Cooling assisted headspace microextraction by packed sorbent coupled to HPLC for the determination of volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil.

A headspace microextraction by packed sorbent technique (HS-MEPS) was developed that is assisted by cooling the extraction phase and, in the same time, heating the sample matrix. The innovated cooling assisted HS-MEPS system was optimized for the extraction and HPLC determination of volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in solid samples. Amino ethyl-functionalized SBA-15 was used as a nanoporous sorbent for packing the conical hub of the MEPS syringe.

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune systemic disease. Most common autoimmune diseases are multisystem disorders that may also present with otological manifestations, and autoimmune inner ear disease accompanied by vestibular dysfunction. This study aimed to compare the vestibular function between RA patients and normal subjects using cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs).