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The main purposes of the present study were to see how the term "euthanasia" influences people's support for or opposition to euthanasia; and to see how euthanasia attitude relates to religious orientation and personality factors. In this study two different euthanasia attitude scales were compared. 197 students were selected to fill out either the Euthanasia Attitude Scale (EAS) or Wasserman's Attitude Towards Euthanasia scale (ATE scale). The former scale includes the term "euthanasia", the latter does not. All participants filled out 50 items of International Personality Item Pool, 16 items of the the HEXACO openness, and 14 items of Religious Orientation Scale-Revised. Results indicated that even though the two groups were not different in terms of gender, age, education, religiosity and personality, mean score on the ATE scale was significantly higher than that of the EAS. Euthanasia attitude was negatively correlated with religiosity and conscientiousness and it was positively correlated with psychoticism and openness. It can be concluded that analyzing the attitude towards euthanasia with the use of EAS rather than the ATE scale results in lower levels of opposition against euthanasia. This study raises the question of whether euthanasia attitude scales should contain definitions and concepts of euthanasia or they should describe cases of it.

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus and its chronic complications may be associated with alterations in the plasma, tissue, and urinary levels of some trace elements like copper., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluates the 24 hour urinary copper levels in type 2 diabetic patients with microalbuminuria in comparison with patients without albuminuria., Results: Forty-two patients with microalbuminuria (case) and 40 patients without microalbuminuria (control) participated in the study. Mean (CI 95%) urinary copper levels were 36.14 (14.54-57.74) and 14.77μcg /L (10.17-19.37) in the case and control groups respectively (P = 0.003). There was no significant effect of diabetes duration or HbA1c on urinary copper., Conclusion: The present study shows diabetic patients with microalbuminuria have increased urinary copper excretion, however does not exclude the potential toxic effects of this high copper excretion on the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) in tandem with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed for the determination of mononitrotoluenes (MNTs) in several aquatic samples using gas chromatography-flame ionization (GC-FID) detection system. In the hyphenated SPE-DLLME, initially MNTs were extracted from a large volume of aqueous samples (100 mL) into a 500-mg octadecyl silane (C(18)) sorbent. After the elution of analytes from the sorbent with acetonitrile, the obtained solution was put under the DLLME procedure, so that the extra preconcentration factors could be achieved. The parameters influencing the extraction efficiency such as breakthrough volume, type and volume of the elution solvent (disperser solvent) and extracting solvent, as well as the salt addition, were studied and optimized. The calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.5-500 μg/L and the limit of detection for all analytes was found to be 0.2 μg/L. The relative standard deviations (for 0.75 μg/L of MNTs) without internal standard varied from 2.0 to 6.4% (n=5). The relative recoveries of the well, river and sea water samples, spiked at the concentration level of 0.75 μg/L of the analytes, were in the range of 85-118%., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A simple and efficient method, ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV), has been applied for the extraction and determination of some antioxidants (Irganox 1010, Irganox 1076 and Irgafos 168) in water samples. The microextraction efficiency factors were investigated and optimized: 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C(6)MIM][PF(6)] (0.06 g) as extracting solvent, methanol (0.5 mL) as disperser solvent without salt addition. Under the selected conditions, enrichment factors up to 48-fold, limits of detection (LODs) of 5.0-10.0 ng/mL and dynamic linear ranges of 25-1500 ng/mL were obtained. A reasonable repeatability (RSD≤11.8%, n=5) with satisfactory linearity (r(2)≥0.9954) of the results illustrated a good performance of the presented method. The accuracy of the method was tested by the relative recovery experiments on spiked samples, with results ranging from 85 to 118%. Finally, the method was successfully applied for determination of the analytes in several real water samples., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME), coupled with gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), has been successfully used for the extraction and determination of valproic acid (VPA) in pharmaceutical preparations. In the developed method, an appropriate mixture of extracting and disperser solvents was rapidly injected into an aqueous sample. Having formed a cloudy solution, the mixture was centrifuged and then the extracting solvent was sedimented at the bottom of a conical test tube. The extract was then injected into a GC system directly, without any further pretreatment. Initially, microextraction efficiency factors were optimized and the optimum experimental conditions found were as follows: tetrachloroethylene (9.0 µL) as extracting solvent; acetone (1.0 mL) as disperser solvent; 5 mL acidic aqueous sample (pH 1) without salt addition. Under the selected conditions, the calibration curve showed linearity in the range of 0.1-5.0 mg/L with regression coefficient corresponding to 0.9998. The limit of detection was found to be 0.05 mg/L. Finally, the method was applied for the determination of VPA in two different pharmaceutical preparations. A reasonable intra-assay (3.9-10.8%, n = 3) and inter-assay (5.6-11.4%, n = 3) precision illustrated the good performance of the analytical procedure. The protocol proved to be rapid and cost-effective for screening purposes., (Copyright 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Solid drop based liquid-phase microextraction (SDLPME) is a novel sample preparation technique possessing obvious advantages of simple operation with a high pre-concentration factor, low cost and low consumption of organic solvent. SDLPME coupled with gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) has been widely applied to the analyses of a different variety of samples. The basic principles, parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, and the latest applications of SDLPME are reviewed in this article., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A simple and efficient method (known as dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME)) combined with gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) has been successfully developed for the extraction and determination of mononitrotoluenes (MNTs) in aquatic samples. The effects of parameters such as the nature and volume of the extracting and disperser solvents on the microextraction efficiency were also investigated. The volume of the extracting solvent (chlorobenzene) and that of the disperser solvent (acetonitrile) were obtained to be equal to 10.0 microL and 0.5 mL, respectively, in the optimal microextraction conditions established. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of the method was 0.5 microg L(-1) and the relative standard deviations (RSDs%) for determination of the MNTs were in the range of 8.0-9.4. Linearity was found to be in the range of 1-1000 microg L(-1); also, the pre-concentration factors were in the range of 351-357. Finally, the method was applied to determine the trace amounts of the MNTs in several real aquatic samples and satisfactory results were obtained., ((c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A simple and sensitive methodology based on liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (LLLME) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) has been successfully developed for the determination of atorvastatin (AT) in human plasma. AT was first extracted from 4.5 mL acidic aqueous sample (diluted plasma, donor phase, pH 1) at temperature 45 degrees C through 400 microL 1-octanol for 4.5 min, while being agitated by a stirring bar at 1250 rpm. Then, a 5.5 microL free suspended basic aqueous droplet (acceptor phase, pH 10) was delivered to the top-center position of the organic membrane. The mixture was stirred at 650 rpm for 7.5 min and the analyte was back-extracted into the droplet. Finally, the acceptor phase was taken into a microsyringe and injected directly into the HPLC. An enrichment factor of 187 along with substantial sample clean up was obtained under the optimized conditions. The calibration curve showed linearity in the range of 1-500 ng mL(-1) with regression coefficient corresponding to 0.996. Limits of detection (S/N=3) and quantification (S/N=10) were 0.4 and 1 ng mL(-1), respectively. A reasonable relative recovery (91%) and satisfactory intra-assay (4.4-7.0%, n=6) and inter-assay (4.9-7.7%, n=8) precision illustrated good performance of the analytical procedure. This technique was eventually applied for the determination of AT in human plasma after oral administration of 40 mg single dose of drug. The protocol proved to be highly cost-effective and reliable for the screening purpose.

