Morphological traits essential to electrospun and grafted Nylon-6 nanofiber membranes for capturing submicron simulated exhaled breath aerosols

As contagious bio-aerosols continue to impact our society, we examine how the morphological traits of large-scale (15 cm x 93 cm), uniformly thick, electrospun Nylon membranes can contribute to the development of diagnostic, sensor driven face masks for capturing exhaled breath content. In our study, we compare the capture efficiencies of three types of large-scale Nylon-6 nanofiber membranes against those of commercial control textiles for capturing in-lab simulated salt breath aerosols. One of the electrospun membranes was also surface functionalized via grafting technique. The fabrication, functionalization, and exhaled aerosol capture of these large-scale membranes underscores the importance of assessing the lifetime, and usability, of electrospun materials before future integration with diagnostic sensing platforms can be successfully achieved

Association of 12-month contraceptive supply policy and months of oral contraception prescribed by obstetrics and gynecology resident physicians: an exploratory cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective This study sought to determine if there was a difference in the months of oral contraception prescribed by resident physicians living in U.S. states with a 12-month supply policy compared to resident physicians in states without a policy. Methods We conducted an exploratory descriptive study using a convenience sample of Obstetrics and Gynecology resident physicians (n = 275) in the United States. Standard bivariate analyses were used to compare the difference between groups. Results Few resident physicians in both groups (3.8% with a policy and 1.4% without a policy) routinely prescribed a 12-month supply of contraception. The mean coverage prescribed by providers in states with and without a policy was 2.81 and 2.07 months (p < 0.05). Conclusions The majority of resident physicians were unaware of 12-month contraceptive supply policies and unable to correctly write a prescription for 12-months of contraception, regardless of whether they lived in a state with a 12-month contraceptive supply policy. Physician education may be needed to effectively implement 12-month contraceptive supply policies