Surgical Masks Research Articles

Synthesis and characterization of PET impregnated agro-medical waste: Novel approach for plastic substitute using hybrid composites

Composites are environmentally friendly materials made from natural fibers that have lightweight properties and improve the performance of synthetic parts. Medical waste has been identified as one of the biggest challenges recently in India due to COVID-19. More than 70% of medical waste is considered non-hazardous waste, obtained from crushing used surgical face mask (SFM) and surgical gloves (SG) as reinforcement materials chosen in this study. The research aim is to increase the strength and minimize the cost of production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) matrix by employing hybrid waste fibers as particle reinforcement particles. Five fiber composites of 3% to 12% weight fractions of hybrid fiber (Kevlar Fiber/Glass fiber) and a constant 10% medical waste were fabricated using an injection moulding process to regulate the polymer structure and determine its thermal conductivity. Adding fibers improved mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, and impact strength. TGA and thermal conductivity were analyzed. Tribological characteristics like a specific wear rate and coefficient of friction were conducted. Morphology is used to identify material behaviour by applying different weight fractions. Adding 9% (KF/GF) and 10% (SFM/SG) particles improves the wear and mechanical properties of the hybrid composite by 52%, respectively. Adding medical and fiber waste particles will improve the interfacial bonding between the matrix material and fillers. It is widely used as a leaf spring in ballistic and automobile applications suspension.

Real-World Efficacy of N95, Surgical, and Cloth Masks in Mitigating SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Infections: A Comprehensive Comparative Study

The effectiveness of different types of masks in mitigating respiratory infections, particularly those caused by SARS-CoV-2, has been a topic of significant interest during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis of the real-world efficacy of N95, surgical, and cloth masks in reducing the transmission of respiratory infections. Using a large sample size and rigorous data collection methods, we evaluated the protective capabilities of each mask type by assessing the number of infections among individuals wearing these masks in various settings. Our findings reveal that N95 masks exhibited the highest level of protection, followed by surgical masks and cloth masks. However, even cloth masks provided a significant level of protection compared to no mask usage. The results of our study underscore the importance of widespread mask usage as a critical public health measure to control the spread of respiratory infections. These findings have significant implications for public health policies and highlight the need for continued adherence to mask-wearing practices.

Effect of Wearing Face Masks During Exercise on Pulmonary Function in Healthy Non-Athlete Young Men During the Covid-19 Epidemic: Cloth Masks vs. Medical Masks

Background and Objectives One of the safety methods to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is to wear face masks. The aim of the current research was to compare the effect of wearing cloth vs. medical masks during exercise on lung function in healthy non-athlete young men during the Covid-19 epidemic. Subjects and Methods In this quasi-experimental research, 40 healthy men (mean age: 29.40 years, mean height: 175.30 cm, mean weight: 73.37 kg, and mean body mass index: 23.56 kg/m2) were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly allocated into 4 groups: 1- combined exercises + medical mask, 2-combined exercises + cloth mask, 3- combined exercises, and 4- control. Pulmonary function was measured using a spirometer. The training intervention included three sessions of combined training (aerobic-resistance) continued for eight weeks. Statistical analysis involved paired sample t-tests, analysis of covariance, and Benferroni's post hoc test. Results A significant increase in tidal volume (VT), vital capacity (VC), total lung capacity (TLC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) was observed after exercise training (P <0.01). However, using medical or cloth masks led to a significant decrease in VT, VC, TLC and PEF indices compared to the activity group not wearing masks (P <0.01). Other results also showed that there is no significant difference between cloth and medical masks in terms of the pulmonary indices of the healthy young men studied (P>0.05). Conclusion The results of this research show that wearing masks during exercise reduces lung function by increasing airway resistance.

Effects Of Wearing A Surgical Mask On Psychological Distress And Intensity Perception During Submaximal Exercise

Effects Of Wearing A Surgical Mask On Psychological Distress And Intensity Perception During Submaximal Exercise

Comparing Surgical And N95 Mask Use On Resting Metabolic Rate In Healthy Young Adults

Comparing Surgical And N95 Mask Use On Resting Metabolic Rate In Healthy Young Adults

The interactions between mixed waste from discarded surgical masks and face shields during the degradation in supercritical water

The widespread use of surgical masks made of polyolefin and face shields made of polyester during pandemics contributes significantly to plastic pollution. An eco-friendly approach to process plastic waste is using supercritical water, but the reaction of mixed polyolefin and polyester in this solvent is not well understood, which hinders practical applications. This study aimed to investigate the reaction of waste surgical masks (SM) and face shields (FS) mixed in supercritical water. Results showed that the optimal treatment conditions were 400 °C and 60 min, achieving a liquid oil yield of 823.03 mg·g−1 with 25 wt% FS. The interaction between polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and iron (Fe) in SM and FS mainly determined the production of liquid oil products such as olefins and benzoic acid. The methyl-branched structure of PP enhanced PET hydrolysis, resulting in higher production of terephthalic acid (TPA). The degradation of PP was facilitated by the acidic environment created by TPA and benzoic acid in the reaction. Moreover, the hydrolysis of PET produced carboxylic acid, which coordinated with Fe3+ to form Fe-H that catalyzed the polymerization of small olefins, contributing to higher selectivity for C9 olefins. Therefore, this study provides valuable insights into the degradation mechanism of mixed PPE waste in supercritical water and guidance for industrial treatment.

