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By the end of the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), olfactory culture in China had evolved significantly as coveted aromatics continued to be imported and in increasing quantities from Southeast Asia. Although there is no surviving treatise dedicated to aromatics from this period, anecdotes in prose literature describing the uses and curation of scents reveal a process in which imported aromatics were being actively incorporated into existing olfactory culture and accrued new social, aesthetic, and ritual significance. This process is discernible in two major respects. First, a discourse of connoisseurship for aromatics arose in contrast to the conspicuous consumption of imported aromatics that flaunted wealth and status. Secondly, aromatics that were once the privilege of the very few began to be circulated among a wider (admittedly still elite) population, as seen in the case of the dragon brain aromatic in late-Tang and Five Dynasties accounts. By delving into these and related prose narratives and by cross-examining these accounts against other types of records, this article examines how imported aromatic goods shaped the Tang elite's perception of how scent was—and could be—used as part of a socially rooted sensory experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Particulate matter (PM) is a risk factor for various diseases. Recent studies have established an association between otitis media (OM) and PM exposure. To confirm this relationship, we developed a novel exposure model designed to control the concentration of PM, and we observed the effects of PM exposure on the Eustachian tube (ET) and middle ear mucosa of rats. Methods Forty healthy, 10-week-old, male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3-day, 7-day, 14-day exposure, and control groups (each, n=10). The rats were exposed to incense smoke as the PM source for 3 hours per day. After exposure, bilateral ETs and mastoid bullae were harvested, and histopathological findings were compared using microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the middle ear mucosa of each group were compared using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results In the ET mucosa of the exposure group, the goblet cell count significantly increased after PM exposure (P=0.032). In the middle ear mucosa, subepithelial space thickening, increased angio-capillary tissue, and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed. Moreover, the thickness of the middle ear mucosa in the exposure groups increased compared to the control group (P

Key message Incense is typically burned for use, with bronchitis and pneumonia reported as potential side effects. Physicians should be cautious as inappropriate oral ingestion of incense can lead to acute pneumonitis.

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Key message: Incense is typically burned for use, with bronchitis and pneumonia reported as potential side effects. Physicians should be cautious as inappropriate oral ingestion of incense can lead to acute pneumonitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air quality has become a topic of great concern. Burning incense has recently been identified as one of the primary sources of volatile organic compounds, specifically benzene, in an indoor setting. The current paper aims to evaluate volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, particularly benzene, within indoor environments through the utilization of an experimental clean room. Experimental findings showed that 10 types of incense sticks emitted benzene in concentrations between 11.1 and 66.5 μg m−3, which were 2.5 lower than the limit suggested for non-occupation indoor exposure (160 μg m−3), identified by the American Association of Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Furthermore, a correlation between the dimensions (diameter and length) of the combustible parts in an incense stick was investigated and indicated a slight influence on the release of benzene. Taking into consideration the substantial influence benzene has on human health, coupled with a lack of precise legislation regarding indoor air quality in residential settings, this research serves as an initial investigation into the noteworthy effects of burning incense in private and public indoor settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of its unique fragrance and wider role in traditional medicine, agarwood produced in Aquilaria spp. and certain other trees has been harvested to near extinction as a natural phenomenon. Artificially induced agarwood production in Aquilaria plantations has sated some of the demand although the product quality is variable. Synthetic chemistry may have a role to play in providing sustainable routes to many of the fragrant components identified in agarwood and its smoke when burnt as incense. In this work, we report efforts towards a total synthesis of the guaiane sesquiterpene α-bulnesene, which is found, along with its more fragrant oxidised derivatives, in agarwood. Following the ring-expansion of (R)-carvone using reported procedures, α-butenylation gave a substrate for samarium diiodide mediated reductive cyclisation, the two butenyl epimers of the substrate each leading to a single bicyclic alcohol (24 and 25). Overall homoconjugate hydride reduction of one of these alcohols was achieved by Lewis acid-mediated ionisation and then hydride transfer from triethylsilane to complete an overall seven-step synthesis of 5-epi-α-bulnesene. This new synthesis paves the way for short routes to both α-bulnesene enantiomers and a study of their aerial and enzymatic oxidation products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The position of the prescriptive unit regarding the