Wear Protective Clothing Research Articles

Occurrence and factors associated with Cryptosporidium infection in livestock in three districts of Zambia

Cryptosporidium is one of the most important enteric diarrhoeal parasites that infect humans and animals worldwide. The current study investigated the occurrence and risk factors associated with Cryptosporidium infection in ruminants aged ≤6 months in Monze, Mumbwa, and Lusaka districts of Zambia. Faecal samples were collected from 328 calves, 190 lambs, and 245 goat kids and analysed for Cryptosporidium oocysts using modified Ziehl Neelsen staining. A closed structured questionnaire was used to obtain epidemiological characteristics and potential risk factors for Cryptosporidium infection. The overall occurrence of Cryptosporidium was 7.9% (60/763), while that in calves, lambs and goat kids was 14.5% (47/328), 5.3% (10/190), and 1.2% (3/245) respectively. Watery/pasty stool and sampling during the rainy season were independently associated with increased risk of infection. In calves, the odds of infection increased during the rainy season, while daily kraal cleaning reduced the infection risk. Lambs showed increased odds of infection with pasty/watery stool and male sex, whereas the wearing of protective clothing by handlers significantly reduced the risk. There were district variations in infection occurrence with Mumbwa district having higher prevalence. The findings of this study show that livestock in Zambia continue to be frequently infected with Cryptosporidium. Protective measures and appropriate farm cleanliness should be implemented in control of this infection. Regional and host-species-specific variations emphasize the need for targeted interventions. These findings, therefore, contribute to effective strategies for Cryptosporidium control, promoting good livestock health and management.

Analysis of the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period using multiple machine learning methods: a case study of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games

Using machine learning methods to analyze the fatigue status of medical security personnel and the factors influencing fatigue (such as BMI, gender, and wearing protective clothing working hours), with the goal of identifying the key factors contributing to fatigue. By validating the predicted outcomes, actionable and practical recommendations can be offered to enhance fatigue status, such as reducing wearing protective clothing working hours. A questionnaire was designed to assess the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period, aiming to capture information on fatigue experienced during work and disease recovery. The collected data was then preprocessed and used to determine the structural parameters for each machine learning algorithm. To evaluate the prediction performance of different models, the mean relative error (MRE) and goodness of fit (R2) between the true and predicted values were calculated. Furthermore, the importance rankings of various parameters in relation to fatigue status were determined using the RF feature importance analysis method. The fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period was analyzed using multiple machine learning methods. The prediction performance of these methods was ranked from highest to lowest as follows: Gradient Boosting Regression (GBM) > Random Forest (RF) > Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) > K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) > Support Vector Regression (SVR). Among these algorithms, four out of the five achieved good prediction results, with the GBM method performing the best. The five most critical parameters influencing fatigue status were identified as working hours in protective clothing, a customized symptom and disease score (CSDS), physical exercise, body mass index (BMI), and age, all of which had importance scores exceeding 0.06. Notably, working hours in protective clothing obtained the highest importance score of 0.54, making it the most critical factor impacting fatigue status. Fatigue is a prevalent and pressing issue among medical security personnel operating in closed-loop environments. In our investigation, we observed that the GBM method exhibited superior predictive performance in determining the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period, surpassing other machine learning techniques. Notably, our analysis identified several critical factors influencing the fatigue status of medical security personnel, including the duration of working hours in protective clothing, CSDS, and engagement in physical exercise. These findings shed light on the multifaceted nature of fatigue among healthcare workers and emphasize the importance of considering various contributing factors. To effectively alleviate fatigue, prudent management of working hours for security personnel, along with minimizing the duration of wearing protective clothing, proves to be promising strategies. Furthermore, promoting regular physical exercise among medical security personnel can significantly impact fatigue reduction. Additionally, the exploration of medication interventions and the adoption of innovative protective clothing options present potential avenues for mitigating fatigue. The insights derived from this study offer valuable guidance to management personnel involved in organizing large-scale events, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions to address fatigue among medical security personnel. In our upcoming research, we will further expand the fatigue dataset while considering higher precisionprediction algorithms, such as XGBoost model, ensemble model, etc., and explore their potential contributions to our research.

