Background: Collar-related pressure ulcers (CRPU) are a problem in trauma patients with a suspicion of cervical cord injury patients. Indentation marks (IM), skin temperature (Tsk) and comfort could play a role in the development of CRPU. Two comparable cervical collars are the Stifneck® and Philadelphia®. However, the differences between them remain unclear. Aim: To determine and compare occurrence and severity of IM, Tsk and comfort of the Stifneck® and Philadelphia® in immobilized healthy adults. Methods: This single-blinded randomized controlled trial compared two groups of immobilized participants in supine position for 20 min. Results: All participants (n = 60) generated IM in at least one location in the observed area. Total occurrence was higher in the Stifneck®-group (n = 95 versus n = 69; p = .002). Tsk increased significantly with 1.0 °C in the Stifneck®-group and 1.3 °C in the Philadelphia®-group (p = .024). Comfort was rated 3 on a scale of 5 (p = .506). Conclusion: The occurrence of IM in both groups was high. In comparison to the Stifneck®, fewer and less severe IM were observed from the Philadelphia®. The Tsk increased significantly with both collars; however, no clinical difference in increase of Tsk between them was found. The results emphasize the need for a better design of cervical collars regarding CRPU.
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From the article: "A facile approach for the fabrication of large-scale interdigitated nanogap electrodes (nanogap IDEs) with a controllable gap was demonstrated with conventional micro-fabrication technology to develop chemocapacitors for gas sensing applications. In this work, interdigitated nanogap electrodes (nanogap IDEs) with gaps from 50–250 nm have been designed and processed at full wafer-scale. These nanogap IDEs were then coated with poly(4-vinyl phenol) as a sensitive layer to form gas sensors for acetone detection at low concentrations. These acetone sensors showed excellent sensing performance with a dynamic range from 1000 ppm to 10 ppm of acetone at room temperature and the observed results are compared with conventional interdigitated microelectrodes according to our previous work. Sensitivity and reproducibility of devices are discussed in detail. Our approach of fabrication of nanogap IDEs together with a simple coating method to apply the sensing layer opens up possibilities to create various nanogap devices in a cost-effective manner for gas sensing applications"
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Thermal comfort is determined by the combined effect of the six thermal comfort parameters: temperature, air moisture content, thermal radiation, air relative velocity, personal activity and clothing level as formulated by Fanger through his double heat balance equations. In conventional air conditioning systems, air temperature is the parameter that is normally controlled whilst others are assumed to have values within the specified ranges at the design stage. In Fanger’s double heat balance equation, thermal radiation factor appears as the mean radiant temperature (MRT), however, its impact on thermal comfort is often ignored. This paper discusses the impacts of the thermal radiation field which takes the forms of mean radiant temperature and radiation asymmetry on thermal comfort, building energy consumption and air-conditioning control. Several conditions and applications in which the effects of mean radiant temperature and radiation asymmetry cannot be ignored are discussed. Several misinterpretations that arise from the formula relating mean radiant temperature and the operative temperature are highlighted, coupled with a discussion on the lack of reliable and affordable devices that measure this parameter. The usefulness of the concept of the operative temperature as a measure of combined effect of mean radiant and air temperatures on occupant’s thermal comfort is critically questioned, especially in relation to the control strategy based on this derived parameter. Examples of systems which deliver comfort using thermal radiation are presented. Finally, the paper presents various options that need to be considered in the efforts to mitigate the impacts of the thermal radiant field on the occupants’ thermal comfort and building energy consumption.