Concrete Repair Using Fiber from Surgical Mask

In this new Norma, surgical mask was a thing that important to wear in public. Because of the frequent use of surgical mask, the huge of waste of surgical mask were disposed per day. The surgical mask was made from a polypropylene fiber that widely used in construction in the term of concrete fiber. Polypropylene fiber had their own credibility to provide the ductile strength for concrete to reduce the cracking of concrete that was a brittle material. To study the effectiveness of the fiber from surgical mask, this fiber was used as concrete repaired materials The material of concrete repair was the important things to provide or improved the deteriorated concrete. Therefore, this study will determine that fiber from surgical mask can be used as a concrete repaired material through the comparison of flexural strength between the controlled concrete and repaired concrete. Three methods of concrete repaired was tested in this study, single layer polypropylene fiber, single layer surgical mask fiber, and double layer surgical mask fiber. Those method was applied to deteriorated concrete prism. The result for flexural strength of concrete after repaired for all method was decreasing from the strength before repaired but the result of second method was higher than the first method and the third method was higher than the second method. The concrete failure condition, showed the failure happened on the same location failure before repaired that meant the failure happened on the concrete repaired material. However, the used of surgical mask fiber was changed failure condition of the concrete prism from sudden failure to periodic failures. Therefore, the surgical mask was effective to repair the damage concrete due to crack failure because the fiber of the surgical mask can controlled that crack.

Upcycling of surgical facemasks into carbon based thin film electrode for supercapacitor technology

Polypropylene (PP), a commonly used plastic, is used for making the outer layers of a surgical face mask. In 2020, around 3 billion surgical face masks were disposed into the environment, causing a huge threat to wildlife, aquatic life, and ecosystems. In this work, we have reported the sulfonation technique for stabilizing the surgical face masks and their conversion into carbon nanoparticles for application as a supercapacitor electrode. The electrode is fabricated by preparing a slurry paste of carbon nanoparticles and pasting it on a conductive wearable fabric. To investigate the performance of the carbon thin film electrode, electrochemical techniques are employed. The Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) analysis performed at different scan rates in a 6 molar KOH electrolyte reveals that the carbon thin film acts as a positive electrode. At 4 A g−1, the electrode shows a specific capacitance of 366.22 F g−1 and 100% retention of specific capacitance for 8000 cycles. A two-electrode asymmetric device is fabricated using carbon thin film as the positive electrode, NiO thin film as the negative electrode, and a KOH separator between two electrodes. The device shows a specific capacitance of 113.73 F g−1 at 1.3 A g−1 and glows a red LED for 6 min. This work is a step towards upcycling the waste produced from surgical face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic and its application for energy storage.

Statistical Reproducibility of Meta-Analysis for Medical Mask Use in Community Settings to Prevent Airborne Respiratory Virus Infection

Many US states, cities, and counties implemented public masking orders during the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic on the notion that this intervention would delay and flatten the epidemic peak and largely benefit public health outcomes. A p-value plot can provide insights into possible inappropriateness (incorrectness) of assumptions of a statistical model. It can be used to confirm, disprove, or identify ambiguity (uncertainty) in a meta-analytic finding and research claim. P-value plotting was used to evaluate statistical reproducibility of meta-analysis studies for disposable medical (surgical) mask use in community settings to prevent airborne respiratory virus infection. Eight studies (seven meta-analysis, one systematic review) published between 1 January 2020 and 7 December 2022 were evaluated. Base studies were randomized control trials with outcomes of medical diagnosis or laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of viral (Influenza or COVID) illness. Self-reported viral illness outcomes were excluded from the evaluation because of awareness bias. No evidence was observed for a medical mask benefit to prevent respiratory virus infection in six p-value plots (five meta-analysis and one systematic review). Research claims of no benefit in three meta-analysis and the systematic review were reproduced in p-value plots. Research claims of a benefit in two other meta-analysis were not reproduced in p-value plots suggesting irreproducibility of these claims. Insufficient data was available to construct p-value plots for two other meta-analysis because of over-reliance on self-reported outcomes. Independent findings of p-value plotting show that meta-analysis of existing randomized control trials fail to demonstrate a benefit of medical mask use in community settings to prevent airborne respiratory virus infection.

