White Cotton Research Articles

Purification and Characterization of 56 kDa cold active Protease from Serratia marcescens

The extracellular cold active protease produced from Serratia marcescens TS1. The protease was purified to homogeneity from the production medium by ammonium sulphateation then followed by acetone precipitation with 80% saturation. The cold active protease was fractionized by diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) cellulose column chromotography. The molecular weight of protease was approximately 56 KDa. The isoelectric point was close to 6.4. The maximal activity towards casein was found at 40°C and its pH activity was at 8.0. The protease was strongly inactivated by HgCl2 metal ion and reactivated by FeSO4 thus indicated as metalloprotease. The protease was inhibited by Na2 ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The protease of S. marcescens TS1 showed a potential application in the laundry industry by removeing the blood, chocolate and egg youlk stains from the white cotton cloths in a short period without changing texture of cloths.

The accumulation of pigment in fiber related to proanthocyanidins synthesis for brown cotton

Brown cotton is a kind of naturally colored cotton. Because of less processing and little dying, it is more friendlier to environment than white cotton. For brown cotton, pigment accumulation in fiber is one of the most important characteristics. In this study, we selected a brown fiber line and a white fiber cultivar to determine the factor that affects the pigmentation in brown fiber. Accordingly, fibers were collected to verify the presence of PAs by p-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMACA) and toluidine blue O (TBO) staining. The PAs content and related genes expressions were determined. As a result, there were obvious differences on the aspect of PAs synthesis in fiber between white cotton and brown cotton. For white fiber, the PAs content reached maximum at 5 DPA, and then gradually decreased to zero. But for brown fiber, the PAs content was increased from 5 to 15 DPA stage, and reached the maximum at the 15 DPA stage, then gradually decreased from 15 to 40 DPA stage. On the contrary, in white cotton, PAs were synthesized in the whole developmental stage from 5 to 40 DPA. And PAs content in brown fiber were far more than that in white fiber, which may be the reason why the brown pigment accumulated in brown fiber.

Use of Dermasilk briefs in recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis: safety and effectiveness

Despite the generally excellent results achieved with fluconazole 150 mg weekly in recurrent vulvovaginal candidosis (RVVC), some patients with a long history of disease do not achieve complete resolution of symptoms following antimycotic treatment. It is thought that use of tight synthetic fabric underwear could be a significant factor in causing recurrence. We decided to compare underwear made of Dermasilk®, a pure fibroin fabric impregnated with a permanent antimicrobial protection, with a cotton placebo to see whether it could be a useful adjunctive tool in the management of RVVC. We recruited 96 women who had a long-term history of RVVC and had not responded to oral antimycotics with complete satisfaction. The patients were randomly divided into two groups and instructed to use either white cotton placebo briefs or Dermasilk® briefs. Both groups were treated with fluconazole 150 mg once weekly for 6 months. After 6 months, the Dermasilk group showed a statistically significant greater decrease of itching, burning, erythema and a smaller number of recurrences than the cotton group. Our work suggests that Dermasilk® briefs could be a useful adjunctive tool in addition to antimycotic treatment to help relieve the discomfort of recurrent vulvovaginitis.

Remote Spectroscopic Identification of Bloodstains*

Blood detection and identification at crime scenes are crucial for harvesting forensic evidence. Unfortunately, most tests for the identification of blood are destructive and time consuming. We present a fast and nondestructive identification test for blood, using noncontact reflectance spectroscopy. We fitted reflectance spectra of 40 bloodstains and 35 nonbloodstains deposited on white cotton with spectroscopic features of the main compounds of blood. Each bloodstain was measured 30 times to account for aging effects. The outcome of the blood measurements was compared with the reflectance of blood-mimicking stains and various body fluids. We found that discrimination between blood and nonblood deposited on white cotton is possible with a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 98%. In conclusion, a goodness of fit between the sample's reflectance and the blood component fit may allow identification of blood at crime scenes by remote spectroscopy.

