Trends in the use of radiation protection and radiation exposure of European endourologists: a prospective trial from the EULIS-YAU Endourology Group.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the radiation exposure for the urology staff during endourology, our aim was to evaluate the trends of radiation protection in the operation room by endourologists from European centers and to estimate their annual radiation. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter study involving experienced endourologists from different European centers to evaluate whether the protection and threshold doses recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) were being followed. A 36-question survey was completed on the use of fluoroscopy and radiation protection. Annual prospective data from chest, extremities, and eye dosimeters were collected during a 4-year period (2017-2020). RESULTS: Ten endourologists participated. Most surgeons use lead aprons and thyroid shield (9/10 and 10/10), while leaded gloves and caps are rarely used (2/10 both). Six out of ten surgeons wear leaded glasses. There is widespread use of personal chest dosimeters under the apron (9/10), and only 5/10 use a wrist or ring dosimeter and 4 use an eye dosimeter. Two endourologists use the ALARA protocol. The use of ultrasound and fluoroscopy during PCNL puncture was reported by 8 surgeons. The mean number of PCNL and URS per year was 30.9 (SD 19.9) and 147 (SD 151.9). The mean chest radiation was 1.35 mSv per year and 0.007 mSv per procedure. Mean radiation exposure per year in the eyes and extremities was 1.63 and 11.5 mSv. CONCLUSIONS: Endourologists did not exceed the threshold doses for radiation exposure to the chest, extremities and lens. Furthermore, the ALARA protocol manages to reduce radiation exposure.

A sensorised surgical glove to improve training and detection of obstetric anal sphincter injury: A preclinical study on a pig model.

OBJECTIVE: To create a sensorised surgical glove that can accurately identify obstetric anal sphincter injury to facilitate timely repair, reduce complications and aid training. DESIGN: Proof-of-concept. SETTING: Laboratory. SAMPLE: Pig models. METHODS: Flexible triboelectric pressure/force sensors were mounted onto the fingertips of a routine surgical glove. The sensors produce a current when rubbed on materials of different characteristics which can be analysed. A per rectum examination was performed on the intact sphincter of pig cadavers, analogous to routine examination for obstetric anal sphincter injuries postpartum. An anal sphincter defect was created by cutting through the vaginal mucosa and into the external anal sphincter using a scalpel. The sphincter was then re-examined. Data and signals were interpreted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity and specificity of the glove in detecting anal sphincter injury. RESULTS: In all, 200 examinations were performed. The sensors detected anal sphincter injuries in a pig model with sensitivities between 98% and 100% and a specificity of 100%. The current produced when examining an intact sphincter and sphincter with a defect was significantly different (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this preliminary study, the sensorised glove accurately detected anal sphincter injury in a pig model. Future plans include its clinical translation, starting with an in-human study on postpartum women, to determine whether it can accurately detect different types of obstetric anal sphincter injury in vivo.

Contact allergy to rubber accelerators in consecutively patch tested Danish eczema patients: A retrospective observational study from 1990 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Rubber accelerators are used in the production of rubber gloves and may cause contact allergy. OBJECTIVES: To estimate long-term trend and prevalence of contact allergy to rubber accelerators for a 30-year period in Denmark, high-risk occupations, and exposures. METHODS: Data from all patients with contact dermatitis consecutively patch tested at the department of Skin and Allergy Gentofte hospital with the rubber accelerators from the European baseline series (EBS) from 1990 to 2019, were analysed. Further, patients under suspicion of rubber accelerator contact allergy were additionally patch-tested with rubber accelerators from the specialised rubber series from 2005 to 2019 and these were additional extracted. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of contact allergy to one or more of the rubber accelerators from the EBS series was 2.7% with a significant decline in the first 12-years, followed by a stable frequency in the past 18-years. Associations with occupational contact dermatitis, hand dermatitis, and leg/foot dermatitis were found. Wet-work occupations were most often affected and gloves the most frequent exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Contact allergy to one or more of the rubber accelerators from the EBS is frequent and has been unchanged for several decades, which calls for prevention.

