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Applications for ambulatory monitoring span the spectrum from fitness optimization to cardiac defibrillation. This range of applications is associated with a corresponding range of required detection accuracies and a range of inconvenience and discomfort that wearers are willing to tolerate. This paper describes a selection of physiological sensors and how they might best be worn in the unconstrained ambulatory environment to provide the most robust measurements and the greatest comfort to the wearer. Using wireless mobile computing devices, it will be possible to record, analyze and respond to changes in the wearers' physiological signals in real time using these sensors.

Background: In children with atopic dermatitis (AD), eczema is easily aggravated by contact with irritant factors (e.g. aggressive detergents, synthetic and woollen clothes, climatic factors)., Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a special silk fabric (MICROAIR DermaSilk) in the treatment of young children affected by AD with acute lesions at the time of examination., Methods: Forty-six children (mean age 2 years) affected by AD in an acute phase were recruited: 31 received special silk clothes (group A) which they were instructed to wear for a week; the other 15 served as a control group (group B) and wore cotton clothing. Topical moisturizing creams or emulsions were the only topical treatment prescribed in both groups. The overall severity of the disease was evaluated using the SCORAD index. In addition, the local score of an area covered by the silk clothes was compared with the local score of an uncovered area in the same child. All patients were evaluated at baseline and 7 days after the initial examination., Results: At the end of the study a significant decrease in AD severity was observed in the children of group A (mean SCORAD decrease from 43 to 30; P = 0.003). At the same time, the improvement in the mean local score of the covered area (from 32 to 18.6; P = 0.001) was significantly greater than that of the uncovered area (from 31 to 26; P = 0.112)., Conclusions: The use of special silk clothes may be useful in the management of AD in children.

The Intelligent Knee Sleeve is a device capable of providing immediate audible feedback to the wearer pertaining to knee flexion angle during human movement. The Intelligent Knee Sleeve was used in a landing training program to determine whether providing subjects with this form of feedback was able to effect a change in knee flexion angle during dynamic landing tasks. Preliminary results suggest that the feedback modality is effective in correcting landing technique. However, advancements in the Intelligent Knee Sleeve design would produce a more robust system leading to more effective biofeedback for the athlete.

The rapid development in the fields of sensor and telecommunication technologies has created completely new possibilities also for the textile and clothing field. New smart textile and clothing systems can be developed by integrating sensors in the textile constructions. Application fields for these added-value products are e.g. protective clothing for extreme environments, garments for the health care sector, technical textiles, sport and leisure wear. Some products have already been introduced on the markets, but generally it can be stated that the development is only in its starting phase, and the expectations for the future are big. Many different aspects have to be considered in the development of the wearable technology products for the health care sector: medical problems and their diagnosis, sensor choice, data processing and telecommunication solutions, clothing requirements. A functional product can be achieved only if all aspects work together, and therefore experts from all fields should participate in the RTD projects. In the EC-funded project DE3002 Easytex clothing and textiles for disabled and elderly people were investigated. Some recommendations concerning durability, appearance, comfort, service and safety of products for different special user groups were defined, based on user questionnaires and seminars, general textile and clothing requirements and on laboratory test series."Clothing Area Network--Clan" is a research project aiming to develop a technical concept and technology needed in enabling both wired and wireless data and power transfer between different intelligent modules (user interfaces, sensors, CPU's, batteries etc.) integrated into a smart clothing system. Fire-fighters clothing system is chosen as the development platform, being a very challenging application from which the developed technology can be transferred to other protective clothing systems.

Monitoring body kinematics and analyzing posture and gesture is an area of major importance in bioengineering and several other connected disciplines such as rehabilitation, sport medicine and ergonomics. Recent developments of new smart materials consent the realization of a new generation of garments with distributed sensors. What we present here is a sensing glove able to detect the posture and movements of the hand.

