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  1. Fulltext Adverse environmental effects of disposable face masks due to the excess usage
    Hui Li AS, Sathishkumar P, Selahuddeen ML, Asyraf Wan Mahmood WM, Zainal Abidin MH, Wahab RA, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2022 Sep 01;308:119674.
    PMID: 35772616 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119674
    The widespread use of disposable face masks as a preventative strategy to address transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been a key environmental concern since the pandemic began. This has led to an unprecedented new form of contamination from improperly disposed masks, which liberates significant amounts of heavy metals and toxic chemicals in addition to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Therefore, this study monitored the liberation of heavy metals, VOCs, and microfibers from submerged disposable face masks at different pH (4, 7 and 12), to simulate distinct environmental conditions. Lead (3.238% ppb), cadmium (0.672 ppb) and chromium (0.786 ppb) were found in the analyzed leachates. By pyrolysis, 2,4-dimethylhept-1-ene and 4-methylheptane were identified as the VOCs produced by the samples. The chemically degraded morphology in the FESEM images provided further evidence that toxic heavy metals and volatile organic compounds had been leached from the submerged face masks, with greater degradation observed in samples submerged at pH 7 and higher. The results are seen to communicate the comparable danger of passively degrading disposable face masks and the release of micro- or nanofibers into the marine environment. The toxicity of certain heavy metals and chemicals released from discarded face masks warrants better, more robust manufacturing protocols and increased public awareness for responsible disposal to reduce the adverse impact on ecology and human health.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  2. Fulltext Prerequisite for COVID-19 Prediction: A Review on Factors Affecting the Infection Rate
    Tang SGH, Hadi MHH, Arsad SR, Ker PJ, Ramanathan S, Afandi NAM, et al.
    Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022 Oct 11;19(20).
    PMID: 36293576 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192012997
    Since the year 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as the dominant topic of discussion in the public and research domains. Intensive research has been carried out on several aspects of COVID-19, including vaccines, its transmission mechanism, detection of COVID-19 infection, and its infection rate and factors. The awareness of the public related to the COVID-19 infection factors enables the public to adhere to the standard operating procedures, while a full elucidation on the correlation of different factors to the infection rate facilitates effective measures to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection by policy makers and enforcers. Hence, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive and analytical review of different factors affecting the COVID-19 infection rate. Furthermore, this review analyses factors which directly and indirectly affect the COVID-19 infection risk, such as physical distance, ventilation, face masks, meteorological factor, socioeconomic factor, vaccination, host factor, SARS-CoV-2 variants, and the availability of COVID-19 testing. Critical analysis was performed for the different factors by providing quantitative and qualitative studies. Lastly, the challenges of correlating each infection risk factor to the predicted risk of COVID-19 infection are discussed, and recommendations for further research works and interventions are outlined.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  3. Besdata Video Laryngeal Mask (BD-VLM)- a New Vision-Incorporated 3rd Generation Video Laryngeal Mask Airway : Dear editor
    Tan LZ, Seet E, Kumar CM
    J Clin Monit Comput, 2022 Dec;36(6):1907-1908.
    PMID: 35616796 DOI: 10.1007/s10877-022-00850-0
    Since the recent editorial 2, we were approached to evaluate another video laryngeal mask airway - the Besdata Video Laryngeal Mask (BD-VLM) TM, which has a different design concept, specifications and characteristics (Figure 1) compared to the other two.
    Matched MeSH terms: Laryngeal Masks*
  4. Fulltext From the environment to the cells: An overview on pivotal factors which affect spreading and infection in COVID-19 pandemic
    Zarei M, Rahimi K, Hassanzadeh K, Abdi M, Hosseini V, Fathi A, et al.
    Environ Res, 2021 Oct;201:111555.