In vitro characterisation of a novel rubber contact allergen in protective gloves.

BACKGROUND: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from protective gloves is often caused by rubber additives, such as accelerators. However, while accelerator-free rubber gloves are available, they still cause ACD in some individuals. OBJECTIVES: A new allergen, 2-cyаnоethyl dimethyldithiocarbamate, (CEDMC), has recently been identified in accelerator-free gloves, and we here provide a first in vitro characterisation of CEDMC in a dendritic cell (DC)-like cell model along with three reference sensitizer rubber chemicals, consisting of tetraethylthiuram disulfide (TETD) and two xanthogenates. METHODS: Cellular responses after the exposure to the rubber chemicals were assessed using a transcriptomic approach, multiplex cytokine secretion profiling, and flow cytometry to determine DC model activation marker expression and apoptosis induction. RESULTS: CEDMC and all other sensitizers were classified as strong skin sensitizers with the transcriptomic approach. They all significantly increased IL-8 secretion and exposure to all except one increased CD86 DC activation marker expression. When tested, CEDMC induced apoptosis, however, delayed compared to TETD. CONCLUSIONS: The in vitro data corroborate CEDMC, TETD, and investigated xanthogenates as skin sensitizers. Transcriptomic analyses further reveal unique cellular responses induced by CEDMC, which together with future study can contribute to better understanding of cellular mechanisms underlying the sensitising capacity of rubber chemicals.

2-Cyanoethyl dimethyldithiocarbamate, a new contact allergen found in accelerator-free nitrile gloves.

BACKGROUND: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from rubber glove usage is usually caused by rubber additives such as the accelerators. However, in analyses of the suspected gloves, ordinary rubber allergens are not always found. Accelerator-free rubber gloves are available, but some patients with accelerator allergy do not tolerate them and might also be patch test positive to them. OBJECTIVES: To identify and chemically characterize a new allergen, 2-cyanoethyl dimethyldithiocarbamate (CEDMC), in rubber gloves. We describe two patient cases: patient 1 that led us to the identification of CEDMC and patient 2 with occupational ACD caused by CEDMC. METHODS: The patients were examined with patch testing including baseline and rubber series, and their own rubber gloves. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for chemical analysis of rubber gloves. The allergen was synthesized and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and infrared spectrometry, and tested on patient 2. RESULTS: CEDMC was identified by HPLC in a nitrile glove associated with hand eczema in patient 1. Patient 2 whose nitrile gloves contained CEDMC was patch test positive to CEDMC. CONCLUSIONS: CEDMC is a new contact allergen in nitrile gloves and probably forms during vulcanization from residual monomer acrylonitrile and rubber additives.

Prevalence of latex allergy in dental professionals - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite concerns such as allergic dermatitis and bans recommended by health authorities, latex gloves are used by dental professionals in many countries. There are published reports of the prevalence of latex allergy in health professionals including dental professionals; however, no systematic review and meta-analysis is available. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of latex allergy in dental professionals. METHOD: Two researchers independently searched articles using appropriate keyword combinations in three search engines; PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for observational studies on latex allergy in dental professionals reported in English or where complete translations in English were included. Percentage prevalence of latex allergy was the variable of interest. The risk of bias was assessed using the Hoy et al. (2012) tool and publication bias using a funnel plot. RESULTS: From 435 possible sources, a total of 14 studies were included in the review and meta-analysis. The prevalence of latex allergy, based on 6302 participants was 10.37% (95% CI: 7.31 to 13.88). Heterogeneity (I2) was high (94.13%); hence, REM was used. There was moderate risk of bias across studies and minimal publication bias. GRADE analysis indicated that the evidence was uncertain. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of latex allergy in dental professionals is about 10.37%. Evidence is of low quality due to high heterogeneity.

Gloves Contamination During Revision Surgery for Periprosthetic Joint Infection.

