How Disposable Medical Glove Standards Are Developed
Medical gloves provide a critical barrier in clinical environments, protecting both workers and patients. In fact, the Center for Disease Control recommends that all healthcare workers wear gloves as a safeguard against HIV and other blood-and-fluid borne infectious agents.
To make sure medical gloves provide adequate protection, the Food and Drug Administration enforces a variety of standards for glove manufacturers to follow when making and marketing gloves.
The FDA’s Authority over Medical Gloves
Initially, the FDA focused solely on regulating drugs. But this changed with the May 28, 1976 introduction of the Medical Device Amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FFD&C) Act. Now FDA regulations provide for the safety, effectiveness, and proper use of all medical devices—including disposable medical gloves.
The FDA doesn’t actually write standards for medical devices. Instead, it recognizes guidelines written by others, such as the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), the American Association of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). FDA representatives do, however, participate in standard-writing committees.
Often, the FDA applies the established standards as baseline requirements when evaluating medical devices and supplies for the marketplace. As an example, the FDA requires all medical glove manufacturers to meet ASTM guideline D 5151 for the detection of holes in disposable exam gloves.
Medical Gloves and the ASTM
ASTM is a nonprofit organization that provides a common ground for consumers, manufacturers, organizations, government representatives, and academia, to meet and write standards for variety of products, services, and materials. Its guidelines are wholly recognized by the FDA. As a result, glove manufacturers must conform to these standards to meet FDA requirements for the particular types of medical gloves they market. Medical gloves, in fact, were some of the first products for which the ASTM developed standards.
Periodically, the ASTM revises its standards to respond to industry, consumer and regulatory needs. Otherwise, the guidelines are reviewed every five years, and then re-approved or withdrawn. Each year, the ASTM publishes more than 10,000 standards in a 70 plus volume set entitled Annual Book of ASTM Standards.
ASTM Testing of Medical Gloves
The ASTM requires different standards for different medical gloves based on performance specifications. Glove products are scientifically tested to accurately assess products made from a variety of manufacturing approaches, formulations and materials. Rigorous analysis is conducted in a variety of areas, including the following:
1. The Water Leak Test which consists of filling a medical glove with 1,000 ml of water, suspending it for two minutes and then inspecting it for any leakage;
2. The Air Inflation Test which involves inflating the exam glove with compressed air and visually inspecting it for holes;
3. The Chemical Permeation Test which measures the resistance of protective clothing materials to permeation by liquid or gaseous chemicals under conditions of continuous contact;
4. The Tensile Strength Test which measures the amount of force in pounds per square inch that is needed to stretch a medical glove to the breaking point;
5. The V-Tear Test which determines the force required to initiate a tear in the medical glove;
6. The Trouser Tear Test which measures the force needed to continue tearing once an initial tear has been made in the glove;
7. The Puncture Resistance Test which determines the glove material’s ability to resist rupturing when stricken by an object and;
8. Skin irritation and sensitization tests which demonstrate the medical glove’s potential for irritating the user’s skin and possibly causing allergic contact dermatitis.
Most of these types of tests have specific Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) standards which the medical gloves must meet in order to pass FDA regulations.
Irene Perez is General Manager of
Tips For Understanding Hair Loss Remedies And Treatments
The average human head has about 100,000 hair follicles; each follicle can grow about 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. Statistics show that most men have a 50% chance of experiencing hereditary hair loss by their 50th birthday. The normal cycle of hair growth lasts from two to six years.
Some mycotic infections can cause massive hair loss. One type of baldness is called traction alopecia, which is most commonly found in people with ponytails or cornrows who pull on their hair with excessive force. Fungal infections of the scalp can cause hair loss in children which is easily treated with antifungal medicines.
Hair loss may occur if male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens, are out of balance; correcting the hormone imbalance may stop the hair loss. Some drugs or medications can cause hair loss, which improves when you stop taking the medicine; medications that can cause hair loss include blood thinners, medicines used for gout, and chemotherapy drugs used for cancer, too much vitamin A supplementation, birth control pills and antidepressants. Wearing a hat generally shouldn’t cause baldness, though it’s a good idea to give your scalp a rest and let it breathe for several hours a day.
Correcting a hormone imbalance may prevent further hair loss. Hypothyroidism can cause it, especially thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows. Tumors and skin growths can also induce localized baldness.
Go a more natural way with treatment if possible; taking hair loss drugs require many months of exposure to chemicals. Propecia is available with a prescription; comes in pill form, is only for men and may take up to six months before you can tell if it is working. Minoxidil is a very expensive drug, costing about one hundred dollars per month for daily treatment.