construction of the incense altar (Exod 30:1–10) has been identified in previous scholarship as problematic. In support of Julius Wellhausen's diachronic solution to this problem, several additional irregularities in this unit can be adduced, as well as indications in the larger Priestly texts in the Pentateuch that an independent altar for incense was not in use. An explanation for the entire array of irregularities is based on the suggestion that the incense altar was meant to replace another vessel, the menorah. The current command regarding the function of the menorah (Exod 25:37b) raises doubts regarding its originality. Based on other features in the menorah unit (Exod 25:31–38) an alternative, original command designating the menorah for burning incense can be reconstructed. When the incense altar replaced the menorah in that role, the author of its prescriptive unit had to argue in favor of its legitimacy through direct polemics with the menorah's function, and through the incorporation of it in the highly esteemed annual ritual of atonement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burned. We aim to investigate the cognition risks from incense smoke. We obtained data from Taiwan Biobank in community. Cognition function was assessed by mini-mental state examination (MMSE). There were 978 participants in our study, including incense exposure (N = 131) and without incense exposure (N = 847). MMSE scores and registration sub-scores were lowered in incense exposure group than the other group. Incense exposure is one of the independent risk factors for cognitive decline in MMSE and registration sub-scores after adjusting confounding factors We concluded the risk of cognitive impairment, with predominant in registration in healthy individuals with incense exposure in community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of our study is the bronze censers in the Konya Archaeological Museum and dated to the Byzantine (East Roman) Period. The censer, in which incense is burned and used in religious ceremonies and daily life, has a special place in the Christianity. According to Christianity, incense rising to the sky symbolizes the prayers of the worshipers reaching God. From the Early Byzantine Period to the Late Byzantine Period, it is known through written sources, descriptions and surviving examples that censer was used in church rites, funerals or important events affecting the society. There are eleven bronze censers included in the Konya Archaeological Museum collection through purchase and confiscation. These censers are similar to the Byzantine Period censers found in museums and collections in Turkey and abroad, in terms of form, material, technique and decoration. However, none of these censers in the museum collection have a distinctive religious subject, symbol or figure. In this period, there is no definite data on the difference in the use of decorated and undecorated censers in religious and daily life. Therefore, censers can be liturgical items used in Byzantine religious ceremonies or items used in daily life. The censers discussed in the study were examined according to their form, technique and ornamental features, and were dated by comparing them with the examples found in museum collections in Turkey and abroad. Our study is important in terms of defining the censers in the Konya Archeological Museum collection in detail for the first time and adding new findings to the rich examples of Byzantine metalwork.

Copyright of RumeliDE Journal of Language & Literature Research / RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of RumeliDE Uluslararasi Hakemli Dil & Edebiyat Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Burning incense of Carlina gummifera L. is a traditional practice in North African countries for religious or ritual intentions. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of smoke incense of this plant on the reproductive function in adult male rats. Setting and Design: This study was conducted in the Integrated Physiology Laboratory. Materials and Methods: Plant roots were collected, dried and finely ground in powder form. Adult Wistar rats were randomly assigned to treated groups exposed daily during 60 min for 15 consecutive days to smoke incense at 2, 4 and 6 g and a control group was subjected to the same conditions in the absence of smoke. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's multiple comparison as the post hoc test. Results: Exposure to the incense of Carlina gummifera L. seriously affected dose dependently the reproductive function in male rats. It was found that in treated groups, the testicle relative weight decreased, while those of seminal vesicles and prostate increased when compared to the untreated group. Carlina gummifera L. incense inhalation reduced the total number, viability and mobility of epididymis spermatozoa compared to control. Furthermore, incense exposure induced various histological changes in the testes, prostate and seminal vesicles, including in particular a decrease in the number of gametes in the seminiferous tubes, the reduction of prostatic secretions and the macrophagic resorption of the seminal secretions. The effect of Carlina incense on the antioxidant system was evaluated by assaying the two antioxidant enzyme activities catalase and superoxide dismutase as well as thiol group levels in the testicles. Our results showed that fumigation affected these parameters, suggesting that the morphological and functional modifications in the male reproductive system induced by Carlina gummifera L. incense may be related, in part, to the alteration of the oxidative balance in the testicle. Conclusion: Smoke incense of Carlina gummifera L. caused marked reproductive toxicity in adult male rats associated with induced oxidative stress.

