Motor-language links in children with Down syndrome: a scoping review to revisit the literature with a developmental cascades lens.

Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) typically have motor and language needs. Improving function is a shared goal for the rehabilitation therapy team, however physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology professionals treat patients differently. This difference in care may mask developmental cascades whereby changes in one domain (e.g., motor) can have seemingly unexpected effects on another domain (e.g., language). Objective: This scoping review identified papers where motor and language data have been reported together in children with DS and reinterpreted findings from a developmental cascades lens. Design: Online databases were used to identify 413 papers published before October 2021 from which 33 papers were retained that reported both motor (gross and/or fine) and language (expressive and/or receptive) data in individuals with DS with a chronological age of 0-18 years. Results: The majority of papers (79%) that reported motor and language data in children with DS did not examine their link, while 12% analyzed motor-language links, but using a cross-sectional or retrospective design. Only three papers (9%) utilized a longitudinal design to examine predictive links. Conclusion: Motor functioning and language functioning have often been reported together, but not analyzed together, in studies of children with DS. The few studies that did analyze motor-language links largely replicated findings from other developmental populations where motor gains were positively linked to language gains. Analyzing links between domains when such data is available is needed to fully characterize developmental cascades in DS and may have broad clinical implications.

Postbiotics as the new frontier in food and pharmaceutical research.

Food is the essential need of human life and has nutrients that support growth and health. Gastrointestinal tract microbiota involves valuable microorganisms that develop therapeutic effects and are characterized as probiotics. The investigations on appropriate probiotic strains have led to the characterization of specific metabolic byproducts of probiotics named postbiotics. The probiotics must maintain their survival against inappropriate lethal conditions of the processing, storage, distribution, preparation, and digestion system so that they can exhibit their most health effects. Conversely, probiotic metabolites (postbiotics) have successfully overcome these unfavorable conditions and may be an appropriate alternative to probiotics. Due to their specific chemical structure, safe profile, long shelf-life, and the fact that they contain various signaling molecules, postbiotics may have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antihypertensive properties, inhibiting abnormal cell proliferation and antioxidative activities. Consequently, present scientific literature approves that postbiotics can mimic the fundamental and clinical role of probiotics, and due to their unique characteristics, they can be applied in an oral delivery system (pharmaceutical/functional foods), as a preharvest food safety hurdle, to promote the shelf-life of food products and develop novel functional foods or/and for developing health benefits, and therapeutic aims. This review addresses the latest postbiotic applications with regard to pharmaceutical formulations and commercial food-based products. Potential postbiotic applications in the promotion of host health status, prevention of disease, and complementary treatment are also reviewed.

Eu-doped ZnO nanoparticles: Sonochemical synthesis, characterization, and sonocatalytic application.

Undoped and europium (III)-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by a sonochemical method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The crystalline sizes of undoped and 3% Eu-doped ZnO were found to be 16.04 and 8.22nm, respectively. The particle size of Eu-doped ZnO nanoparticles was much smaller than that of pure ZnO. The synthesized nanocatalysts were used for the sonocatalytic degradation of Acid Red 17. Among the Eu-doped ZnO catalysts, 3% Eu-doped ZnO nanoparticles showed the highest sonocatalytic activity. The effects of various parameters such as catalyst loading, initial dye concentration, pH, ultrasonic power, the effect of oxidizing agents, and the presence of anions were investigated. The produced intermediates of the sonocatalytic process were monitored by GC-Mass (GC-MS) spectrometry.

Antifouling polyvinylidene fluoride ultrafiltration membrane fabricated from embedding polypyrrole coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

Polypyrrole (PPy) coated raw and oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposites were synthesized and used for hydrophilic modification of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration membranes. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized using XRD, FTIR and SEM techniques. The hydrophilicity of the fabricated membranes was evaluated using water contact angle measurements, where the mixed matrix membranes presented lower contact angle compared with the bare one. The performance results showed that the pure water flux increased from 152.8 L/m2 h (for bare PVDF membrane) to 378.8 and 399.3 L/m2 h for 0.1 and 1 wt% of PPy: raw and PPy:ox-MWCNT hybrid membranes, respectively. The results showed an increase in reversible resistance value for all hybrid membranes indicating improved antifouling properties of the prepared membranes in Bovine serum albumin (BSA) filtration. The rejection results revealed that the increase in the surface porosity and mean pore size did not affect the efficiency of the membranes for BSA rejection.

Kinetic modeling of sonocatalytic performance of Gd-doped CdSe nanoparticles for degradation of Acid Blue 5.

