Hand Glove Research Articles

Validation of a new hand function outcome measure in individuals with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

The symptomatology of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease mainly involves the feet and the hands. To date, there is no consensus on how to evaluate hand function in CMT. The aim of this study is to correlate the data of the engineered glove Hand Test System (HTS) with specific tests and the CMT examination score (CMTES). We analyzed 45 patients with the diagnosis of CMT using HTS, which measures the hand dexterity by specific sequences performed at maximum velocity. We completed the evaluation with the CMTES, tripod pinch and hand grip strength tested by a dynamometer, thumb opposition test (TOT), and Sollerman Hand function test (SHFT), and we conducted a test-retest with 20 normal subjects. Finger tapping (FT) and index-medium-ring-little (IMRL) sequence showed a significant correlation with CMTES (FT: dominant hand (DH): P = .036; non-dominant hand (NDH): P = .033; IMRL: DH: P = .009; NDH: P = .046). TOT correlated with CMTES significantly in both hands (P < .0001). tripod pinch showed a statistically significant correlation with CMTES (DH: P = .002; NDH: P = .005). Correlation between the hand grip and CMTES was significant only in DH (DH: P = .002). SHFT had a significant correlation with the CMTES (DH: P = .002). Test-retest showed a good reliability. HTS parameters correlate with CMTES confirming that this tool is sensitive to the hand deficits. In conclusion, we can state that HTS is a good, simple to use, and objective instrument to evaluate the hand function of CMT patients, but more studies on responsiveness and sensitivity are needed.

Effect of Observational Evaluation of Food Safety Curricula on High School Students' Behavior Change

High school students have limited food safety knowledge and lack safe food handling skills. However, youth of high school age are frequently employed in food service and will prepare food for themselves. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a food safety educational intervention for changing students' food handling behaviors, and the theory of planned behavior was used to construct factors that contribute to behavior change. A combination of stationary and wearable (GoPro) cameras was used to observe the food handling practices of high school students in key areas, including food thermometer use, hand washing and hand drying, glove changing, and environmental cleaning. The percentage of correct food handling techniques was measured categorically, and the number of groups who complied with thermometer use and environmental cleaning guidelines was recorded. The percentage of students using correct hand washing, hand drying, and glove changing techniques significantly increased in the postobservation cooking session. However, the percentage of correct hand washing and glove changing events remained <50% for certain subcategories: hand washing time (38%), hand washing after handling raw produce (36%) and touching skin (20%), changing gloves after gloves became contaminated or torn (47%), and washing hands between glove changes (15%). Students modified their behaviors to comply with subjective norms related to the study, including instructor expectations, but some students did not plan to change the behaviors they practiced at home. Students cited food handling behaviors they observed their parents using when making decisions about how to prepare food. This study highlights the need for the development of food safety educational interventions that encourage safe food handling skills and address influences from key subjective norm groups.

Transfer rates of pathogenic bacteria during pork processing.

We examined the rates of pathogenic bacterial cross-contamination from gloves to meat and from meat to gloves during pork processing under meat-handling scenarios in transfer rate experiments of inoculated pathogens. The inoculated pork contained ~5–6 Log10 CFU/g pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (Sal. enteritidis). On cotton gloves, after cutting the pork, the cutting board, knife, and cotton gloves showed 3.07–3.50, 3.29–3.92 and 4.48–4.86 Log10 CFU/g bacteria. However, when using polyethylene gloves, fewer bacteria (3.12–3.75, 3.20–3.33, and 3.07–3.97 Log10 CFU/g, respectively) were transferred. When four pathogens (6 Log10 CFU/g) were inoculated onto the gloves, polyethylene gloves showed a lower transition rate (cutting board 2.47–3.40, knife 2.01–3.98, and polyethylene glove 2.40–2.98 Log10 CFU/g) than cotton gloves. For cotton gloves, these values were 3.46–3.96, 3.37–4.06, and 3.55–4.00 Log10 CFU/g, respectively. Use of cotton gloves, polyethylene gloves, knives and cutting boards for up to 10 hours in a meat butchering environment has not exceeded HACCP regulations. However, after 10 h of use, 3.09, 3.27, and 2.94 Log10 CFU/g of plate count bacteria were detected on the cotton gloves, cutting board, and knives but polyethylene gloves showed no bacterial count. Our results reveal the transfer efficiency of pathogenic bacteria and that gloved hands may act as a transfer route of pathogenic bacteria between meat and hands. The best hand hygiene was achieved when wearing polyethylene gloves. Thus, use of polyethylene rather than cotton gloves reduces cross-contamination during meat processing.