Incense was an essential part of temple rituals during the New Kingdom. A relief scene of redistribution of this economic good, carved in the hall of the Theban tomb of Puimra (TT 39), a Second Priest of Amun in the early Eighteenth Dynasty, helps to understand how incense traveled from abroad to the royal treasury and temple estates to be then redistributed among the different temples in Amun’s domain. The data is compared with evidence from other contemporary tombs, shedding light on the redistribution of goods in a centralized economy.

Among the ritual practices denigrated through explicit or implicit criticism levied by the biblical writers is the worship of a deity or deities on the rooftops – sometimes of royal architecture, and at other times on private houses. In the present study I interpret this practice using concepts derived from the cognitive science of religion (CSR) and cognitive linguistics. I summarize previous typologies of objects employed in the sacrificial cult of the ancient Southern Levant, confirming prior arguments for understanding shaft-type limestone altars as stylized models of architectural precursors. From a cognitive perspective, these stylized architectural models prompted offrants to run a conceptual blend that replaced the modest small-scale vegetable or incense offering of the offrant's small-scale input space with the more sumptuous small-scale offering – or even large-scale animal sacrifice – of the monumental-scale input. This cognitive explanation provides explanation for Deuteronomistic and Priestly attempts to limit the practice, and occasions insight into the temporal aspects of "sacred space." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air quality has become a topic of great concern. Burning incense has recently been identified as one of the primary sources of volatile organic compounds, specifically benzene, in an indoor setting. The current paper aims to evaluate volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, particularly benzene, within indoor environments through the utilization of an experimental clean room. Experimental findings showed that 10 types of incense sticks emitted benzene in concentrations between 11.1 and 66.5 μg m−3, which were 2.5 lower than the limit suggested for non-occupation indoor exposure (160 μg m−3), identified by the American Association of Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Furthermore, a correlation between the dimensions (diameter and length) of the combustible parts in an incense stick was investigated and indicated a slight influence on the release of benzene. Taking into consideration the substantial influence benzene has on human health, coupled with a lack of precise legislation regarding indoor air quality in residential settings, this research serves as an initial investigation into the noteworthy effects of burning incense in private and public indoor settings.

As a result of its unique fragrance and wider role in traditional medicine, agarwood produced in Aquilaria spp. and certain other trees has been harvested to near extinction as a natural phenomenon. Artificially induced agarwood production in Aquilaria plantations has sated some of the demand although the product quality is variable. Synthetic chemistry may have a role to play in providing sustainable routes to many of the fragrant components identified in agarwood and its smoke when burnt as incense. In this work, we report efforts towards a total synthesis of the guaiane sesquiterpene α-bulnesene, which is found, along with its more fragrant oxidised derivatives, in agarwood. Following the ring-expansion of (R)-carvone using reported procedures, α-butenylation gave a substrate for samarium diiodide mediated reductive cyclisation, the two butenyl epimers of the substrate each leading to a single bicyclic alcohol (24 and 25). Overall homoconjugate hydride reduction of one of these alcohols was achieved by Lewis acid-mediated ionisation and then hydride transfer from triethylsilane to complete an overall seven-step synthesis of 5-epi-α-bulnesene. This new synthesis paves the way for short routes to both α-bulnesene enantiomers and a study of their aerial and enzymatic oxidation products.

