Masks are effective for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. If antimicrobial properties can be applied to the non-woven fabric filters in masks, they can become a more effective countermeasure against human-to-human and environmental infections. We investigated the possibilities of carrying antimicrobial agents on the fiber surfaces of non-woven fabric filters by applying silica-resin coating technology, which can form silica-resin layers on such fabrics at normal temperature and pressure. Scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis showed that a silica-resin layer was formed on the fiber surface of non-woven fabric filters. Bioassays for coronavirus and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) revealed that all antimicrobial agents tested loaded successfully onto non-woven fabric filters without losing their inactivation effects against the human coronavirus (inhibition efficacy: >99.999%). These results indicate that this technology could be used to load a functional substance onto a non-woven fabric filter by vitrifying its surface. Silica-resin coating technology also has the potential of becoming an important breakthrough not only in the prevention of infection but also in various fields, such as prevention of building aging, protection of various cultural properties, the realization of a plastic-free society, and prevention of environmental pollution.

Background. The biopsychosocial mechanism by which exercise leads to improvement in chronic low back pain (CLBP) remains unstudied. This prospective cohort study was performed to examine the effectiveness of exercise on pain, disability, and psychological status for CLBP. We also tested path analytic models in which changes in these variables were included. Methods. CLBP patients who visited the Interdisciplinary Pain Center of Keio University Hospital from July 2018 to April 2020 were included. The propensity score matching was performed between patients who underwent exercise (the exercise group) and those who did not (the control group). At the first visit and at the 3-month follow-up, pain (Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)), disability (Pain Disability Assessment Scale (PDAS)), and psychological status (Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)) were assessed. Changes in pain and disability at the follow-up were compared between the groups. The relationships between changes in pain, disability, and psychological variables were examined using Pearson’s correlation and mediation analysis. Results. A significantly larger decrease in the PDAS was observed in the exercise group (N = 49) than in the control (N = 49) ( p < 0.05 ). Increased PSEQ scores were significantly correlated with decreased NRS scores in both groups. In the exercise group, decreased PDAS fully mediated the relationship between increased PSEQ and decreased NRS ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Exercise improved disability, and the improved disability by exercise mediated the effect of increased self-efficacy on pain relief in CLBP patients.

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Interoceptive awareness, the conscious perception of internal bodily states, is a key construct of mind-body interaction. Decreases in interoceptive awareness, as measured by the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), are found in chronic pain patients. In this study, we explored whether a specific aspect of interoceptive awareness is a risk for the onset and chronicity of pain. A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in 2018 and 2020 among a sample of full-time workers in an industrial manufacturing company in Japan. Participants completed a questionnaire on pain intensity, MAIA, exercise habits, kinesiophobia, psychological distress and work stress. Principal component analyses using the MAIA identified two principal components: self-control and emotional stability. Low emotional stability was associated with the prevalence of moderate to severe pain in 2020 among people with mild or no pain in 2018 (p < 0.01). Lack of exercise habits were associated with the prevalence of moderate to severe pain in 2020 among people with pain in 2018 (p < 0.01). Furthermore, exercise habits were associated with reduction in kinesiophobia among people with moderate to severe pain in 2018 (p = 0.047). Overall, these findings indicate that low emotional stability may be a risk for the onset of moderate to severe pain; lack of exercise habits may sustain kinesiophobia and be a risk for the chronicity of pain.