BACKGROUND: The use of double gloving has become a standard practice for joint replacement surgeons. However, since there are limited data on how gloves are contaminated during both primary and revision arthroplasty, no precise protocol exists to direct surgeons on when, or if, to change their gloves. The goals of this preliminary study were to evaluate the contamination of gloves during total joint arthroplasties (TJAs). METHODS: We included 25 infected cases and 10 primaries, which were performed at the same institution using the same surgical protocol from 3 fellowship trained surgeons. Samples were taken every 20 minutes from the start of the surgery until the joint was irrigated. Procedural steps were noted. To evaluate cross-contamination during infected cases, we sampled gloves using blood agar plates. In primary cases, culture swabs of anterior chamfer cuts and sterile instruments on the back table were used as negative controls. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used as an adjunct to identify low virulence bacteria. RESULTS: In the primary cases, all samples were found culture negative but 3 (8.1%) of the 37 samples were found to have a low, unidentifiable bacterial mass via NGS testing. In the infected cases, 41 (59.4%) of the 69 samples yielded positive microbial results. The positivity rate was higher in the samples collected after the arthrotomy was performed (70%) compared to samples collected before the arthrotomy was performed (40%), and the surgeon was only dissecting superficial layers (P = .502). CONCLUSION: Gloves seem to be a common source of cross-contamination in the intraoperative field during revision TJA. Due to the higher percent of positive samples following the opening of the joint, we hypothesize that the arthrotomy allows for the spread of bacteria across the operative site. While further investigation is necessary to formulate a precise protocol for the changing of gloves during TJA, it may be beneficial to perform a thorough irrigation of the joint and change of the gloves immediately following arthrotomy.

Glove-Net: Enhancing Grasp Classification with Multisensory Data and Deep Learning Approach.

Grasp classification is pivotal for understanding human interactions with objects, with wide-ranging applications in robotics, prosthetics, and rehabilitation. This study introduces a novel methodology utilizing a multisensory data glove to capture intricate grasp dynamics, including finger posture bending angles and fingertip forces. Our dataset comprises data collected from 10 participants engaging in grasp trials with 24 objects using the YCB object set. We evaluate classification performance under three scenarios: utilizing grasp posture alone, utilizing grasp force alone, and combining both modalities. We propose Glove-Net, a hybrid CNN-BiLSTM architecture for classifying grasp patterns within our dataset, aiming to harness the unique advantages offered by both CNNs and BiLSTM networks. This model seamlessly integrates CNNs' spatial feature extraction capabilities with the temporal sequence learning strengths inherent in BiLSTM networks, effectively addressing the intricate dependencies present within our grasping data. Our study includes findings from an extensive ablation study aimed at optimizing model configurations and hyperparameters. We quantify and compare the classification accuracy across these scenarios: CNN achieved 88.09%, 69.38%, and 93.51% testing accuracies for posture-only, force-only, and combined data, respectively. LSTM exhibited accuracies of 86.02%, 70.52%, and 92.19% for the same scenarios. Notably, the hybrid CNN-BiLSTM proposed model demonstrated superior performance with accuracies of 90.83%, 73.12%, and 98.75% across the respective scenarios. Through rigorous numerical experimentation, our results underscore the significance of multimodal grasp classification and highlight the efficacy of the proposed hybrid Glove-Net architectures in leveraging multisensory data for precise grasp recognition. These insights advance understanding of human-machine interaction and hold promise for diverse real-world applications.

Elastic Tactile Sensor Glove for Dexterous Teaching by Demonstration.

We present a thin and elastic tactile sensor glove for teaching dexterous manipulation tasks to robots through human demonstration. The entire glove, including the sensor cells, base layer, and electrical connections, is made from soft and stretchable silicone rubber, adapting to deformations under bending and contact while preserving human dexterity. We develop a glove design with five fingers and a palm sensor, revise material formulations for reduced thickness, faster processing and lower cost, adapt manufacturing processes for reduced layer thickness, and design readout electronics for improved sensitivity and battery operation. We further address integration with a multi-camera system and motion reconstruction, wireless communication, and data processing to obtain multimodal reconstructions of human manipulation skills.