Artificial sensory motor systems are now under development in a truly wearable form using an innovative technology based on electroactive polymers. The integration of electroactive polymeric materials into wearable garments endorses them with strain sensing and mechanical actuation properties. The methodology underlying the design of haptic garments has necessarily to rely on knowledge of biological perceptual and motor processes which is, however, scattered and fragmented. Notwithstanding, the combined use of new polymeric electroactive materials in the form of fibers and fabrics with emerging concepts of biomimetic nature in sensor data analysis, pseudomuscular actuator control and biomechanical design may not only provide new avenues toward the realization of truly wearable kinesthetic and haptic interfaces, but also clues and instruments to better comprehend human manipulative and gestual functions. In this talk the conception, early stage implementation and preliminary testing of a fabric-based wearable interface endowed with spatially redundant strain sensing and distributed actuation are illustrated with reference to a wearable upper limb artificial kinesthesia system, intended to be used in telerehabilitation of post stroke patient.

Electronic textiles (e-textiles) offer the promise of home health care devices that integrate seamlessly into the wearer's everyday lifestyle while providing a higher level of functionality than current devices. Existing gait analysis systems are cumbersome laboratory-based systems that, while providing valuable information, would be difficult or impossible to deploy in the home. Yet gait analysis systems offer the promise of preventing and/or mitigating the serious effects of falls in the elderly population. This paper proposes an e-textile solution to this problem along with a design approach for realizing a solution that is inexpensive and usable across the elderly population. Preliminary results are given to demonstrate the promise of the proposed system.

This study reports the persistence behaviour of human scalp hairs under a number of different circumstances. The effects of artificial dyeing of hairs, the presence or absence of roots and different types of fabrics on the persistence of hair on a variety of garments were investigated. The garments were made from cotton, polycotton, cotton/acrylic, polyester and wool. The results indicated that neither artificial dyes nor the presence or absence of roots had statistically significant effects on the persistence of hair. In contrast, the type of fabric had a major impact and it was found that, generally, hairs persist longer on rougher fabrics. The rate of loss of hairs from non-woollen fabrics during normal wear was found to follow an exponential decay curve. In contrast, the rate of loss from the woollen garments was quite linear, indicating a constant, even loss, and thus suggests that a different process is involved in the persistence of hairs on woollen garments from that on non-woollen garments. The speed at which hair was lost from fabrics decreased in the order polyester, cotton/acrylic, polycotton, cotton, smooth wool, rough wool, so that wool gives the best chance of recovering samples of hair. Due to the uniqueness of each case, it is advised that caution be used when making any interpretations and before drawing any conclusions.

The effectiveness and residual activities of permethrin-impregnated military battle dress uniforms were evaluated by comparing a new company-manufactured ready-to-use polymer-coating method with two "dipping methods" that are currently used to treat uniforms. Residual permethrin amounts and remaining contact toxicities on treated fabrics before and after up to 100 launderings were tested against Aedes aegypti (L.), Ixodes ricinus (L.), and Lepisma saccharina (L.). The residual amount of permethrin was considerably higher with the polymer-coating method: 280 mg a.i./m2 after 100 launderings, compared with 16 and 11 mg a.i./m2, respectively, obtained when using the two dipping methods. Hard ticks were most susceptible to the new polymer-coating method, resulting in prelaundering 100% knockdown times of 7.0 +/- 0.9 min, whereas equivalent times for the dipping methods were 7.9 +/- 0.35 min and 8.0 +/- 0.54 min, respectively. After 100 launderings, 100% knockdown of I. ricinus nymphs was reached at 15.2 +/- 1.04 min using the polymer-coating method, compared with 178.8 +/- 24.7 min and 231 +/- 53.6 min, respectively, using the dipping methods. Similar results were obtained for Ae. aegypti and L. saccharina, indicating that the polymer-coating method is more effective and efficient when compared with the dipping methods.

Although it is well known that the skin in patients with atopic dermatitis becomes drier in winter, the mechanisms of winter deterioration of dry skin are not fully understood. Our purpose was to determine whether residual washing detergent in cotton clothes plays a role in the winter deterioration of atopic dry skin. We studied 148 Japanese patients with atopic dermatitis who visited our dermatology clinic during winter months. They wore cotton underwear, which they had washed in cold tap water. We examined the distribution of dry skin on their trunks. We then asked them to stop washing their clothes with common anionic, additive-enriched detergents, and to use a nonionic, additive-reduced detergent for a period of two weeks. Photographs of 2 or 3 representative dry skin sites on the trunk were taken before and after the trial. By comparing the before-after trial photographs, the severity of dry skin at the end of the trial was assessed on a 5-point scale ranging from markedly improved to worsened. Of the 148 patients examined, 115 (78%) had widespread or localized dry skin on the trunk. The dryness of the skin was prominent around the shoulders. Of these 115 patients, 87 (76%) showed marked or moderate improvement of dry skin after the two-weeks of use of the nonionic, additive-reduced washing detergent. No patient showed worsening of the dry skin. These results suggest that residues of common washing detergents in cotton underclothes play an important role in the winter deterioration of dry skin in patients with atopic dermatitis who use cold tap water for washing their clothes.