The Physiological and Perceived Impact of Wearing a Face Mask During Maximal Exercise

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the expectation of facemasks in fitness facilities during exercise. However, the physiological and perceptual responses of wearing a facemask during exercise has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of facemasks on selected physiological and subjective variables during exercise. Using a crossover design, males (n =8) and females (n=7) and were randomly assigned to (1) a surgical facemask, (2) a cloth face mask, and (3) no mask and completed Bruce Protocol maximal graded treadmill tests 48 hrs apart. Collected data included heart rate (HR), oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2), rating of perceived dyspnea (DYS), perceived rate of exertion (RPE) and time to exhaustion (TTE). No significant (p>0.05) differences were found for HR or SpO2 at any of the treadmill stages. DYS was higher with both masks compared to no mask, but only significant (p < 0.05) between the cloth and no mask conditions in stages 2 and 3. RPE was greater in both mask conditions compared to no masks, but only significantly greater between the cloth mask and no mask conditions in stage 3. No significant differences were found for TTE among the conditions. Wearing face masks during exercise and has little effect on HR, SpO2, or TTE. However, facemasks may negatively influence DYS and RPE contributing to feelings of exhaustion. Participants should be made aware that the discomfort of wearing a mask during exercise will not hamper performance.

Analysis of the Optimal Use of Fabric Masks and Disposable Medical Masks During the COVID-19

Medical waste is one of the biggest concerns today due to the need to prevent COVID-19. How to properly handle the large amount of discarded disposable medical masks generated during and after the epidemic, fully understand the need for recycling and disposal of discarded masks, and accelerate the development of new technologies for value-added use have become important issues arising from the new crown epidemic and other respiratory infectious diseases, as well as an urgent requirement to protect the ecological environment. This paper outlines the materials of disposable medical masks and cloth masks, and analyses their impact on society and the environment from the perspective of their own characteristics, so as to give advice on how to choose masks. This paper compares cloth masks and traditional disposable medical masks, discussing the similarities and differences between them in terms of epidemic prevention, the environment, the economics of the product, the psychological burden on the public and the production of the company. The recommendations are based on the effectiveness of the two types of masks and their different handling methods. Finally, the challenges associated with the current use of masks are outlined and a personal view on the replacement of disposable medical masks with cloth masks is given. In the future, the government should expand the use of cloth masks by raising public awareness of the use of sustainable masks, in order to save resources and protect the environment. The aim of this paper is to reduce the environmental and socio-economic impact of masks by discussing the effectiveness, social and economic impact of the two types of masks, so that more people will be guided to use cloth masks.

Speech Intelligibility and Speech Naturalness while Speaking with and without Medical Mask

Introduction: The COVID-19 situation has led to an increase use of medical mask for protection. Facial and respiratory PPE covering the mouth and nose have been reported to diminish Speech Intelligibility. Altering the volume, rate and volume and rate together may contribute to influencing the speech intelligibility and speech naturalness rating. Therefore, identifying the appropriate method to speak with medical mask can help train people to communicate with mask. This study aimed to (1) analyse effects of wearing masks on speech intelligibility, naturalness and comprehensibility, and (2) document an altered style of speaking to improve speech intelligibility, naturalness and comprehensibility while wearing masks. Method: Cross-over study design was used. Spoken utterances from 14 naïve speakers were recorded with and without medical mask, and speech in typical style, increased volume (loudness), reduced rate, and mixed method (combination of increased loudness and reduced rate) with medical mask was recorded from 12 professional speakers. Two expert listeners rated the naïve speakers, and two naïve listeners rated professional speakers using standard rating scales of speech intelligibility and naturalness. Percentage of correct identification of utterance was calculated as a measure of comprehensibility. Wilcoxon signed rank test and Friedman test were used to report significant differences among conditions and parameters analysed. Results: Speech intelligibility, naturalness and comprehensibility was poorer while speaking with medical mask than without them. Speaking in mixed method (combination of increased loudness and reduced rate), while using medical masks was the most appropriate style of speech in order to be intelligible, natural and comprehensible, followed by increased loudness style, typical style and reduced rate style. Conclusion: People should be alerted that wearing mask leads to reduction in speech intelligibility, comprehensibility and naturalness. These can be improved by modifying the style of speaking.

FDA Updates on Risk of Protection Failure With O&M Halyard Surgical Respirators and Masks

Biomedical Safety & Standards 53(12):p 89-90, July 01, 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/01.BMSAS.0000942588.04830.85

Study on the Performance of Abandoned Medical Masks in Drilling Fluid Under the Background of "COVID-19"

Study on the Performance of Abandoned Medical Masks in Drilling Fluid Under the Background of "COVID-19"

Sustained exercise load by young adult females while wearing surgical mask raises core body temperature measured with zero-heat-flux thermometer.