The effect of silver fibre gloves on Raynaud's phenomenon in patients with systemic sclerosis: a double-blind randomized crossover trial.

OBJECTIVES: Silver fibre gloves transport heat from the palm to the fingers, possibly reducing the burden of RP in SSc patients. We aim to evaluate the clinical efficiency of this intervention. METHODS: A multicentre, double-blind, randomized trial was performed, accounting for interindividual differences and external factors using a crossover design. Patients were randomized in two groups: group 1 wore 8% silver fibre gloves in period 1 and normal gloves in period 2 and group 2 vice versa. Each period lasted 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the Raynaud Condition Score (RCS) over time (minimal clinical important difference 1.4), assessed three times per week using an online questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included vascular complications and Scleroderma-Health Assessment Questionnaire (SHAQ). Outcomes were evaluated before unblinding using linear mixed models. RESULTS: A total of 85 SSc patients were included, with 76 completing the study. The mean RCS during 2 weeks before the study (i.e. without gloves) was 6.4 (s.d. 1.6). Both with silver fibre gloves and normal gloves the mean RCS decreased to 3.9 (s.d. 2.3) with a similar course over time. There was no difference in mean RCS over time between the type of gloves [ß = 0.067 (95% CI -0.006, 0.19)]. Of secondary outcomes, total SHAQ [ß = 0.036 (95% CI 0.026, 0.046)] was slightly higher with silver fibre gloves, which is clinically irrelevant. Three patients developed new digital ulcers with normal gloves vs one patient with silver fibre gloves [odds ratio 3.2 (95% CI 0.32, 31.1)]. CONCLUSIONS: Wearing gloves in SSc patients clearly decreases the RP burden. Our results do not support the hypothesis that increased heat transport of 8% silver fibre gloves is associated with less disease burden as measured in this study by the RCS compared with normal gloves. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Netherlands Trial register (https://www.trialregister.nl/) NL7904.

The possibility of spreading herpes simplex virus type 1 via food handling and sharing.

AIMS: Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is an enveloped virus that causes recurrent and incurable diseases in 67% of the world population. Although it is not listed as a foodborne virus, some studies have shown that it can be recovered from surfaces as well as food. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated its persistence at -20°C, 4°C, 20°C, or 37°C for up to 7 days on stainless steel, aluminum, glass, polypropylene, cheddar cheese, sliced almond, and apple skin and in cola soft drink, orange juice, coffee, and milk, as well as its transferability from stainless steel to dry or moistened nitrile or latex gloves over time at typical ambient temperatures. Based on the plaque assay on Vero cells, HSV-1 persisted at least 24 h on all surfaces and at least 1 h on food matrices but was inactivated quickly in cola soft drink. Temperature and pH affected HSV-1 infectivity. Transfer of HSV-1 at a contact pressure of 1 kg cm2-1 for 10 s occurred only on latex, especially moistened. CONCLUSIONS: Our data on the persistence of HSV-1 on food-related surfaces suggest that some risk may be associated with sharing foods with infected carriers.

Hand eczema in glove-wearing patients.

BACKGROUND: Allergic contact dermatitis to gloves is mostly induced by rubber accelerators. The European baseline series (EBS) appears insufficient to detect glove allergy. Since 2017, it is recommended to use the European rubber series (ERS) and to test the patients' own gloves. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical profile of glove-wearing patients with hand eczema (HE) and to evaluate their sensitisation profile to glove allergens and the value of testing the patients' own gloves. METHODS: We conducted a French multicentre study of patients evaluated for HE between 2018 and 2020 and tested with the EBS, the ERS and their own gloves in patch tests and semi-open (SO) tests. RESULTS: A total of 279 patients were included; 32.6% of patients had positive tests to their own gloves or to glove allergens. Almost 45% of the sensitisations to glove allergens were detected only by the ERS. Among the patients tested both in patch tests and SO tests with their own gloves with positive results, 28% had positive SO tests only. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) gloves were positive in four patients. CONCLUSION: Our series confirms the need to test the ERS. All the patients' gloves must also be tested including PVC gloves. SO tests with gloves are useful as a complement to patch tests.