Copyright of Erdem is the property of Ataturk Kultur Merkezi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Burning incense of Carlina gummifera L. is a traditional practice in North African countries for religious or ritual intentions. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of smoke incense of this plant on the reproductive function in adult male rats. Setting and Design: This study was conducted in the Integrated Physiology Laboratory. Materials and Methods: Plant roots were collected, dried and finely ground in powder form. Adult Wistar rats were randomly assigned to treated groups exposed daily during 60 min for 15 consecutive days to smoke incense at 2, 4 and 6 g and a control group was subjected to the same conditions in the absence of smoke. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's multiple comparison as the post hoc test. Results: Exposure to the incense of Carlina gummifera L. seriously affected dose dependently the reproductive function in male rats. It was found that in treated groups, the testicle relative weight decreased, while those of seminal vesicles and prostate increased when compared to the untreated group. Carlina gummifera L. incense inhalation reduced the total number, viability and mobility of epididymis spermatozoa compared to control. Furthermore, incense exposure induced various histological changes in the testes, prostate and seminal vesicles, including in particular a decrease in the number of gametes in the seminiferous tubes, the reduction of prostatic secretions and the macrophagic resorption of the seminal secretions. The effect of Carlina incense on the antioxidant system was evaluated by assaying the two antioxidant enzyme activities catalase and superoxide dismutase as well as thiol group levels in the testicles. Our results showed that fumigation affected these parameters, suggesting that the morphological and functional modifications in the male reproductive system induced by Carlina gummifera L. incense may be related, in part, to the alteration of the oxidative balance in the testicle. Conclusion: Smoke incense of Carlina gummifera L. caused marked reproductive toxicity in adult male rats associated with induced oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arkhaia Anatolika: The Journal of Anatolian Archaeological Studies is the property of Arkhaia Anatolika and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: This narrative type review aimed to address organ toxicity emanating from incense usage. Methods: An online search using the following MeSH terms "Incense smoke,", "adverse effects," "organotoxicity", "oxidative stress" and "inflammation" was done to identify studies directly applicable to adverse effects of incense smoke exposure. Findings: Exposure to incense smoke demonstrated various toxicity changes in the kidney, testes, lungs, liver and heart. Renal effects included a decrease in oxidative stress markers GSH and CAT, increase in MDA, serum creatinine uric acid and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Testicular toxicityrevealed significant disturbances in spermatogenetic patterns, testicular atrophy, germinal aplasia, hypospermia and damage to the basal seminiferous epithelia tissue. In the cardiac muscle, ultrastructural changes, increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and altered cardiac hypertrophic gene expression was noted. Thenegative impact of incense smoke emanating from free radical (ROS), lipid peroxidation and GSH destabilizes vascular homeostasis and initiates ahyperinflammatory response, warranting the need to understand the conceptual basis of the mode of action linked to incense exposure. Conclusion: We highlight that incense generates ROS which initiates lipid peroxidation through ATP energy depletion and reduction in the natural antioxidants. This subsequently triggers oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction resulting in organotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burning incense (bakhour) is a common cultural practice in Saudi Arabia. However, its health risk assessment has rarely been studied. This study aims to investigate the association between exposure to incense smoke on lung function impairments and respiratory symptoms among young adults in Saudi Arabia. A community‐based cross‐sectional study was designed with a representative study sample (N = 125) in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Study participants, exposed group (n = 45), working in bakhour shop and matched control (n = 80), no history of occupational exposure to bakhour smoke, were recruited randomly from the population registry. Socio‐demographic and respiratory symptom information were collected through a questionnaire developed based on European Community Respiratory Health Survey II (ECRHS II). Lung function measurements were conducted using a field spirometer. The overall prevalence of wheezing or whistling was 16.8%, with a higher prevalence in exposed group 35.5%. In adjusted models, exposed to incense smoke remained positively associated with respiratory symptoms: wheezing or whistling; breathlessness; chest tightness shortness of breath; woken up by an attack of coughing. Our study suggests that inhaled incense smoke in occupation or at home is a risk factor of lung function impairments among adult population in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: La qualité de l'air intérieur représente un enjeu de santé publique majeur. Les actions des pouvoirs publics portent notamment sur la réduction des sources de polluants volatils spécifiques aux environnements intérieurs, dont certains usages domestiques de produits de consommation. Pour contribuer à identifier les produits associés aux risques sanitaires les plus préoccupants, la démarche d'évaluation des risques sanitaires (ERS) a été appliquée à trois types de produits de consommation courante, présélectionnés en fonction de leurs risques individuels attendus : désodorisants combustibles (encens, bougies parfumées), produits ménagers et désodorisants non combustibles (sprays, diffuseurs). Le champ des ERS réalisées incluait les expositions par inhalation, chroniques et aiguës (expositions d'une heure), et les usages de type domestique. Ces ERS se sont basées sur des concentrations mesurées en conditions réelles et sur des scénarios d'exposition déterministes (« moyen » et « pire cas raisonnable ») élaborés à partir de sondages nationaux sur les usages des produits étudiés. Dans le cas particulier des produits ménagers, l'élaboration de séances de ménage complètes, « multiproduits » et « multipièces », s'est appuyée sur une consultation de parties prenantes. Les résultats obtenus suggèrent que, dans le cadre des produits testés et des hypothèses retenues dans ces ERS, (i) les usages les plus courants correspondent à des risques individuels chroniques non préoccupants, quel que soit le type de produit étudié, considéré individuellement ; (ii) les expositions les plus élevées ont besoin d'être réduites pour assurer l'absence de risque préoccupant, notamment en réduisant