    PMID: 34197816 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111555
    Several factors ranging from environmental risks to the genetics of the virus and that of the hosts, affect the spread of COVID-19. The impact of physicochemical variables on virus vitality and spread should be taken into account in experimental and clinical studies. Another avenue to explore is the effect of diet and its interaction with the immune system on SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality rate. Past year have witnessed extensive studies on virus and pathophysiology of the COVID-19 disease and the cellular mechanisms of virus spreading. However, our knowledge has not reached a level where we plan an efficient therapeutic approach to prevent the virus entry to the cells or decreasing the spreading and morbidity in severe cases of disease. The risk of infection directly correlates with the control of virus spreading via droplets and aerosol transmission, as well as patient immune system response. A key goal in virus restriction and transmission rate is to understand the physicochemical structure of aerosol and droplet formation, and the parameters that affect the droplet-borne and airborne in different environmental conditions. The lifetime of droplets on different surfaces is described based on the contact angle. Hereby, we recommend regular use of high-quality face masks in high temperature and low humidity conditions. However, in humid and cold weather conditions, wearing gloves and frequently hand washing, gain a higher priority. Additionally, social distancing rules should be respected in all aforementioned conditions. We will also discuss different routes of SARS-CoV-2 entry into the cells and how multiple genetic factors play a role in the spread of the virus. Given the role of environmental and nutritional factors, we discuss and recommend some strategies to prevent the disease and protect the population against COVID-19. Since an effective vaccine can prevent the transmission of communicable diseases and abolish pandemics, we added a brief review of candidate SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  5. Fulltext Optimal size selection of laryngeal mask airway in Malaysian female adult population
    Rao AS, Yew AEG, Inbasegaran K
    Med J Malaysia, 2003 Dec;58(5):717-22.
    PMID: 15190658 MyJurnal
    The summary of various studies done looking at size selection of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in adults is that, selection based on sex is appropriate, and that both sizes 4 or 5 are adequate for adult females. However, in our local population these sizes may be too large especially the size 5 for adult females.
    Matched MeSH terms: Laryngeal Masks/standards*
  6. Fulltext The role of inversion and face masks on simultaneous and delayed face matching tasks
    Estudillo AJ, Wong HK
    PLoS One, 2024;19(1):e0295407.
    PMID: 38166082 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295407
    Although it is generally accepted that face recognition relies on holistic processing, it has been suggested that the simultaneous face matching task may depend on a more analytical or featural processing approach. However, empirical evidence supporting this claim is limited. In two experiments, we further explored the role of holistic and featural processing on simultaneous face matching by manipulating holistic processing through inversion and presenting faces with or without face masks. The results from Experiment 1 revealed that both inversion and face masks impaired matching performance. However, while the inversion effect was evident in both full-view and masked faces, the mask effect was only found in upright, but not inverted, faces. These results were replicated in Experiment 2 but, the inversion and mask effects were stronger in delayed face matching than in simultaneous face matching. Our findings suggest that simultaneous face matching relies on holistic processing, but to a smaller extent compared to higher memory-demanding identification tasks.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks*
  7. Fulltext The COVID-19 pandemic face mask waste: A blooming threat to the marine environment
    Dharmaraj S, Ashokkumar V, Hariharan S, Manibharathi A, Show PL, Chong CT, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2021 Jun;272:129601.
    PMID: 33497928 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129601
    Recently, the COVID-19 disease spread has emerged as a worldwide pandemic and cause severe threats to humanity. The World Health Organisation (WHO) releases guidelines to help the countries to reduce the spread of this virus to the public, like wearing masks, hand hygiene, social distancing, shutting down all types of public transports, etc. These conditions led to a worldwide economic fall drastically, and on the other hand, indirect environmental benefits like global air quality improvement and decreased water pollution are also pictured. Currently, use of face masks is part of a comprehensive package of the prevention and control measures that can limit the spread of COVID-19 since there is no clinically proven drugs or vaccine available for COVID-19. Mostly, face masks are made of petroleum-based non-renewable polymers that are non-biodegradable, hazardous to the environment and create health issues. This study demonstrates the extensive use of the face mask and how it affects human health and the marine ecosystem. It has become a great challenge for the government sectors to impose strict regulations for the proper disposal of the masks as medical waste by the public. Neglecting the seriousness of this issue may lead to the release of large tonnes of micro-plastics to the landfill as well as to the marine environment where mostly end-up and thereby affecting their fauna and flora population vastly. Besides, this study highlights the COVID-19 spread, its evolutionary importance, taxonomy, genomic structure, transmission to humans, prevention, and treatment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  8. Fulltext COVID-19 face mask valve for nasal and laryngeal endoscopy
    Gendeh HS, Husain S
    Ann R Coll Surg Engl, 2021 Jul;103(7):536-537.