Investigating the current situation of chemical pesticides trade in Tripoli region and its suburbs in Libya

This study was conducted within the framework of a research program at the Agricultural Research Center for Sustainable Development during the 2021-2022 agricultural season through field visits to pesticide marketing and storage sites in Tripoli and its suburbs to investigate the condition of commercial stores and their suitability to health conditions, the nature of their activity and their legal status, along with the status of the people working in them, their educational level and the extent to which their awareness of the dangers of pesticides and their impact on their health. Some questions were also about the types of pesticides traded in the Libyan market, their physical condition, their specialties, their commercial sources, and how to dispose of their empty containers. It became clear from this study that approximately half of the pesticide shops were in the main streets of Tripoli, and only 27% of them were in rural areas. Moreover, no less than 50% of the stores do not have warehouses, and those that do have warehouses are considered inappropriate for storing these dangerous materials. It was also shown that there is a lack of attention and implementation of the sanitary conditions in pesticide stores, including ventilation, air conditioners, and the height of the stores. We also noticed that the percentage of licensed shops designated for selling pesticides did not exceed 35%, and that many of them hold licenses not designated for selling pesticides, and some of them don’t have license. As for the materials that are marketed alongside pesticides, most of them are agricultural equipment, with the presence of fertilizers and seeds. Regarding the persons that are selling pesticides, their ages range from the twenties to the fifties, and their educational levels vary, as the percentage of illiterate people was 15%, the percentage of those who obtained compulsory primary, middle, and secondary education was 49%, the percentage of those who obtained an intermediate and higher diploma was 23%, and the percentage of university salespeople was 13%. It is striking that 79% of the sellers are not specialized in the agricultural field. As for the level of knowledge of the sellers about the dangers of chemical pesticides, it was found that 72% of them have little to moderate knowledge. In addition, 77% of them do not wear protective clothing, and only sometimes at best, which shows that 43% of the workers’ health was negatively affected by their handling of pesticides. Finally, this study showed that the pesticides circulating in the Tripoli area are liquid, solid and gaseous in approximately equal proportions. As for the specialties of pesticides on offer, it turned out that 22% of them are insecticides, 21% are herbicides, 21% are fungicides, 19% are rodenticides, and 17% are acaricides. As for the sources of pesticides offered on the market, 36% of them were issued by commercial agents of international companies or from well-known wholesalers with clear addresses. However, 27% of the pesticides offered were imported by unknown importers or obtained through unlicensed and often unknown street traders. As for the methods used to dispose of containers, the study showed that 50% of the containers are disposed of by filling them up, burning them, or using the containers to place other materials such as food and medicines, which is generally considered a violation of internationally recognized health methods. This study is considered a model for the other Libyan cities and will contribute to providing decision-makers with important and vital information for regulating the pesticide trading sector in Libya.

Determining Safe Working Hours of Wearing Medical Disposable Protective Clothing From Physiological Thermal Limits: A Pilot Study

Despite the mandatory use of medical disposable protective clothing to protect against infectious hazards, how to determine optimal safe working hours induced by physical fatigue while wearing medical disposable protective clothing remains unknown. Driven by these questions, here we quantify the extent of physical fatigue experienced by medical staff wearing medical disposable protective clothings in isolation wards to identify a safe work duration. Eight healthy males were subjected to light (2.1 km/h) and moderate (4.3 km/h) treadmill exercises while wearing two different ensembles. Four physiological (tympanic temperature Tcore, mean skin temperature Tsk, heart rate, and sweat loss) and two subjective indicators (thermal sensation and humidity sensation) were measured. We then introduced a discrete gray model(1,1) to determine safe working hours. The study indicated that even at lower temperatures, prolonged wearing of medical disposable protective clothing could significantly affect physiological indicators such as Tcore and Tsk ( p < 0.001), with Tcore being the predominant factor limiting safe working hours. Regarding medical disposable protective clothing-1-light, medical disposable protective clothing-1-moderate, medical disposable protective clothing-2-light, and medical disposable protective clothing-2-moderate intensity activities, the safe working hours were 6.33, 2.83, 2.83, and 2.25 h. This article presented a new approach to determining safe working hours for wearing medical disposable protective clothing from physiological thermal limits with small sample data. However, this is a preliminary study, and further validation of the prediction model through additional experiments is necessary.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dog Owners Following Dog bites in Umuahia North and South, Abia State, Nigeria