Assistive exoskeleton hand glove using soft pneumatic actuators: design optimization

An assistive exoskeleton hand glove can be the solution to people who suffer from impairment in hand functionality. Soft pneumatic actuators (SPA) are used to actuate such glove. This paper focus on optimizing the design of the soft actuator. Finite element (FE) model is linked with the design optimization tool to find the optimal dimensions and materials of the SPA that give maximum displacement of the actuator with acceptable stresses on the actuator’s body. Performance analysis shows the relation between different parameters and how each affect the performance of the actuator. Results show the dimensions and materials needed to have maximum actuator displacement without being subjected to high stresses.

Modified Negative Airflow Aerosol Prevention Box for COVID-19 Patients.

The importance of this intubation box has come to light recently in view of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the fact that intubation is an aerosol-generating procedure (AGP). Risks of the healthcare worker attending to the airway of COVID-19 patients is high and the intubation box aims to minimize that and reduce contamination of the environment. To address this objective of decreasing transmission during AGP, we created a negative airflow aerosol box with a leak-proof airway handling system using readily available and affordable materials. The dimension of this box was 24 × 17.5 × 17.5 cm and it was made of high-quality 4 mm transparent acrylic sheet with two arm holes of 10 cm diameter. The caudal end of the negative airflow aerosol prevention box is wrapped with disposable plastic sheet and the both hand slots are sealed using camera cover and latex hand gloves and it decreases the risk of contamination.How to cite this article: Kumar N, Kumar A, Kumar A, Sinha C. Modified Negative Airflow Aerosol Prevention Box for COVID-19 Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(10):981–982.

A Practical Guide to Using Time-and-Motion Methods to Monitor Compliance With Hand Hygiene Guidelines: Experience From Tanzanian Labor Wards.

Good-quality evidence on hand hygiene compliance among birth attendants in low-resource labor wards is limited. The World Health Organization Hand Hygiene Observation Form is widely used for directly observing behaviors, but it does not support capturing complex patterns of behavior. We developed the HANDS at Birth tool for direct observational studies of complex patterns of hand rubbing/washing, glove use, recontamination, and their determinants among birth attendants. Understanding these behaviors is particularly critical in wards with variable patient volumes or unpredictable patient complications, such as emergency departments, operating wards, or triage and isolation wards during epidemics. Here we provide detailed information on the design and implementation of the HANDS at Birth tool, with a particular focus on low-resource settings. We developed the HANDS at Birth tool from available guidelines, unstructured observation, and iterative refinement based on consultation with collaborators and pilot results. We designed the tool with WOMBAT software, which supports collecting multidimensional time-and-motion data. Our analysis of the tool's performance centered on interobserver agreement and convergent validity and the implications of the data structure for data analysis. The HANDS at Birth tool encompasses various hand actions and context-relevant information. Hand actions include procedures relevant during labor and delivery; hand hygiene or glove actions; and other types of touch. During field implementation, we used the tool for continuous observation of the birth attendant. Interobserver agreement was good (kappa range: 0.7-0.9), and the tool showed convergent validity. Using the HANDS at Birth tool is a feasible way to obtain useful information about compliance with hand hygiene procedures. The tool could be used after simple training and allows for collection of reliable information about the complex pattern of hygiene behaviors. Future studies should explore using this tool to observe behavior in labor wards in other settings and in other types of wards.

