[Preliminary processing, processing and usage of Dendrobii Caulis in history].

On account of the dense cuticles of the fresh stem and the light, hard and pliable texture of the dried stem, Dendrobii Caulis is difficult to dry or pulverize. So, it is very important to the ancient doctors that Dendrobii Caulis should be properly treated and applied to keep or evoke its medicinal effects. The current textual research results about the preliminary processing, processing and usage methods of Dendrobii Caulis showed that: (1) In history the clinical use of fresh or processed Dendrobii Caulis as teas and tinctures were very common. (2) Its roots and rhizomes would be removed before using. (3) Some ancillary approaches were applied to shorten drying times, such as rinsing with boiling mulberry-ash soup, washing or soaking with liquor, mixing with rice pulp and then basking, etc. (4) According to the ancients knowledge, the sufficient pulverization, by means of slicing, rasping, hitting or pestling techniques, was necessary for Dendrobii Caulis to take its effects. (5) The heat processing methods for Dendrobii Caulis included stir-baking, stir-frying, steaming, decocting and stewing techniques, usually with liquor as an auxiliary material. Among above mentioned, steaming by pretreating with liquor was most commonly used, and this scheme was colorfully drawn in Bu Yi Lei Gong Pao Zhi Bian Lan (Ming Dynasty, 1591 CE) ; moreover, decocting in advance or long-time simmering so as to prepare paste products were recommended in the Qing Dynasty. (6) Some different processing programs involving stir-baking with grit, air-tightly baking with ondol (Kangs), fumigating with sulfur, which appeared in modern times and brought attractive outward appearance of the drug, went against ancients original intentions of ensuring drug efficacy.

Screen time, physical activity and mental health among urban adolescents in China.

OBJECTIVE: To test the association between screen time (ST), physical activity (PA) and self-reported psychological problems among urban adolescents aged 11 to 16 years. METHODS: In 2010, total 5003 boys and girls were analyzed from 4 junior high schools in Bengbu city of China. The Depression Self-rating Scale for Children, Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders and School Life Satisfaction Rating Questionnaire were administered to obtain information on current mental health. Self-reported ST, PA and dietary intake were also assessed. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the effects of ST and PA on psychological problems. RESULTS: Approximately 26.1% of adolescents were exposed to ST for more than 2h/day. High ST was a risk factor for depressive symptoms (odds ratio (OR)=1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31-1.76), anxiety symptoms (OR=1.36, 95%CI: 1.18-1.57) and school life dissatisfaction (OR=2.07, 95%CI: 1.79-2.38). Sufficient vigorous PA (VPA) was a protective factor for depressive symptoms (OR=0.78, 95%CI: 0.67-0.91) and school life dissatisfaction (OR=0.73, 95%CI: 0.62-0.85). The combination of high ST and insufficient VPA was associated with the highest prevalence of various psychological problems. CONCLUSIONS: High ST and insufficient VPA interact to increase depressive, anxiety symptoms and school life dissatisfaction among Chinese adolescents.

Characterization of key aroma compounds in Huangjiu from northern China by sensory-directed flavor analysis.

Huangjiu (yellow rice wine) from Shanxi province, with a dominant Zao-aroma (fermented grain aroma), is particularly popular in northern China. The key aroma compounds in Huangjiu from Shanxi province were characterized by sensory-directed flavor analysis. A total of 106 compounds separated with solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) distillation were identified by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) coupled with aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) and odor specific magnitude estimation (Osme). Forty-seven of them were further quantitated and 21 odorants had odor activity values (OAVs) ≥ 1. The aroma profiles of three recombination models had >95.84% similarities to their corresponding samples. And then, the omission/addition tests further confirmed that ß-phenylethanol, 3-methylbutanoic acid, ethyl lactate, sotolon, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, vanillin, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl 3-phenylpropionate, 3-methylbutanal, and methional were the key odorants for Huangjiu from Shanxi province. Meanwhile, it was firstly confirmed that ethyl cinnamate and ethyl 3-phenylpropionate played the key roles in the overall aroma of Huangjiu.

[Correlation analysis of sub-health status and health-related risk behaviors in college students].

OBJECTIVE: To study the sub-health status in college students in relation to health-related risk behaviors. METHODS: Using convenient sampling method, 6176 college students (3285 male and 2891 female students) were surveyed with questionnaires for general demographical data, sub-health state and health-risk behaviors. RESULTS: The reported rate of sub-health state was 10.2%. The reported rate of physical sub-health was 11.7%, and the rate was 21.7%, 13.9% and 15.0% for inadequate physical activities, poor physical function and poor immunity, respectively. The reported rate of psychological sub-health was 10.5%, with a rate of 14.7%, 22.6% and 7.3% for emotional problems, behavioral problems and social adaptation difficulties, respectively. The risk factors for college students included insufficient sleeping, inadequate sport activities, missing breakfast, partial dietary, smoking and drinking (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The reported rate of sub-health is rather high. Early intervention for health-related risk behaviors should be conducted to prevent the incidence of sub-health among college students.