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From Pubmed: " BACKGROUND: Antigen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is a promising therapeutic approach for both cow's milk allergy (CMA) and peanut allergy (PNA), but needs optimization in terms of efficacy and safety. AIM: Compare oral immunotherapy (OIT) and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in murine models for CMA and PNA and determine the dose of allergen needed to effectively modify parameters of allergy. METHODS: Female C3H/HeOuJ mice were sensitized intragastrically (i.g.) to whey or peanut extract with cholera toxin. Mice were treated orally (5 times/week) or subcutaneously (3 times/week) for three consecutive weeks. Hereafter, the acute allergic skin response, anaphylactic shock symptoms and body temperature were measured upon intradermal (i.d.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) challenge, and mast cell degranulation was measured upon i.g. challenge. Allergen-specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a were measured in serum at different time points. Single cell suspensions derived from lymph organs were stimulated with allergen to induce cytokine production and T cell phenotypes were assessed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Both OIT and SCIT decreased clinically related signs upon challenge in the CMA and PNA model. Interestingly, a rise in allergen-specific IgE was observed during immunotherapy, hereafter, treated mice were protected against the increase in IgE caused by allergen challenge. Allergen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a increased due to both types of AIT. In the CMA model, SCIT and OIT reduced the percentage of activated Th2 cells and increased the percentage of activated Th1 cells in the spleen. OIT increased the percentage of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and activated Th2 cells in the MLN. Th2 cytokines IL-5, IL-13 and IL-10 were reduced after OIT, but not after SCIT. In the PNA model, no differences were observed in percentages of T cell subsets. SCIT induced Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-10, whereas OIT had no effect. CONCLUSION: We have shown clinical protection against allergic manifestations after OIT and SCIT in a CMA and PNA model. Although similar allergen-specific antibody patterns were observed, differences in T cell and cytokine responses were shown. Whether these findings are related to a different mechanism of AIT in CMA and PNA needs to be elucidated."
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While the optimal mean annual temperature for people and nations is said to be between 13 °C and 18 °C, many people live productive lives in regions or countries that commonly exceed this temperature range. One such country is Australia. We carried out an Australia-wide online survey using a structured questionnaire to investigate what temperature people in Australia prefer, both in terms of the local climate and within their homes. More than half of the 1665 respondents (58%) lived in their preferred climatic zone with 60% of respondents preferring a warm climate. Those living in Australia's cool climate zones least preferred that climate. A large majority (83%) were able to reach a comfortable temperature at home with 85% using air-conditioning for cooling. The preferred temperature setting for the air-conditioning devices was 21.7 °C (SD: 2.6 °C). Higher temperature set-points were associated with age, heat tolerance and location. The frequency of air-conditioning use did not depend on the location but rather on a range of other socio-economic factors including having children in the household, the building type, heat stress and heat tolerance. We discuss the role of heat acclimatisation and impacts of increasing air-conditioning use on energy consumption.
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To understand how transition across different thermal zones in a building impacts the thermal perception of occupants, the current work examines occupant feedback in two work environments — nursing staff in hospital wards and the workers in an office. Both studies used a mix of subjective surveys and objective measurements. A total of 96 responses were collected from the hospital wards while 142 were collected from the office. The thermal environment in the hospital wards was perceived as slightly warm on the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale (mean TSV = 1.2), while the office workers rated their environment on the cool side (mean TSV = 0.15). The results also show that when the transitions were across temperature differences within 2 °C, the thermal perception was not impacted by the magnitude of the temperature difference — as reflected in occupant thermal sensation and thermal comfort/thermal acceptability vote. This would imply that the effect of temperature steps on thermal perception, if any, within these boundaries, was extremely short lived. These findings go towards establishing the feasibility of heterogeneous indoor thermal environments and thermal zoning of workspaces for human comfort.
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Muscle fiber-type specific expression of UCP3-protein is reported here for the firts time, using immunofluorescence microscopy
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As people age, physiological changes affect their thermal perception, sensitivity and regulation. The ability to respond effectively to temperature fluctuations is compromised with physiological ageing, upsetting the homeostatic balance of health in some. As a result, older people can become vulnerable at extremes of thermal conditions in their environment. With population ageing worldwide, it is an imperative that there is a better understanding of older people’s thermal needs and preferences so that their comfort and wellbeing in their living environment can be optimised and healthy ageing achieved. However, the complex changes affecting the physiological layers of the individual during the ageing process, although largely inevitable, cannot be considered linear. They can happen in different stages, speeds and intensities throughout the ageing process, resulting in an older population with a great level of heterogeneity and risk. Therefore, predicting older people’s thermal requirements in an accurate way requires an in-depth investigation of their individual intrinsic differences. This paper discusses an exploratory study that collected data from 71 participants, aged 65 or above, from 57 households in South Australia, over a period of 9 months in 2019. The paper includes a preliminary evaluation of the effects of individual intrinsic characteristics such as sex, body composition, frailty and other factors, on thermal comfort. It is expected that understanding older people’s thermal comfort from the lens of these diversity-causing parameters could lead to the development of individualised thermal comfort models that fully capture the heterogeneity observed and respond directly to older people’s needs in an effective way. (article starts at page 13)
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