Rabies, a fatal neurological disease of warm-blooded animals, is endemic and occurs throughout the year in all parts of Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess dog owners' knowledge, attitudes, and practices following dog bites. Umuahia North and Umuahia South Local Government Areas (LGAs) were purposively selected being active urban areas. A validated well-structured questionnaire was administered to 200 dog owners by face-to-face interviews who were consenting respondents conveniently selected from the study site. Data generated were analysed with statistical significance at p ≤ 0.05. Out of the 200 dog owners, 172 (86%) were not aware of rabies, 48 (24%) were of the notion that rabies does not kill only animals and 52 (26%) did not know that the virus that causes rabies is found in the nerves. One hundred and fifty (75%) respondents knew that rabies could be spread through the saliva of a rabid animal, 9 (4.5%) did not know that dogs are possible common sources of rabies in Nigeria and only 125 (62.5%) knew the age at which dogs should receive the first dose of rabies vaccine. Also, a good number of them 162 (80%) knew that keeping dogs that are not vaccinated against rabies is dangerous and should be avoided. One hundred and forty five (72.5%) respondents agreed that dog handlers should always wear protective clothing, and 117 (58.5%) accepted that it is good to wash dog bite wounds with soap and water. Age, Marital status, Occupation and Qualification were the socio-demographic variables associated with the knowledge, attitude and practice level of the respondents that were statistically significant (P≤0.05). Inadequate knowledge of some aspects of rabies, negative attitudes, and practices of dog owners following dog bites are indicative of a high risk of exposure of dog owners to rabies. It is suggested that public health education targeting dog owners be implemented to increase their level of awareness of rabies.

Anthrax Disease amongst Livestock and the Associated Human Exposure in Northern Nigeria: An Incidence Report

Anthrax disease is of public health significance worldwide and has not been reported in Nigeria hence the present study which highlighted it’s incidence profile among animal population and the associated human exposure in Northern Nigeria. The incidence occurred in a multispecies livestock farm at Gajiri along Abuja-Kaduna express way in Suleja Niger state, Nigeria on the 13th day of July 2023 leading to sudden mortality of eight livestock. A remarkable observation was that the dead animals were bleeding from every external orifice without blood clotting. The farm attendants and management team alerted the Federal ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for urgent intervention, which prompted rapid laboratory investigation on the 14th July 2023. They collected samples from multiple species in the livestock farm and transported to National Veterinary Research Institute Plateau state for analysis. The samples yielded positive results for Anthrax. However, there are reports of human exposure, but they have reported no symptoms or mortality at the time of this report. Currently ongoing identification and contact tracing is being conducted for humans and other farm animals to prevent spread. Relevant authorities have taken necessary measures to quickly detect, control and contain any outbreak of Anthrax in the human population. Epidemiological tracing showed that the disease is not enzootic in the area and there was no evidence of anthropozoonotic transmission to animals. As the disease has not spread widely and has not affected humans in the area, it is recommended that animal carcasses be disposed of properly by either burning or burying them in a lime pit. Livestock attendants should always wear protective clothing and gloves while attending to farm animals. Ensuring decontamination of animal products and providing active immunization of domestic animals and people at high occupational risk is important. Thus excellent prognosis hinges on early detection and treatment of case.

