In this study, deproteinised natural rubber (DPNR) latex has been used to fabricate three prototypes of DPNR slow-recovery latex foam, which are latex foam mattress, shoe insoles and wheelchair cushion. The uniqueness of the DPNR slow-recovery latex foam is its ability to conform to the body shape according to both body weight and pressure, and thereafter to recover slowly from the impression made by the body. This ability increases surface contact area between the foam and the body, which helps to redistribute the body weight pressure over a larger area, thereby relieving pressure at stress points of the body. In this manner, DPNR slow-recovery latex foam ofers healthier blood circulation, extra comfort and prevents lower back pain. As such, DPNR slow-recovery latex foam will be effective to mitigate pressure ulcers caused by aggravated pressure between the skin and bony areas of the body such as beneath heels, hips, elbows and sacrum as well as buttock areas. It will also prevent development of foot ulcers associated with diabetic patients. Such uniqueness was confirmed using a modern pressure mapping system known as F-scan™ for shoe insoles and CONFORMat™ for wheelchair cushions from Tekscan® USA. The DPNR slow-recovery latex foam also exhibits a lower bounce effect compared to standard natural rubber (NR) latex foam, indicating its impact absorption capability which is important for application in athletic shoe insoles to mitigate potential injuries during sport activities such as running and landing. Besides having excellent mechanical properties and improved durability, DPNR slow-recovery latex foam is also a “greener” material due to its natural origin compared to conventional slow-recovery foam from man-made synthetic polymers.

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用于卫生保健和治疗性泡沫产品应用的新型脱蛋白天然橡胶胶乳慢回收泡沫

在这项研究中，已使用脱蛋白的天然橡胶（DPNR）乳胶来制造DPNR慢恢复乳胶泡沫的三个原型，即乳胶泡沫床垫，鞋垫和轮椅垫。DPNR缓慢恢复型乳胶泡沫的独特之处在于其能够根据体重和压力适应身体形状，然后从身体留下的痕迹中缓慢恢复的能力。这种能力增加了泡沫与身体之间的表面接触面积，这有助于在更大的面积上重新分配体重压力，从而减轻了身体应力点处的压力。以这种方式，DPNR缓慢恢复的乳胶泡沫可提供更健康的血液循环，额外的舒适感并防止腰痛。因此，DPNR缓慢恢复乳胶泡沫将有效缓解因皮肤与身体的骨部区域（例如脚后跟，臀部，肘部和骨以及臀部区域）之间压力加重而引起的压力性溃疡。它还将防止与糖尿病患者相关的足溃疡的发展。这种独特性已通过Tekscan®用于鞋垫的F-scan™和用于轮椅垫的CONFORMat™的现代压力测绘系统得到了证实。美国。与标准天然橡胶（NR）乳胶泡沫相比，DPNR慢回弹乳胶泡沫还具有较低的弹跳效果，表明其冲击吸收能力对于在运动鞋鞋垫中使用以减轻运动活动（例如跑步和着陆）中的潜在伤害至关重要。除了具有优异的机械性能和改善的耐用性外，与天然合成聚合物的传统慢回弹泡沫相比，DPNR慢回弹乳胶泡沫由于其天然来源，也是一种“绿色”材料。