THE STRUCTURE OF hydrogel materials can be described as ‘washingline’ polymers. In this analogy the hydrogels are composed of a long backbone (ie the ‘washing line’) from which a variety of chemical groups may be suspended (the ‘washing’). The function of these chemical groups, or monomers, is to attract and bind water. In conventional hydrogel materials, frequently used monomers include Nvinyl...

Tinea pedis (TP) may lead to the development of foot ulcers in diabetic patients; thus, its prevention in diabetic patients is important. TP occurs after dermatophytes on the skin scales of TP patients attach to the feet. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the scales and dermatophytes, and this can be performed using various methods, including foot washing. This study aimed to objectively exa...

Hand washing is an indispensable procedure for surgical nurses. Although scrubbing up with a brush is preferable to prevent infections, it is not clear how irritating to the skin scrubbing with a brush is compared with hand washing without a brush. TEWL, high frequency conductance and pH were measured on the hand skin of the same group of nurses before and after daily hand washing for 11 days i...

BACKGROUND Several major outbreaks in healthcare facilities have occurred with the emergence of multi-resistant bacteria. A possible route for dissemination is the hospital textiles and inadequate laundering of them. The aim of this study was to develop an easy-to-use method for simulating the laundering process of hospital textiles, and thereafter apply the method when evaluating the decontami...

Energy constraints have altered consumer practice regarding the use of household washing machines. Washing machines were developed that use lower washing temperatures, smaller amounts of water and biodegradable detergents. These conditions may favour the enrichment of opportunistic human pathogenic fungi. We focused on the isolation of fungi from two user-accessible parts of washing machines th...

A pre-lysis buffer washing procedure was introduced to DNA extraction from a forest soil with high organic matter and iron oxide contents. Sodium phosphate of 0.1 M (pH 7.5) was used as a buffer to wash soil samples when subsequent lysis buffer was phosphate, and 20 mM EDTA (pH 7.5) was used when subsequent lysis buffer included EDTA. Initial experiments were not successful because the DNA extr...

BACKGROUND This study was performed to better assess the perceptions, motivating factors, and behaviors associated with the use of hand washing to prevent H1N1 influenza transmission during the peak pandemic period in Korea. METHODS A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was completed by 942 students at a university campus in Suwon, Korea, between December 1 and 8, 2009. The survey included q...

A best evidence topic was written according to the structured protocol. The three part question addressed was: [In patients undergoing closure of surgical wounds with sutures] does [keeping the wound dry for the first 48 h after closure] [reduce the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs)]? 4 relevant papers were culled from the literature and appraised. The authors, date, country, populat...

Objectives To examine how the frequency of information regarding a real disease threat influences hand washing with soap. Design and setting The authors installed wireless devices in highway service station lavatories in England to record the proportion of individuals washing hands with soap from May 2009 to January 2010. Participants Participants were users of men's and women's toilets. Comb...