Attenuation properties of hybrid nanocomposite film containing Ce2O, GO, and α-Al2O3 nanoparticles for high energy radiations

The use of diagnostic radiation in medical centers has spread due to the incidence of various diseases. Thus, it is essential that patients and medical staff wear protective clothing to protect themselves from their harmful effects. In the past, lead protective clothing has been used; however, the toxicity and heaviness of lead have limited the tendency to use these clothing. Recently, nanocomposites containing heavy element nanoparticles have been introduced as an alternative to lead coatings. In this study, hybrid nanocomposites containing ceria (CeO2), alumina (Al2O3), and graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles were studied for this purpose. Ceria, alumina, and graphene oxide nanoparticles were mixed with polyethylenevinylacetate (EVA) dissolved in chloroform and casted on a glass plate to form nanocomposite films. The prepared nanoparticles and films were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis, and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis, and then the attenuation properties of the films against high-energy radiation (120 kV) were studied in two narrow and broad beam geometries. The results showed that hybrid films, despite having a lower percentage of nanoparticles, showed better attenuation properties, which indicated the synergistic effect of nanoparticles with different mechanisms in attenuating the radiations. The attenuation ability of these films was considerable due to their lower density compared to lead. The fabricated hybrid nanocomposite films with a suitable performance in attenuation of high-energy radiations used in therapeutic diagnostics, can be proposed as a suitable alternative to conventional lead clothing.

Face Mask Detection Using Haar Cascades Classifier To Reduce The Risk Of Coved-19

The global epidemic causes extensive damage. Several sectors, including tourism and recreation, have been halted. Since these projects require work together in close contact, it increases the danger of infection. To reduce the spread of COVID-19, keep a safe distance from others and always wear protective clothing. In light of this, we have developed COVID Vision, a system that uses Haar cascades as a classifier for a face mask detector. This will reduce reliance on employees while maintaining COVID-19 criteria. COVID Vision can determine if someone is wearing a mask or covering their lips live. According to the findings, the suggested system correctly displays the output result of human face detection within a range of 0.6 to 1.35 metres away, in lighting conditions ranging from medium to normal, and with facial angles falling within a range of ±40°. Face accessories are allowed on targeted photos as long as they don't cover the face. In conclusion, this approach may reduce the cost of real-time identity verification labour.

SKIN CANCER ABOUT A CLINICAL CASE, IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION FOR ITS PREVENTION

Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. It affects people of all ages, genders and ethnicities. However, the good news is that most cases of skin cancer are preventable and treatable if caught early. Education and prevention are critical to reducing the risk of developing skin cancer and improving people's quality of life. Below is a case study of a 35-year-old patient who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that can spread if not treated properly. The dermatologist recommended surgery to remove the tumor, which proved successful. After surgery, the importance of prevention and how to reduce the risk of developing another squamous cell carcinoma was emphasized. It was recommended to limit sun exposure, wear protective clothing, hats and sunglasses, and apply broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 50 or higher. Regular skin self-exams and follow-up appointments were also advised. This case demonstrates the importance of prevention in skin cancer and the need to take measures to reduce the risk of developing this type of cancer.

Girl on Fire – Links between sex, firefighters’ clothing, safety, confidence and wear and tear

Firefighters are exposed to high risks and hazards, such as flames and smoke, in their daily lives. To be protected against these risks, firefighters wear protective clothing. As an employer, it is the duty to provide firefighters with good protection according to DIN EN 469. To do so, it is necessary to select, procure and maintain suitable firefighters' protective clothing. In order to identify weaknesses in the above steps and to develop and present proposals for remedying the identified weak points, an empirical study was conducted. In preparation for this study, interviews were first conducted with members of fire brigades. Based on the interviews, the relevant standards and regulations for fire fighters´ clothing were classified and areas of tension between the standards and regulations as well as their design in everyday fire brigade life were identified. Based on this, a standardized quantitative survey was conducted and the answers of the respondents were empirically evaluated. The evaluation examined both the respondents' answering behavior and the dependency between the answering behavior for different questions due to demographic differences. A key finding is that women firefighters are less satisfied with their firefighting clothing compared to men firefighters. The firefighters' clothing fits them worse. They do not feel as safe and comfortable. Moreover, woman have less confidence in the protective clothing. There is a correlation between the fit of the clothing and the satisfaction, confidence and feeling of protection