Purpose: We investigated whether temperature regulation is improved during exercise in moderate heat by the use of clothing constructed from fabric that was purported to promote sweat evaporation compared with traditional fabrics., Methods: Eight well-trained, euhydrated males performed three exercise bouts wearing garments made from an evaporative polyester fabric (SYN), wearing garments made from traditional cotton fabric (COT), or dressed seminude (S-N) in random order. Bouts consisted of 15 min seated rest, 30 min running at 70% .VO(2max), 15 min walking at 40% .VO(2max), and 15 min seated rest, all at 30 +/- 1 degrees C and 35 +/- 5% relative humidity. COT and SYN clothing ensembles consisted of crew neck, short sleeve T-shirts, cycling shorts, and anklet socks made from their respective materials, and running shoes. The S-N condition consisted of a Lycra swim suit, polyester socks, and running shoes., Results: Mean skin temperature was lower for S-N during preexercise rest when compared with SYN and COT. No differences in mean body temperature, rectal temperature, or mean skin temperature were observed during or after exercise. No differences in VO2 or heart rate were observed. No differences in comfort sensations were observed., Conclusion: In summary, before, during, or after exercise in a moderately warm environmental condition, neither the addition of a modest amount of clothing nor the fabric characteristics of this clothing alters physiological, thermoregulatory, or comfort sensation responses.

This article was written to update information on test methods and standards for determining the UV protection of apparel textiles and on factors affecting UV protective properties of fabrics, from dermatological and textile technological viewpoints. Articles from dermatological and textile technological journals published from 1990 to 2001 were identified from MEDLINE, Excerpta Medica/EMBASE, World Textiles, and Textile Technology Digest. Peer-reviewed dermatological articles, textile technological research articles, and normative publications were selected. Independent data extraction was performed by several observers. Spectrophotometry is the preferred method for determining UV protection factor of textile materials. Various textile qualities affect the UV protection factor of a finished garment; important elements are the fabric porosity, type, color, weight, and thickness. The application of UV absorbers in the yarns significantly improves the UV protection factor of a garment. With wear and use, several factors can alter the UV protective properties of a textile, including stretch, wetness, and degradation due to laundering. Standards in the field exist in Australia and Great Britain, and organizations such as the European Standardization Commission in Europe and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and the American Society for Testing and Materials in the United States are also establishing standards for the determination and labeling of sun protective clothing. Various textile qualities and conditions of wear and use affect UV protective properties of apparel textiles. The use of UV blocking fabrics can provide excellent protection against the hazards of sunlight; this is especially true for garments manufactured as UV protective clothing.

A full-scale human form dummy was designed for studying the burning of common dress assemblies (i.e. combination of garments) worn in India. The dummy was made in eight parts; each made of a steel shell filled with water so as to replicate properties of skin-tissue combination. Four thermocouples were fixed on the dummy for measuring torso, neck and face temperatures. The dummy was clothed separately in three women's dress assemblies (saree, salwar-khameez and nightgown) and men's dress assemblies (kurta-pyjama, shirt-pant and lungi), and ignited at the feet by a flat flame. The tests showed that loose fitting garments burnt easily. Once completely burnt, all dress assemblies result in third degree burns over most of the body. The burning process of synthetics is radically different from cottons or cotton-polyester blends. However, flame duration and temperatures produced on the skin are not radically different, suggesting that on the whole synthetics are no worse than cotton garments. Thick garments, such as, jeans and khadi, do not ignite easily and are inherently safer than similar garments made of light fabric. The studies show that results of standard flammability tests using single fabric strips do not correlate with the burning observed in garments as part of a dress where multilayering is common. Standards/codes for fire safety of garments and garment-dress assembly combinations need to be evolved to adequately address their fire safety.

