Application of Static Headspace GC-MS Method for Selective 1,4-Dioxane Detection in Food Additives.

Efficient detection methods must be developed for 1,4-dioxane due to its suspected status as a human carcinogen, which is highly mobile in food and environmental resources. In this regard, this experiment has been conducted to develop reliable and selective detection and measurement methods by using static headspace (SH) isolation, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A new method was developed for determining the spiked 1,4-dioxane contents in a polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600). The optimal condition for SH-GC-MS was discussed. The representative ions of 1,4-dioxane and 1,4-dioxane-d8 in the SIM mode of MS are 88 and 96, respectively, and the peaks of the SIM mode were separated and confirmed. The linear range for the method covers 0.25 to 100 mg/L with a coefficient of determination (R2) ≥ 0.999. The method applicability was demonstrated by spike recovery across a variety of food additives (i.e., chlorine bitartrate, choline chloride, polysorbate 20 and 60, and PEG 1000). All spike recovery from the tested samples was in the range of 89.50-102.68% with a precision of 0.44-11.22%. These findings suggest a new analytical method for food safety inspection, and could be applicable for ensuring the safety of foods and environmental and public health on a broad scale.

Comparison of Extraction Methods and Extraction Optimization in Aqueous Two-Phase System for Ethyl Carbamate Analysis in Model Systems for Maesil Wine.

Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a known carcinogen, and therefore its intake is regulated internationally. The objectives of this study were to compare the EC recovery yields under different liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) conditions and to investigate the optimum conditions of the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) for EC extraction. Our results showed that for the LLE method, addition of 15% NaCl improved the EC yield by 15%, and dichloromethane as the extraction solvent showed a slightly higher yield (about 5%) than chloroform. However, there was little difference in the yield when mixing was performed using an ultrasonic bath compared to a vortex mixer. Using response surface methodology with central composite design to analyze the ATPS results, optimal extraction was found to occur at 21.5°C for 2.8 h in the sample containing 70% alcohol and 15% phosphate, showing a recovery yield of 75.64%. This information can be applied to alcoholic beverages and other fermented food products to analyze EC with better extraction methods, depending on the types of food.

Parkinson Disease-Related Brain Metabolic Patterns and Neurodegeneration in Isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the role of Parkinson disease (PD)-related brain metabolic patterns as a biomarker in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) for future disease conversion. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study consisting of 30 patients with iRBD, 25 patients with de novo PD with a premorbid history of RBD, 21 patients with longstanding PD on stable treatment, and 24 healthy controls. The iRBD group was longitudinally followed up. All participants underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET and were evaluated with olfaction, cognition, and the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) at baseline. From FDG-PET scans, we derived metabolic patterns from the longstanding PD group (PD-RP) and de novo PD group with RBD (dnPDRBD-RP). Subsequently, we calculated the PD-RP and dnPDRBD-RP scores in patients with iRBD. We validated the metabolic patterns in each PD group and separate iRBD cohort (n = 14). RESULTS: The 2 patterns significantly correlated with each other and were spatially overlapping yet distinct. The MDS-UPDRS motor scores significantly correlated with PD-RP (p = 0.013) but not with dnPDRBD-RP (p = 0.076). In contrast, dnPDRBD-RP correlated with olfaction in butanol threshold test (p = 0.018) in patients with iRBD, but PD-RP did not (p = 0.21). High dnPDRBD-RP in patients with iRBD predicted future phenoconversion with all cutoff ranges from 1.5 to 3 SD of the control value, whereas predictability of PD-RP was only significant in a partial range of cutoff. CONCLUSION: The dnPDRBD-RP is an efficient neuroimaging biomarker that reflects prodromal features of PD and predicts phenoconversion in iRBD that can be applied individually. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class IV evidence that a de novo PD pattern on FDG-PET predicts future conversion to neurodegenerative disease in patients with iRBD.