les émissions des produits les plus émissifs, quel que soit le type de produit étudié ; (iii) les encens et, dans une moindre mesure, les sprays désodorisants sont les produits présentant les risques individuels les plus élevés, parmi les produits étudiés. Les substances d'intérêt prioritaire identifiées sont l'acroléine, le benzène, le formaldéhyde et les particules fines (PM2,5). Les effets sanitaires potentiels incluent divers troubles du système respiratoire et un excès de risque de leucémie. Indoor air quality is a major public health issue. Potential government actions include reducing indoor sources of volatile pollutants, especially household uses of some consumer products of concern. To help identify the products with the greatest health risks, a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) approach was applied to three types of consumer products, selected in advance for their expected individual risks: combustible air fresheners (incense, scented candles), cleaning products, and non-combustible air fresheners (sprays, diffusers). The scope of the HRA covered inhalation exposures (chronic and acute) and household uses. These HRAs were based on concentrations measured in real conditions and on exposure scenarios ("mean" and "reasonable worst-case") developed with national utilization surveys in France. A meeting with stakeholders for cleaning products led to the development of full "multi-product" and "multi-room" cleaning sessions. The results suggest that, based on the products tested and on the assumptions selected in these HRA, (i) the most common uses for each type of product studied correspond to individual chronic risks that may not be of concern, (ii) the highest exposures for each type of product should be reduced to ensure safe use and, as such, emissions should be reduced for the products with the highest emission levels, (iii) incense products and, to a lesser extent, fragrance sprays are the consumer products with the highest individual risks among the products studied. The priority substances identified were acrolein, benzene, formaldehyde, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Potential health effects include various respiratory system disorders and an excess risk of leukemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Asia and some other regions of the world, incense burning is an important folk and cultural activity. However, this ritual can cause health impacts, such as chronic respiratory diseases and neoplasms. Herein, we describe a family with lead poisoning possibly related to the frequent use of incense sticks at home. A 65-year-old homemaker with severe anemia, pitting edema of the lower legs, bone pain, abdominal pain, and exertional dyspnea for several months presented to our clinic. Her blood workup indicated severe anemia with basophilic stippling in red blood cells and blood lead level (BLL) of 59.75 μg/dL. Her husband, three children, and four grandchildren who lived with her also had high BLLs. As a Daoist clergy person, she had been exposed to a large amount of smoke from every day use of incense for >30 years. In the field investigation, the chronic dust deposited in hidden corners of their home had considerably higher lead content and other toxic metals. Our observations indicated chronic, frequent exposure to smoke from incense burning may be a cause of lead poisoning. Strict avoidance of incense smoke is a significant step toward preventing lead poisoning in children in societies with the custom of incense burning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Antikvitás & Reneszánsz is the property of MTA-SZTE Antikvitas es Reneszansz, Forrasok es Recepcio Kutatocsoport and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Smoke from burning plants is a traditional spatial repellent against insects worldwide. Smoke is also commonly used in religious rituals. In Chinese folk religion and Taoism as practiced in Taiwan, Asiatic wormwood leaves, agarwood incense sticks, and joss paper ("ghost money") are often burned or carried to pray for health or at festivals that overlap with peak mosquito seasons. The possibility exists that some of these rituals became popular due to repellent effects of the smoke reducing the impact of insect-vectored pathogens. The effects of these smokes on the Dengue-vectoring mosquito Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (Diptera: Culicidae) was measured following the World Health Organization guidelines for spatial repellency testing. The chemical constituents of the smoke were identified using a solid-phase microextraction fiber for extraction followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Smoke from wormwood weakly repelled mosquitoes and had some knock-down effects. Smoke from incense showed consistent but weak repellency effects, with no knock-down. Smoke from joss paper had no effect overall, with some mosquitoes seemingly attracted to the flames. While air pollution remains a concern regarding smoky incense, the possibility that mosquito-repelling volatiles can be isolated from the incense and utilized without smoke justifies deeper investigation into the source of these repellent effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Studies - Historical Analysis is the property of Electronic Turkish Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background Experimental studies have shown that exposure to incense burning may have deleterious effects on kidney function and architecture. However, the association between chronic exposure to incense smoke and risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has not been reported in epidemiologic studies. Methods We investigated this association in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a prospective population-based cohort of 63,257 Chinese men and women of 45–74 years of age in Singapore during recruitment from 1993 to 1998. Information on the practice of incense burning at home, diet, lifestyle and medical history was collected at baseline interviews. ESRD cases were identified through linkage with the nationwide Singapore Renal Registry through 2015. We used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of ESRD associated with domestic incense burning. Results Among cohort participants, 76.9% were current incense users. After an average 17.5 years of follow-up, there were 1217 incident ESRD cases. Compared to never users, the multivariable-adjusted HR for ESRD risk was 1.05 (95% CI, 0.80 to 1.38) for former users and 1.26 (95% CI, 1.02 to1.57) for current users of incense. In analysis by daily or non-daily use and duration, the increased ESRD risk was observed in daily users who had used incense for > 20 years; HR was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.07 to 1.46). Conversely, the risk was not increased in those who did not use incense daily or who had used daily but for ≤20 years. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that long-term daily exposure to domestic incense burning could be associated with a higher risk of ESRD in the general population.