The present study was undertaken to investigate whether there is any difference in the rectal temperature and heart rate between women wearing black or white Aodai folk costume and walking intermittently in natural sunlight. The experiment was performed in the field outside buildings in Hanoi, Vietnam, between May and June, 1998. The only difference was in the colour (black or white) of clothing other physical characteristics, like materials, thickness, weight and so on, were nearly identical. Air temperature was around 39 degrees C, globe temperature around 52 degrees C and sun radiation reached 1010 W.m-2. Eight young female students (aged 20 years) participated in the experiment. They sat quietly on a chair inside the building for the first 30 min. Then they walked for 20 min at their ordinary walking speed in the sun, and rested for 10 min in the shade. This schedule was repeated three times. The main results are summarised as follows: (1) Rectal temperature was significantly lower in the black than in the white Aodai; (2) Clothing microclimate temperature at frontal chest level was also significantly lower in the black Aodai; (3) Heart rate was significantly lower in the black than in the white Aodai; (4) Clothing surface and inside temperatures measured at frontal chest level were significantly higher in the black than in the white Aodai. These results strongly suggest that the black Aodai could reduce heat strain more effectively than the white one. The physiological mechanism may result from more effective ventilation between skin and clothing in the black Aodai, due to higher temperature inside and outside this garment.

A study to determine the changes in the morphological structure of woollen fabric and fibres of military uniforms, after burial in biologically active soil for a particular period of time. The analysis of fabric and fibres was performed by means of organoleptic and microscopic observations. The final decay of the fabric of soldiers' uniforms took place after 5-6 weeks burial in the standardised bioactive soil. The changes of the morphological structure of fabric undergoing the process of biodegradation depended mainly on the duration of their burial in the soil.

The purpose of this present study was to compare the physiological effects of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of the fabrics investigated in exercising and resting subjects at an ambient temperature of 30 degrees C and a relative humidity of 50% with and without wind. Three kinds of clothing ensemble were tested: wool and cotton blend with high moisture regain (A), 100% cotton with intermediate moisture regain (B), 100% polyester clothing with low moisture regain (C). The experiments were performed using seven young adult women as subjects. They comprised six repeated periods of 10-min exercise on a cycle ergometer at an intensity of 40% maximal oxygen uptake followed by 5 min of rest (20 min for the last rest). The experiments comprised two sessions. During session I (first three repetitions of exercise and rest) the subjects were exposed to an indifferent wind velocity and during session II (last three repetitions of exercise and rest) they were exposed to a wind velocity of 1.5 m x s(-1). Rectal temperature and skin temperatures at eight sites, pulse rate and clothing microclimate were recorded throughout the whole period. The main findings can be summarized as follows: rectal temperature during session II was kept at a significantly lower level in A than in B and C. Clothing microclimate humidity at the chest was significantly lower in A than in B and C during session II. Skin and clothing microclimate temperatures at the chest were significantly lower in A than in B and C during session II. Pulse rate was significantly higher in C than in A and B during sessions I and II. It was concluded that the hydrophilic properties of the fabrics studied were of physiological significance for reducing heat strain during exercise and rest especially when influenced by wind.

Background: Topical sunscreens have been used for many years on exposed areas (i.e., hands, face) to protect the skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation. Most people do not use sunscreens on their bodies when they are wearing clothes. An average weight cotton T shirt gives only a sun protection factor (SPF) of 7. This is inadequate protection when out of doors. Therefore, clothing with adequate sunscreening properties should be worn., Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors in clothing fabrics that contribute to or detract from blocking ultraviolet radiation and to recommend criteria for establishing a standard for sunprotective clothing., Method: The study involves a review of the dermatologic and textile literature to identify various factors in fabrics that contribute to blocking ultraviolet radiation through textiles., Conclusion: For fabrics, the term ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) is used as the measure of ultraviolet radiation penetration through the fabric. The UPF of a fabric depends upon fiber content and weave, fabric colour, finishing processes, and the presence of additives. The performance of a fabric depends upon stretching, shrinkage, hydration, laundering, and wear of the fabric over time. Based upon these criteria the minimum CDA standard UPF for clothing should be 40 to 50+.