CdSe and Gd-doped CdSe nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method, and their catalytic activity was examined toward degradation of Acid Blue 5 (AB5) in the sonocatalytic process. The structure and morphology of as-prepared nanomaterials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Branauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) and Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. Among the synthesized samples, 4% Gd-doped CdSe nanoparticles demonstrated the highest catalytic activity with band gap energy of 1.61eV. The effect of dopant content, initial dye concentration, catalyst dosage, ultrasonic power and inorganic radical scavengers on the degradation efficacy of AB5 was evaluated. The produced intermediates of AB5 degradation during sonocatalytic process were verified using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) technique. A novel intrinsic kinetic model for prediction of AB5 degradation efficiency was proposed. A good agreement was obtained between developed model and experimental data (R2>0.94).

Ultrasound-assisted removal of Acid Red 17 using nanosized Fe3O4-loaded coffee waste hydrochar.

The Fe3O4-loaded coffee waste hydrochar (Fe3O4-CHC) was synthesized using a simple precipitation method. The as-prepared adsorbent was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The EDX analysis indicated the presence of Fe in the structure of Fe3O4-CHC. The specific surface area of hydrochar increased from 17.2 to 34.7m2/g after loading of Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto it. The prepared Fe3O4-CHC was used for removal of Acid Red 17 (AR17) through ultrasound-assisted process. The decolorization efficiency decreased from 100 to 74% with the increase in initial dye concentration and from 100 to 91 and 85% in the presence of NaCl and Na2SO4, respectively. The synthesized Fe3O4-CHC exhibited good stability in the repeated adsorption-desorption cycles. The high correlation coefficient (R2=0.997) obtained from Langmuir model indicated that physical and monolayer adsorption of dye molecules occurred on the Fe3O4-CHC surface. Furthermore, the by-products generated through the degradation of AR17 was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis.

Heterogeneous sono-Fenton-like process using martite nanocatalyst prepared by high energy planetary ball milling for treatment of a textile dye.

High energy planetary ball milling was applied to prepare sono-Fenton nanocatalyst from natural martite (NM). The NM samples were milled for 2-6h at the speed of 320rpm for production of various ball milled martite (BMM) samples. The catalytic performance of the BMMs was greater than the NM for treatment of Acid Blue 92 (AB92) in heterogeneous sono-Fenton-like process. The NM and the BMM samples were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, EDX and BET analyses. The particle size distribution of the 6h-milled martite (BMM3) was in the range of 10-90nm, which had the highest surface area compared to the other samples. Then, the impact of main operational parameters was investigated on the process. Complete removal of the dye was obtained at the desired conditions including initial pH 7, 2.5g/L BMM3 dosage, 10mg/L AB92 concentration, and 150W ultrasonic power after 30min of treatment. The treatment process followed pseudo-first order kinetic. Environmentally-friendly modification of the NM, low leached iron amount and repeated application at milder pH were the significant benefits of the BMM3. The GC-MS was successfully used to identify the generated intermediates. Eventually, an artificial neural network (ANN) was applied to predict the AB92 removal efficiency based upon the experimental data with a proper correlation coefficient (R2=0.9836).

Combination of ultrasonic and Fenton processes in the presence of magnetite nanostructures prepared by high energy planetary ball mill.

High energy planetary ball milling process was used to prepare magnetite nanostructures from natural magnetite. The natural and ball-milled magnetite samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results of EDX indicated the presence of main elements including Fe and O in the structure of both unmodified and milled magnetite samples. The specific surface area of catalyst increased from 0.9116m2/g to 28.692m2/g after ball-milling process. The catalytic activity of prepared magnetite nanostructures was evaluated towards degradation of Acid Blue 185 (AB185) in ultrasonic assisted heterogeneous Fenton reaction. 6h ball-milled catalyst exhibited the higher catalytic activity in degradation of AB185. The high degradation efficiency was obtained at initial pH of 3. Increasing the concentration of H2O2 from an optimum value of 15mM led to decrease in degradation efficiency because of scavenging effect of H2O2 on hydroxyl radicals. The optimized catalyst concentration was obtained 1.5g/L. Increasing initial dye concentration from 20 to 120mg/L led to decrease in degradation efficiency from 99 to 88%. The prepared magnetite nanostructures exhibited good stability in repeated cycles. The produced intermediates of the degradation of AB185 in ultrasonic assisted heterogeneous Fenton process were monitored by GC-MS analysis.

