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Natural rubber latex foam (NRLF) filled with untreated and alkali/silane coupling agent-treated jute fibers (JFs) were prepared using the Dunlop method. The JFs fillers were added at 0,1, 3, and 5 phr. The density, crosslinking degree, and surface morphology of the untreated jute-filled NRLF were studied, and the tensile and compression properties of the untreated and surface-treated NRLF were compared. The results showed that the density, the modulus at 100% elongation (M100), and compression set of the untreated jute-filled NRLF increased with increasing JFs filler content. The crosslinking degree, tensile strength, elongation at break, and recovery rate decreased with increasing JFs filler content. Regarding mechanical properties, the surface-treated JFs-filled NRLF exhibited higher tensile strength and M100 than the untreated group, indicating that alkali/silane coupling agent treatment enhanced the interaction between JFs and the matrix. However, the elongation at break was lower. As for the compression set and recovery rate, there was no significant difference between the two groups, indicating that alkali/silane coupling agent treatment had little effect on the compression set and recovery rate of JFs-filled NRLF. KEYWORDS jute fibers, latex foam, mechanical properties, surface treatment Highlights * Natural rubber latex foam (NRLF) materials composited with jute fibers (JFs) were prepared using Dunlop method. * JFs were treated by coupling agent to enhance the interaction with matrix. * The treated JFs-filled NRLF exhibited higher tensile strength and M100., 1 | INTRODUCTION For a long time, porous rubber or natural rubber latex foam (NRLF) has been considered an economical material. Latex foam possesses several unique characteristics, such as its [...]

The computer-aided drug design (CADD) course that spans biochemistry, computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and other cutting-edge sciences is considered an important course by pharmaceutical universities in China. The course teaches students how drugs bind to protein targets and exert their biological activities using computer tools, and covers the basic principles of drug development and optimization. Due to the lockdown and social distancing measures adopted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the CADD course in Shenyang Pharmaceutical University was briefly suspended. Thereafter, it was taught in the online mode by adopting a novel blended teaching method. Through a questionnaire survey and final report assessment, we found that blended teaching might provide an opportunity to stimulate greater motivation and interest in students as well as improve teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes of the course. This study describes how we conducted the CADD course during the COVID-19 period with the intention of providing a reference for other teachers to conduct similar courses.

Background Currently, scholars in China are exploring chronic disease management models based on treatment-prevention integration, however, the quantitative evaluation researches are scarce and in the initial stage, lacking in relevance and timeliness. Objective To construct the on-site evaluation index system for integration of medical and preventive services for chronic diseases in primary health care institutions and provide a reference for the quality improvement of integration of medical and preventive services. Methods The on-site evaluation index system for integration of medical and preventive services for chronic diseases in primary health care institutions was initially constructed by literature review, policy induction and expert interview. From June to August 2022, two rounds of expert consultation with 17 experts were conducted using the Delphi method, the index system was determined according to the results of expert consultation, and the weight of each index was calculated by using the analytic hierarchy process. Results The on-site evaluation index system for integration of medical and preventive services for chronic diseases in primary health care institutions was initially constructed consisting of 5 primary indexes, 12 secondary indexes and 37 tertiary indexes. The effective questionnaire recovery rate of the two rounds of expert consultation was 100.0% with the expert authority coefficient of 0.81; the Kendall coordination coefficients of the importance of the three levels of indexes were 0.239 (χ2=8.76, P

Major depressive disorder is one of the common mental disorders， and its pathogenesis is not yet fully understood. Elevated levels of inflammation are recognized as one of the mechanisms contributing to the onset of major depressive disorder. Numerous studies have indicated that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs， omega-3 fatty acids， statins， pioglitazone， minocycline， N-acetylcysteine， corticosteroids and other medications may exert anti-depressant effects through their anti-inflammatory actions. This article provides a comprehensive review of the application of these drugs in the treatment of major depressive disorder， exploring the therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of action of different anti-inflammatory agents， thereby offering a reference for the future application of anti-inflammatory interventions in the treatment of depression. ［Funded by The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China （Number， 2022ZD0211700）］