Building Habits in the Digital Age: Incorporating Psychological Needs and Knowledge from Practitioners to Inform the Design of Digital Therapeutics

Interventions for noncommunicable diseases (NCDSs) often require changing behaviors. In this regard, habitual behaviors (i.e., habits) are positively evaluated to foster behavioral changes. Forming habits is challenging but can be supported digitally until the habit is formed. This paper reviews the requirements of forming habits and uses a content analysis to investigate how these requirements are implemented in habit apps. Based on the results, design principles to digitally support habit formation are discussed for digital therapeutics. In contrast to conventional apps, digital therapeutics have a definite medical purpose and can be prescribed for the time it needs for a habit to form. The analysis results reveal that conventional apps try to bind the user and ignore the state where the habit needs to be strengthened by decreasing technology use. In this regard, digital therapeutics reveal great potential in supporting the formation of habits to prevent and treat NCDs

Synthesis and characterization of maleated rosin‐modified fluorosilicone resin and its fluorosilicone rubber

Imide‐containing vinyl fluorosilicone resin (MR‐VFS) was synthesized from maleated rosin (MR). And then, with MR‐VFS as a new polar cross‐linking agent in a heat curable fluorosilicone rubber composition, a series of maleated rosin‐modified fluorosilicone rubbers (MR‐FSR) were obtained. The effects of MR‐VFS on the mechanical properties, oil resistance, thermal stability, and low‐temperature performance were studied in detail. It was found that MR‐VFS could increase the tearing strength and high‐temperature thermal stability of fluorosilicone rubber. When the MR‐VFS weight content reached to 2 wt %, the tearing strength of MR‐FSR increased by 20.1% compared with that of common fluorosilicone rubber. However, MR‐FSR showed a similar low‐temperature resistance and a little worse oil resistance. The morphological study showed that incorporation of maleated rosin could intensify the microphase separation of fluorosilicone rubber. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41888.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110593/1/app41888-sup-0001-suppinfo01.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110593/2/app41888.pd

Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen (DiGA) im Spannungsfeld von Fortschritt und Kritik : Diskussionsbeitrag der Fachgruppe „Digital Health“ der Gesellschaft für Informatik e. V. = Digital health applications (DiGA) in the area of tension between progress and criticism – Discussion paper from the “Digital health” specialist group of the German Informatics Society

Im Dezember 2019 wurden in Deutschland Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen (DiGA) in die Regelversorgung aufgenommen und können somit durch die gesetzlichen Krankenkassen erstattet werden, um PatientInnen bei der Behandlung von Erkrankungen oder Beeinträchtigungen zu unterstützen. Inzwischen gibt es 48 DiGA (Stand: Oktober 2023) im Verzeichnis des Bundesinstituts für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM), die vor allem in den Bereichen mentale Gesundheit, Hormone und Stoffwechsel sowie Muskeln, Knochen und Gelenke eingesetzt werden. In diesem Artikel beschreibt die Fachgruppe „Digital Health“ der Gesellschaft für Informatik e. V. (GI) die aktuellen Entwicklungen rund um die DiGA sowie das derzeitige Stimmungsbild zu Themen wie Nutzerzentrierung, Akzeptanz von PatientInnen und Behandelnden sowie Innovationspotenzial. Zusammenfassend haben DiGA in den letzten 3 Jahren eine positive Entwicklung in Form eines langsam steigenden Angebots verschiedener DiGA und Leistungsbereiche erfahren. Nichtsdestotrotz sind in einigen Bereichen noch erhebliche regulatorische Weichenstellungen notwendig, um DiGA langfristig in der Regelversorgung zu etablieren. Zentrale Herausforderungen bestehen u. a. in der Nutzerzentrierung oder in der nachhaltigen Verwendung der Anwendungen

Indium-mediated allylation in carbohydrate synthesis: A short and efficient approach towards higher 2-acetamido-2-deoxy sugars

Higher aminosugars are interesting targets in carbohydrate synthesis since these compounds play important roles in biological systems. However, their availability from natural sources is limited. Thus, in order to investigate their biological function, the development of facile and adaptable routes to this class of compounds is of fundamental importance. Our synthetic route towards these target molecules makes use of readily accessible pentoses and hexoses, which are subjected to indium-mediated two-carbon chain elongation. Subsequent ozonolysis and treatment with base yields α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, which are stereoselectively epoxidized using Jørgenson’s protocol. After Wittig chain elongation the obtained allylic epoxides were regio- and stereoselectively opened with trimethylsilyl azide under palladium catalysis. Finally, a suitable deprotection protocol, starting with acidic acetate cleavage and ozonolysis was established. Peracetylation of the products simplifies purification and subsequent azide reduction followed by final deacetylation using methanolic sodium methoxide furnishes the title compounds

Compounds from Gum Ammoniacum with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity

The use of herbal medicinal preparations in dementia therapy has been studied based on experience from traditional medicine. A dichloromethane extract of gum ammoniacum, the gum-resin from Dorema ammoniacum D. Don had shown acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity in a previous study. The aim of this study was the isolation and characterization of the active compounds from this resin. The extract was investigated by a respective colorimetric microplate assay and the active zones were identified via TLC bioautography and isolated using several chromatographic techniques. The structures of the active components were characterized by one- and two-dimensional 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry as (2\u27S,5\u27S)-2\u27-ethenyl-5\u27-(3-hy-droxy-6-methyl-4-oxohept-5-en-2-yl)-7-methoxy-2\u27-methyl-4H-spiro[chromene-3,1\u27-cyclopentane]-2,4-dione (1), which is an analogue of doremone A and a new natural compound, and as (2\u27S,5\u27R)-2\u27-ethenyl-5\u27-[(2R,4R)-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-3-oxohept-5-en-2-yl]-7-methoxy-2\u27-methyl-4H-spiro[chromene-3,1\u27-cyclo-pentane]-2,4-dione (2 = doremone A), (4E,8E)-1-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,9,13-trimethyltetradeca-4,8,12-trien-1-one (3 = dshamirone), and 4,7-dihydroxy-3-[(2E,6E)-3,7,11-trimethyldodeca-2,6,10-trien-1-yl]-2H-chromen-2-one (4 = am-moresinol). Dshamirone turned out to be the most active compound with an IC50 value for AChE inhibitory activity of 23.5 μM, whereas the other substances showed weak activity. The concentrations of the analytes in the resin were determined by HPLC as 3.1%, 4.6%, 1.9%, and 9.9%, respectively

A Many-Faced Alkaloid: Polymorphism of (–)-Monophyllidin

The synthesis of the alkaloid (–)-monophyllidin is described. The molecule is a hybrid of xanthoxyline and (S)-proline, accessible in one-step through a Mannich reaction. In the solid-state, defined structural arrangements with different physical properties are formed. Single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed structures of six distinct polymorphs. In the crystalline state, the alkaloid can host small polar molecules (preferably water), while the (S)-proline moiety is present in the zwitterionic state. Combined with the chelate, which is already present in the xanthoxyline substructure, an ideal disposition for multiple hydrogen bond networks evolve. Therefore, highly water-soluble polymorphs of monophyllidin can form. This structural flexibility explains the many faces of the molecule in terms of structure as well as analytical data. Furthermore, speculations about the biological role of the molecule, with regard to the manifold interactions with water, are presented