The association between self-assessed cold threshold (CT) and thermal insulation of clothing (Icl) was analysed in 283 poultry workers in Thailand. The mean CT was 13.5 °C (range - 28-29) and the mean Icl was 1.23 clo (range 0.35-2.21). The adjusted CT remained unchanged at low Icls (0.35 through 1.25 clo) but was estimated to increase by 14.8 °C at high Icls (1.25 through 2.21 clo). Overall, CT was higher by 2.4 °C (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.3-3.8) at high (≥ 1.25 clo) than that at low (< 1.25 clo) Icl, but this difference was modified by personal and work-related factors. The difference was 2.6 °C (CI 0.5-4.6) for older (30-57 y) compared to younger (18-29 y) participants, with an excess of 7.3 °C (CI 5.6-9.0) for low vs high educated participants, 2.6 °C (CI 0.5-4.8) for those doing heavy vs light work, 7.4 °C (CI 3.7-11.0) for alcohol consumers vs others, and 3.4 °C (CI 0.6-6.3) for smokers vs non-smokers. The differences were independent of personal characteristics and worksite physical conditions and were interpreted as increased cold sensitivity among subgroups with lesser stamina and poorer health. Sensitive worker subgroups should be identified, and their need for cold protection should be reviewed.

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UNASSIGNED: Wildland firefighters (WFFs) regularly face demanding physical and environmental conditions during their duties, such as high ambient temperatures, challenging terrains, heavy equipment and protective gear. These conditions can strain thermoregulatory responses, leading to increased fatigue and posing risks to their health and safety. This study examined the effectiveness of two cooling interventions during physical activity in hot environments.
UNASSIGNED: Eight active male WFFs participated, comparing the effects of wearing a cooling vest (VEST) and personal protective equipment removal (PASSIVE) against a control condition (PPE). Participants walked on a treadmill at a speed of 6 km·h-1 for approximately 75-min under hot conditions (30°C and 30% relative humidity). Incremental slope increases were introduced every 15 min after the initial 20 min of activity, with 5-min passive recovery between each increment. Physiological and perceptual parameters were monitored throughout the protocol.
UNASSIGNED: Significant main effects (p < 0.05) were observed in skin temperature (36.3 ± 0.2, 36.2 ± 0.4 and 35.4 ± 0.6°C in PPE, PASSIVE and VEST, respectively), physiological strain index (5.2 ± 0.4, 5.6 ± 1.1 and 4.3 ± 1.4 in PPE, PASSIVE and VEST) and thermal sensation (6.6 ± 0.6, 6.4 ± 0.7 and 5.3 ± 0.7 in PPE, PASSIVE, and VEST). However, no significant effects of the cooling strategies were observed on heart rate, gastrointestinal temperature or performance.
UNASSIGNED: Despite the observed effects on physiological responses, neither cooling strategy effectively mitigated thermal strain in WFFs under the experimental conditions tested.

INTRODUCTION: Firefighters operating in hot environments face challenges from protective garments that restrict heat dissipation, resulting in increased core temperature, thermal discomfort, and performance decline. Cooling vests represent a viable solution. The study aim was to compare effectiveness of the same amount of cooling power to the upper body (UB) or whole body (WB) in alleviating thermoregulatory and physiological stress, enhancing cognitive function, and reducing ratings of thermal discomfort and exertion, during 60 min of exercise in a hot environment (40°C, 40% relative humidity) while wearing firefighter turnout gear.METHODS: Eight healthy individuals (27.5 ± 3 y) participated in three conditions with either no cooling (Control) or active cooling with a liquid perfused shirt (UB cooling), or with a liquid perfused shirt and pants (WB cooling). In each trial, subjects performed three sets of 15 min of stepping (20 steps ⋅ min-1) and 5 min of rest.RESULTS: Both cooling strategies were beneficial compared to having no cooling at all. Subjects could only complete two exercise bouts during Control, but they completed all three bouts with active cooling. WB cooling provided an advantage over UB cooling for core and skin temperature, and thermal comfort and sensation. The advantage in minimizing the increase in core temperature was only evident during the third exercise bout.DISCUSSION: Active cooling is advantageous under these conditions. WB cooling provided some benefits vs UB cooling during heavy intensity exercise; however, it is uncertain whether these benefits would be observed during light-to-moderate exercise, which more likely reflects an actual firefighting scenario.Mansouri F, Talebian Nia M, Villar R, Cornish SM, Giesbrecht GG. Upper- vs. whole-body cooling during exercise with thermal protective clothing in the heat. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(9):659-666.

