Ergonomic mastectomy bra design: Effect on core body temperature and thermal comfort performance.

The accumulation of sweat and heat between the skin and the prosthesis is one of the common causes of discomfort experienced by post-mastectomy women who wore silicone-type external breast prostheses. This study aimed 1) to investigate the effect of a newly designed heat-reduction mastectomy bra on the thermal responses and thermal comfort performance; and 2) to propose an evaluation protocol for post-mastectomy products. The heat-reduction bra and the conventional bra were made of the same textile materials but the cup of the bra under discussion had a polyurethane cup with a perforated structure along the breast root/inframammary fold. The inframammary fold is often aggravated by heat, sweat, maceration, chafe, and lack of air circulation. Nine healthy male participants were recruited to participate in the study since the women who had undergone double-mastectomy were sensitive about their scars. An ingestible telemetric pill sensor was used to collect the data of core body temperature. Participants performed a 70-min five-phase exercise protocol wearing the heat-reduction bra and the conventional bra together with a silicone prosthesis with ventilation holes on the bottom. Physiological responses (i.e., core body temperature, skin temperature, temperature between bra and prosthesis, skin humidity and humidity between bra and prosthesis) and subjective sensation responses were measured. The results were statistically significant and the conventional mastectomy bra showed a higher core body temperature than that of the heat-reduction mastectomy bra (37.3 ± 0.3 °C to 38.2 ± 0.5 °C vs. 37.2 ± 0.3 °C to 38.0 ± 0.3 °C) starting from the middle of the sitting phase to the running phase and post-exercise resting (F = 164.2, p < 0.001). Both factors, the bra and the phase, have significant effects on the core body temperature (F = 14.5, p < 0.001). The heat-reduction mastectomy bra demonstrated optimum thermal comfort performance in both the temperature and humidity than the conventional mastectomy bra.

Profile of mood states and quality of life of Chinese postmastectomy women in Hong Kong: Integrating variable- and person-centered approaches.

Understanding the mood state and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) of mastectomy recipients can serve as baseline within which a sound rehabilitation program can be developed. This study therefore was conducted to facilitate a better understanding of participants' postmastectomy mood states, identify their potential predictors, identify clusters of mood profiles, and clarify between-cluster differences in terms of QOL. Hong Kong mastectomy patients completed the Profile of Mood States and Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index. We extended the complementary strengths of the application of both variable- and person-centered approaches to clarify relationships and to identify profiles of mood states in relation to QOL in a sample of 200 women who had undergone a mastectomy in Hong Kong. Simultaneous regression identified age and educational attainment as predictors of mood states, and cluster analysis identified three distinct mood profiles that are able to explain differences in various measures of QOL after mastectomy. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.