An objective comparison of two pulse oximetry sensors with different adhesive systems on healthy human volunteers based on biophysical assessments.

BACKGROUND: Medical Adhesive Related Skin Injuries can arise from topically applied medical devices, especially in those with fragile skin, including the elderly and premature infants. The purpose of this study was to compare gentleness and reapplication of two pulse oximetry sensors (OxySoftN and MaxN, Medtronic, Boulder, CO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen healthy subjects aged 65 years and older were enrolled in the gentleness trial, and 20 healthy subjects (18-69 years) were enrolled in the reapplication trial. For the gentleness trial, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements were made at five sites on each forearm at three time points (baseline [T0], 4-h postinitial wear [T1], 4-h postsecond wear [T2]). Total amount of protein adhered to each device was also determined. For the reapplication trial, a series of 180° peel tests were performed to observe the forces required to detach the sensor from the skin. RESULTS: TEWL rates in the tail region were significantly greater with MaxN compared to OxySoftN at T1 (p < 0.05). Both were significantly greater than control (p < 0.05). Further, protein analysis revealed that the amount of protein removed was significantly less with OxySoftN compared to MaxN (p < < 0.0001). Differences in loss of adhesion of the tail region between the two sensors were demonstrated, with OxySoftN depreciating at a much slower rate compared with MaxN. CONCLUSION: The OxySoftN sensor appears to be gentle, even on fragile skin, based on reduced strain on the skin during removal. Further, it demonstrated the ability to withstand several reapplications without functional loss in adhesion.

The effects of short-term, long-term, and reapplication of biochar on the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil.

Biochar, a cost-effective amendment, has been reported to play pivotal roles in improving soil fertility and immobilizing soil pollutants due to its well-developed porous structure and tunable functionality. However, the properties of biochar and soils can vary inconsistently after field application. This may affect the remediation of biochar on heavy metal (HM)-contaminated soil being altered. Therefore, we selected lettuce as a model crop to determine the effects of short-term, long-term, and reapplication of biochar on soil physicochemical properties, microbial community, HM bioavailability, and plant toxicity. Our investigation revealed that the long-term application of biochar remarkably improved soil fertility, increased the relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria which was highly resistant to HMs, and reduced the abundance of phylum Acidobacteria. These changes in soil properties decreased the accumulation of Cd and Pb in lettuce tissues. The short- and long-term applications of biochar had no substantial effects on biomass, quality, and photosynthesis of lettuce. Moreover, the short-term and reapplication of biochar had no significant effects on soil bacterial communities but decreased the accumulation of Cd and Pb in lettuce tissues. It showed that the changes in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil after long-term application of biochar promoted the remediation of HM-contaminated soil. Furthermore, microbial community compositions varied with metal stress and biochar application, while the relative abundance of the phylum Actinobacteria in HM-contaminated soil with long-term biochar application was markedly higher than in HM-contaminated soil without biochar application.

Evaluation of sunscreen efficacy over time and re-application using hybrid diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: In 2007, the FDA added requirements for sunscreens to be labeled "re-apply at least every 2 hours" based on very limited data. This study used hybrid diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (HDRS) to evaluate the persistence of protection by 80 minutes water-resistant sunscreen formulation with and without re-application, and with and without sweat-inducing activity over 6 hours. METHODS: Sunscreens were applied to subject's foreheads and backs, and they remained at rest or exercised to induce sweating in a heated environment. Efficacy of a sun protection factor (SPF 50) very water-resistant sunscreen was measured with HDRS instrumentation and ultraviolet (UV) photography to determine the sunscreen protection over time. RESULTS: The sunscreen maintained SPF 50 efficacy over 6 hours for the non-active group with a single application, and for 2 hours for the active group, dropping slowly to SPF 30 level after 6 hours of sweating. Re-application of sunscreen gave additive SPF, with two applications resulting in SPF >100 and three applications approximately SPF 150. UV photography was insensitive to the differences in protection detected with HDRS instrumentation. CONCLUSIONS: Sunscreen efficacy is maintained over time in the absence of sweating or rub-off. After two hours of sweating, an 80 minutes water-resistant sunscreen does not need to be re-applied "at least every 2 hours."

Application habits and practices of regular sunscreen users in the United States: Results of an online survey.

A nationwide online survey assessed claimed usage of sunscreen products in 2283 self-identified regular sun protection factor (SPF) consumers (RSPFC) in the United States. Subjects applied sunscreen most frequently when spending more than 3 h in the sun. Sunscreen usage peaks during the summer, with sunny weather prompting 99% usage of beach/recreational SPF products but drops to approximately 50% and 30% on partly cloudy and cloudy days, respectively, regardless of SPF product category. About half of RSPFC augment sunscreen product usage by limiting time in the sun and wearing a hat. SPF products are not reapplied by approximately 20-60% of RSPFC, depending upon product category, and reapplication was less than 33% on cloudy and partly cloudy days. Primary reasons for reapplication were water exposure, number of hours in the sun, and being active/sweating, most notably for beach/recreational SPF products. Importantly, in children, 45% of parents reported "redness" as a signal for reapplying sunscreen product. Only 10% of respondents correctly identified sunscreen products as drugs. Based on these results, while sunscreens may share common ingredients and efficacy measures, their usage by consumers varies widely depending on product type, season, weather, gender, age, and geographical location.

The Effect of Salivary Contamination on the Shear Bond Strength of Seventh- and Eighth-generation Adhesive Systems.