When a pandemic such as that caused by the novel coronavirus disease termed COVID-19 emerges, it is recommended to wear a mask when in public situations, with information regarding the impact on thermoregulation essential, especially during exercise or hard physical labor. The present study investigated changes in core body temperature (CBT) while wearing a surgical mask (SM) during exercise (TCBT) using a non-invasive zero-heat-flux (ZHF) thermometer. Nine young adult females performed ergometer exercise for 30min at 60 W with (mask group) and without (control) a SM under a non-hot condition, shown by wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) findings. TCBT, mean skin temperature (TMST), heart rate (HR), and humidity in the perioral region of the face (%RH) were determined. Each of those markers showed increased values during exercise, with the increases in TCBT, HR, and %RH, but not TMST, during exercise found to be significantly greater in the mask group. HR reserve (%HRR), derived as load intensity during exercise, was also significantly higher in the mask group. Each subject completed all of the experimental protocols without noting pain or discomfort. These results suggest that wearing a SM while performing mild exercise contributes to increased TCBT associated with increased exercise intensity, expressed as %HRR in a non-heated condition. Furthermore, the ZHF thermometer was shown to be safe and is considered useful for conducting such studies. Additional examinations will be necessary to examine gender and age group differences, as well as the use of different exercise methods and intensity and ambient conditions.

Surveying Medical Mask Waste Generation in Can Tho University, Vietnam

Medical mask waste is generated more and more and causes many negative impacts on the environment and human health. This study was conducted to survey the current status of using and managing medical mask waste by students at Can Tho University, Vietnam. The study conducted by direct interviews with 120 students and field observations of the research area. As a result, students of Can Tho University use about 43,850 masks resulting in 153.475 kg of medical mask waste per day. Medical mask waste was not well classified by students. Understandings of students regarding toxicity and non-biodegradable characteristics of medical masks are relatively high. However, the level of awareness of students about medical mask waste has some limitations, through the way that medical masks are considered as household waste and are not really necessary to pay attention to the classification of medical masks. As can be seen that training on waste classification and associated waste containers are urgently needed for better solid waste management in the university. This research will contribute to enriching scientific data sources in the field of solid waste, especially medical mask waste.

Effects of Surgical Masks on Patients with Stable Chronic Heart Failure.

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Effects of Surgical Masks on Patients with Stable Chronic Heart Failure

Effects of Surgical Masks on Patients with Stable Chronic Heart Failure

A Convolutional Neural Network Model and Software Tool for Classifying the Presence of a Medical Mask on a Human Face

A model of a convolutional neural network, a database for training a neural network, and a software tool for classifying the presence of a medical mask on a person’s face, which allows recognizing the presence of a medical mask from the transmitted image, have been developed. The structure of the neural network model was optimized to improve classification results. In addition, the development of the user interface was carried out. The developed application was tested on a set of random images. The resulting model demonstrated high accuracy and robustness in solving the task of classifying the presence of a medical mask on a person’s face, which allows automating measures to protect people from the spread of diseases. The implemented application meets the requirements for speed and quality of classification. Further improvement of the classification quality of CNN can be done by collecting a larger dataset and researching other CNN architectures.

Immobilization of polypyrrole on waste face masks using a novel in-situ-surface polymerization method: removal of Cr(VI) from electroplating wastewater

ABSTRACT In this work, polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized on the surface of waste surgical face masks (SFM) with a novel environmentally-friendly in-situ-surface polymerization approach and used as an adsorbent for removing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). In this method, the SFM surface was activated using KMnO4, resulting in the immobilization of porous MnO2, on which pyrrole can be polymerized efficiently. The novelty of this method is the presence of the oxidant on the surface before the polymerization step, which results in a better surface modification with polypyrrole. This method provides adsorbents with higher adsorption capacity compared to the conventional polymerization method with ammonium persulfate (APS). The adsorbent prepared at the mass ratios of 1.0 and 2.0; respectively, for KMnO4/SFM and pyrrole/SFM showed the highest performance. The adsorbent characterization revealed the successful polymerization of pyrrole on the surface of SFM. Reusability of the KMnO4 and pyrrole solutions were successful with remarkable results, showing the advantage of this technique compared to the conventional polymerization method with APS. The effect of different factors on the adsorption process was investigated. The removal rate was around 98% under the optimum conditions (pH, 2; adsorbent dosage, 3 g L−1; contact time, 60 min). The equilibrium data were well fitted by Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.9999). Kinetic investigations revealed that the adsorption process fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorbent was regenerated for up to five cycles. One of the most important advantages of the proposed method compared to other methods is the reduction of wastewater during the synthesis process.