Iraqi People Practices toward Adherence of Government Strategies to Control of COVID19

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan. While theflare-up in China is about over, this exceedingly irresistible sickness is right presently spreading over theworld. A poor practices and understanding of the disease among Iraqi population may lead to rapid spreadof the infection. Objective: the point of this think about was to survey practices of Iraqi populationregarding government strategies to control COVID 19 and to identify level of practices among different Iraqicities.Methods: Cross-sectional web-based research was carry out among Iraqi population about COVID-19during the period from 15th April 2020 to 1st June 2020. 700 participants were share from Iraqi governorates.The participants was collected from (7) cities (Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Thigar, Misan, Karbala and Mosul).From each city (100) participants were shares. The data was collected through the uses Google form. FromIraqi governorate strategies and WHO recommendations concerning prevent of infection. The researcher useSPSS version 20 for data analysis by using frequencies and percentages and mean of score were produced.Mean of score rating: always=3, sometimes=2, never=1. Results: the majority of study samples (47.7%)were within (20-29 years). More than half of participants are male (65.4%). Relative to the educationallevel, the majority of study sample (65.9. %) were Secondary school graduate. Practices of Iraqi populationregarding COVID 19 controls at home in all items are inadequate and very low less than (1.33).also thepractices of Iraqi population regarding COVID 19 control out of home had low mean of score in all items.However the average of means score (1.42). Conclusions: The study concluded that Iraqi community hasinadequate practices to prevent speared of COVID-19 because the population not respects ministry of Iraqihealth strategies. Health education should urgently be conducted focusing on hand washing, uses sanitizer,social distancing, avoid crowded, uses mask and gloves.

Quantitative Characterization of High-Touch Surfaces in Emergency Departments and Hemodialysis Facilities

Background: The healthcare environment can serve as a reservoir for many microorganisms and, in the absence of appropriate cleaning and disinfection, can contribute to pathogen transmission. Identification of high-touch surfaces (HTS) in hospital patient rooms has allowed the recognition of surfaces that represent the greatest transmission risk and prioritization of cleaning and disinfection resources for infection prevention. HTS in other healthcare settings, including high-volume and high-risk settings such as emergency departments (EDs) and hemodialysis facilities (HDFs), have not been well studied or defined. Methods: Observations were conducted in 2 EDs and 3 HDFs using structured observation tools. All touch episodes, defined as hand-to-surface contact regardless of hand hygiene and/or glove use, were recorded. Touches by healthcare personnel, patients, and visitors were included. Surfaces were classified as being allocated to individual patients or shared among multiple patients. The number of touch episodes per hour was calculated for each surface to rank surfaces by frequency of touch. Results: In total, 28 hours of observation (14 hours each in EDs and HDFs) were conducted. 1,976 touch episodes were observed among 62 surfaces. On average, more touch episodes were observed per hour in HDFs than in EDs (89 vs 52, respectively). The most frequently touched surfaces in EDs included stretcher rails, privacy curtains, visitor chair arm rests and seats, and patient bedside tables, which together accounted for 68.8% of all touch episodes in EDs (Fig. 1). Frequently touched surfaces in HDFs included both shared and single-patient surfaces: 27.8% and 72.2% of HDF touch episodes, respectively. The most frequently touched surfaces in HDFs were supply cart drawers, dialysis machine control panels and keyboards, handwashing faucet handles, bedside work tables, and bed rail or dialysis chair armrests, which accounted for 68.4% of all touch-episodes recorded. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative study to identify HTSs in EDs and HDFs. Our observations reveal that certain surfaces within these environments are subject to a substantially greater frequency of hand contact than others and that a relatively small number of surfaces account for most touch episodes. Notably, whereas HTSs in EDs were primarily single-patient surfaces, HTSs in HDFs included surfaces shared in the care of multiple patients, which may represent an even greater risk of patient-to-patient pathogen transmission than single-patient surfaces. The identification of HTSs in EDs and HDFs contributes to a better understanding of the risk of environment-related pathogen transmission in these settings and may allow prioritization and optimization of cleaning and disinfection resources within facilities.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Occupational Health Hazards Among Medical Waste Handlers in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria Northwest Nigeria

