Black men's health-related quality of life: A qualitative study to understand community-identified perception and needs.

Objective: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional indicator of overall health associated with premature mortality. Black men score low on measures of HRQoL, but it is unclear how Black men conceptualize HRQoL and whether there have been efforts to promote HRQoL among these men. The present qualitative study to understand Black men's conceptualization of HRQoL and strategies to improve HRQoL was based in community-based participatory research and the social-ecological model of health.

Shop Talk: A Qualitative Study to Understand Peer Health-related Communication Among Black Men at the Barbershop.

Background: While successful health promotion efforts among Black men have been implemented at barbershops, the focus has largely been on outcomes as opposed to the processes by which outcomes are produced. An understanding of processes can be leveraged in the design and implementation of future efforts to improve the health of Black men.

Purpose: The objectives of the present study were to: (i) understand peer-derived sources of health-related support at the barbershop and (ii) understand the role of the barbershop in promoting health among Black men.

Assessing organizational readiness for the Clean Cuts and Sharp Minds Collective: a barbershop health promotion network.

Background: Black men have among the lowest life expectancy in the United States. Alarmingly, these men are underrepresented in health promotion efforts. There are well-documented barriers to recruiting and retaining Black men in health promotion efforts, such as exclusionary research practices - many researchers may be hesitant to reach Black men in culturally unique spaces, such as barbershops.

Lessons Learned From a Community-Based Men's Health Fair.

Introduction: Strategies are needed to promote the uptake of preventive health services among Black, Hispanic, and rural men because these men underutilize health services. Previous research indicates that men prefer community-based health promotion programming, such as health fairs; however, specific guidance on how to tailor health fairs for Black, Hispanic, and rural men are lacking. The present seeks to study provides that guidance.

US regulatory considerations for low field magnetic resonance imaging systems.

Although there has been a resurgence of interest in low field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems in recent years, low field MRI is not a new concept. FDA has a long history of evaluating the safety and effectiveness of MRI systems encompassing a wide range of field strengths. Many systems seeking marketing authorization today include new technological features (such as artificial intelligence), but this does not fundamentally change the regulatory paradigm for MR systems.

Evaluation of Apparatus Used to Test Liquid through Protective Materials: Comparison of a Modified Dot-Blot Apparatus to the ASTM Penetration Cell.

Personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gowns used in the latest Ebola outbreak in Western Africa, are critical in preventing the spread of deadly diseases. Appropriate test systems and test soils are needed to adequately evaluate PPE. ASTM F903, , has been used for decades to test fabrics' resistance to liquid penetration.

Surface orientation effects on bending properties of surgical mesh are independent of tensile properties.

Introduction: Current mechanical testing of surgical mesh focuses primarily on tensile properties even though implanted devices are not subjected to pure tensile loads. Our objective was to determine the flexural (bending) properties of surgical mesh and determine if they correlate with mesh tensile properties.

Methods: The flexural rigidity values of 11 different surgical mesh designs were determined along three textile directions (machine, cross-machine, and 45° to machine; n = 5 for each) using ASTM D1388-14 while tracking surface orientation.

Response to Standardized MR Terminology and Reporting of Implants and Devices as Recommended by the American College of Radiology Subcommittee on MR Safety.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continually works toward the goal of safety.

ACR guidance document on MR safe practices: 2013.

Because there are many potential risks in the MR environment and reports of adverse incidents involving patients, equipment and personnel, the need for a guidance document on MR safe practices emerged. Initially published in 2002, the ACR MR Safe Practices Guidelines established de facto industry standards for safe and responsible practices in clinical and research MR environments. As the MR industry changes the document is reviewed, modified and updated.

Standards for medical devices in MRI: present and future.

The purpose of this review is to define the current standards addressing safety of medical devices in MRI and to describe ongoing standards development efforts. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International) began developing standard test methods for determining the MR safety of medical devices in MRI in 1997. To date, five ASTM standards addressing testing and marking medical devices and other items for use in the MR environment have been published.

Effects on instruments of the World Health Organization--recommended protocols for decontamination after possible exposure to transmissible spongiform encephalopathy-contaminated tissue.

It has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that rigorous decontamination protocols be used on surgical instruments that have been exposed to tissue possibly contaminated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). This study was designed to examine the effects of these protocols on various types of surgical instruments. The most important conclusions are: (1) autoclaving in 1N NaOH will cause darkening of some instruments; (2) soaking in 1N NaOH at room temperature damages carbon steel but not stainless steel or titanium; (3) soaking in chlorine bleach will badly corrode gold-plated instruments and will damage some, but not all, stainless-steel instruments, especially welded and soldered joints.

Residual ethylene oxide in medical devices and device material.

Ethylene oxide (EO) gas is commonly used to sterilize medical devices. The amount of residual EO remaining in a device depends partly on the type and size of polymeric material. A major concern is the amount of residue that may be available in the body.

Effects of different disinfection and sterilization methods on tensile strength of materials used for single-use devices.

Driven by economic and time constraints, some medical centers and third parties are resterilizing single-use devices (SUDs) for reuse. The steam autoclave is quick, but most plastics used in SUDs cannot survive the temperature. Thus, a number of new methods of cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing these complex devices are being introduced on the market.