Assessment of knowledge and patterns of weedicide and personal protective equipment usage among farmers in some cocoa farming communities in Ghana

The inability of farmers to adhere to the precise usage pattern of weedicides and personal protective equipment (PPE) in cocoa cultivation has been a challenge to cocoa production, the environment and human health. We conducted a study to determine the usage pattern of weedicides and PPE in some cocoa-growing communities in the Western North region of Ghana. We collected data from 92 cocoa farmers distributed in five communities using a semi-structured questionnaire and descriptive statistics was employed in analysing the data in the form of frequency, percentages and p values. The results indicated a significant difference (P < 0.05) in all the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers where most of the smallholder farmers were of old age. The majority (84%) of the farmers used both manual and chemical methods of weed control in their farms. Farmers' choice of weed control method was significantly influenced by their level of education, use of protective clothing and their socio-economic characteristics. Farmers’ knowledge of weedicide usage, mode of application, rate of application and time of application was low. Wearing of protective clothing, wellington boots and overalls were common among farmers during weedicide application. Yet farmers complained of body irritation, severe headaches, catarrh, and body aches after weedicide usage. This is an indication of incomplete or improper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the farmers who were not aware of the dangers associated with the use of weedicides on their health. Based on these health problems and other related issues, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has discouraged cocoa farmers from the use of weedicides in the cocoa ecosystem. Instead, COCOBOD has provided slashers for use by farmers.

Impact of surface tension on the barrier performance of gowns and coveralls

Health care workers and laboratory workers who are routinely exposed to potentially life-threatening infectious diseases should wear protective clothing when anticipating contact with infectious materials. The most critical property ofprotective clothing is its ability to prevent liquids and viruses from passing through the garment. There are a number of potentially infectious liquids that workers may be exposed to during routine tasks. Each liquid has different physical and chemical properties that affect penetration. However, the current test methods use a limited number of liquids for classifying the barrier performance. The impact of the surface tension of the challenge liquid on the penetration resistance of gowns and coveralls was investigated in this study. Eight isolation gowns and 2 coveralls were tested in accordance with American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists 42 and American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists 127 test methods, which were modified to incorporate the substitute challenge liquids. Although current standard test methods only use water to categorize the liquid penetration resistance of minimal to moderate barrier performance gowns, a significant difference in the penetration was found when simulated body fluids were used. The results suggest that safety professionals and wearers should consider the varying barrier performance of personal protective equipment with different liquids and the use limitations when selecting them for the required tasks. Furthermore, standard development organizations should consider multiple challenge liquids when classifying protective clothing for health care settings.

Design of ear-contactless stethoscope and improvement in the performance of deep learning based on CNN to classify the heart sound.