Background: Occupational injuries are important public health issues, especially among healthcare workers. The medical waste handler is at risk of hazards posed by medical waste as well as from the environment. The aim of the study was to determine occupational hazards that hospital waste handlers in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, were exposed to and to assess their knowledge and practice of safety measures. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 79 medical waste handlers in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using structured self-administered and interviewer administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software with significance set at P &lt; .05. Results: More than half of the respondents (56.4%) were men, and most (70.3%) had &lt;5 years work experience. Most of the respondents (60.8%) had had an injury in the previous 6 months. The most common injuries were falling on a slippery floor (48.1%), contact/irritant dermatitis (40.5%), and 34.2% from stress. Only 45.6% received treatment following injury at the work place. Most respondents (75.9%) were aware of safety devices, and more than half (51.9%) received their information from special safety training. More than half of the respondents (51.1%) had poor knowledge of use of safety devices, and 60% had special training in occupational safety. Most respondents (89.9%) used heavy-duty rubber hand gloves, but only 5.1% used aprons. Also, 82.3% of respondents used these devices regularly at work, and more than half of respondents (62%) had been immunized against hepatitis. Also, 65.8% practiced universal precautions. Occupational injury was higher among those aged 15–19 years (occupational injury rate, 75%) compared to those aged 34–39 years (occupational injury rate, 16%). A positive association was detected between gender and injury in the last 6 months; injury was more common among men (43%) than among women (15%). Conclusions: Among respondents, there was a high level of injury and poor knowledge of the use of protective devices. Regular use of protective measures was not commensurate with the reported level of awareness. Concerted efforts are needed to ensure the safety of the medical waste handlers in his work place.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

Wearable Robotic Glove Design Using Surface-Mounted Actuators.

We propose a novel wearable robotic glove or exo-glove design scalable to the variation of the hand kinematics. While most of the traditional robot hand is driven by rotating the joint directly with a rigid body, our exo-glove deforms a robotic finger's skin and, thus, the hand skeleton joints. Multiple tendons woven on the exo-glove's surface can make multi-DOF finger joint motions. We allocated tendons to mimic a hand's intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. Thus, a robotic hand actuated with the exo-glove can perform natural finger motions, including abduction/adduction and flexion/extension of finger joints. Moreover, additional tendons for the thumb enable power grips and the robotic hand's human-like motion. The proposed design approach places all the actuators on the surface without directly actuating any of the hand skeleton's joint. Therefore, a random hand skeleton can work as a robotic hand by putting the wearable robotic glove on it. Thus, the proposed model provides a high degree of freedom on choosing hand skeletons. We expect the aforementioned biomimetic features of our proposed method will benefit not only traditional robotic hands design but also the design of prosthetic hands and robot power-assisted hand glove.

SURVEY OF FABRIC RE-DYEING ACTIVITIES AS A POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM IN URBAN KANO, NIGERIA

A new re-dyeing practice has emerged and is fast spreading in urban Kano causing damage to the environment. This survey was carried out to assess selected fabric re-dyeing activity sites and their environmental impacts. This was achieved with the aid of designed questionnaire. Nine major dyeing sites in urban Kano: Kofar Mata, Chiranci, Karshen Waya, Rijiyar Zaki, Jan Bulo, Zawaciki, Kofar Na’isa, Karofin Zage and Goron Dutse dyeing pits were surveyed. The result revealed that individuals involved are males within the age range of 14 – 35years. The major sources of water are; pipe borne water, earthen dug wells and motorized borehole pumps. The dye wastewater is usually discharged untreated into street drains, ground surface and constructed pits. Individuals involved use protective measures such as face masks, hand gloves and traditional leather jackets. The dye powders, solutions and other constituents, when in contact with the skin cause serious burns, skin hardening and irritations. Inhalation of the gas emitted by the dye solution causes stomach upset and swelling of the body, which may sometimes be treated traditionally. The dye wastewater also destructs plantations/vegetation and inhibits survival of soil invertebrates such as earthworms. This calls for a general enlightenment to the users and general public on both the environmental and health risks of these substances

