Effect of Needle Heating on the Sewing of Medical Textiles

Medical textiles, such as gowns, scrubs, and even disposable uniforms, are all stitched by sewing machines. These garments are mostly made from polypropylene (PP) and polyester due to their durability, antibacterial performance, and functionality. Demand for these garments has significantly risen in the last few years, and sewing machines are able to stitch at extremely high speeds. However, higher sewing speeds can cause burnt spots on the fabric, lower seam strength, and a decrease in production due to thread breakage. In this paper, I have deeply discussed how medical textiles lose their strength and functionality due to higher sewing speeds; this problem is often neglected due to high production demands. This research is based on PP medical gowns, stitched with polyester (PET) threads, sewn at different speeds. The experimental work is also followed by a theoretical explanation of needle heating during the stitching of medical textiles.

Contribution of the Cheeks to the Intraoral Manipulation of Food

The role of the teeth in chewing has been studied extensively; however, less attention has been paid to soft tissue function. In this study the process of mixing within the bolus and the contribution of the cheeks to this process were investigated using a test food constructed from two differently colored chewing gums. A cheek guard was placed into either the left the or right buccal sulcus. Eighteen dentate subjects were instructed to chew four samples of gum for 30 strokes, two samples with the cheek guard in place and two without. Upon completion, the gum was removed from the mouth and its length was measured. The bolus was then placed into a plastic bag and flattened. Pairs of flattened samples chewed with and without the cheek guard in place were then assessed by five judges who were asked to identify which of each pair was most mixed. Inhibition of the cheek during chewing resulted in significantly longer samples, which were also less mixed.