Mobile health (mHealth) apps are rapidly emerging technologies in China due to strictly controlled medical needs during the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing essential services for chronic diseases. ...However, there have been no large-scale, systematic efforts to evaluate relevant apps.
We aim to provide a landscape of mHealth apps in China by describing and comparing digital health concerns before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, including mHealth app data flow and user experience, and analyze the impact of COVID-19 on mHealth apps.
We conducted a semilongitudinal survey of 1593 mHealth apps to study the app data flow and clarify usage changes and influencing factors. We selected mHealth apps in app markets, web pages from the Baidu search engine, the 2018 top 100 hospitals with internet hospitals, and online shopping sites with apps that connect to smart devices. For user experience, we recruited residents from a community in southeastern China from October 2019 to November 2019 (before the outbreak) and from June 2020 to August 2020 (after the outbreak) comparing the attention of the population to apps. We also examined associations between app characteristics, functions, and outcomes at specific quantiles of distribution in download changes using quantile regression models.
Rehabilitation medical support was the top-ranked functionality, with a median 1.44 million downloads per app prepandemic and a median 2.74 million downloads per app postpandemic. Among the top 10 functions postpandemic, 4 were related to maternal and child health: pregnancy preparation (ranked second; fold change 4.13), women's health (ranked fifth; fold change 5.16), pregnancy (ranked sixth; fold change 5.78), and parenting (ranked tenth; fold change 4.03). Quantile regression models showed that rehabilitation (P
, P
), pregnancy preparation (P
), bodybuilding (P
, P
), and vaccination (P
) were positively associated with an increase in downloads after the outbreak. In the user experience survey, the attention given to health information (prepandemic: 249/375, 66.4%; postpandemic: 146/178, 82.0%; P=.006) steadily increased after the outbreak.
mHealth apps are an effective health care approach gaining in popularity among the Chinese population following the COVID-19 outbreak. This research provides direction for subsequent mHealth app development and promotion in the postepidemic era, supporting medical model reformation in China as a reference, which may provide new avenues for designing and evaluating indirect public health interventions such as health education and health promotion.
Gold nanoshells (GNSs), consisting of a dielectric core coated with gold, have gained extensive attention as they show readily tunable optical properties and good biocompatibility. As highly ...sensitive and label-free optical biosensors with wide applications, GNSs have been investigated in many fields including drug delivery, immunoassay, cancer treatment, biological sensing and imaging. Taking advantage of the adjustability of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and the sensitivity of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal of GNSs, we have developed diverse applications including plasmonic biosensors and nanoprobes based on GNSs. In this review we introduce plasmonic and electromagnetic properties and fabrication methods of GNSs. We describe research progress in recent years, and highlight several applications of GNSs developed by our group. Finally we provide a brief assessment of future development of GNSs as plasmonic materials that can be integrated with complementary analytical techniques.
In this study, two functionalized metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), UiO-66-SO3H and UiO-66-NH2, were synthesized. Then, different composite proton exchange membranes (PEMs) were prepared by single ...doping and codoping of these two MOFs, respectively. It was found that codoping of these two MOFs with suitable sizes was more conducive to the proton conductivity enhancement of the composite PEM. A synergistic effect between these two MOFs led to the the formation of more consecutive hydration channels in the composite PEM. It further greatly promoted the proton conductivity of the composite PEM. The proton conductivity of the codoped PEM reached up to 0.256 S/cm under 90 °C, 95% RH, which was ∼1.17 times higher than that of the recast Nafion (0.118 S/cm). Besides, the methanol permeability of the codoped PEM was prominently decreased owing to the methanol trapping effect of the pores of these two MOFs. Meanwhile, the high water and thermal stabilities of these two MOFs were beneficial to the high proton conductivity stability of the codoped PEM under high humidity and high temperature. The proton conductivity of the codoped PEM was almost unchanged throughout 3000 min of testing under 90 °C, 95% RH. This work provides a valuable reference for designing different functionalized MOFs to synergistically promote the proton conductivities of PEMs.