Improvement of Asri Jewelry Production Capacity During Covid-19 Pandemic

telegeram中文名称也叫纸飞机app,是一款加密聊天软件,我们为您提供telegeram安装包下载,官网最新版原生汉化成中文版,包括安卓版,苹果版,安全无外挂,用的放心! 纸飞机app官网版是一款全新的社交聊天软件。纸飞机app官网版的用户们都来自五湖四海的地方,在这里不仅可以交友聊天,还可以扩大自己的交际圈,结识到更多志同道合的朋友。纸飞机app官网版是一款全新的社交聊天软件。纸飞机app官网版的用户们都来自五湖四海的地方,在这里不仅可以交友聊天,还可以扩大自己的交际圈,结识到更多志同道合的朋友。

Community pharmacy services and preparedness during COVID-19 outbreak in Madinah, Saudi Arabia

BackgroundWearing facial masks, hand hygiene, and social distancing are highly recommended preventive measures against COVID-19. Masks and disinfectants are usually sold in community pharmacies that are supposed to undertake extreme precautions to avoid cross infection among clients. It is also their responsibility to play a prominent role in educating the community regarding this outbreak. ObjectivesTo investigate the preparedness of private community pharmacies in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, for the COVID-19 outbreak with regard to safety measures, customer education, and quality of preventive aids sold by them. MethodsOne hundred pharmacies were visited by simulated clients. The availability of free hand disinfectants, masks, gloves, and customer educational aids as well as the measures employed to ensure maintenance of safe distances between customers were documented. The adherence of pharmacists and customers to safety precautions and the behavior of pharmacists against violators of regulations were also observed. Finally, the availability and quality of facial masks and hand disinfectants sold by these pharmacies was documented. ResultsFifty-five pharmacies offered free hand disinfectants but only in three of them all customers used them. Only two pharmacies offered free disposable masks and temperature screening was available in only one pharmacy. Educational aids were found in 31 pharmacies and only 53 pharmacies used visual indicators for social distancing. Violation of wearing masks by pharmacy personnel and customers was seen in 34 and 87 pharmacies, respectively. Social distancing was violated in 64 pharmacies and intervention by staff was seen in only three of them. Finally, facial masks were available for sale in only 35 pharmacies, and in 23 of these, the quality was questionable; hand disinfectants were available in 84 pharmacies, and in 14 of these, the quality was unknown. ConclusionsCommunity pharmacies in Madinah were short of registered, high-quality facial masks during the survey. Means to control the transmission of infection inside pharmacies were unsatisfactory. Society has shown poor compliance to preventive measures against COVID-19 infection and the role of community pharmacists in promoting compliance was found to be poor. The study reveals an unsatisfactory level of preparedness of Madinah community pharmacies for the pandemic.

Disinfection of gloved hands during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundDisinfection of gloves can be used during a pandemic situation when performing various procedures on the same patient or when removing personal protective equipment. If performing glove disinfection, there is a need to check the compatibility of gloves with the disinfectant product used.AimTo test the resistance of nitrile gloves to various disinfectant solutions.MethodsOne hundred percent powder-free nitrile gloves, composed of nitrile butadiene rubber compounds, were exposed to various disinfectants to analyse resistance. The seven most commonly used disinfectant solutions in the healthcare field were selected for testing. The effects of each disinfectant were analysed in comparison with the control group (untreated glove). For tensile testing, the thickness of each test specimen was measured with a micrometer.FindingsBleach solution decreased the breaking load of gloves, although to a lesser extent than disinfectants that contained ethanol.ConclusionDisinfectants that contain alcohol decrease the breaking load of nitrile gloves.

Poor COVID 19 Pandemic Waste Management Outcome in Nigeria: A Possible Potential Public Health Threat and Promoter of Community Transmission