Cardiac-related disorders are rapidly growing throughout the world. Accurate classification of cardiovascular diseases is an important research topic in healthcare. During COVID-19, auscultating heart sounds was challenging as health workers and doctors wear protective clothing, and direct contact with patients can spread the outbreak. Thus, contactless auscultation of heart sound is necessary. In this paper, a low-cost ear contactless stethoscope is designed where auscultation is done with the help of a bluetooth-enabled micro speaker instead of an earpiece. The PCG recordings are further compared with other standard electronic stethoscopes like Littman 3M. This work is made to improve the performance of deep learning-based classifiers like recurrent neural networks (RNN) and convolutional neural networks (CNN) for different valvular heart problems using tuning of hyperparameters like learning rate of optimizers, dropout rate, and hidden layer. Hyper-parameter tuning is used to optimize the performances of various deep learning models and their learning curves for real-time analysis. The acoustic, time, and frequency domain features are used in this research. The investigation is made on the heart sounds of normal and diseased patients available from the standard data repository to train the software models. The proposed CNN-based inception network model achieved an accuracy of 99.65 ± 0.06% on the test dataset with a sensitivity of 98.8 ± 0.05% and specificity of 98.2 ± 0.19%. The proposed hybrid CNN-RNN architecture attained 91.17 ± 0.03% accuracy on test data after hyperparameter optimization, whereas the LSTM-based RNN model achieved 82.32 ± 0.11% accuracy. Finally, the evaluated results were compared with machine learning algorithms, and the improved CNN-based Inception Net model is the most effective among others.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Pastoralists Towards Tick Bites, and Tick Control in Plateau State, Nigeria.

Pastoralists regularly come in contact with ticks as they herd their animals and are exposed to pathogens that cause zoonotic diseases. No study has been conducted in Nigeria to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of these Pastoralists towards ticks, tick bite, and tick control, and thus this research. A KAP survey of pastoralists (n = 119) was conducted in Plateau State, Nigeria. Data generated were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The majority of the pastoralists (99.2%) had knowledge of ticks, with 79% of them being aware that ticks attach and bite humans, whereas only 30.3% believed that ticks transmit diseases to humans. Eighty-four per cent of the pastoralists do not wear protective clothing while herding their animals and 81.5% indicated to having been bitten by ticks, whereas hospital visit after tick bite was low (7.6%). Statistically significant variables were observed when knowledge of the respondents were compared in relation to the ability of ticks to cause diseases (Χ2 = 9.980, P = 0.007); hospital visit after a bite (Χ2 = 11.453, P = 0.003); and the use of protective clothing for herding (Χ2 = 22.596, P = 0). The main tick control measure was hand picking (58.8%). The pastoralists were unaware of the ability of ticks to transmit zoonotic pathogens. Preventive practices were insufficient to reduce tick bites, and thus were constantly exposed to tick-borne diseases. This study hopes to provide important insights for the development of educational awareness programmes for the pastoralists and serve as a guide for the health workers in designing future preventive programmes against tick-borne zoonoses in Nigeria.

Promoting environmentally friendly sun-protection behaviors among coastal state residents

Ecotoxicology studies increasingly point to harmful environmental effects from common sunscreen chemicals that filter ultraviolet light. As a result, governments are attempting to reduce ecological exposure through bans on these chemicals and outreach to consumers. Public health research has shown that sun protection choices are often highly context dependent, which may limit the extent to which newly adopted behaviors “spillover,” i.e. transfer to other places or influence additional pro-environmental actions. This study tests key theoretical literatures on behavioral spillover within this rapidly evolving area of environmental policy. In a factorial survey with Hawaii, North Carolina, and Florida residents (n = 735), respondents were more likely to say they would switch sunscreen than wear protective clothing in response to pro-environmental behavior change messages. Sunscreen message framing (“reef friendly” vs. “mineral based”), state of residence, and the location of coastal parks affected site-specific sun protection preferences. Further, sunscreen message framing effects spilled over to general sun protection preferences for the next time respondents go to the shore or beach. Yet, respondents cited lack of information as a barrier in making sunscreen choices. Public responsiveness to “reef friendly” branding—as demonstrated in this research—is confounded by unclear consumer information about which sunscreen formulations qualify, impeding the effectiveness of state and federal efforts to protect natural resources. Alternately, efforts to support changing public norms for UPF clothing may offer an emergent opportunity to promote both public health and environmental goals.

