Grifola frondosa (G. frondosa), generally known as hen-of-the-woods or maitake in Japanese and hui-shu-hua in Chinese, is an edible mushroom with both nutritional and medicinal properties. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive summary of research findings on its bioactive constituents, potential health benefits and major structural characteristics. Since the discovery of the D-fraction more than three decades ago, many other polysaccharides, including β-glucans and heteroglycans, have been extracted from the G. frondosa fruiting body and fungal mycelium, which have shown significant antitumor and immunomodulatory activities. Another class of bioactive macromolecules in G. frondosa is composed of proteins and glycoproteins, which have shown antitumor, immunomodulation, antioxidant and other activities. A number of small organic molecules such as sterols and phenolic compounds have also been isolated from the fungus and have shown various bioactivities. It can be concluded that the G. frondosa mushroom provides a diverse array of bioactive molecules that are potentially valuable for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. More investigation is needed to establish the structure–bioactivity relationship of G. frondosa and to elucidate the mechanisms of action behind its various bioactive and pharmacological effects.

Mobile medical platforms (MMPs) can make medical services more accessible and effective. However, the patient-centered factors that influence patients’ acceptance of MMPs are not well understood. Our study examined the factors affecting patients’ acceptance of MMPs by integrating the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the technology acceptance model (TAM), and three patient-centered factors (i.e., perceived convenience, perceived credibility, and perceived privacy risk). Three hundred and eighty-nine Chinese respondents were recruited in this study and completed a self-administered online questionnaire that included items adapted from validated measurement scales. The partial least squares structural equation modeling results revealed that perceived privacy risk, perceived credibility, and perceived ease of use directly determined the perceived usefulness of an MMP. Perceived convenience, perceived credibility, and perceived usefulness significantly affected the patients’ attitudes toward MMPs. Perceived usefulness, attitude, perceived privacy risk, and perceived behavioral control were important determinants of the patients’ behavioral intentions to use MMPs. Behavioral intention and perceived behavioral control significantly influenced perceived effective use. Perceived credibility and perceived ease of use significantly affected perceived convenience. However, social influence had no significant effect on attitude and behavioral intention. The study provides important theoretical and practical implications, which could help practitioners enhance the patients’ use of MMPs for their healthcare activities.

Membrane fouling is regarded as the most critical bottleneck for the widespread application of membrane separation technology. The application of electricity to the surface of membrane provides a promising alternative for fouling mitigation, which may involve the following effects such as electrophoresis, electroosmosis, and electrooxidation. Electrophoresis and electroosmosis influence the movement of charged species (ions or molecules) or movement of fluid adjacent to charged surface under the applied electric field, while electrooxidation functions by degrading species accumulated in the concentration polarization layer and fouling layer to resume permeate flux. Different membrane modules have been developed to satisfy the requirement of electrode assembly. Meanwhile, this coupled process also promotes the development of stable and conductive electrodes including membrane electrodes. Successful applications have been found in the areas of ion separation and treatment of dye wastewater, arsenic contaminated wastewater, antibiotic contaminated wastewater, etc. Compared with microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF), existing research in the nanofiltration (NF) is still limited. The increasing applications of NF in practice because of its unique separation capability will definitely trigger more investigations on this electrically or electrochemically combined antifouling technique.