Purtscher-like retinopathy following valsalva maneuver effect: case report

IntroductionPurtscher's retinopathy is a rare condition that is noted in cases related to various types of trauma. The characteristic finding in the fundus is the presence of multiple Purtscher flecken. Purtscher-like retinopathy has a similar presentation in the fundus, but without an association with trauma.Case presentationA 43-year old Malay man presented with a sudden onset of central foggy vision in the left eye after holding his breath for two minutes while catching a falling object. It was not associated with floaters, flashes of light, or head trauma. His vision in the right eye was 6/6, and in his left eye it was finger counting. He had bilateral temporal sub-conjunctival hemorrhages. An examination of his left fundus revealed multiple white cotton wool spots and dot-blot retinal hemorrhages with diffuse retinal edema at the posterior pole. His right fundus was noted to have only mild temporal peri-papillary edema associated with a few dot-blot hemorrhages. Fundus fluorescein angiography showed good arterial perfusion and no evidence of leaking or neo-vascularization. A diagnosis of Purtscher-like retinopathy was made, and the patient was treated with indomethacin tablets for six weeks. At his six-week follow-up examination, his left eye visual acuity had improved to 6/12. His bilateral sub-conjunctival hemorrhage had resolved. His left fundus showed residual multiple cotton wool spots and reduced retinal edema.ConclusionsTreatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs seems to be effective in reducing edema in patients with Purtscher-like retinopathy.

Dyeing of white and indigo dyed cotton fabrics with Mimosa tenuiflora extract

Mimosa tenuiflora extract has been used in food industry as an additive and in textile and leather industry as a colorant. Two types of fabrics, ready to be dyed white and indigo dyed fabrics, were dyed with M. tenuiflora extract. The fabrics were mordanted after dyeing with six different metal salts. Colorimetric evaluations of fabrics were carried out by spectrophotometer. Colour fastness to washing, rubbing and light were performed. Colour strength of fabrics was calculated from Kubelka–Munk formula. Highest vividness (C∗) values were obtained by Ni mordant. Moderate fastness values were observed. However poor wet rubbing fastness values were observed in the case of indigo dyed fabrics due to lack of good wet rubbing fastness of indigo itself.

Species differences in seedling growth and leaf water response to light quality

For the majority of forest species slight canopy opening reduces light limitations suggesting that light quality often measured as red:far red ratio (R:FR) plays a significant role in the development of seedlings. The effect of different levels of R:FR was studied on seedlings of four Ghanaian timber species of different ecological guilds to assess their growth and leaf water response to changes in R:FR. The experiment was conducted in shade houses of varying light qualities (0.30, 0.46 and 0.76 R:FR) achieved with the use of bamboo slats, green filter and white cotton cloth. Relative height growth of all species declined in high R:FR with Guarea cedrata and Celtis mildbraedii, shade bearers, having a slower decline of height growth with increasing R:FR than Terminalia ivorensis, pioneer, and Albizia zygia non-pioneer light demander. Relative diameter growth on the other hand increased in higher R:FR treatments except for G. cedreta. Relative biomass growth was not significantly affected by R:FR. Leaf area ratio did not vary in different R:FRs for G. odorata but for the other species it was lower in higher R:FRs. Specific leaf area was also not affected by R:FR except in G. cedreta where it dropped with increase in R:FR. The diurnal pattern of change in stomatal conductance and leaf water potential of T. ivorensis and G. cedrata were similar in lower R:FR ratio but opposite in higher R:FR. This results show that the response of seedlings to changes in R:FR is different for different species and is more of morphological change rather than growth (biomass accumulation). Pioneers are more sensitive to these changes than non-pioneers.Keywords: Red:far-red ratio, light quality, seedlings growth response, leaf water status, morphological change

Variation of the chemical contents and morphology of gunshot residue in the surroundings of the shooting pistol as a potential contribution to a shooting incidence reconstruction

A study of the chemical contents and sizes of gunshot residue originating from 9×18mm PM ammunition, depositing in the vicinity of the shooting person was performed by means of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Samples of the residue were collected from targets placed at various distances in the range 0-100cm as well as from hands and clothing of the shooting person. Targets were covered by fragments of white cotton fabric or black bovine leather. In the case of cotton targets microtraces were collected from circles of 5 and 10cm in radius. Results of the examinations in the form of numbers of particles, proportions of their chemical classes and dimensions revealed a dependence on the distance from the gun muzzle, both in the direction of shooting and in the opposite one, i.e., on the shooting person. The parameters describing gunshot residue differed also depending on the kind of the target substrate. The kind of obtained information gives rise to understanding the general rules of the dispersion of gunshot residue in the surroundings of the shooting gun. Thus, it may be utilised in the reconstruction of shooting incidences, especially in establishing the mutual positions of the shooter and other participants of the incident.