    PMID: 33913780 DOI: 10.1308/rcsann.2021.0009
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks*
  9. How do surgeons weather the storm of COVID-19 pandemic?
    Voon K, Premnath N
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 11;75(6):762-763.
    PMID: 33219197
    COVID-19 has infected more than 10 million people worldwide and it has become one of the biggest challenges in the modern medical history. Wearing of face masks, social distancing, effective hand hygiene and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment are important in flattening the curve of the pandemic. The role of the surgeons in this battle against COVID-19 include curbing the spread of the disease, to protect and preserve the surgical workforce and to ensure the continuance of essential surgical services. We report our experience in dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak in a tertiary surgical centre in the Penang General Hospital in Northern Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks/supply & distribution*
  10. Fulltext Face masks affect emotion categorisation, age estimation, recognition, and gender classification from faces
    Wong HK, Estudillo AJ
    Cogn Res Princ Implic, 2022 10 08;7(1):91.
    PMID: 36209185 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00438-x
    Although putting on a mask over our nose and mouth is a simple but powerful way to protect ourselves and others during a pandemic, face masks may interfere with how we perceive and recognize one another, and hence, may have far-reaching impacts on communication and social interactions. To date, it remains relatively unknown the extent to which wearing a face mask that conceals the bottom part of the face affects the extraction of different facial information. To address this question, we compared young adults' performance between masked and unmasked faces in four different tasks: (1) emotion recognition task, (2) famous face recognition and naming test, (3) age estimation task, and (4) gender classification task. Results revealed that the presence of face mask has a negative impact on famous face recognition and emotion recognition, but to a smaller extent on age estimation and gender classification tasks. More interestingly, we observed a female advantage in the famous face recognition and emotion recognition tasks and a female own-gender bias in gender categorisation and age estimation tasks. Overall, these findings allude to the lack of malleability of the adulthood face recognition and perceptual systems.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks*
  11. Fulltext Comparison of the Air-Q intubating laryngeal mask airway and the Ambu AuraGain laryngeal mask airway as a conduit for fibreoptic assisted endotracheal intubation for simulated cervical spine injury
    Che Omar S, Hardy Mohamad Zaini R, Fui Wong T, Nazaruddin W Hassan WM
    Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther, 2021;53(3):241-245.
    PMID: 34006053 DOI: 10.5114/ait.2021.105759
    INTRODUCTION: Airway management in patients with a cervical spine injury is a difficult and challenging task. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the Air-Q intubating laryngeal airway and the Ambu AuraGain laryngeal mask airway as a conduit for fibreoptic (FO) assisted endotracheal intubation in adult patients with a simulated cervical spine injury.

    MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 66 adult patients underwent elective surgery under general anaes-thesia, and they were randomized to two groups: the Air-Q (AQ) group (n = 33) and the Ambu AuraGain (AA) group (n = 33). A simulated cervical spine injury was created using a cervical collar, which was applied after the induction of general anaesthesia. Ease of insertion, time taken for successful insertion, time taken for successful FO guided endotracheal intubation, oropharyngeal leak pressure (OLP), Brimacombe score for FO laryngeal view, post-intubation complications and haemodynamic changes were recorded for both groups.

    RESULTS: The OLP was significantly higher in the AA group than in the AQ group (34.9 ± 6.4 vs. 28.6 ± 7.8 cm H 2 O; P = 0.001). Otherwise, there were no significant differences in the ease of insertion, time taken for successful insertion, time taken for successful FO guided endotracheal intubation, Brimacombe score for FO laryngeal view, haemodynamic parameters or complication rate between the two groups.

    CONCLUSIONS: Air-Q was comparably effective as Ambu AuraGain as a conduit for FO endotracheal intubation in patients with a simulated cervical spine injury; however, Ambu AuraGain has a better seal with significant OLP.

    Matched MeSH terms: Laryngeal Masks*
  12. Fulltext Aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk: Surgical or N95 masks?
    Periyasamy P, Ng BH, Ali UK, Rashid ZZ, Kori N
    Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 2021 09;42(9):1150-1152.