The Plague Doctor, the Pandemic Doctor, and Surgical Protective Clothing

Objectives Infectious diseases have tormented humans for thousands of years, and severe outbreaks have led to the devastation of entire communities. Even before globalization, parasites and pathogens traveled along trade routes with their human hosts. The protective clothing worn by physicians during epidemics serves as a powerful historical record chronicling accepted theories of disease transmission and treatments. The materials and designs of modern-day protective equipment reflect the contributions of surgeons to the ways doctors protected themselves and their patients during epidemics. Methods Historical texts and journal articles were reviewed regarding the history, epidemiology, and pathophysiology of epidemics of plague, influenza, and coronavirus. Results The Justinian Plague of the 540s CE was the first pandemic to be fully documented and began the long history of plagues through the Black Death of the Middle Ages. Believing that the etiology was foul-smelling bad air (miasma), doctors protected themselves by wearing dramatic head-to-toe coverings. Heavy boots, pants, long coats, gloves, and brimmed hats were made of leather sealed with animal fat. Most important was the infamous face mask with glass eye coverings and a long beak filled with aromatics intended to purify disease-causing vapors. An appreciation of droplet theory in the 19th century made beaked masks obsolete, replacing them with cloth face masks. Surgeons continued to pioneer the development of gloves and gowns, initially to protect themselves and later to protect their patients. Their outfits were worn by healthcare workers during the epidemics of the 20th century. Similar to the plague doctors, present-day physicians treating patients suffering from COVID-19 don themselves in head-to-toe protective outwear, although heavy leather and beaked-masks have long since been replaced by disposable fabrics and the N95 respirator. Conclusions The evolution of physicians’ protective clothing from the iconic beaked mask of the 17th century plague doctor to the hazmat-esque suits of the COVID-19 pandemic doctor reflects the substantial advancements in the detection, treatment, and containment of communicable diseases. Much of this is due to the dedicated efforts of surgeons to better safeguard their patients as well as protect themselves against diseases contained in bodily fluids.

Determination of awareness levels of walnut producers in plant protection applications (a case study of Bitlis province)

The survey was conducted in 2020 to determine the awareness level of walnut producers regarding crop protection practices in Adilcevaz and Hizan districts of Bitlis province, where walnut production is widespread. With this in mind, a face-to-face survey was conducted using a simple random sampling method among 87 producers in a total of 10 randomly selected villages from two districts. Within the scope of the research, walnut growers were found to be highly educated and most had non-agricultural income. The manufacturers in question take into account the recommendations of sellers and Agriculture and Forestry department when choosing pesticides and deciding on the usage dose rates, that the brand recognition and active ingredients are important to pesticide preferences, that they don't use the same pesticides in the fight against the same diseases and pests, They start spraying without seeing the signs of disease and harmful factors in the plant, they apply the recommended dose in drug applications, pesticides used leave residue on product. They observe the waiting time between spraying and harvesting and wear protective clothing and masks during spraying, they do not simply throw-away empty pesticide box and packages used after the application into the agricultural fields or their surroundings, they clean the sprayer, but they use the sprayer without calibration, they mix pesticides and prefer cultural methods over chemical methods, and they do not have any knowledge about the word biopesticide. It is known that producers generally choose chemical control in the solution of plant protection issues, and the indiscriminate use of these pesticides has many adverse effects on human and environmental health.

Comparative evaluation of different versions of exposure-free mosquito electrocuting traps and barrier screen trap for monitoring outdoor densities and biting time phenotypes by malaria and filariasis vectors in Tanzania