Genetic effects and heterosis of the fibre colour and quality of brown cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

With 1 figure and 8 tables AbstractThe genetic effects and heterosis of the colour and quality of brown fibres were analysed in this paper through the complete 5 × 5 diallel crossing among two brown cotton cultivars and three white cotton cultivars in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). Parents and F1 were arranged in a randomized block design in three locations. The results showed that the inheritability for all the traits has exceeded 50%, with significant dominance effect at the 0.01 level. The additive effect of fibre colour, lint percentage, elongation and strength was also significant at the 0.01 level, reaching 85.6%, 29.7%, 16.1% and 19.1%, respectively. The ratio of residual variance of lint percentage and fibre qualities was 29.5 – 45.9%, that of colour was only 1.1%. Fibre colour had significant negative correlation with lint percentage, fibre length, uniformity, elongation and strength. The mid‐parent heterosis of fibre colour was negative, which was −0.7%; those of lint percentage, fibre length, uniformity and strength were 3.5%, 4.2%, 1.7% and 2.6%, respectively, reaching the significant level. The simple correlation coefficient between heterosis of fibre length and strength and SSR genetic distance was 0.718 and 0.724, respectively, with a significant level. For the heterosis utilizing, the fibre quality of F1 could be predicted via the mean value of the fibre qualities of parents or the SSR genetic difference among varieties (lines). Selection among the early hybrid generations was suggested. Regional planning could be applied to improve lint percentage and fibre qualities by taking advantage of environmental variation.

A CHIRIBAYA TEXTILE WOVEN WITH HUMAN HAIR

One of the textiles in the Maiman Collection is a long band that has been attributed to the Chiribaya Culture (1000-1350 AD), a group of Tiwanaku descendants that settled in an oasis of the Moquegua Desert in southern Peru, and in the Azapa Valley near Arica in northern Chile, (Maytas/ San Miguel phases). The textile technique used is complementary warp, meaning that both sides are identical but the design is reversed. Black human hair forms the image on white cotton net. There is no precedent for the use of human hair strands as a complementary warp in such a long textile piece. A repeating image occurs along the length of the band that we have interpreted as a segmented anthropomorphic female figure. The head bears a typical female headdress, the upper body is depicted with three parallel lines and includes breasts, and the lower body displays female sexual organs, perhaps with the interior shown also. Key words: textile, Chiribaya, human hair, archaeology, Peru, Chile

Discrimination of White Cotton Fiber by the Detection of Residual Surfactants in Fibers

Discrimination of White Cotton Fiber by the Detection of Residual Surfactants in Fibers

Relationship between Super-Molecular Structure Changes and Fiber Quality in Fiber Development Process of Colored Cotton Cultivars

In order to explore the reasons for poor quality of colored cotton fiber,the experiments were conducted with five cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars,including Zongxu 1(ZX1),Xincai 1(XC1),Longlumian 2(G-7),Lu 1-4560(4560),and the contrast of white cotton Lumianyan 28(LMY28).Dynamic changes of super-molecular structure and fiber quality and the relations between them in fiber development process of colored cotton were studied by X-ray diffraction technique.The results showed that the ultimate fiber length,fiber 3.2 mm gauge tenacity,fiber maturation and fiber micronaire of all cotton cultivars ranked as LMY28ZX-1 and XC-1G-7 and 4560.The corresponding crystalline grain size increased constantly and orientation parameters diminished gradually in fiber development process,but there were differences among different cultivars.Compared with the white cotton LMY28,ZX-1 and XC-1 had low initial value,too large amplitude and slightly lower termination value for crystalline grain size of fiber;low initial value,small diurnal variation and high termination value for orientation parameters.For G-7 and 4 560 fibers,the initial value of crystalline grain size was low,the increased amplitude was small and the termination value was slightly lower;the initial value of orientation parameters was high,diurnal variation was small and the termination value was high.The crystalline grain size had a correlation with 3.2 mm gauge tenacity(r = 0.89621*),as well as,the orientational distribution angle-ψ(°) and spiral angle-φ(°) had a negative correlation with fiber 3.2 mm gauge tenacity,fiber maturation and fiber micronaire(r=-0.93816* to -0.90233*),moreover,the orientational separate angle -α(°) had a negative correlation with fiber length(r=-0.97314**).In conclusion,the poor quality of colored cotton fiber is probably in relation to poor fiber 3.2 mm gauge tenacity,fiber maturation,fiber micronaire,fiber length,resulting from low initial value and termination value of crystalline grain size and high termination value of orientation parameters in fiber development process.