    PMID: 32928321 DOI: 10.1017/ice.2020.465
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  13. Do-it-yourself adapter for fundus examination with 90D and 78D lens
    Fogla R, Gujar P, Law M
    Indian J Ophthalmol, 2022 Feb;70(2):653-654.
    PMID: 35086256 DOI: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_1986_21
    The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a radical change in safety measures in outpatient clinics. The use of face masks by patients and healthcare workers has become a mandatory norm. Exhaled air with a face mask often follows an upward route. The warm exhaled air leads to fogging of 90/78D lens during fundus examination, hampering visualization. This can be prevented by the use of a simple yet innovative DIY adapter for a 90/78D lens, which can be made using simple household items such as PVC pipes or water hose pipes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  14. Fulltext Prospect of biobased antiviral face mask to limit the coronavirus outbreak
    Chowdhury MA, Shuvho MBA, Shahid MA, Haque AKMM, Kashem MA, Lam SS, et al.
    Environ Res, 2021 Jan;192:110294.
    PMID: 33022215 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110294
    The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led to nationwide lockdowns in many countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has played serious havoc on economic activities throughout the world. Researchers are immensely curious about how to give the best protection to people before a vaccine becomes available. The coronavirus spreads principally through saliva droplets. Thus, it would be a great opportunity if the virus spread could be controlled at an early stage. The face mask can limit virus spread from both inside and outside the mask. This is the first study that has endeavoured to explore the design and fabrication of an antiviral face mask using licorice root extract, which has antimicrobial properties due to glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and glycyrrhizin (GL). An electrospinning process was utilized to fabricate nanofibrous membrane and virus deactivation mechanisms discussed. The nanofiber mask material was characterized by SEM and airflow rate testing. SEM results indicated that the nanofibers from electrospinning are about 15-30 μm in diameter with random porosity and orientation which have the potential to capture and kill the virus. Theoretical estimation signifies that an 85 L/min rate of airflow through the face mask is possible which ensures good breathability over an extensive range of pressure drops and pore sizes. Finally, it can be concluded that licorice root membrane may be used to produce a biobased face mask to control COVID-19 spread.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  15. Fulltext Valorization of discarded face mask for bioactive compound synthesis and photodegradation of dye
    Kiong TC, Nordin N, Ahmad Ruslan NAA, Kan SY, Ismail NM, Zakaria Z, et al.
    Environ Res, 2022 Oct;213:113737.
    PMID: 35752328 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113737
    To keep COVID-19 at bay, most countries have mandated the use of face masks in public places and imposed heavy penalties for those who fail to do so. This has inadvertently created a huge demand for disposable face masks and worsened the problem of littering, where a large number of used masks are constantly discarded into the environment. As such, an efficient and innovative waste management strategy for the discarded face mask is urgently needed. This study presents the transformation of discarded face mask into catalyst termed 'mask waste ash catalyst (MWAC)' to synthesise bisindolylmethanes (BIMs), alkaloids that possess antibacterial, antioxidant and antiviral properties. Using commercially available aldehydes and indole, an excellent yield of reaction (62-94%) was achieved using the MWAC in the presence of water as the sole solvent. On the other hand, the FT-IR spectrum of MWAC showed the absorption bands at 2337 cm-1, 1415 cm-1 and 871 cm-1, which correspond to the signals of calcium oxide. It is then proposed that the calcium oxides mainly present in MWAC can protonate oxygen atoms in the carbonyl molecule of the aldehyde group, thus facilitating the nucleophile attack by indole which consequently improved the product yield. Moreover, the MWAC is also observed to facilitate the photodegradation of methylene blue with an efficiency of up to 94.55%. Our results showed the potential applications of the MWAC derived from discarded face masks as a sustainable catalyst for bioactive compound synthesis and photodegradation of dye compounds.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  16. Fulltext Health Education Intervention as an Effective Means for Prevention of Respiratory Infections Among Hajj Pilgrims: A Review
    Goni MD, Hasan H, Wan-Arfah N, Naing NN, Deris ZZ, Arifin WN, et al.
    Front Public Health, 2020;8:449.