A simple, efficient and virtually solventless headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) technique, combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), was developed for the analysis of sorbic acid (SA) and benzoic acid (BA) in soft drinks and environmental water samples. A microdrop of organic solvent was suspended from the tip of a microsyringe needle over the headspace of the stirred sample solution, containing the analytes for a desired time. The microdrop was then retracted into the microsyringe and directly injected into the GC-MS, without any further pretreatment. Initially, microextraction efficiency factors were optimized, and the optimum experimental conditions found were as follows: 2.5 microL toluene microdrop exposed for 20 min over the headspace of a 6.5 mL aqueous sample (45 degrees C), containing 3 M of NaCl with pH of 1.5 and stirred at 1000 rpm. Under the optimized extraction conditions, preconcentration factors of 154 and 198, limits of detection of 0.3 and 0.1 microg L(-1) (S/N=3) with dynamic linear ranges of 1-500 and 0.5-500 microg L(-1), were obtained for SA and BA respectively. A good repeatability (RSD<10.3%, n=8) and satisfactory linearity (r(2) >or= 0.99) of results were achieved. The accuracy of the method was tested by the relative recovery experiments on spiked samples, with results ranging from 90 to 113%. The method proved to be rapid and cost-effective and is a green procedure for screening purposes.

A simple and sensitive methodology based on liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) followed by GC-MS, was developed for the determination of trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water. A microdrop of organic solvent was floated on the surface of the aqueous sample and it was agitated for a desired time. Then, the sample vial was cooled by inserting it into an ice bath for 4 min. The solidified solvent was transferred into a suitable vial and immediately melted. The extract was directly injected into the GC. Microextraction efficiency factors were investigated and optimized: 7 muL 1-undecanol microdrop exposed for 15 min floated on the surface of a 10.0 mL aqueous sample with the temperature of 60 degrees C containing 3 M of NaCl and stirred at 750 rpm. Under the selected conditions, enrichment factors (EFs) up to 482-fold, LOD of 0.03-0.08 mug/L (S/N = 3) and dynamic linear ranges of 0.10-100 mug/L were obtained. A reasonable repeatability (RSD < 8.6%, n = 8) with satisfactory linearity (r(2) greater, not dbl equals 0.9947) of results illustrated a good performance of the present method. The protocol proved to be rapid, cost-effective, and is a green procedure for the screening purposes.