Longitudinal change in dopamine transporter availability in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate longitudinal changes in the dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in association with the prodromal markers in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), we analyzed a longitudinal prospective iRBD cohort data. METHOD: The study cohort consisted of patients with iRBD, individuals with Parkinson disease (PD), and healthy controls. All participants were evaluated for olfaction, neuropsychological tests, and the Movement Disorders Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and underwent 18F-FP-CIT PET scans every 2 years. We calculated the DAT pattern by performing the principal component analysis of tracer uptakes in 6 striatal regions. RESULT: DAT patterns in patients with iRBD with baseline hyposmia, constipation, and mild parkinsonian signs distributed toward the PD pattern and clearly distinguished from the healthy control pattern. The DAT pattern moved toward the PD pattern over time in some patients with iRBD during the follow-up, and baseline hyposmia was the only biomarker significantly associated with this change. Baseline PD pattern of DAT predicted 58% of disease converters (hazard ratio 4.95 [95% confidence interval 1.16-21.08]). The combination of hyposmia and baseline PD pattern of DAT predicted 67% of the conversion (hazard ratio 7.89 [confidence interval 1.85-33.69]). The estimated sample size required for a simulated neuroprotective clinical trial was 63 per group when the annual change of DAT pattern was used as an outcome in the subgroup with baseline DAT PD pattern and hyposmia, which is the smallest number reported so far. CONCLUSION: Baseline and longitudinal monitoring of the DAT pattern can be a useful biomarker in identifying individuals with a high risk of disease conversion and in selecting the potential population for clinical trials in iRBD.

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated by coupling photoelectrochemically deposited poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) with silver-paint on cathode.

A PEDOT-based dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) is successfully improved by coupling photoelectrochemically deposited PEDOT layer with an Ag paste-paint on the cathode. With a 9.3 µm thick mesoscopic nanocrystalline TiO(2) film, a maximum cell performance of 3.2% with relatively high V(oc) of around 780 mV is achieved.

Influence of doped anions on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) as hole conductors for iodine-free solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is an excellent hole-conducting polymer able to replace the liquid I(-)/I3(-) redox electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In this work we applied the in situ photoelectropolymerization technique to synthesize PEDOT and carried out a careful analysis of the effect of different doping anions on overall solar cell performance. The anions analyzed in this work are ClO4(-), CF3SO3(-), BF4(-), and TFSI(-). The best solar cell performance was observed when the TFSI(-) anion was used. Photoelectrochemical and impedance studies reveal that the doped anions in the PEDOT hole conductor system have great influences on I-V curves, conductivity, and impedance. The optimization of these parameters allowed us to obtain an iodine-free solid-state DSC with a maximum J(sc) of 5.3 mA/cm2, V(oc) of 750 mV, and a conversion efficiency of 2.85% which is the highest efficiency obtained so far for an iodine-free solid-state DSC using PEDOT as hole-transport material.

Simultaneous phase- and size-controlled synthesis of TiO(2) nanorods via non-hydrolytic sol-gel reaction of syringe pump delivered precursors.

The simultaneous phase- and size-controlled synthesis of TiO(2) nanorods was achieved via the non-hydrolytic sol-gel reaction of continuously delivered two titanium precursors using two separate syringe pumps. As the injection rate was decreased, the length of the TiO(2) nanorods was increased and their crystalline phase was simultaneously transformed from anatase to rutile. When the reaction was performed by injecting titanium precursors contained in two separate syringes into a hot oleylamine surfactant solution with an injection rate of 30 mL/h, anatase TiO(2) nanorods with dimensions of 6 nm (thickness) x 50 nm (length) were produced. When the injection rate was decreased to 2.5 mL/h, star-shaped rutile TiO(2) nanorods with dimensions of 25 nm x 200 nm and a small fraction of rod-shaped anatase TiO(2) nanorods with dimensions of 9 nm x 100 nm were synthesized. Pure star-shaped rutile TiO(2) nanorods with dimensions of 25 nm x 450 nm were synthesized when the injection rate was further decreased to 1.25 mL/h. The simultaneous phase transformation and length elongation of the TiO(2) nanorods were achieved. Under optimized reaction conditions, as much as 3.5 g of TiO(2) nanorods were produced. The TiO(2) nanorods were used to produce dye-sensitized solar cells, and the photoconversion efficiency of the mixture composed of star-shaped rutile TiO(2) nanorods and a small fraction of anatase nanorods were comparable to that of Degussa P-25.