Cloth masks as respiratory protections in the COVID-19 pandemic period: evidence gaps / Mascarillas de tela como protección respiratoria en el período pandémico COVID-19: lacunas de evidencia / Máscara de tecido como proteção respiratória em período de pandemia da covid-19: lacunas de evidências

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify scientific evidence on the effectiveness of using cloth masks as safe protectors against COVID-19. Method: an integrative review of articles available in full obtained at PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Controlled, non-controlled descriptors and keywords such as "mask", "home-made" and "cloth" or "cotton" and "infection control" or "infection prevention" were used. Results: thirty-eight articles were selected; of these, seven studies made up the sample. Evidence shows that cloth masks do not have the same protective characteristics as surgical masks, indicating an increased risk of infection due to humidity, diffusion of fluids, virus retention, and improper preparation. Considering the shortage of surgical masks during the pandemic, cloth masks could be proposed as a last resort. Conclusion: cloth masks should be used together with preventive measures, such as home insulation, good respiratory conduct, and regular hand hygiene.

RESUMEN Objetivo: identificar evidencia científica sobre la efectividad del uso de mascarillas de tela como un protector seguro contra COVID-19. Método: revisión integradora de artículos disponibles en su totalidad, obtenidos de las bases de datos PubMed, CINAHL y Web of Science. Se utilizaron descriptores controlados y no controlados y palabras clave "mask", "home-made" y "cloth" o "cotton" y "infection control" o "infection prevention". Resultados: se seleccionaron 38 artículos. De estos, siete estudios constituyeron la muestra. La evidencia ha demostrado que las máscaras de tejido no tienen las mismas características protectoras que las máscaras quirúrgicas, lo que indica un mayor riesgo de infección debido a la humedad, la difusión de fluidos, la retención de virus y la preparación inadecuada. Dada la escasez de máscaras quirúrgicas durante la pandemia, podrían proponerse como el último estándar para la población. Conclusión: para la población, las mascarillas de tela deben usarse junto con otras medidas preventivas, como el aislamiento del hogar, la buena etiqueta respiratoria y la higiene regular de las manos.

RESUMO Objetivo: identificar evidências científicas sobre a eficácia do uso de máscaras de tecido enquanto protetor seguro contra a COVID-19. Método: revisão integrativa de artigos disponíveis na íntegra, obtidos nas bases PubMed, CINAHL e Web of Science. Foram utilizados descritores controlados, não controlados e palavras-chave "mask", "home-made" e "cloth" ou "cotton" e "infection control" ou "infection prevention". Resultados: foram selecionados 38 artigos. Desses, sete estudos compuseram a amostra. As evidências mostraram que máscaras de tecido não apresentam as mesmas características de proteção quanto às máscaras cirúrgicas, indicando risco de infecção aumentado devido à umidade, difusão de líquidos, retenção do vírus e confecção inadequada. Diante da escassez de máscaras cirúrgicas durante a pandemia, elas poderiam ser propostas como último recurso para a população. Conclusão: para a população, as máscaras de tecido devem ser usadas em conjunto com outras medidas preventivas, como isolamento domiciliar, boa etiqueta respiratória e higiene regular das mãos.

approach to easy care finishing of light weight wool fabrics

All garments exhibit the unwanted phenomenon of wrinkling. This is most noticeable in men's suits, where the structure of the fabric and garment and the conditions under which the garment is worn facilitate wrinkle formation. Traditionally, "better" suiting materials are composed of 100% wool. However, the growth of artificial heating and the use of readily-deformed light-weight wool fabrics increased the desire for improved easy-care and non-wrinkling properties. Breaking and rearrangement of different bonds in wool such as, hydrogen, ionic, isopeptide and disulphide bonds due to immersing the fabric in hot water and/or to walking or sitting result in wrinkling of the wool fabric. The most common method to increase the wrinkling resistance of the wool fabric involves permanent setting by hot pressing and by decatising. Additional and permanent setting can be done by formation of permanent stable crosslinks between the wool chains by the use of bifunctional reagents able to bridge two functional side-groups in the wool molecules. Permanent crosslinks between the wool chains can also take place by formation of lanthionine. Treatment of wool with metal salts, such as salts of chromium, mercury to improve its wrinkling resistance has been reported[1], but due to the toxicity of such metal salts, the use of this process was stopped. The crosslinking of wool with epoxide[2] and beta- sulphato-ethylsulphone[3,4] have been also reported. In the present work, the improvement of the wrinkle recovery of wool fabric has been carried out by the use of permanent cross-linkers by using the bifunctional reactant resins, dimethyloldihydroxy ethylene urea [DMDHEU] with low formaldehyde release and N, N-dimethyl dihydroxy ethylene urea [1, 3-dimethyl 4, 5-dihydroxy 2-imidazolidinone, DHDMI] with no formaldehyde release. Different catalysts were used for completion of the crosslinking reaction and their effect on the level of finishing was studied