Nanoporous membranes for medical and biological applications

Synthetic nanoporous materials have numerous potential biological and medical applications that involve sorting, sensing, isolating and releasing biological molecules. Nanoporous systems engineered to mimic natural filtration systems are actively being developed for use in smart implantable drug delivery systems, bioartificial organs, and other novel nano-enabled medical devices. Recent advances in nanoscience have made it possible to precisely control the morphology as well as physical and chemical properties of the pores in nanoporous materials that make them increasingly attractive for regulating and sensing transport at the molecular level. In this work, an overview of nanoporous membranes for biomedical applications is given. Various in vivo and in vitro membrane applications, including biosensing, biosorting, immunoisolation and drug delivery, are presented. Different types of nanoporous materials and their fabrication techniques are discussed with an emphasis on membranes with ordered pores. Desirable properties of membranes used in implantable devices, including biocompatibility and antibiofouling behavior, are discussed. The use of surface modification techniques to improve the function of nanoporous membranes is reviewed. Despite the extensive research carried out in fabrication, characterization, and modeling of nanoporous materials, there are still several challenges that must be overcome in order to create synthetic nanoporous systems that behave similarly to their biological counterparts

The Prevalence and Correlated Factors of Occupational Stress, Cumulative Fatigue, and Musculoskeletal Disorders among Information Technology Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chongqing, China

Occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are major concerns in the field of occupational health. Previous studies on occupational health focused on key industries, such as medical care, while there were few related studies on Information Technology (IT) industry. Our study explored the factors influencing occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders in the IT industry. We collected 1363 IT workers’ valid questionnaires, of which 73.1% of participants were technicians in Chongqing, 2021. The core occupational stress scale (COSS), self-diagnosis checklist for the assessment of workers’ accumulated fatigue and Chinese musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire were used to measure the occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders of the respondents. Logistic regressions were used to explore the correlated factors affecting these indicators. The results showed that the prevalence of occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders was 50.4%, 47%, and 72.3%, respectively. Working in the current position for 3–10 years was a common increased risk for all three indicators. Insomnia was associated with an increased risk of cumulative fatigue (Odds Ratio, OR = 2.156, p p p < 0.001). According to our findings, occupational factors, such as long working years, overtime work, and personal lifestyle, are highly related to the occurrence of occupational stress, cumulative fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders for IT industry workers. More attention should be paid to women and those with long working hours in the IT industry