Hair loss treatments and remedies range in price from free to expensive. Stress reduction can be helpful in slowing loss. Please be aware there are side effects and serious side effects sometimes with the drugs that are commonly used for hair loss.
Immunosuppressants applied to the scalp have been shown to temporarily reverse alopecia areata, though the side effects of some of these drugs make this therapy questionable. Studies done on subjects of various ages suggests that weight training alone may increase testosterone in studies where aerobic exercise only was compared to either weight training or a moderately sedentary life. There are prescription drugs, herbal remedies and topical applications.
Russian cure with honey and vodka remedy for hair loss – combine one tablespoon honey with one jigger of vodka and the juice of a medium-size onion; rub mixture into the scalp every night, cover with a cap and shampoo in the morning. Apple cider vinegar used as a hair rinse may stimulate hair growth. Rub vitamin E oil into the scalp nightly.
Make sure to test remedies on a small area first and check with your hair loss doctor or skin doctor before trying any natural home remedy if it includes any irritating ingredients. Vodka and cayenne remedy for loss – mix one jigger of vodka with a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (test on skin first for sensitivity) and rub it on the scalp; blood rushes to the hair follicles stimulated by the vodka and cayenne pepper – be careful if you try it. Try scalp massage every day.
Saw Palmetto is an herbal DHT inhibitor often claimed to be cheaper and have fewer side effects than finasteride and dutasteride; unlike other 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, saw palmetto induces its effects without interfering with the cellular capacity to secrete PSA (protein specific antigen). Olive oil and rosemary remedy – use equal amounts of olive oil and oil of rosemary; combine them in a bottle, shake vigorously, massage into the scalp, put on a cap and shampoo in the morning. Massage the scalp nightly with oil made of one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil.
Raw onion remedy – take half a raw onion and massage the scalp with it; cover the head overnight, shampoo and rinse in the morning. Beta Sitosterol, which is a constituent in many seed oils, can help to treat BHP (benign prostatic hypertrophy) by lowering cholesterol; but consuming large amounts to get at small quantities of beta sitosterol is likely to exacerbate male pattern baldness. Asian remedy for hair loss – rub sesame oil on your scalp every night, cover with a cap or old towel; in the morning wash with an herbal shampoo, rinse with a solution of one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in one quart of water.
Concentrate on boosting your immune system to give your hair the best chance to regrow. Remember that any drugs you take for hair loss will be a long term commitment; consider the risks to your health before doing this. Remember that regrowing hair is a slow process so don’t look for results overnight for any remedy or treatment you try.
For more information on HairLossRemedy.us hair loss remedies and hair loss products go to HairLossRemedy.us HairLossRemedy.us a nurse’s website specializing in hair loss treatments, causes and resources for men, women and children including information on hair transplants and HairLossRemedy.us hair loss natural treatments
How to Lose Weight – The Angry Pep Talk
I can’t help it. I am really getting tired of all of you being lied to on a day to day basis. You’ve got companies selling everything from videos to diets but what you really have is a complete OVERFLOW of information. Everyone knows that you’ll buy one thing, try it, and then buy something else when that doesn’t work.
The bad part is that these same companies will BLAME YOU for not working hard enough when the whole basis for their system revolves around how easy it is to implement. Sounds fishy doesn’t it.
It’s the classic smokescreen and it happens all of the time. The three industries I’ve seen it happen the most in are credit repair, internet marketing (work from home), and health and fitness.
Each of these has one thing in common: the ability for someone to exploit one thing, the fear of something bad happening to you it you choose to go another direction than theirs.
Save your money.
There are no real quick fixes. There is always a trade off. For example, when you see some famous person with mucho money and a killer body, you never see the sacrifices these people go through to achieve these things. Shows like “Driven” and “Behind the Music” can do a little justice but only really scratch the surface. It takes commitment, dedication, and persistence to get to these points. You have never heard of any of these people talk about how EASY it was to get on top.
Fact: just about every successful person hits “rock bottom” before their explosion onto the scene. “The Rock” slept on a mattress he pulled out of an alley before he started wrestling. Don’t believe me, look it up
vh1.com/shows/dyn/driven/…de_about.jhtml
How many times have you lied to yourself today? How many times have you said that you couldn’t do something when all you have to do is take the first step?
Life isn’t as bad as you think it is. Take some responsibility for where you are in life. It’s your fault. You are where you are based on your decisions, no one else’s. If you have put on a couple of pounds, it’s not the food industries fault. You put the food in your mouth. If you don’t have time to exercise, make it. Are you busier than Edison, Einstein, FDR, and every President of the United States?