    PMID: 33014965 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00449
    The prevalence of respiratory illness has continued to surge among Hajj pilgrims from different countries despite having some practices of preventive measures. Respiratory illnesses during Hajj could be due to many reasons and many factors that promote disease spread. These factors include overcrowding, cigarette smoking, and direct contact with infectious agents particularly viruses promote the spread of respiratory infections. However, due to the longer duration of the pilgrimage, there are high chances of pilgrims contracting various respiratory illnesses due to exposure to respiratory pathogens. Hajj pilgrims' knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward respiratory tract infections are used as the determinant of the effectiveness of the health education interventions. Knowledge and application of basic hygiene principles, use of face masks, following cough etiquettes, engaging in social distancing, and engaging in other measures are highly important. In this paper, we reviewed the various effective intervention strategies implemented to help prevent respiratory tract infections during Hajj.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
  17. Postoperative sore throat in children: comparison between proseal LMA and classic LMA
    Mokhtar AM, Choy CY
    Middle East J Anaesthesiol, 2013 Feb;22(1):65-70.
    PMID: 23833853
    Postoperative sore throat after minor pediatric surgery although uncommon and the symptoms are mild, the incidence may be affected by several factors. This study was designed to compare the frequency and severity of post operative sore throat in children undergoing elective surgery following the use of proseal LMA (PLMA) compared to classic LMA (cLMA).
    Matched MeSH terms: Laryngeal Masks/adverse effects*
  18. Randomised comparison of the LMA Supreme with the I-Gel in spontaneously breathing anaesthetised adult patients
    Chew EE, Hashim NH, Wang CY
    Anaesth Intensive Care, 2010 Nov;38(6):1018-22.
    PMID: 21226431
    We compared the performance of the LMA Supreme (SLMA) with the I-Gel during anaesthesia in spontaneously breathing adult patients. Ninety patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II were studied in a prospective randomised controlled study. Our primary outcome measure was oropharyngeal leak pressure. We also compared the overall insertion success rate, ease of insertion, adequacy of ventilation and incidence of complications. The mean (SD), oropharyngeal leak pressure for the SLMA was 25.6 (5.1) cmH2O, which was greater than for the I-Gel 20.7 (5.9) cmH2O (P = 0.0001). The first attempt and overall insertion success rates were similar between the two groups (SLMA 97.8 and 97.8%; I-Gel 93.3 and 100%, P = 0.132). The SLMA was rated easier to insert than the I-Gel (P = 0.011), but the time taken for insertion (P = 0.433) was similar. The incidence of complications was low in both groups. The grade of fibreoptic view was better with the I-Gel than the SLMA (P = 0.001). We conclude that in adults with normal airways, the SLMA is easier to insert and provides a higher oropharyngeal leak pressure, but fibreoptic views are better with the i-gel.
    Matched MeSH terms: Laryngeal Masks*
  19. Fulltext Controlled ventilation with Brain laryngeal mask
    Miranda AF, Reddy VG
    Med J Malaysia, 1990 Mar;45(1):65-9.
    PMID: 2152071
    A Brain laryngeal mask was assessed in fifty patients undergoing general anaesthesia who required controlled ventilation. The mask was inserted in all patients without any difficulty and the satisfactory seal obtained enabled ventilation in all patients in a wide range of positions. Airway obstruction occurred in seven patients secondary to downfolding of the epiglottis and this was rectified by reinsertion. The incidence of sore throat was 10%. The Brain laryngeal mask is a safe alternative to the tracheal tube for controlled ventilation during general anaesthesia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks*
  20. Fulltext Direct veneer restoration using a nano ceramic composite material: a clinical report
    Yahya, N.A., Lim, K.H.D.
    Ann Dent, 2008;15(2):89-93.
    MyJurnal
    Direct composite veneers can be used to mask tooth discolorations and/or to correct unaesthetic tooth forms and/or positions. However, these type of restorations are often regarded as one of the most challenging in aesthetic dentistry presumably due to the extent of natural tooth structure that must be recreated. This paper discusses easy application techniques and tips for Ceram.X Duo™, a nano ceramic composite restorative material. Its natural shading system allows the restoration of tooth with both dentine and enamel shade and transforms it into a final direct veneer restoration that mimics a natural tooth.
    Matched MeSH terms: Masks
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