This study examined the infleunce of three types of boot-sock systems on incidence and severity of foot blisters. Participants were 357 men undergoing U.S. Marine recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina. Each participant was assigned to one of three treatment groups. The first group wore the standard military boot sock consisting of a wool-cotton-nylon-Spandex combination. The second group wore the standard military boot sock with a thin inner or liner sock consisting of polyester. The third group wore a very thick, dense, prototype outer sock consisting of a wool-polypropylene combination over the same liner sock as the second group. Foot blister incidence was lower among participants who wore the the prototype boot sock and liner than among those wearing the standard military sock (40 vs. 69%, p < 0.001) or among subjects wearing the standard military sock with liner (40 vs. 77%, p < 0.001). Foot blisters and cellulitis severe enough to require medical attention occurred with greater frequency in the standard military sock group compared to both the prototype boot-sock group (24 vs. 11%, p = 0.02) and the standard military sock with liner group (24 vs. 9%, p < 0.01); there was no difference between the latter two groups. Blister reduction was most apparent in the early weeks of recruit training. The standard military sock with a polyester liner reduced the incidence of severe blisters, but the dense sock with the polyester liner reduced the overall incidence of blisters as well as the incidence of severe blisters.

The effect of different types of textile underpants on sexual activity was studied in 50 men. All the subjects were potent and sexually active. They were divided into 5 equal groups: 4 test and 1 control. Each of the 4 test groups were dressed in one type of textile underpants made of either 100% polyester, 50/50% polyester/cotton mix, 100% cotton, or 100% wool. Sexual behavior was assessed before and after 6 and 12 months of wearing the pants, and 6 months after their removal. Behavioral response was rated as potent if the subject's penis became erect, entered the vagina, and ejaculated. The rate of potent intromission (I) to mounts (M) (I/M ratio) was determined. The electrostatic potentials (EP) generated on the penis and scrotum were measured by an electrostatic kilovoltmeter. The I/M ratio at 6 and 12 months of wearing the polyester and polyester/cotton mix pants was significantly reduced compared to the pretest levels and the controls (p < .001). The reduction was more manifest in the pure polyester than in the polyester/cotton mix group, and at the 12-month than at the 6-month examination. The I/M ratio of the cotton and wool groups showed insignificant changes during the study period. Six months after removal of the underpants, the I/M ratio had returned to the pretest levels in the two groups that had worn polyester-containing pants. The polyester-containing pants generated EP, which may induce electrostatic fields in the intrapenile structures and could explain the diminished sexual activity. The cotton and wool textiles did not generate EP. Thus, polyester underpants could have an injurious effect on human sexual activity.

A theory of moisture absorption in clothing, with the associated effects of heat transfer, was developed and applied in a computer model. The model considers the body, underclothing, an outer layer, and the adjacent air layer. The theory was checked with an experiment involving four subjects. They wore heavy woollen clothing, which was either initially dry or humid, in both a warm and a cool environment. Model calculations and experimental results agree approximately upon the timing and magnitude of the effect of absorbing clothing on heat flows, temperatures and physiological reactions. Contrary to expectations the observed vapour resistance is lower in the heat than in the cold, probably due to differences in sweat distribution. It is pointed out that the usual way to determine the clothing characteristics by means of partitional calorimetry leads to considerable errors when the steady state has not been reached. In clothing that has high absorption properties the transient effects may be sustained for hours. Tests using the model show few beneficial effects of absorbing clothing on thermal sensation.

Background: Clothing fabrics have long been considered effective protection against short-term and long-term sun damage. Recently, special "highly UV-protective" fabrics have been developed specifically for photosensitive patients., Objective: To determine if one such fabric will protect hairless mice against (pre)malignant lesions under conditions that will produce skin cancers through a typical summer fabric of moderate sun protection factor (SPF)., Methods: After prior determination of minimal erythemal dose, four sets of 10 animals were divided into the following groups: (A) dark control (no irradiation); (B) positive control (no fabric); (C) "typical summer" fabric (SPF = 6.5 +/- 1.0); and (D) "special" fabric (SPF > 30 across a broad spectrum). Mice were irradiated on the dorsal surface 5 days per week, with biweekly incremental increases (roughly 20% of the starting dose), for 12 weeks. Group B started at 6.3 J/cm2, with biweekly increases of 1.45 J/cm2 (total dose, 596 J/cm2); groups After irradiation, mice were observed for clinical and histologic signs of pre(malignant lesions for an additional 12 weeks., Results: At the end of the 12-week irradiation period, nine mice in group B and six mice in group C had actinic keratosis-like lesions, whereas one mouse in group B and two mice in group C had squamous cell carcinoma. By week 24, all mice in groups B and C had squamous cell carcinoma. Mice in groups A and D showed no discernable reaction at any time. Biopsy specimens confirmed the clinical results., Conclusion: Typical summer clothing fabrics may offer inadequate protection against skin cancer and pose high risk to chronically photosensitive patients. The use of appropriate sun protective apparel should offer effective protection to photosensitive patients against short-term and long-term photodamage.