The additive value of patch testing non-commercial test substances and patients' own products in a clinic of occupational dermatology.

BACKGROUND: Commercial patch test substances do not cover all occupational contact allergens. Workplace materials and in-house test substances are tested to complement the investigation of occupational skin disease (OSD). OBJECTIVES: To quantify the additional value of testing workplace materials and non-commercial in-house test substances in the diagnosis of OSD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients files of 544 patients patch tested at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 2015-2019 were reviewed for occupation, diagnoses and patch test results. RESULTS: OSD was diagnosed in 353 (64.9%) of the patients. A total of 206 (37.9%) patients had occupational allergic contact dermatitis (OACD). In 19 (3.5%) patients, the only clues to the diagnoses of OACD were positive reactions to workplace materials, and in 20 (3.7%) patients, the diagnosis of OACD was based on commercially unavailable test substances. In 167 OACD cases diagnosed by commercial test substances, additional causes were found in 17 by testing patients' own and non-commercial test substances. In 43 (7.9%) cases, positive reactions to workplace materials reinforced diagnoses based on commercial test substances. The overall additive value of testing own products was 16.7% (91 cases). CONCLUSION: We would have missed 39 (18.9%) of our 206 OACD cases if we had solely used commercial test substances.

iTex Gloves: Design and In-Home Evaluation of an E-Textile Glove System for Tele-Assessment of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological progressive movement disorder, affecting more than 10 million people globally. PD demands a longitudinal assessment of symptoms to monitor the disease progression and manage the treatments. Existing assessment methods require patients with PD (PwPD) to visit a clinic every 3-6 months to perform movement assessments conducted by trained clinicians. However, periodic visits pose barriers as PwPDs have limited mobility, and healthcare cost increases. Hence, there is a strong demand for using telemedicine technologies for assessing PwPDs in remote settings. In this work, we present an in-home telemedicine kit, named iTex (intelligent Textile), which is a patient-centered design to carry out accessible tele-assessments of movement symptoms in people with PD. iTex is composed of a pair of smart textile gloves connected to a customized embedded tablet. iTex gloves are integrated with flex sensors on the fingers and inertial measurement unit (IMU) and have an onboard microcontroller unit with IoT (Internet of Things) capabilities including data storage and wireless communication. The gloves acquire the sensor data wirelessly to monitor various hand movements such as finger tapping, hand opening and closing, and other movement tasks. The gloves are connected to a customized tablet computer acting as an IoT device, configured to host a wireless access point, and host an MQTT broker and a time-series database server. The tablet also employs a patient-centered interface to guide PwPDs through the movement exam protocol. The system was deployed in four PwPDs who used iTex at home independently for a week. They performed the test independently before and after medication intake. Later, we performed data analysis of the in-home study and created a feature set. The study findings reported that the iTex gloves were capable to collect movement-related data and distinguish between pre-medication and post-medication cases in a majority of the participants. The IoT infrastructure demonstrated robust performance in home settings and offered minimum barriers for the assessment exams and the data communication with a remote server. In the post-study survey, all four participants expressed that the system was easy to use and poses a minimum barrier to performing the test independently. The present findings indicate that the iTex glove system has the potential for periodic and objective assessment of PD motor symptoms in remote settings.

Rubber gloves in orthopaedic surgery (part II): Cooke and Goodyear; Halsted and Caroline's gloves of love; from cotton to rubber after Perthes' experiments; double glove technique with Urist.