A new metal–organic framework/graphene oxide composite (IRMOF-3/GO) with high adsorption capacity of copper(II) (maximal adsorption amount = 254.14 mg/g at pH 5.0 and 25 °C) was prepared. Novel and ...highly efficient nanofiltration (NF) membrane can be facilely fabricated via surface decoration of IRMOF-3/GO onto polydopamine (PDA)-coated polysulfone (PSF) substrate. After decoration of IRMOF-3/GO, membrane surface potential increased from 6.7 to 13.1 mV at pH 5.0 and 25 °C. Due to the adsorption effect of IRMOF-3/GO and the enhancement of membrane surface potential, the prepared NF membrane (the loading amount of IRMOF-3/GO is ca. 13.6 g/m2) exhibits a highly efficient rejection of copper(II). The copper(II) rejection reaches up to ∼90%, while maintaining a relatively high flux of ∼31 L/m2/h at the pressure of 0.7 MPa and pH 5.0. Moreover, the membrane also presents an outstanding stability throughout the 2000 min NF testing period. Thus, the newly developed NF membrane shows a promising potential for water cleaning. This work provides a worthy reference for designing highly efficient NF membranes modified by metal–organic framework (MOF) relevant materials.
This study focused on the cloning, overexpression, and characterization of the gene encoding l-asparaginase (ansZ) from a nonpathogenic strain of Bacillus subtilis B11–06. The recombinant enzyme ...showed high thermostability and low affinity to l-glutamine. The ansZ gene, encoding a putative l-asparaginase II, was amplified by PCR and expressed in B. subtilis 168 using the shuttle vector pMA5. The activity of the recombinant enzyme was 9.98 U/mL, which was significantly higher than that of B. subtilis B11–06. The recombinant enzyme was purified by a two-step procedure including ammonium sulfate fractionation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The optimum pH and temperature of the recombinant enzyme were 7.5 and 40 °C, respectively. The enzyme was quite stable at a pH range of 6.0–9.0 and exhibited about 14.7 and 9.0% retention of activity following 2 h incubation at 50 or 60 °C, respectively. The K m for l-asparagine was 0.43 mM, and the V max was 77.51 μM/min. Results of this study also revealed the potential industrial application of this enzyme in reducing acrylamide formation during the potato frying process.
An effective proton conduction accelerator, polydopamine (PDA) modified hollow metal−organic framework (DHZIF-8), was designed and constructed. Composite proton exchange membrane (PEM) with excellent ...proton conductivities was obtained by incorporation of DHZIF-8 into Nafion matrix. The hydrophilic groups on surface and hollow structure of DHZIF-8 endowed the composite PEM with higher water retention capacity, which was especially conducive to fast transportation of protons. Moreover, the proton conducting hindrance throughout DHZIF-8 was sufficiently alleviated by the hollow structure. Besides, the constituted acid−base pairs between –SO3H of Nafion and –NH2/–NH– of DHZIF-8 could work as effective proton transfer pathways. These greatly facilitated the proton conduction of the composite PEM. Its proton conductivities boosted up to 0.255 S/cm under 80 °C, 95% RH, and 3.66 mS/cm under 120 °C, anhydrous condition, which were approximately 1.5 and 2.2 times greater than those of Nafion control-membrane (0.104 S/cm and 1.14 mS/cm), respectively. Additionally, the maximum power density of the composite PEM reached up to 270.8 mW/cm2, which was about 58% higher than that of Nafion control-membrane (171.5 mW/cm2). This study provides a referable strategy for designing and constructing functionalized MOFs with specific structures to effectively facilitate the proton conduction of PEMs.
Display omitted An effective proton conduction accelerator, polydopamine (PDA) modified hollow metal−organic framework (DHZIF-8), was incorporated into Nafion matrix to construct composite proton exchange membrane (PEM) with excellent proton conductivities. The proton conduction of composite PEM was greatly facilitated mainly by higher water retention capacity and formed acid-base pairs.
•Polydopamine modified hollow MOF (DHZIF-8) was constructed as excellent proton conduction accelerator.•Proton conduction of PEM was effectively facilitated by DHZIF-8.•PEM displayed satisfactory proton conductivity stability.•Maximum power density and current density of PEM were obviously promoted.
One dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with suitable functional groups possess great potential as proton conduction accelerators due to their long-range proton conductive ...feature. Herein, two outstanding proton conduction accelerators, phosphoric acid functionalized 1D carbon nanotubes and 2D graphene oxide (PCNT and PGO) were prepared, and then incorporated into Nafion matrix to obtain the codoped proton exchange membrane (PEM). Compared with common sulfonation, phosphorylation exhibits the prospect of more efficient proton conduction due to the amphoteric characteristic, large hydration energy and polarizability of phosphoric acid group (–PO3H2). Introduction of PCNT and PGO provided extra excellent proton conductive sites and improved water retention capacity. More importantly, codoping of PCNT and PGO made their 1D and 2D proton conduction pathways combine as hierarchical proton conduction pathways for better interconnecting ionic clusters, which further generated synergistic effect to form more consecutive proton transfer channels in the codoped PEM, whose proton conductivity climbed to 0.282 S/cm under 90 °C, 95% RH, distinctly greater than that of the recast Nafion (0.130 S/cm). Meanwhile, the codoped PEM attained a peak power density of 493.8 mW/cm2, which was approximately 72% larger than that of the recast Nafion (286.8 mW/cm2).
Different composite proton exchange membranes (PEMs) were prepared by single doping and codoping of two outstanding proton conduction accelerators, phosphoric acid functionalized 1D carbon nanotubes and 2D graphene oxide (PCNT and PGO). The codoped PEM exhibited more prominent promotion of proton conduction benefiting from the formation of more consecutive proton transfer channels by synergistic effect between PCNT and PGO. Display omitted
•Two outstanding proton conduction accelerators, PCNT and PGO, were prepared.•Synergistic effect between PCNT and PGO endowed their codoped PEM with remarkably promoted proton conduction.•Codoped PEM exhibited obviously decreased methanol permeability.•Peak power density of codoped PEM was distinctly elevated.
MSX1 is an important member of the muscle segment homeobox gene (Msh) family and acts as a transcription factor to regulate tissue plasticity, yet its role in goat endometrium remodeling remains ...elusive. In this study, an immunohistochemical analysis showed that MSX1 was mainly expressed in the luminal and glandular epithelium of goat uterus, and the MSX1 expression was upregulated in pregnancy at days 15 and 18 compared with pregnancy at day 5. In order to explore its function, goat endometrial epithelial cells (gEECs) were treated with 17 β-estrogen (E
), progesterone (P
), and/or interferon-tau (IFNτ), which were used to mimic the physiological environment of early pregnancy. The results showed that MSX1 was significantly upregulated with E
- and P
-alone treatment, or their combined treatment, and IFNτ further enhanced its expression. The spheroid attachment and PGE2/PGF2α ratio were downregulated by the suppression of MSX1. The combination of E
, P
, and IFNτ treatment induced the plasma membrane transformation (PMT) of gEECs, which mainly showed the upregulation of N-cadherin (CDH2) and concomitant downregulation of the polarity-related genes (
,
,
,
, and
). The knockdown of MSX1 partly hindered the PMT induced by E
, P
, and IFNτ treatment, while the upregulation of CDH2 and the downregulation of the partly polarity-related genes were significantly enhanced when MSX1 was overexpressed. Moreover, MSX1 regulated the CDH2 expression by activating the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway. Collectively, these results suggest that MSX1 was involved in the PMT of the gEECs through the ER stress-mediated UPR pathway, which affects endometrial adhesion and secretion function.
Isomaltodextrin (IMD) is a novel dietary fiber enzymatically produced by reconstructing the molecular chain structure of starch using glycosyltransferases. In this study, the specific prebiotic ...effects of α-1,6 linear and α-1,2 or α-1,3 branched IMDs with different molecular weights (Mw) on human intestinal bacteria were investigated by pure culture of single strains and mixed fermentation of human fecal microflora in vitro. The results showed that α-1,6 linear IMDs markedly promoted beneficial Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in both pure culture and mixed fermentation. α-1,3 branching exhibited similar selectivity with α-1,6 linkage but yielded more butyrate in pure cultures. In contrast, IMDs containing α-1,2 branches were utilized efficiently only during mixed fermentation, which was speculated to result from metabolic cross-feeding. Regarding Mw, IMDs with lower Mw showed better prebiotic effects in pure cultures but no differences in mixed culture. These findings provide a theoretical basis for their application as functional foods.
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