Despite large environmental variations, the human body maintains a tightly regulated core temperature. Effective thermoregulation must balance the interaction between skin surface, clothing and ambient air. Indices of thermal stress (wet bulb globe temperature, heat stress index, maximum evaporation rate, required evaporative rate and wind chill) provide valuable information concerning the heat exchange between the individual and the environment, and serve as protective guidelines while working in environmental extremes. The role of clothing, as an interactive barrier, greatly affects thermal balance. Clothing is varied according to prevailing environmental conditions, metabolic heat production, gender and age differences, fabric thermal properties, garment design and intended use. Models (static, dynamic and human) have investigated the biophysical transfer of heat between the skin surface area, clothing and ambient air. Additionally, the role of metabolic heat production during exercise can greatly influence tolerance to thermal stress during a variety of environmental conditions.

A longitudinal single-blind study was conducted to test the friction blister prevention properties of synthetic acrylic socks in a generic construction. This study serves as a comparison with the authors' previous work comparing acrylic and cotton socks in a patented padded construction. Twenty-seven long-distance runners provided data regarding dampness, temperature, friction blister incidence, severity, and size. Two different socks were tested; each was identical in every aspect of construction except the fiber content. One test sock was composed of 100% synthetic acrylic fibers, and the other was composed of 100% natural cotton fibers. These results were unsuccessful at demonstrating any superiority of cotton or acrylic fibers when knitting produced a generic "cushion sole" sock. The superiority of acrylic fibers has thus far been demonstrated only when sock knitting provides adequate anatomical padding [corrected].

The effect of wearing different types of textiles on sexual activity was studied in 75 rats which were divided into five equal groups: four test groups and one control. Each of the four test groups were dressed in one type of textile pants made of either 100% polyester, 50/50% polyester/cotton mix, 100% cotton or 100% wool. Sexual behaviour was assessed before and after 6 and 12 months of wearing the pants and 6 months after their removal. The rate of intromission to mounting (I/M) was determined. The electrostatic potentials generated on penis and scrotum were also measured by electrostatic kilovoltameter. At 6 and 12 months of wearing the polyester and polyester-cotton mix pants, the I/M ratio was significantly reduced compared to the pre-test levels and the controls (p < 0.0001). The reduction was more manifest in the polyester than in the polyester-cotton mix group, and at the 12th month than at the 6th month of examination. The I/M ratio of the cotton and wool groups showed insignificant changes (p > 0.05) at the 6th month of the study and a significant increase at the 12th month (p < 0.01). Six months after removal of the pants, the I/M ratio returned to the pre-test levels (p > 0.05) in the four groups. The polyester-containing pants generated electrostatic potentials while the other textiles did not. These potentials seem to induce 'electrostatic fields' in the intrapenile structures, which could explain the decrease in the rats' sexual activity.

Photoprotection of the skin is mainly a function of clothing, although the effectiveness of the latter against UV-B solar radiation (wavelengths 290-320 nm) has not been measured in vivo. Since UV-B mediates the cutaneous formation of vitamin D3, we examined the attenuation of that photosynthetic reaction by the commonly used fabrics cotton, wool, and polyester in black and white colors. Direct transmission of UV-B was attenuated the most by black wool (98.6% of incident irradiance) and the least by white cotton (47.7%). None of the fabrics allowed the photoproduction of previtamin D3 from 7-dehydrocholesterol irradiated in vitro with up to 40 min of simulated sunlight or the elevation of serum vitamin D3 after irradiation with approximately one minimal erythema dose (MED) of UV-B in volunteers wearing jogging garments made of these fabrics. Increasing the whole body irradiation dose to six MEDs still failed to produce a serum vitamin D3 response in garment-clad subjects. Regular (seasonal) street clothing also prevented an elevation of the vitamin D3 in response to UV-B radiation. We conclude that clothing prevents or significantly impairs the formation of vitamin D3 after photostimulation with up to six MEDs of UV-B.