PURPOSE: This study determines the timeline for surgeons adopting rubber gloves and the double glove technique in the operating room for orthopaedic surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Using the vague historical terms of discovery, acceptance, commonplace, and consistency, we analyzed the influence of the different actors in each period. RESULTS: Cotton or silk was used for early gloves; they were permeable, sometimes coated with paraffin. Uses of rubber date to the 1600 s when the Mesoamericans used rubber to make shoes. After the discovery of rubber in 1735 by the French scientist Charles de la Condamine in Peru, the rubber glove was imagined in 1834 and done for the first time by R. F. Cooke. The acceptance of rubber gloves arrived when the Goodyear-Rubber Society began to manufacture rubber gloves. Halsted, at Johns Hopkins Hospital, negotiated in 1889 with the Goodyear Rubber Company to produce thin rubber gloves to protect his nurse's hands from the dermatologic effects of the carbolic acid used to sterilize instruments. Commonplace to protect patients from bacteria of hand surgeons necessitated several decades. Dr. Joseph Bloodgood (Halsted's senior resident) remarked that gloving the surgeon with rubber gloves reduced the infection rate. Still, surgeons were reluctant to wear gloves that impaired the sense of touch. Laboratory experiments performed by G. Perthes on cotton and rubber gloves were necessary to generalize rubber gloves for practice in orthopaedic surgery. Consistency of the double-glove technique arrived during World War II when M. Urist proposed the double protection against bites from bone or bullet fragments while exploring war wounds. Only in 1965, when The Ansell Rubber Company utilized gamma irradiation as a low-cost method of sterilizing the gloves they produced, did disposable gloves become sterile. CONCLUSION: This article helps to understand the detailed discussions before surgical gloves' modern operating equipment.

Effect of cryotherapy on paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy of the hand in female breast cancer patients: A prospective self-controlled study.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of cryotherapy with frozen gloves for the prevention of the chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy of the hand. BACKGROUND: Most breast cancer patients receive chemotherapy; consequently, patients frequently experience adverse effects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: A quasi-experimental and prospective self-controlled study was conducted. Breast cancer patients wore frozen glove on the dominant hand for 90 min during their weekly treatment with paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 ). Treatment of the dominant hand, the intervention group, was continued for 12 weeks. The non-dominant hand was considered the control group. RESULTS: A total of 22 patients participated in this study, and only one patient did not reach the cumulative dose (960 mg/m2 ). Findings show that the incidences of sensory and motor symptoms of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathies at the following times (Time 1 to Time 4) were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group. However, although the incidences of motor symptoms were lower in the experimental group than in the control group, a significant difference was shown only at Time 4. Additionally, both groups of patients reported that their incidence of sensory symptoms were higher than those of motor symptoms. CONCLUSION: Cryotherapy with frozen gloves is useful in reducing both the sensory and motor symptoms of the chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy of the hands.

"Mãos de Conforto" (Hands of Comfort): A novel non-pharmacological intervention to ease agitation in elderly persons with dementia.

Behavioral symptoms associated with dementia, such as agitation, are frequent and associated with well-known negative consequences for patients, their carers, and their environment. Pharmacological treatments for agitation using sedatives and antipsychotics are known to have several undesirable side effects and modest efficacy. Non-pharmacological alternatives are recommended as first-line options for agitation in persons with dementia with few side effects, but there is limited evidence of efficacy. We developed a novel and simple non-pharmacological alternative for agitation in dementia residents based on a Brazilian intervention using warm water surgical gloves used in patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units during the pandemic. We coined it "Mãos de Conforto" - Hands of Comfort. We report a series of 7 cases in 3 residents with dementia who whore Hands of Comfort.

Effect of glove use on manual dexterity of nursing students.

