The demand for medical textile products is increasing with awareness regarding better healthcare services and efficient medical treatments. Compared to other textiles, elastic warp knitted materials, which have elastomer threads in each wale have been widely used in producing medical and preventive products. Thus, in order to decrease the weight and cost of these products without effect on fabric’s stretchability, in this study, various elastic warp knitted fabrics were produced using different raw materials and elastomer threading arrangements, and their properties were investigated. The fabrics were produced on a crochet knitting machine with five different arrangements of elastomer threading and four different laid-in yarn materials as polyester, cotton, and linen. Then the dimensional properties and elastic behaviors of the samples were determined and evaluated comparatively. Statistical analysis showed that all studied elastic warp knitted fabrics have high provide elasticity at a higher than 95% level. On the other hand, the mass per unit area of the fabric is reduced, with the use of linen yarn as weft yarn, or when the total linear density of the weft yarn and the amount of elastomer threads decrease. Finally, the obtained results revealed the possibility to reduce elastomer consumption to decrease weight for elastic medical products, which were developed, without effect on fabric’s stretchability and elasticity as well as replacing synthetic threads with natural yarns in order to improve product comfort.

The aim of this study is to determine the performance properties of elastic warp-knitted fabrics used for medical purposes. The samples were knitted using different weft yarn material and changing the threading order of elastomer yarn. The detailed results of the dimensional and elasticity performance of elastic warp-knitted fabrics had been reported in Part I of this series. In this part, the effects of weft yarn material and the threading order of elastomer yarn on the thermal comfort characteristics were investigated. It has been seen that the type and linear density of the transverse weft yarns and the number of elastomer yarns in the fabric structure affected significantly the thermal comfort and permeability characteristics of the developed elastic warp-knitted fabrics. According to the results, using polyester yarns as weft and reducing the number of elastomer yarns led to an increase in air permeability. Additionally, the thermal conductivity characteristics of the fabrics increased as the number of elastomer yarns in the structure increased. It has been seen that from the results, the water vapour resistance coefficient of the samples is appropriate for the usage of these fabrics in medical products.

Abstract. Sport is a necessary element for maintaining life in a healthier and more balanced way. There has been a rising trend of wearing sportswear in daily life besides sports. Developments in technology have raised expectations from sportswear. Individuals expect not only durability, design and being fashionable, but also demand performance and clothing comfort. This study aims to investigate university students' awareness while buying sportswear. Professional sportsmen from Physical Education and Sports School students and Textile Engineering students having technical knowledge about clothes are included in this study. 100 students from each group were interviewed face to face. Results showed that Textile Engineering students pay more attention to technical characteristics due to their knowledge, however, aesthetic properties are revealed to be another important factor affecting buying decision. Buying decision of Physical Education and Sports School students is expected to be positively affected if they are given a seminar about raw material properties.

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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that has become a global health problem. As the population of people with diabetes is growing worldwide, the prevalence of complications associated with DM, such as diabetic foot, also increases. Neuropathy and high plantar pressure are the two most frequent causes of foot ulceration. Since diabetic wounds tend to heal slowly, it is crucial to prevent diabetic foot ulcers before they occur. In this study, the efficacy of a sock developed for diabetes in the previous research of the authors was investigated in a clinical study with the participation of patients with diabetes over a 6-month period. At the end of the study, it was observed that none of the participants had experienced any new ulcers, bacterial or fungal infections, or callus formation during this research. Moreover, a slight decrease in pressure was observed for the first, second, and third metatarsal bones when the socks were worn on day 1. On the other hand, pressure reduction was identified for the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones in all following measurements. However, analyses revealed that duration of usage did not have a statistically significant effect on overall plantar pressure. It was also found that pressure on the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones significantly decreased. Assessment of wearing comfort revealed the satisfaction of the patients, as well. Based on the promising outcomes of this clinical evaluation, these socks developed for people with diabetes can be strongly expected to help avoid diabetic foot ulcers.