The relationship between time from planned to achieved pregnancy and pregnancy outcome has been studied in a group of 18,658 workers in the textile, clothing and footwear industries. Information on pregnancy outcome and delay in conception in the period 1979-84 was collected by self administered questionnaires in 1985. The response rate was 70.3%. During the study period there had been 5,171 live births and 708 spontaneous abortions. Information on delay in conception was collected in broad categories. The data were analysed by means of a newly developed statistical parametric model in order to collect all possible information from the highly grouped data. Median waiting time before a pregnancy which ended in spontaneous abortion was 1.68 times longer than median waiting time before a pregnancy leading to a live birth. There seems to be a correlation between the length of the waiting time and abortion.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the retention of blood stains on twelve different types of fabrics after washing at various drying times. The findings of this study, supported by chi-square analysis, indicate that the retention of bloodstains on washed fabrics depends upon the particular fiber composition of the fabric, the specific blood screening test used, and whether or not a detergent was used in the wash. The results of this research did not reveal a significant effect of the drying time on the retention of bloodstains, as tested during the 48-h limit of this experiment. The author concludes that the forensic serologist should consider the factors investigated in this study before rendering an opinion on the retention of bloodstains on washed garments.

Using a hygrometric capsule method developed by the authors, water vapor pressure was measured at each layer of clothing as well as at the skin surface on a human subject under actual wearing conditions. The pattern of vapor pressure gradient from the skin surface through clothing to the external air was examined in relation to the ambient vapor pressure and ths sort of textiles worn. The following findings were obtained. 1) Water vapor pressure gradient was greater between coat and external air than that between coat and underwear. The gradient became steeper again between underwear and the skin. 2) Under given clothing conditions, vapor pressure at each layer of clothing as well as at the skin varied according to the ambient humidity. However, the pattern of vapor pressure gradient from the skin through clothing to the external air was not greatly influenced by the external humidity. 3) The pattern of vapor pressure gradient from the skin through clothing to the external air was not greatly influenced by the external humidity. 3) The pattern of vapor pressure gradient through the clothing as a whole differed according to the kinds of textiles used for coat and underwear.

Disposable diapers are now being used in incubators, raising questions concerning the amount of dust they produce during diaper change, and the subsequent effects on premature infants. This study compares the amount of dust produced during change of disposable diapers and during change of cloth diapers. The disposable diapers tested were Pampers (premature baby size, sterilized), manufactured by the Procter & Gamble Company. Cloth diapers tested included diaper covers. Results of the study indicated that disposable diapers produce far less dust than cloth diapers. Thus, disposable diapers can be satisfactorily used in incubators for premature infants. The difference in results between the two types of diapers might stem from their different structures: cloth diapers have a monolayer structure, whereas disposable diapers have a double cover over the refined pulp they contain, which might otherwise tend to generate dust.

A new instrument has been designed to measure the penetration by rubbing of bacteria from cloth contaminated in the nursing of burn patients through fabrics designed for barrier garments. Most fabrics tested dry reduced the transfer of bacteria from the source cloth to about 10%, irrespective of the results of air filter tests, which agrees with mock nursing results. When the fabrics were tested against a wet surface, the transfer of bacteria rapidly reached 100% if the fabrics had a high wettability, but was slower for fabrics with a low wettability. Through closely woven waterproofed cotton, transfer was 5--25%, but increased three- to four-fold after ten launderings, in line with the water absorption. Transfer through plastic-laminated material was less than 1%. The results suggest that barrier garments should be made either of plastic or of recently waterproofed closely woven cotton at points of contact between nurse and patient where the clothes may be wetted by bacteria-containing wound secretions.

Phototoxic textile dermatitis with subsequent hyperpigmentation developed in two patients after they wore bikini bathing suits. After extraction of the dye from the bathing suits, 15 fractions could be visualized by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Two of these fractions are found in Disperse Blue 35, an anthraquinone dye known to give rise to occupational phototoxic dermatitis, but which, to our knowledge, has never been reported to cause dermatitis in consumers. One of the two fractions was also found to cause phototoxic reactions in normal subjects.