Sonocatalytic removal of naproxen by synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles on montmorillonite.

ZnO/MMT nanocomposite as sonocatalyst was prepared by immobilizing synthesized ZnO on the montmorillonite surface. The characteristics of as-prepared nanocomposite were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The synthesized samples were used as a catalyst for sonocatalytic degradation of naproxen. ZnO/MMT catalyst in the presence of ultrasound irradiation was more effective compared to pure ZnO nanoparticles and MMT particles in the sonocatalysis of naproxen. The effect of different operational parameters on the sonocatalytic degradation of naproxen including initial drug concentration, sonocatalyst dosage, solution pH, ultrasonic power and the presence of organic and inorganic scavengers were evaluated. It was found that the presence of the scavengers suppressed the sonocatalytic degradation efficiency. The reusability of the nanocomposite was examined in several consecutive runs, and the degradation efficiency decreased only 2% after 5 repeated runs. The main intermediates of naproxen degradation were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-Mass).

Sonocatalysis of a sulfa drug using neodymium-doped lead selenide nanoparticles.

Undoped and Nd-doped PbSe nanoparticles with different Nd contents were successfully synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. The prepared nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. Catalytic efficiency of undoped and Nd-doped PbSe samples was evaluated by monitoring the removal of sulfasalazine (SSZ) in aqueous solution under ultrasonic irradiations (sonocatalytic removal process). It was found that the presence of the K2S2O8 accelerated the sonocatalytic removal of SSZ, but the presence of NaF, Na2SO4, NaCl, and NaHCO3 obstructed it. The removal efficiency of 30.24% for PbSe and 86% for 12% Nd-doped PbSe was achieved at 90 min of reaction time, in the presence of peroxydisulfate. Also, the effect of operational parameters on the sonocatalytic removal efficiency and the dominant sonocatalytic removal mechanism were completely examined. It was found that removal of SSZ by sonocatalytic process was completed by the action of reactive oxygen species (ROS) rather than pyrolysis. An ecotoxicological test using an aquatic plant Lemna minor (L. minor) confirmed the negligible toxicity of the synthesized samples, which makes these nanoparticles appropriate for use as a sonocatalyst.

Sonocatalytic degradation of a textile dye over Gd-doped ZnO nanoparticles synthesized through sonochemical process.

The present study was performed to sonochemically synthesize GdxZn1-xO (x=0-0.1) nanoparticles for sonocatalysis of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) in an aqueous medium. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed proper synthesis of Gd-doped sonocatalyst. 5% Gd-doped ZnO nanoparticles with band gap of 2.8 eV exhibited the highest sonocatalytic decolorization efficiency of 90% at reaction time of 90 min. The effects of initial dye concentration and sonocatalyst dosage on decolorization efficiency were evaluated. In the presence of sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate and sodium chloride the decolorization efficiency decreased from 90 to 78, 65 and 56%, respectively. Among various enhancers, the addition of potassium periodate improved the decolorization efficiency from 90 to 100%. The highest decolorization efficiency was obtained at pH value of 6.34 (90%). The decolorization efficiency decreased only 6% after 4 repeated runs. Therefore, Gd-doped ZnO nanoparticles can be used as a promising catalyst for degradation of organic pollutants with great reusability potential.

Sonochemical synthesis of Pr-doped ZnO nanoparticles for sonocatalytic degradation of Acid Red 17.

Undoped and Pr-doped ZnO nanoparticles were prepared using a simple sonochemical method, and their sonocatalytic activity was investigated toward degradation of Acid Red 17 (AR17) under ultrasonic (US) irradiation. Synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The extent of sonocatalytic degradation was higher compared with sonolysis alone. The decolorization efficiency of sonolysis alone, sonocatalysis with undoped ZnO and 5% Pr-doped ZnO was 24%, 46% and 100% within reaction time of 70min, respectively. Sonocatalytic degradation of AR17 increased with increasing the amount of dopant and catalyst dosage and decreasing initial dye concentration. Natural pH was favored the sonocatalytic degradation of AR17. With the addition of chloride, carbonate and sulfate as radical scavengers, the decolorization efficiency was decreased from 100% to 65%, 71% and 89% at the reaction time of 70min, respectively, indicating that the controlling mechanism of sonochemical degradation of AR17 is the free radicals (not pyrolysis). The addition of peroxydisulfate and hydrogen peroxide as enhancer improved the degradation efficiency from 79% to 85% and 93% at the reaction time of 50min, respectively. The result showed good reusability of the synthesized sonocatalyst.