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic outcome which is an emerging infectious disease that potentially originated from Wuhan in China has seen an upsurge of cases and deaths globally over time. One of the consequences found in the course of the management of these viral pandemic involves the massive production and usage of different myriad of medical supplies to meet up the increasing demands by health workers, patients and the public. This trend has resulted in the proliferation of medical wastes against a backdrop of poor waste management outcome especially in Nigeria. Aim The aim of this article borders on bringing to light the effects of improperly managed medical wastes, and the risks it poses to human health and the environment at large. Furthermore also, to outline various types of medical wastes and the guidelines associated with their disposal, especially those associated with management of COVID-19 pandemic saga. Method/Methodology The study approach follows the systematic review of peer-reviewed published articles as well as online publications and articles derived from various databases with search keywords relevant to the topic of discourse. Findings and Results Findings from this study show that the coronavirus disease of 2019 has spread widely globally with massive socio-economic and socio-cultural consequences. Over time there has been a progressive increase in cases and deaths due to Covid-19 in Nigeria and most other countries. The management of COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the proliferation of medical wastes. Medical wastes are those generated from the use of medical supplies in the course of healthcare delivery and disease prevention such as hand gloves, facemasks, and hazmat suits etc. Medical wastes legislations that support the proper disposal of medical wastes in Nigeria and most other developing nations have been very weak and have failed to achieve the desired results, with high incidences of infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis still being transmitted through improperly disposed of wastes. Therefore improperly waste disposal may probably serve as a very potent means of community transmission of COVID-19 transmission, if not handled in good time especially the freshly disposed materials Conclusion and Recommendation While the generation of massive wastes is being seen in this COVID-19 pandemic period, it may be unavoidable that there could be re-infection of subjects from improper medical waste disposal strategies. Thus, it is pertinent that relevant regulations are put in place, enforced and monitored to ensure that improperly managed wastes do not form another avenue for widespread of the virus in our communities. It is also very necessary to organize massive campaigns aimed at creating enough public awareness of the risks associated with medical wastes and on the need for proper disposal especially COVID 19 associated waste materials.

Design and development of protective gear for Chilli destalkers

Destalking of dry chilies is a process followed at the trader’s level to improve the colour and quality of chilli powder. Women are engaged in this manual activity who not only face health issues but encounter injuries to hands and fingers due to the dry pricky stalks of chillies. Information on the period of work, output and health issues were elicited with the help of specially designed questionnaire developed for the purpose. 50 women were involved in the study. The survey results revealed that the destalking operation is done from four to six months in year spending 5-10 hours per day by 44% of them, with an output of more than 6 kg per day by 64%. 82 per cent indicated that they feel burning sensation in hands and fingers which they overcome using fine jute thread to wrap fingers. Sixty per cent had irritation in nostrils due to pungency, pain on fingers (48%), and eye irritation (46%) respectively. Based on these survey results hand gloves were designed different length, using cotton fabric and knitted fabric and in style with quirks and without quirks. Design features were evaluated by the experts for their suitability and glove without quirks received higher response.

Relationship between hand hygiene and cutaneous findings during COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundIn the current situation of the COVID‐19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have to comply with hygiene conditions and use gloves more frequently and for a longer period of time than they would previously to avoid infection and prevent transmission.AimsWe aimed to characterize the adverse skin reactions occurring after hand hygiene and glove use in HCWs in a tertiary university hospital to determine the possible causative factors and whether the use of these measures is affected.MethodsBetween April 15 and May 1, 2020, a cross‐sectional survey was conducted, using online questionnaire, answered by HCWs in a tertiary university hospital.ResultsThe increase in general hand‐skin problems during the pandemic period was statistically significant (P = .004). The most common symptom was dryness. During the pandemic period, 67 (24.3%) HCWs thought that the conditions were caused by glove use, and 197 (71.4%) thought that they were due to alcohol‐based hand antiseptics. The incidence of other hand‐skin conditions except for vesicles was statistically higher in women than in men (P < .001).ConclusionsIncreased number of hand‐skin conditions during the pandemic should not be ignored, since hand hygiene and glove use are expected to increase.