Background: Manual dexterity is vital in nursing. Nurses need to carry out applications requiring manual dexterity in the quickest and most accurate way. However, gloves are also necessary during such applications as a precaution against infections. Therefore, manual dexterity and the effect of gloves on manual dexterity are essential subjects to be investigated in the nursing field. Aims: This study aims to determine the effect of using gloves on the manual dexterity of nursing students. Materials and Method: The sample of the semi-experimental study consisted of 80 nursing students. The data were collected using a questionnaire and Purdue Pegboard Test. Results: The participants were 22.03 ± 1.35 years of age on average; 61.2% of them were 22 years of age or above, 50% were female, 50% were male, 50% were in the third grade, 50% were in the fourth, 80% were high school graduates, and 97.5% did not work in any job. As a result, 47.5% reported that gloves impacted their manual dexterity, 52.5% reported only a partial effect, 12.5% indicated that gloves increased their manual dexterity, 66.3% stated that it reduced their manual dexterity, and 21.2% reported no change. The right-hand and assembly scores were found to be significantly higher in the tests performed with bare hands than in the tests performed with gloves (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Using latex gloves impacts the dominant-hand dexterity and assembly dexterity. Therefore, designing more ergonomic gloves, increasing nurses' habit of working with gloves already in school, and supporting the improvement of their manual dexterity with gloves are recommended.

Study on the mechanical parameters of neuromuscular joint facilitation rehabilitation techniques for lumbar intervention.

[Purpose] To measure the reliability of and quantify the force on the spinous process during lumbar neuromuscular joint facilitation using mechanical measuring gloves. [Participants and Methods] We recruited 12 healthy participants. The operator wore a mechanical measuring glove and performed evaluations in the four modes of neuromuscular joint facilitation of the lumbar spine. The mechanical glove was used to measure the force applied by the fingers on the spinous process during the intervention. [Results] The reliability of measuring the supraspinous force during lumbar neuromuscular joint facilitation with mechanical gloves was found to be good; the force was 30.9 ± 6.6 N for front lifting, 37.1 ± 9.1 N for rear descent, 36.8 ± 9.0 N for forward descent, and 24.6 ± 4.7 N for rear lifting. Overall, the average force was 32.3 ± 9.0 N. No statistical difference was observed between passive and resistance motion. [Conclusion] This study confirmed that the measurement of the force on the spinous process in lumbar neuromuscular joint facilitation using mechanical measurement gloves has good reliability. Furthermore, we determined the average force exerted on the spinous process during lumbar neuromuscular joint facilitation and quantified the operation specifications of this manipulation were.

Preventing taxane-related peripheral neuropathy, pain and nail toxicity: a prospective self-controlled trial comparing hilotherapy with frozen gloves in early breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The prevention of taxane-related toxicities at the extremities is highly important for patients' treatment and quality-of-life. Several studies endorse hand/foot-cooling using frozen gloves as a prophylactic intervention. Unlike frozen gloves, hilotherapy produces cooling at a constant temperature. Comparative data with frozen gloves are unavailable. METHODS: This prospective self-controlled study explores the efficacy of hilotherapy at the right hand and foot compared to frozen gloves at the left in patients with early breast cancer treated with weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 or three-weekly docetaxel 75 mg/m2. Patient-reported outcomes were collected at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 weeks after the start of treatment. Primary and secondary endpoints were the incidence of any-grade and ≥ grade 2 side-effects (peripheral neuropathy, pain and nail toxicities), and perceived comfort of both interventions. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients participated. The incidence of any-grade side-effects was similar on both sides, 85.5% with hilotherapy and 90.3% with frozen gloves (p = 1.000). The incidence of ≥ grade 2 side-effects at the extremities was significantly lower with hilotherapy: 43.6% compared to 61.3% with frozen gloves (p = 0.013). Perceived comfort was significantly better for hilotherapy than for frozen gloves (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to frozen gloves, continuous cooling of hands and feet using hilotherapy produces better prevention of ≥ grade 2 patient-reported side-effects at the extremities (peripheral neuropathy, pain and nail toxicities). Perceived comfort was significantly better for hilotherapy. From a clinical and patient perspective, hilotherapy is a better alternative for preventing clinically significant taxane-related side-effects.