BackgroundEstimating human exposure to mosquito vectors is crucial for the prediction of malaria transmission and intervention impact. The human landing catch method is frequently used to directly measure estimate exposure rates; however, there has been an increasing shift from this method to exposure-free alternatives, such as the mosquito electrocuting traps (MET) and other approaches. While these latter methods can provide robust and representative values of human exposure and mosquito density, they often still require a human volunteer, which poses logistical challenges. Additionally, in the case of the MET, the early MET prototype (METe) required human volunteers to wear protective clothing that could be uncomfortable. We investigated two alternative trapping approaches to address these challenges by comparing the performance of the METe prototype to: (i) a modified caged MET prototype that offers full protection to users (METc) and (ii) a barrier screen trap (BST) designed to passively sample (host-seeking and blood-fed) mosquitoes outdoors without requiring a human participant.MethodsThe relative performance of the METe, METc and BST were evaluated in a 3 × 3 Latin square field experiment design conducted in south-eastern Tanzania over 12 nights of sampling. The outcomes of interest were the nightly catch of mosquitoes and biting time estimates.ResultsThe METc and BST caught similar numbers of An. arabiensis as the METe (relative ratio [RR] = 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42–1.39, P = 0.38 and RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.63–2.04, P = 0.69, respectively). Similarly, the METc and BST caught similar numbers of Culex spp. as the METe (RR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.62–1.22, P = 0.42 and RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.57–1.12, P = 0.199, respectively). All three trapping methods indicated a similar pattern of biting activity by An. arabiensis and Culex spp., characterized by biting starting in the early evening (18:00–22:00), peaking when people are typically sleeping (22:00–05:00) and dropping off drastically toward the morning (05:00–07:00).ConclusionsThe modifications made to the METe design to improve user comfort and remove the need for protective clothing did not result in an underestimation of mosquito vector abundance nor misrepresentation of their biting time pattern. We recommend the METc for use over the METe design. Similarly, the BST demonstrated potential for monitoring malaria and filariasis vector densities in Tanzania.Graphical

A new thermal protective clothing design with silica aerogel filled acrylic nanofibers

PurposeFirefighters are exposed to high outdoor temperature and heat stress caused by metabolic activities during firefighting and should wear protective clothing to ensure their safety and health. Traditional firefighter protective suits are bulky and heavy garments with reduced thermal comfort properties since the fabric thickness and moisture barrier layers prevent heat transfer of the garment and cause additional heat stress. The aim of this study is to reduce heat stress by creating a new fabric design with silica aerogel membrane as a moisture barrier for three-layer fabric system.Design/methodology/approachPolyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers were produced with three different silica aerogel contents and used for three-layered clothing system as a moisture barrier for giving desired protectiveness and thermal comfort to firefighters. Different fabric combinations were designed using two types of outer shell fabrics, two types of moisture barrier fabrics, two types of thermal barrier fabrics and PAN/silica aerogel membranes.FindingsThe results show that a lighter fabric system with improved wearer’s mobility and thermal comfort properties (thermal resistance and moisture permeability) is achieved with the use of PAN/silica aerogel membrane as an intermediate layer compared to commercial thermal protective fabric systems.Originality/valueDifferently from traditional thermal protective clothing, which may not provide adequate protection in long-term heat conditions or when exposed to flash fire, a new thermal protective clothing has been developed to be used in extremely hot environments, providing desired technical and performance properties, ease to wear comfort.

Volunteer Food Handlers’ Safety Knowledge and Practices in Implementing National School Nutrition Programme in Gauteng North District, South Africa

Volunteer food handlers (VFHs) working in school feeding programmes contribute immensely to the safety of food served to the school learners. However, their level of knowledge and practice of safe food handling is questionable. This study investigated food safety knowledge and practices of VFHs working for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in Gauteng North District, South Africa. This was a descriptive quantitative study in which data were obtained using a standard structured questionnaire. A total of 115 VFHs participated in the study. Most of the VFHs (n = 84, 73.0%) had secondary education with working experience of between 1 to 12 months. Although a high level of knowledge on food safety was demonstrated by the VFHs, this did not fully translate into safe food handling practices. The new VFH recruits were 66% more likely to wear protective clothing than the rest (OR: 0.34, 95%CI: 0.12–0.91, p = 0.033). Women were 90% more likely to wear aprons than men (OR = 0.11; 95 CI: 0.03–0.45; p = 0.002). In this study, VFHs demonstrated adequate levels of knowledge on food safety. Lack of facilities contributed to VFH non-compliance to safe food handling practices. Thus, there is a need to further support VFHs to comply with recommended safe food handling practices.