaneous detection of multiple biomarkers. This method of detection yields a sensitive and specific means of biomarker quantification in human media including tears or blood. In this work, we detail the development of a mathematical model that explores the roles of various factors, such as nanoparticle size and the nature of materials, so that a design space could be created for tuningotherwise convoluted biomarkers. Furthermore, we present assessments as to the validity of this model with preliminary bench-top experiments by taking advantage of gold nanoparticle-antibody conjugates of varying sizes. Gold nanoparticle size changes of 5, 10, and 20 nm demonstrated a 10.0, 4.8, and 1.0 Hz shift in frequency, respectively. Future work includes exploration of different sensor configurations, continuous monitoring, and the prospect for implantable sensors were also discussed as potential future avenues.

Introduction: Talus fracture is an uncommon fracture that can be encountered on day- to- day basis. However, it is the 2nd most common tarsal bone to get fractured after calcaneum and accounts for approximately 1% of all fractures around foot and ankle. The anastomotic ring around the talar neck is highly likely to get damaged at the time of the fracture, which, in turn, hampers the blood supply to the body of talus. As a result, the bone healing is delayed and the integrity of the healed fracture is poor which leads to poor functional outcome. Almost 39% cases are missed during the initial evaluation, and talus fracture accounts for almost 50% of all the missed injuries (6–8). A high level of clinical suspicion is required to avoid missing such injuries. Case Report: A 26-year-old male presented to the outpatient department with chief complaint of pain over the left foot while walking for past 6 months. There was a history of significant trauma to the foot 6 months back (fall from 12 feet) for which he sought medical advice and was managed with analgesics and rest for a couple of weeks. He presented to us 6 months later with chronic, dull aching, and continuous pain which aggravates while walking and standing. The diagnosis of the non-union fracture neck of talus was made after radiology and was managed by open reduction and internal fixation with cannulated cancellous screws along with contralateral iliac crest cancellous bone grafting. Conclusion: Delay in diagnosing such injuries accelerates the vascular compromise, delays timely intervention, and ultimately leads to increased morbidity. Keywords: Talar neck fracture, non-union talus fracture, delayed union talus.