BACKGROUND: The location of cutaneous melanoma is associated with photoexposure.
OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze changes in the location of cutaneous melanoma over the past 30 years.
METHODS: All patients treated at our hospital for cutaneous melanoma from 1988 through 2017 were prospectively collected. Data obtained in cases diagnosed from 1988 through June 2006 were compared to those diagnosed from July 2006 through 2017.
RESULTS: A total of 1,937 patients (876 men and 1061 women; median age, 57 years; interquartile range 27) were diagnosed with primary cutaneous melanoma. The location of melanoma was head and neck (470 cases), trunk (745 cases), upper limbs (239 cases), and lower limbs (483 cases). From July 2006 through 2017 we detected an increase in the incidence of head and neck melanomas (19.9% vs 28.6%, p <0.001). A drop in the incidence of melanomas located in the lower extremities was also seen in women (39.8% vs 30.4%, p <0.001), and in the trunk men (57.5% vs 47.3%, p=0.003). In the multivariate analyses, only the decrease in melanomas located in lower extremities in women remained significant.
CONCLUSIONS: The increased incidence of head and neck melanomas in both sexes and the decrease in trunk melanomas in men can be attributed to the aging of our population. The reduction in the incidence of melanomas in the lower extremities in women could be associated with changes in photoexposure patterns. Analyzing the factors possibly associated with these changes would contribute to better understanding the pathogenesis of cutaneous melanoma for prevention purposes.

Protection suits are vital for firefighters\' safety. Traditional protection suits physically protect firemen from burns, but cannot locate the position of bodily injuries caused by impact debris. Herein, we present a wearable impact debris positioning system for firefighter protection suits based on an accelerometer array. Wearable piezoelectric accelerometers are distributed regularly on the suit to detect the vibration on different body parts, which is conducive to determining the position of injured body parts. In addition, the injured parts can be displayed on a dummy body model on the upper computer with a higher localization accuracy of 4 cm. The positioning alarm system has a rapid response time of 0.11 ms, attributed to the smart signal processing method. This work provides a reliable and smart method for locating and assessing the position of bodily injuries caused by impact debris, which is significant because it enables fire commanders to rescue injured firefighters in time.

OBJECTIVE: In this review, we discuss the status of novel radiation shielding and other methods to reduce radiation exposure and its associated health risks within the CCL.
RESULTS: There are many devices on the market each with its unique advantages and inherent flaws. Several are available for widespread use with promising data, while others still in development. The field of percutaneous transcatheter interventions includes complex procedures often involving significant radiation exposure. Increased radiation exposes the proceduralist and CCL staff to potential harm from both direct effects of radiation but also from the ergonomic consequences of daily use of heavy personal protective equipment. Here we discuss several innovative efforts to reduce both radiation exposure and orthopedic injury within the CCL that are available, leading to a safer daily routine in a \"lead [apron]-free\" environment.

Objectives. Addressing the prevalent issue of size misfits in large-scale issued firefighter uniforms due to diverse and complex body morphologies, this article presents an objective method for intelligent garment sizing matching without subjective weighting. Methods. The method employs criteria importance through inter-criteria correlation (CRITIC) and the catastrophe progression method (CPM) for more accurate and reliable sizing. Traditional methods, reliant on limited indicators such as height and chest girth and often subjectively determined by experts, are prone to reliability concerns. Matching decisions made based on our approach are evidence-based, transparent and reproducible, thus minimizing subjectivity and expert intervention. Results. A case study of 388 cases validates the method\'s efficacy in providing garment size recommendations, surpassing traditional experience-based approaches by reducing subjective bias. Conclusion. Despite some differences, the optimal alternatives for examinees are almost consistent across the different methods. Compared with traditional subjective weighting methods, this method has potential advantages in situations such as large-scale matching of firefighter protective clothing where individual customization or direct try-on is not feasible.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of an adapted white-coat and warm-heart intervention (AWWI) among nurses.
BACKGROUND: HIV discrimination among medical staff hinders progress in HIV prevention.
METHODS: A total of 779 nurses were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention group was provided with AWWI training. The control group did not receive AWWI training. HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of participants were assessed.
RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group had better HIV-related knowledge and less stigmatizing attitudes and work avoidance behavior levels than participants in the control group after the 1-, 3-, and 6-month interventions (P < .05). The main effects of group and time factors were highly significant in the intervention group. There were significant interaction effects in group and time factors.
CONCLUSIONS: AWWI effectively improved the level of HIV-related knowledge and reduced general stigmatizing attitudes and work avoidance behaviors among nurses based on self-reported data in a tertiary hospital in China during a 6-month period.

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