Biodegradation and mildew resistance of naturally colored cottons

Naturally colored cottons contain significantly higher amounts of wax and have a different wax constitution and connectivity with cellulose than conventional cotton. Researchers have proposed that this wax content, together with the natural pigmentation, may serve as a defense against soil-borne pathogens. The purpose of this research is to study the biodegradation and mildew resistance characteristics of naturally colored cotton compared to conventional white and dyed cotton under field soil burial and laboratory mildew culture conditions. Laboratory culture results show that naturally brown and green colored cotton fabrics resist the growth of Aspergillius niger. However, after soil burial, both naturally brown and green cotton specimens showed severe degradation, manifested by significant loss of fabric strength as well as fiber structural damage. This suggests that naturally colored cottons are biodegradable. However, the rate of biodegradation of naturally colored cottons, especially green cotton, is much lower than that of white cotton or conventional dyed cotton.

Image Segmentation Technique of Field Cotton Based on Color Threshold

The goal of cotton production in China is to improve corresponding rate of cotton quality grade, foreign fibers, adulteration, and cotton baling inconsistent phenomenon to decrease continuously. With the background, machine vision and pattern recognition technologies are introduced into traditional picking task to discriminate maturity degree and grade of quality of field cotton, which will solve the problem of picking cotton by the way from source, so that various cotton varieties can be adapted, pollution caused by agriculture chemicals can be avoided, labor cost can be reduced and agriculture cost can be decreased. In order to segment field cotton images exactly, we regarded cotton and its background as two classes and segmented them based on their color threshold. A total of 20 000 white, yellow, and stain cotton pixels and 20 000 background pixels of soil and cotton plant, including cotton bracteole, leaf, and branch, were extracted from typical under-ripe cotton images and ripe/over-ripe cotton images with various quality grades from 1 to 7. Color threshold of two classes of cotton and its background pixels were obtained in RGB, HSI, La*b*, and Hunter color space respectively; on the basis of which cotton regions were segmented from images; and HSI and La*b* color spaces were selected respectively by using S below 28, I over 108, L over 118, a* from 123 to 134, b* below 136 with less segmentation noise which would be removed based on morphological filter. The experiment results showed that 907 cotton images were segmented with an accuracy of 87.21% and 86.33% in HSI and La*b* color space respectively. The front images were segmented with an accuracy of 90.83% and 89.98% and the side images with an accuracy of 83.33% and 82.42%. Ripe cotton images were segmented perfectly in HSI color space while under-ripe cotton images in La*b* color space, and the speed-based segmentation method with threshold covering a wide area was preferable for field cotton surroundings.

Soiling of Bath-Liquid Pigment on White Cotton Cloths

Soiling of Bath-Liquid Pigment on White Cotton Cloths

세탁방법에 따른 데님직물의 변색과 변형

Denim is one of the most frequently used fabrics for blue jeans. After washing denim fabric frequently changes its size and color. Salespersons recommended that after purchasing blue jeans customers should dry clean them once before washing. The aim of this study was to investigate to what degree washing with a household washing machine and dry cleaning affected the dimensions and the color of denim fabric. The denim fabric shrank greatly after the first laundering in warp direction regardless of whether it had been dry-cleaned or not. However, it shrank little from the second to the tenth laundering and after each number of dry cleanings. The thickness of the denim changed in the same way as the shrinkage occurred when the number of launderings or dry-cleanings increased. Although the indigo came out of the denim into washing liquor, both of the values and the values of the laundered and the dry-cleaned denim fabrics were lower than those of the control fabric. Darkening of the fabric after washing attributed to the shrinkage in warp; specifically the deep-blue warp yarns more spaced on the fabric face and the back. The and values of the dry-cleaned fabric decreased less than those of the laundered. The value of increased much less than the other values. Staining of the white cotton fabric laundered with the denim fabrics became less as the number of launderings increased. The degree of staining from the dry-cleaned denim was much lower than that of the laundered fabric.

