ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This survey aimed to understand the attitude of psychiatrists and their use of commonly prescribed second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) for the treatment of schizophrenia in Taiwan. It also attempted to identify the factors that might influence their preference for selecting SGAs. METHODS: Psychiatrists were interviewed face-to-face using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed various issues involved in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia, including the reasons for selecting SGAs, psychiatrists' level of satisfaction with commonly prescribed SGAs, and their current use of SGAs in clinical practice. RESULTS: Gender and age of the psychiatrists, and practice setting were not related to SGA selection. The selection of a SGA might be influenced by characteristics of the psychiatrist, properties of the drugs, and the healthcare insurance system. Most psychiatrists agreed that the performance of brand-name drugs was superior to that of generic drugs. Better symptom control, improvement in cognition, and higher tolerability were among the major factors considered by psychiatrists in Taiwan when prescribing antipsychotics. CONCLUSION: Selection of a SGA in Taiwan is potentially influenced by the characteristics of the psychiatrist, properties of the drug, and the healthcare insurance system. Efficacy and tolerability were among the major determining factors when prescribing antipsychotics for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia.
Subject(s)
Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Psychiatry , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Male , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Surveys and Questionnaires , TaiwanABSTRACT
Drinking water shortage has become worse in recent decades. A new capacitive deionization (CDI) method for increasing water supplies through the effective desalination of seawater has been developed. Silver as nano Ag and Ag@C which was prepared by carbonization of the Ag(+)-ß-cyclodextrin complex at 573 K for 30 min can add the antimicrobial function into the CDI process. The Ag@C and Ag nanoparticles dispersed on reduced graphene oxide (Ag@C/rGO and nano Ag/rGO) were used as the CDI electrodes. The nano Ag/rGO and Ag@C/rGO electrodes can reduce the charging resistant, and enhance the electrosorption capability. Better CDI efficiencies with the nano Ag/rGO and Ag@C/rGO electrodes can therefore be obtained. When reversed the voltage, the electrodes can be recovered up to 90% within 5 min. This work presents the feasibility for the nano Ag and Ag@C on rGO electrodes applied in CDI process to produce drinking water from seawater or saline water.
Subject(s)
Anti-Infective Agents/chemistry , Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry , Seawater/chemistry , Silver/chemistry , Electric Capacitance , Electric Impedance , Electrodes , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Graphite/chemistry , Oxides/chemistry , Salts , Sodium Chloride/analysis , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared , Temperature , Water Purification/methods , X-Ray Diffraction , beta-Cyclodextrins/chemistryABSTRACT
A nafion film coated glassy carbon electrode (NFGCE) was employed for the determination of paraquat. Paraquat was accumulated onto NFGCE by the cation-exchange feature of nafion at open circuit potential in basic medium followed by cathodic differential pulse voltammetric (CDPV) determination in a medium containing permanganate ions. The sensitivity for the determination of paraquat was improved through the electrocatalytic reduction of permanganate by the reduced paraquat. With 3-min accumulation, the analytical signal versus concentration dependence was linear from 1.0 to 100 ppb with a detection limit of 0.5 ppb. The interference from common metal ions was minimized by addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) into the sample solution. The use of nafion also improves the resistance to interference from surfactants.
ABSTRACT
A Nafion/mercury film electrode (NMFE) was used for the determination of trace thallium(I) in aqueous solutions. Thallium(I) was preconcentrated onto the NMFE from the sample solution containing 0.01 M ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), and determined by square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Various factors influencing the determination of thallium(I) were thoroughly investigated. This modified electrode exhibits good resistance to interferences from surface-active compounds. The presence of EDTA effectively eliminated the interferences from metal ions, such as lead(II) and cadmium(II), which are generally considered as the major interferents in the determination of thallium at a mercury electrode. With 2-min preconcentration, linear calibration graphs were obtained over the range 0.05-100 ppb of thallium(I). An even lower detection limit, 0.01 ppb, were achieved with 5-min accumulation. The electrode is easy to prepare and can be readily renewed after each stripping experiment. Applicability of this procedure to various water samples is illustrated.
ABSTRACT
A Tosflex-mercury film electrode (TMFE) was prepared by spin-coating a solution of the perfluorinated anion exchange polymer Tosflex onto a glassy carbon electrode surface followed by electrodeposition of mercury film on this electrode. This electrode was used for the determination of trace bismuth(III) which was preconcentrated onto the TMFE as anionic bismuth(III) complexes with chloride in a chloride medium. The preconcentration was carried out at a potential of-0.2 V, and the preconcentration of the bismuth(III) was enhanced significantly by the anion-exchange feature of Tosflex. The accumulated bismuth(III) was then determined by anodic square-wave stripping voltammetry (SWSV). Various parameters influencing the determination of bismuth(III) were examined in detail. With 2 min accumulation, the analytical signal versus concentration dependence was linear up to 50 ppb, and the detection limit was 0.58 ppb. This modified electrode showed good resistance to the interferences from surface-active compounds and common ions.
ABSTRACT
An indirect spectrophotometric method has been developed for trace determination of silicate in aqueous samples. The silicate is converted into silicomolybdic acid and extracted into a mixture of 1-butanol and butyl acetate. The silicomolybdic acid is then decomposed with sodium hydroxide and the molybdenum(VI) reduced to molybdenum(III) with a Jones reductor, followed by reoxidation to molybdenum(VI) with iron(III). The resulting iron(II) is complexed with ferrozine, and the absorbance of the complex measured at 562 run. In this manner, submicroamounts of silicate can be determined.