Wireless Gesture Control Wheelchair

Wheelchairs have been used by patients who suffer from various physical disabilities to help them with locomotion and cater their day to day needs with ease. But there are some cases where the movement of a wheelchair is dependent on another individual as is the case with patients who lack the required arm strength and movement to properly push the wheels forward such as quadriplegics, paraplegics, stroke patients, elders etc. Joystick oriented wheelchairs, thought to be a solution to those kinds of patients, can pose different problems as it requires basic shoulder movement. It is not always possible for the aforementioned types of patients. In addition, our solution doesn’t have the positional constraints that a joystick wheelchair might have as it is wireless and can be worn on either hand which allows the patient to sit in their preferred position for minimum discomfort. This project is an attempt to help the disabled move around independently. Thus, in this research work, we present a prototype of a wireless gesture-based wheelchair which can be controlled via hand gestures. The framework consists of a transmitter and a receiver that communicate with each other wirelessly. For wireless transmission, 433Mhz RF Transmitter and Receiver Unit has been used as it transmits data through an antenna at the speed of 1Kbps – 10Kbps and the range can be adjusted as required. The transmitter unit consists of an Arduino LilyPad microcontroller and an accelerometer that has been attached to a hand glove. The accelerometer sensor has been used to register the position of the hand while creating a gesture. This glove is supposed to be worn by the patient allowing them to move their hand conveniently, sending signals to the receiver unit connected to the wheelchair leading to the movement of the wheels in the desired direction. The receiver unit consist of motor drivers that convert the voltage as needed by the wheels. This paper presents an alternative to the commercial wheelchairs as it is cost effective, easy to control and efficient. The working and assembly of the system has been explained in the paper.

Comparing Contaminant Transfer Potential of Repetitive Hand-to-fomite Contacts for Gloved and Ungloved Hands Using a Fluorescent Powder

<h3>Background</h3> Contaminant transfer has predominantly been studied under single hand-to-fomite contact scenarios as opposed to more realistic conditions that include repetitive contacts. Our study objective was to evaluate the transfer of a fluorescent powder from finger to surfaces during sequential repetitive contacts whilst investigating the effect of wearing nitrile gloves and three different surface types: plastic, glass, cloth. <h3>Methods</h3> Eighty-three participants pressed the index finger of their dominant hand into fluorescent powder. Each participant then made five sequential contacts with a surface for six trials (3 surfaces, gloved and ungloved). Loading weights were recorded on a balance during each contact. Images of the transferred powder's fluorescence were captured for the five contact areas under ultra-violet light, and transferred powder surface area and fluorescence intensity, a proxy for the amount of transferred powder, were quantified with an image analysis software: Image J. <h3>Results</h3> Participants tended to contact fomites with greater force with gloves than without. The amount of powder transferred tended to decrease over multiple contacts despite a general increase in contact force. Greater loading weight was associated with a greater area of the transferred powder. Gloved contacts tended to transfer less powder to glass surfaces, while a similar amount of powder was transferred for gloved vs. ungloved contacts with cloth or plastic. The area of powder transferred was greater for ungloved contacts than for gloved contacts for those wearing size small gloves. More similar areas of powder were transferred for gloved vs ungloved contacts for those wearing size medium or large. <h3>Conclusions</h3> This study demonstrates that surface type, glove use, and even glove size may affect the potential for contamination of surfaces. Glove use generally decreased powder transfer, especially for glass surfaces. The next steps include exploring the effects of individual differences on these patterns and utilizing these data in healthcare fomite transmission risk assessments.

Do beverage workers in Enugu state Nigeria comply with health safety measures? A cross sectional study of two breweries

Background: Some workplace accidents happen because workers fail to do their work in the safest possible way. Human beings have an innate desire to be safe, and their commitment to maintaining safe work environment is imperative for occupational health. However, employees’ contributions to workplace accident and injury is underexplored.Methods: Cross-sectional quantitative study was undertaken in two beverage industries in Enugu state. In order to observe a proportion of 50% in staff compliance to safety measures with precision of 5% and confidence level of 95%, 217 full-time employees were selected from each industry. Stratified sampling technique was used to select respondents across 5 units/departments. Data was collected using pre-tested structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Statistical significance was set at p&lt;0.05.Results: Use of any form of safety device was reportedly high among respondents, 413 (97.4%). However, only 278 (67.3%) reported using them on a daily basis. Aprons 103 (24.9%), helmets 163 (39.5%), and hand gloves 197 (47.4%) were the least commonly used safety devices. The only reason reported for inconsistent use of safety devices was discomfort. Consistent use of safety devices correlates significantly with demographic characteristics such as age, sex, level of education, length of years of work and unit/department (p&lt;0.001), as well as previous history of workplace injury (p=0.01).Conclusions: Consistent compliance with safety measures among factory workers is suboptimal and correlates significantly with demographic characteristics and previous history of workplace injury.