Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33485923›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of infection control2021

A laboratory model demonstrating the protective effects of surgical masks, face shields, and a combination of both in a speaking simulation.

Hossein Salimnia, Monica P Meyer, Robert Mitchell, Marilynn R Fairfax, Angela Gundel, Navneet Guru, Teena Chopra

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of infection control, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Hossein SalimniaDetroit Medical Center, Microbiology Laboratory, Detroit, MI; Department of Pathology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.
Monica P MeyerDivision of Infectious Diseases, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI; Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, MI.
Robert MitchellDetroit Medical Center, Microbiology Laboratory, Detroit, MI.
Marilynn R FairfaxDetroit Medical Center, Microbiology Laboratory, Detroit, MI; Department of Pathology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.
Angela GundelDetroit Medical Center, Microbiology Laboratory, Detroit, MI; Department of Pathology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.
Navneet GuruDepartment of Pathology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.
Teena ChopraDivision of Infectious Diseases, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI; Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, MI. Electronic address: tchopra@med.wayne.edu.
Detroit Medical Center · USWayne State University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe protection against aerosol transmission provided by masks vs face shields or in combination when speaking indoors is not well understood.

methodsTo simulate a human source, an aerosol generating system was made using a bacterial suspension in a nebulizer attached to an oxygen cylinder. A fan connected to the nebulizer created aerosols. Transmitted aerosols were detected using blood agar plates at 0.1524 and 1.8288 meters from source, simulating exposed person. The study was performed under controlled conditions at room temperature in a biohazard hood with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter and UV light.

resultsWhen face shields were used alone, significant numbers of bacterial colonies grew on blood agar plates. When a mask used alone for both the subjects (source and exposed), the blood agar yielded minimal colony forming units at both distances. When face shields were used in combination with masks, no significant improvement was observed as compared to masks alone. DISCUSSION: Our results were similar to what have been observed in related studies.

conclusionsSurgical masks alone provided good protection, surpassing the protection provided by face shields alone. Both used together provided the best protection, although the combined protection was similar to surgical masks use alone.

Indexed as

LaboratoriesMasksAerosolsHumansAerosolsAerosolsNebulizerRespiratory particles

Identifiers

PMID33485923
PMCPMC7826106
OpenAlexW3122252278

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.