A simple and efficient liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) in conjunction with gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) has been developed for extraction and determination of 11 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from water samples. In this technique a microdrop of 1-dodecanol containing pentachloronitrobenzene (internal standard) is delivered to the surface of an aqueous sample while being agitated by a stirring bar in the bulk of solution. Following completion of extraction, the sample vial was cooled by putting it into an ice bath for 5 min. Finally 2 muL of the drop was injected into the GC for analysis. Factors relevant to the extraction efficiency were studied and optimized. Under the optimized extraction conditions (extraction solvent: 1-dodecanol; extraction temperature: 65 degrees C; sodium chloride concentration: 0.25 M; microdrop and sample volumes: 8 muL and 20 mL respectively; the stirring rate: 750 rpm and the extraction time: 30 min), figures of merit of the proposed method were evaluated. The detection limits of the method were in the range of 7-19 ngL(-1) and the RSD% for analysis of 2 mugL(-1) of OCPs was below 7.2% (n=5). A good linearity (r(2)> or =0.993) and a relatively broad dynamic linear range (25-2000 ngL(-1)) were obtained. After 30 min of extraction, preconcentration factors were in the range of 708-1337 for different organochlorine pesticides and the relative errors ranged from -10.1 to 10.9%. Finally the proposed method was successfully utilized for preconcentration and determination of OCPs in different real samples.

A simple, rapid and efficient method, the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) in conjunction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), has been developed for the extraction and determination of phthalate esters (dimethyl phthalate, diallyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) in water samples. Factors relevant to the microextraction efficiency, such as the kind of extraction, the disperser solvent and their volume, the salt effect and the extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized extraction conditions (extraction solvent: chlorobenzene, volume, 9.5microL; disperser solvent: acetone, volume, 0.50mL, without salt addition and extraction time below 5s), the figures of merit of the proposed method were evaluated. The values of the detection limit of the method were in the range of 0.002-0.008microgL(-1), while the RSD% value for the analysis of 1microgL(-1) of the analytes was below 6.8% (n=4). A good linearity (0.9962>/=r(2)>/=0.9901) and a broad linear range (0.02-100microgL(-1)) were obtained. The method exhibited enrichment factors and recoveries, ranging from 681 to 889 and 68.1 to 88.9%, respectively, at room temperature (25+/-1 degrees C). Finally, the proposed method was successfully utilized for the preconcentration and determination of the phthalate esters in different real water samples and satisfactory results were obtained.

The biochemical response to controlled inhalation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was studied in 18 male guinea pigs. Animals were exposed to 2.5, 5.0, and 10 ppm NO2 for 2h daily for 35 consecutive days, and the results compared with six control animals exposed to filtered air for 2h daily for same period. Five biochemical parameters, including triglyceride, free fatty acids, esterified fatty acid, ganglioside and lipase activity were measured immediately after the last day of exposure. At 2.5 ppm NO2 inhalation no significant changes occurred in any region of the central nervous system (CNS). While as the dose concentration was increased to 5 and 10 ppm nitrogen dioxide, significant dose-related alteration were observed in the levels of triglyceride, free fatty acid, esterified fatty acid, ganglioside and lipase activity in the different regions of the guinea pig CNS.

Two groups of male guinea pigs were exposed to 5 and 10 p.p.m. nitrogen dioxide, 2 hr daily for 35 consecutive days, respectively. The third group, exposed to clean room air, was used as control. Total, free and protein bound sulfhydryl groups were estimated in the cerebral hemisphere cerebellum, midbrain and spinal cord. Significant decrement in total and protein bound sulfhydryl groups and increment in free sulfhydryl groups have been observed. Interestingly, dose-related statistically significant alterations in various CNS regions have been detected.

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of nitrogen dioxide on some neurochemical parameters. Guinea-pigs were exposed to NO2, 5 p.p.m. and 10 p.p.m. for 2 hr daily for five weeks. The results showed significant depletion of the total lipids and phospholipids content of the cerebral hemisphere, cerebellum, midbrain and spinal cord following nitrogen dioxide intoxication. The results further revealed significant diminution in the cholesterol content of the NO2 intoxicated animals in cerebral hemisphere, cerebellum and midbrain. But on the other hand the level was significantly enhanced in the spinal cord. Interestingly, the rate of lipid peroxidation was found enhanced in all the investigated brain areas, and with increasing dosage the effect was correspondingly pronounced.