Magnetic Dual-template Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanoparticles for the Simultaneous Determination of Acetaminophen and Codeine in Urine Samples by Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

Dual-template magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were synthesized and used for the solid-phase extraction of acetaminophen and codeine before simultaneous determination by corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry. The magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles were prepared using silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles as supporters, acetaminophen and codeine as template molecules, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and phenyltriethoxysilane as functional monomers, and tetraethoxysilane as a cross-linker. The obtained molecularly imprinted polymer was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption performance of the imprinted polymers was studied by a series of experiments, indicating a satisfactory recognition ability of products for acetaminophen and codeine. The detection limits of 0.05 and 0.12 µg mL-1, and the dynamic range of 0.20 - 2.0 and 0.40 - 3.0 µg mL-1 were achieved for acetaminophen and codeine, respectively. The proposed method was used for simultaneous determinations of acetaminophen and codeine in urine samples, and the corresponding recoveries were calculated in the range of 87 - 94%. These satisfactory results revealed the ability of the method for a routine analysis of acetaminophen and codeine, simultaneously.

Zirconium dioxide-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite-coated stir-bar sorptive extraction coupled with ion mobility spectrometry for determining ethion.

In this study, we developed zirconium dioxide-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (ZrO2-rGO), as a novel coating for stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), prior to analysis by negative corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry (NCD-IMS). Ethion was selected as a test compound to evaluate the method. A stir bar was coated with the ZrO2-rGO nanocomposite using the sol-gel technique. ZrO2 has a high tendency towards the phosphonate group, hence its ability in absorbing ethion with high efficiency. On the other hand, graphene is a good sorbent for polar and semi-polar chemical compounds. Parameters affecting SBSE including extraction temperature, salt effect, stirring rate, desorption temperature, and extraction time were evaluated. The detection limit of this method for ethion was calculated to be 1.5 µg L-1, and the good linear range of 5.0-200 µg L-1 was obtained. The inter-day and intra-day relative standard deviations were 9% and 6%, respectively. This method was used to determine ethion in spiked river water and agricultural wastewater samples, and the obtained spiking recoveries were in the range of 93-97%.

Attention training in rehabilitation of children with developmental stuttering.

BACKGROUND: Attention and executive function play an important role in fluent speaking. The aim of the present study is to evaluate effect of attention training in rehabilitation of stuttering. METHOD: In this random clinical trial 30 children with developmental stuttering participate in a random allocation sampling in case or control group. In case group, we trained patient with NEurocognitive Joyful Attentive Training Intervention (NEJATI) in 12 sessions. Riley Stuttering severity instrument-3 (SSI-3), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT) are used for evaluation of executive function before and after intervention. Dependent T-Test was used for analysis. RESULTS: Comparing case group before and after intervention showed a significant enhancement in executive function and reduced stuttering severity. CONCLUSION: Attention training propose as a non lingual method of language and speech rehabilitation in developmental stuttering.

Application of ionic liquid-TiO2 nanoparticle modified carbon paste electrode for the voltammetric determination of benserazide in biological samples.

An ionic liquid-TiO2 nanoparticle modified carbon paste electrode (IL-TiO2/CPE) was used as a fast and sensitive tool for the investigation of the electrochemical oxidation of benserazide using voltammetry. This modified electrode has been fabricated using hydrophilic ionic liquid (n-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluoro phosphate) as a binder. The modified electrode offers a considerable improvement in voltammetric sensitivity toward benserazide, compared to the bare electrode. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), the electrocatalytic oxidation peak current of benserazide shows a linear calibration curve in the range of 1.0-600 µmol L(-1) benserazide. The limit of detection was equal to 0.4 µmol L(-1). The relative standard deviation (RSD%) for eight successive assays of 10 µmol L(-1) benserazide was 1.1%. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of benserazide in real samples such as blood serum and urine.