You have two choices in life: live or die
If you are eating horribly, you are slowly killing yourself
Not exercising, slowly killing yourself
Smoking, same thing
Being accountable for your station in life is a very powerful thing. You will never be in a better position. Say it, “It’s my fault, and its okay.” Your failures dictate your successes. If you aren’t successful, you haven’t failed enough. Period.
There is no such thing are inaction. You are always actively choosing to do something. If you are sitting on the couch, you are choosing to be there.
For every action, there is an equal reaction in magnitude. For the action of sitting on the couch, the reaction is that you gain weight. If you sit on the couch for 2 months, obviously you gain more weight.
Throw a small rock in a pond, small ripples. Throw a big rock, waves. Make waves. Do something big.
If you are scared, admit it. Is it going to kill you? Probably not. So big deal. Get it done. Your fears are just a manifestation of your ego projected onto the world. Most things aren’t as bad as you think.
Here is a great quote: Honesty is conforming your words to reality, integrity is conforming reality to your words.
In other words, honesty is telling the truth and integrity is doing what you said you are going to do.
Have integrity and be honest with yourself. Watch all of the self-destructive “white” lies you tell yourself each day. Walk big. If you don’t believe it, no one else will.
Only you determine where you go in life. Are you going to make the decisions or are they going to be made for you? Either way, a decision will be made. Quit being a victim and take charge. The world is filled with too many victims and cynics. Get off your ass and do something, make something happen.
Like Henry Ford said:
“Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”
After all, it’s your life we are talking about.
About the Author:
Brad Howard is the author of the wildly successful book “Health Club Secrets, How to Master the Art of Losing Weight Without Getting Ripped Off” and has been in the industry for years. For more details, make sure to visit healthclubsecrets.com HealthClubSecrets.com
Want more Brad? Be sure to log on to mindoverbodymatter.com The Secret to Weight Loss for information on the new book coming out soon. Find out about little known combinations and techniques that will send you weight loss results through the roof.
When Yeast Infections Can Be Dangerous
Candida yeast is the cause of male yeast infections, oral thrush, vaginal yeast infections, and rashes on the skin.
Yeast can mutate quickly in the presence of anti-fungal drugs, just as bacteria can mutate to become resistant to antibiotics. The ability of Candida yeast to adapt and become drug resistant has caused considerable alarm among the medical profession, and some yeast infections can be dangerous. In fact, Candida infections kill up to 10,000 people in the United States each year.
For patients with a compromised immune system, a yeast infection can be dangerous, or even life threatening. A common yeast infection in AIDS patients called esophagitis may form in the upper digestive tract. This is an infection very similar to thrush, but it extends down from the mouth into the esophagus and stomach.
This type of infection can cause painful ulcers that make it too painful to swallow foods and liquids, so there is a danger of becoming dangerously dehydrated. Infections that spread to the intestine can cause malabsorbion of nutrients from food.
Blood-born Candida infections are also possible in patients with an immune system deficiency, and these infections can spread to the brain, causing changes in behavior or mental functioning. These systemic infections may require hospitalization and treatment by IV antibiotics. Unfortunately, the fatality rate is extremely high in immune-compromised patients.
Any Candida infection in a patient with a compromised immune system, including oral and vaginal yeast infections, must be treated quickly. Women who are undergoing chemotherapy treatment should be particularly cautious about attempting to treat a yeast infection with over-the-counter medicine – a visit to your doctor is a much wiser choice.
Drug-resistant strains of Candida yeast are found in some hospitals, where the yeast organism has adapted to the use of disinfectants and strong antifungal drugs. These invasive strains of yeast can attack post-operative patients, and must be treated aggressively.
This risk is particularly common in some third-world hospitals, but it is causing increasing concern here in the US and other developed nations, as well.
Some scientists are also concerned that the increasing use of anti-fungal medications for common conditions like nail fungus can create drug-resistant strains of yeast.
Just a few of the recent studies are listed below:
• One recent study in Italy has found a possible vaccine for Candida infections, and they hope to begin human testing in the near future.
• Another study has discovered an anti-fungal compound found in a sea sponge that lives in the Indian Ocean. They hope this discovery will lead to a new treatment for fungal infections that threaten AIDS and cancer patients.
• Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have found that a drug normally used to treat heart problems may also be helpful in combating chronic fungal infections.
Much more research must be done. Until then, anyone with a compromised immune system, because of AIDS, chemotherapy, or some kinds of cancer, should seek medical care immediately if they have any symptoms of a yeast infection.
Jonni writes full-time about important health issues, including YourYeastInfection.com yeast infections. For a FREE Report called “4 Important Facts About Yeast Infections,” visit her site at YourYeastInfection.com YourYeastInfection.com