This article examines petitionary prayer in Revelation 5:8; 6:10; 8:3–4; and 22:20 for the purpose of ascertaining its rhetorical function with respect to the vindication of the martyrs, the judgment of the wicked, the coming of Jesus, and the completion of God's mission in the earth. This analysis also places Revelation in conversation with prayer passages within the Fourth Gospel in order to discern how these documents, read on their own terms and then taken together, provide a fuller picture concerning the function of Johannine prayer. 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The sublime in scent refers to the use of language and description that excites thoughts and emotions beyond ordinary olfactory experience, and I would like to borrow this literary concept to explore the recent development of incense traditions in Japan and China from a sociocultural perspective. In order to understand how olfactory characters of incense have been verbally expressed, we can start by looking into the sublime in scent through the articulation of relevant subtle approaches since ancient times. Design/methodology/approach: This paper explains how the description of scent experienced by individuals has been associated with thoughts and history and why the sublime in scent is more complicated than the aroma people can tell. The data collected for this research is mostly based on observations by participating in various events and conversations with different people. Findings: In Japan and China, the use of incense has a long history, and relevant scent cultures have been developed not only for offerings in religious practices, but also as a kind of scent appreciation together with a poetic presentation. Again, it is important and significant to discern several interactions of incense traditions in these two countries, since the transformations became obvious in the last two decades, while Japanese Kodo participated more in international exchange, and the Chinese people's view of intangible cultural heritage has become more important in their daily social practices. Originality/value: As a way of showing how the study of scent can enhance ethnographic writing and the understanding of changes in the appreciation of incense, this paper hopes to contribute to the study of art and tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incense was an essential part of temple rituals during the New Kingdom. A relief scene of redistribution of this economic good, carved in the hall of the Theban tomb of Puimra (TT 39), a Second Priest of Amun in the early Eighteenth Dynasty, helps to understand how incense traveled from abroad to the royal treasury and temple estates to be then redistributed among the different temples in Amun’s domain. The data is compared with evidence from other contemporary tombs, shedding light on the redistribution of goods in a centralized economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nepal, predominantly inhabited by people driven by the principles of Hinduism and Buddhism, has seen the practice of burning incense sticks for a very long time. There has been an extensive practice of burning incense sticks in temples, monasteries, and even regularly in indoor household settings. This article puts light on the constituents of smoke coming from a burning incense stick and on the possible risks, they possess for occupational hazards and indoor air pollution.

This article builds on recent advances in sensory anthropology to examine the significance of smell in late medieval and early Reformation ritual. It argues that late medieval ritual reflected and reinforced the power of smell to affect senses of boundary demarcation and transition between bodies, the world, and the divine. By removing incense from their rituals, early Reformers challenged this paradigm, effectively desacralizing the sense of smell. In many everyday contexts, its traditional associations persisted, but for early Reformers, smell no longer mediated between the human and the divine. The argument is developed by establishing how smells were embedded in the late medieval mundane and religious contexts, and then by demonstrating how Reformers rejected certain aspects of this paradigm, while retaining others. It demonstrates this in theory and practice. By adopting the sense of smell as a category of analysis, this article deepens the understanding of Reformation ritual as something that interacted with bodies in all modalities of perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses information on religious elements in the representation of senses in literary sources of late imperial China. The Introduction presents psychological and social functions of olfaction with reference to China. The second part deals with the concepts of *xiang*, especially in the meaning of incense, but also the supernatural and symbolic aromas and the pollutant load of its antonym *chou*. The third part offers a survey of other bodily sensations in relation to religion.