Effects of fiber wax and cellulose content on colored cotton fiber quality

Forty-eight colored cotton lines and hybrids were studied on the wax, cellulose content and fiber quality. The result were as follow: The wax content of green cotton was five to eight times greater than that of white cotton. As for the brown cotton lines, the darker the brown fiber color, the greater the content of the fiber wax. The wax content of dark brown cotton was two times greater than that of white cotton. However, the content of the cellulose of white cotton was the greatest, next was that of the brown cotton, and the content of the cellulose of green fiber was the lowest. There were differences in fiber length, fiber strength, and fiber uniformity, not only among different varieties with the same color fiber, but also among different coloring types. The content of cellulose had a significantly negative correlation with the content of wax and fiber elongation, but significantly positive correlations between the content of cellulose and fiber length, fiber strength, fiber fineness, lint index, boll weight, and fiber uniformity were observed in the color cotton lines used in this experiment. The study on wax and cellulose contents will give constructive advice for the breeding and molecular research of the colored cotton, and help increasing the color stability of the fiber and its textiles.

Hug or Ugh?

When stepped into Fawn's examination room, she was bouncing on the edge of her chair, feet drumming against the scuffed tiles, more like an impatient schoolgirl than a woman in her late fifties. had been forewarned. had hurled insults at the EMTs when they first rolled her into the emergency department and informed the triage nurse of her well-known heroin and cocaine habit. Found nodding off outside the police station, she had woken up only after receiving Narcan, an opioid antagonist. Now, her sun-roughened face reflected an unsettling mosaic of emotions. extended my hand and introduced myself. Yes, doctor. popped upright, grabbed my hand, and without letting go--before could even say another word--asked me for a hug. hug? said. Yes, sir, she said, boldly locking my gaze with her bloodshot eyes. ranted on about living in shelters, and how, sure, she'd made mistakes in her life, but don't believe that EMT bullshit about her using heroin; maybe a little crack, but she's no addict, and she had nobody in the world to prove them wrong. Just a she begged. My emergency medicine training and over fifteen years of practice had primed my mind and body to respond swiftly to a wide variety of urgent situations. But now my muscles tensed with a new critical challenge. The weight of each second counted against me as took in her dirty nails, ill-fitting clothes, and dark jigsaw teeth; as inhaled her strange aroma of old sweat, recent cigarettes, and greasy food. registered the loneliness trembling in her face. opened my arms. We hugged. To be completely honest, she hugged me. pressed her head against my chest. My heavy white cotton coat felt flimsy and porous between us. OK, said, gently coaxing her away. But she wouldn't release me. Only with forceful encouragement did she return to her seat. What's going on? asked. Words exploded from her tiny mouth, a landmine of thoughts: bogus arrests, undeserved jail time, bad marriages, field hockey and soccer stardom back in high school, ungrateful children, hospitalizations for bipolar, no sleep for five days straight--no, six. disengaged from the scene as she spoke, watched myself listening to her. still felt the force of her body against mine. Later, informed the senior emergency medicine resident who had first evaluated Fawn about her request for a hug. The resident chuckled. She asked me for a hug, too. Oh, said, my pride leaking by the second. What did you do? scoffed, as if the answer was obvious. I told her there were professional boundaries. Sure, said. That was a nice way of wording it. kicked myself for not thinking of that myself. But Fawn made an explicit request. realize I'm not obligated to comply with patients' wishes if they aren't medically indicated. A hug, however, isn't unwarranted gallbladder surgery or needless antibiotics. A hug isn't medical treatment. But from inside that moment, refusing a hug seemed inconceivable, even dangerous. confessed to a few residents what I'd done, certain there was something admirable in the act. They squirmed as if I'd just eaten food off the hospital floor. Don't touch your wife when you get home, said one nurse listening in. Shower and boil your clothes very first thing, said someone else. These young doctors and seasoned nurses were superb clinicians, kind and sensitive individuals, yet my hug was greeted with disbelief, even horror. wear regular street clothes when working in the emergency department, not scrubs. This commingling of my personal and professional life might have intensified the implications of my possible transgression. …