Aim: To compare the effect of salivary contamination on the shear bond strength (SBS) of seventh- and eighth-generation adhesives. Materials and methods: Specimens were randomly divided into group I and group II, subdivided into three subgroups of 11 samples. Subgroup IA-seventh-generation uncontaminated (control); adhesive; air-dried; light cured. Subgroup IB-seventh-generation adhesive; saliva application, air-dried; light cured. Subgroup IC-seventh-generation adhesive; saliva application, air-dried, reapplication of adhesive, air-dried, light cured. Subgroup IIA- eighth-generation uncontaminated (control); adhesive, air-dried; light cured. Subgroup IIB- eighth-generation adhesive; saliva application, air-dried; light cured. Subgroup IIC-eighth-generation adhesive, saliva application, air-dried, reapplication of adhesive, air-dried; light cured. Following bonding procedure, composite resin restoration was done and subjected to SBS analysis. Results: Mean SBS of eighth-generation adhesive was higher compared to seventh with and without saliva contamination. Reduction of SBS in seventh- and eighth-generation after saliva contamination was regained by reapplication of adhesive, which was less compared to the control [statistically significant (p < 0.05) for seventh and statistically not significant for eighth-generations]. Conclusion: The eighth-generation adhesives show better SBS with and without saliva contamination and reapplication of eighth-generation adhesives significantly improved the SBS close to the control. Clinical significance: Single-step self-etch adhesives are the adhesives which are currently used for bonding composite restorations to dentin. The adhesive bond strength can be adversely affected by moisture contamination, especially by saliva, which can lead to failure of restoration. So, it is imperative to study a material which gives better bond strength and is less affected by salivary contamination and effect of decontamination to regain the bond strength. The study concluded that eighth-generation adhesives showed higher mean SBS with and without saliva contamination and reapplication of eighth-generation adhesives significantly improved the bond strength close to the control group. How to cite this article: Mohan MC, Geetha P, Soman D, et al. The Effect of Salivary Contamination on the Shear Bond Strength of Seventh- and Eighth-generation Adhesive Systems. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(S-1):S63-S66.

An evaluation of the course of facial sunscreen coverage and sustainability over an 8-hour workday among outdoor workers.

BACKGROUND: Reapplication of sunscreen every 2 hours is recommended, especially after swimming, sweating, or working outdoors. However, the sustainability of sunscreen during the workday among outdoor workers is still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the course of facial sunscreen coverage and sustainability over an 8-hour workday among outdoor workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This open-label trial included 20 healthy subjects who spend at least 80% of their workday outdoors. All volunteers applied 2 mg/cm2 of provided broad-spectrum sunscreen mixed with the invisible blue fluorescent agent to all parts of their face in the morning. A VISIA-CR camera was used to capture facial fluorescence intensity every 2 hours, and digital image analysis software was used to quantify fluorescence intensity at six areas of the face at each time point for 8 hours. RESULTS: Sunscreen coverage declined most rapidly during the first 2 hours with a mean reduction of 18.31%. By the end of the 8-hour study workday, the mean decrease in sunscreen coverage was 31.63% (range: 17.39%-45.29%). CONCLUSION: Reapplication of sunscreen is essential among outdoor workers. After 4 hours, the amount of sunscreen remaining on the face may not be sufficient for protecting the skin from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Accuracy of a blood glucose monitoring system that recognizes insufficient sample blood volume and allows application of more blood to the same test strip.

Background: Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) can play a key role in diabetes management. The CONTOUR®NEXT ONE (Ascensia Diabetes Care, Parsippany, NJ, USA) blood glucose monitoring system (BGMS) has been developed for use with CONTOUR®NEXT test strips. The meter connects to the CONTOUR™ Diabetes application on a mobile device, and the Second-Chance® sampling feature recognizes insufficient sample volume, prompting the patient to apply more blood to the same strip if needed (sample re-application).Research design and methods: Two studies evaluated CONTOUR®NEXT ONE BGMS accuracy with sample re-application: a laboratory study (performance under various controlled conditions) and a clinical study (performance in the hands of 52 people with diabetes). A formal International Organization for Standardization (ISO) evaluation has been reported previously; here, accuracy criteria in the laboratory and clinical studies were aligned with ISO 15197:2013 sections 6.3.3 and 8.2, respectively.Results: All results under all conditions in the laboratory study, and with glucose concentrations <100 and ≥100 mg/dL in the clinical study, were within ±15 mg/dL or ±15% of reference measurements. In both studies, all results were within Zone A of the Parkes-Consensus Error Grid.Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the accuracy of the CONTOUR®NEXT ONE BGMS was maintained with sample re-application.

Coordinate transformation after stereotactic frame reapplication in Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

In Gamma Knife radiosurgery, the occurrence of reapplying the stereotactic frame leads to re-examination and re-planning. To avoid undergoing invasive second angiography examination for the treatment of vascular lesions, and reduce re-planning time, a mathematical coordinate transformation method using the anatomical information has been developed. The MR or CT images of a human brain before and after frame reapplication were correlated with each other using the Affine transformation. The transformation parameters which minimize the RMS error of the original and transformed coordinates between the images were determined using a genetic algorithm. Three CT image studies of skull phantom and five MR image studies of patients were used for the evaluation. The RMS error in the coordinate transformation of skull phantom and clinical images was 0.3 ± 0.1 mm and 0.6 ± 0.1 mm, respectively. The original treatment plans of patients were converted to new plans using the transformation matrix. For total 9 treatment lesions of 0.2-14.1 cc, 3% and 11% RMS error in the irradiation time and target coverage were found respectively. The deeply-located lesions showed a better RMS error of 3% in the conformity index and similar dose distribution than superficial lesions close to the skull.