Two products consumed in Ancient Egypt occupy a particular place: wine and perfumes, marker of elite, characteristic of religious feasts, of happiness and pleasures. Incense and ointments symbolizing luxury and exotism are vectors of divinity. Through archeological witnesses and the images bequeathed by Egyptians on their monuments, the purpose of this article is to redraw history of these products’ use from the 4th millennium. The oldest representation of tree acclimation could be as old as Scorpio’s reign.

Sacrifice was one of the most important rituals of the ancient Greeks. In this ritual, smells could be used to demarcate the profane from the sacred. The symbolic signification of odours (flowers, incense, trees, flesh, osphus…) was legitimated by myth, social custom and ritual practice. The odors create a characteristic olfactory atmosphere.

Within some of the earliest textual and material evidence for the history of Islam, pilgrimage appears as an important ritual of devotion, identity, and community. Yet modern scholarship has given little attention to early Muslims' sensory experiences of pilgrimage sites and what they physically encountered while there. This article examines the importance of smell within Islamic pilgrimage practices of the first/seventh and second/eighth centuries. Drawing upon literary and material evidence, I reconstruct several olfactory components of pilgrimage in this period, including intensive usage of perfume and incense at pilgrimage destinations such as the Kaʿba and the Dome of the Rock, as well as pilgrims' collection and ingestion of scented materials from these locations. I then argue that the prominence of pleasing aromas at these sacred spaces is connecting to early Islamic ideas about the proximity of paradise to these pilgrimage sites. Résumé: Dans certaines des premières sources textuelles et matérielles de l'histoire de l'islam, le pèlerinage apparaît comme un rituel important de dévotion, d'identité et de communauté. Néanmoins, dans la recherche contemporaine, les expériences sensorielles sur les sites du pèlerinage des musulmans ont fait l'objet de peu d'études. Cet article examine l'importance de l'odorat dans les pratiques islamiques du pèlerinage des Ier/VIIe et IIe/VIIIe siècles. En m'appuyant sur des sources littéraires et matérielles, je reconstruis de nombreuses composantes de l'olfaction dans le pèlerinage à cette époque, y compris l'importante utilisation de parfums et d'encens dans les lieux de pèlerinage tels que la Kaʿba et le Dôme du Rocher, ainsi que la collecte et l'ingestion de matériaux parfumés par les pèlerins à partir de ces emplacements. Je soutiens ensuite que l'importance des aromates dans ces espaces sacrés est liée aux premières représentations islamiques sur la proximité du paradis avec ces sites de pèlerinage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no waste management practiced anywhere when it comes to handling flower waste or used flowers, except hand over to the civic bodies. HolyWaste upcycles floral waste into incense sticks, soaps, cleaning agents, compost, etcmanaging floral waste as well as promoting women entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inscriptions and manuscripts belonging to the periods of the Second Turkic Khanate (632-744), the Uighur Khanate (744-840) and the Uighur Kingdom of Kocho (860-1284), and the inscriptions found in Yenisei, Mountainous Altai and Kyrgyzstan present a satisfying vocabulary of Old Turkic. The texts of this period contain many terms related to diverse fields, especially religious, social, cultural and military terms. The aim of the paper is to determinate the words in the meanings of smell, incense and censer in Old Turkic texts and to explain these words etymologically. In this study, the words in question determinated in the inscriptions and manuscripts in Orkhon Turkic and Old Uighur are taken as lexical entry; in addition, the texts of other periods of historical Turkish are cited for these lexical entries and their forms in the original texts and bilingual dictionaries of Turkic languages are also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfume in Egypt was fat-based, and the ingredients most often mentioned in texts are frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and cardamom. Scent had an important role in temple and funerary ritual. Furthermore, perfume was a luxury item and a commodity traded in the Mediterranean.