Unusual Presentation of an Aural Foreign Body in an Adult

Aural foreign body is a common entity in the ENT practice. An astonishing variety of materials have been reported as offending foreign bodies. The commonest articles found in the adults include cockroaches, cotton tips and ear plugs. Often, particularly in adults, the inaccessibility of the deep-seated foreign body inside the ear canal makes the self removal impossible and patient seeks medical advice. In the present article, an unusual case of aural foreign body has been reported where a gauze-piece got anchored to the handle of malleus through a pre-existing central perforation of the ear-drum and the successful removal was possible only by operative procedure under microscope. INTRODUCTION Studies on foreign body insertion were done mainly in children. Available literature on adult aural foreign bodies are mostly unusual case reports. In available studies on adult aural foreign body, the object is mostly cotton wool of cotton buds, flying insects or silicone ear plugs. In some studies, cockroaches have been found as a common foreign body both in adults and children. CASE REPORT A 30 year old male presented in the ENT out patient department with a part of cotton thread hanging outside his left ear for 2 days. On careful history taking it was noted that he had history of profuse, intermittent discharge from left ear for past many years. He had the habit of inserting rolled cotton gauge pieces in his ear to clean the discharge. Two days back, after cleaning his ear, he couldn’t pull out the cotton piece and on traction, it caused pain. It was hanging outside his ear since then. [Fig-1] Figure 1 Figure. 1 The white cotton thread can be seen hanging from the left ear in this photograph. Otoscopy revealed a moderately large central perforation of the tympanic membrane and cotton threads of the gauge piece were found to be entangled to the malleus handle. The thread could not be removed in out patient department. He was taken to the operation theatre and was examined under microscope. It was found that the cotton threads got entangled forming a knot around the handle of malleus [Fig-2]. Unusual Presentation of an Aural Foreign Body in an Adult 2 of 3 Figure 2 Figure. 2 This is a microscopic view showing the left external auditory canal (with hairs). The tympanic membrane perforation can be seen. The whitish cotton thread is seen entangled with the malleus handle. Under local anesthesia, the knots were untied carefully and the gauze-piece was removed. [Fig-3] Figure 3 Figure. 3 Photograph of the cotton thread after removal. The blood soaked end was tied to the malleus. The patient was counseled to undergo proper treatment for his existing ear ailment. DISCUSSION Most of the case reports of adult aural foreign bodies, found in literature, are about unusual objects either accidentally entering the ear-canal or in cases where mentally diseased patient, inserting the foreign body in the ear and subsequently forgetting about it. In the available studies, the adult foreign bodies commonly found in ear are cotton wool of cotton buds, flying insects, silicone ear plugs or cockroaches. 3 In self-inserted foreign bodies, done accidentally e.g. cotton wool, the deep-seated foreign body becomes inaccessible for self-removal forcing the patient to seek medical help. Adults generally present late, usually after all self removal methods fail. The novelty of the present case lies in the fact that – (1) The foreign body got access to the middle ear ossicles due to the pre-existing central perforation and(2) It got anchored to the handle of malleus due to the maneuvering by the patient himself. In fact, part of it was dangling outside the ear and the threads of the gauge-piece were entangled around the handle of malleus and any attempt to remove it by traction proved to be painful. It proves that, even when a part of any foreign body is visible outside the ear, it becomes imperative to perform an otoscopic examination to be sure of its attachments inside before planning a successful retrieval.

Standards for genital protection in phototherapy units

Phototherapy is a useful therapy for many dermatologic disorders and is known for its low side-effect profile. However, one potential notable side effect is genital skin cancer. Unfortunately, no standards for genital protection currently exist for this preventable complication. Patients treated with phototherapy may already have a decreased quality of life because of their primary dermatologic disorder. Development of squamous cell carcinoma of the genitalia may certainly further affect the quality of life. The objective was to determine which readily available materials afford the best photoprotection of the male genitalia. Seven common materials used in phototherapy units for genital protection were placed over ultraviolet (UV) B and UVA monitors and placed in broadband UVB, narrowband UVB, and UVA full-body units. The percentage of light blocked was then calculated. Blue and white cotton underwear, blue surgical towels, an athletic supporter with or without a cup, and the psoralen plus UVA pouch provided acceptable means of genital protection; however, surgical masks did not. Only the most commonly used materials were tested in the phototherapy units. The materials were not of a single material type or similar masses. In addition, only one of each type of full-body phototherapy unit was used to obtain the data. Although a polyester composition provides better UV protection, factors such as low porosity and higher mass are intrinsic to decreasing the amount of UV penetration of any fabric. Of the commonly used objects, surgical masks do not provide sufficient protection to the genital area.