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Objective: This study aimed to explore the aroma differences of Pixian bean paste from different brands and establish an analytical method for quality evaluation and quality control methods in Douban Sauce, based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques along with sensory evaluation. Methods: Three different brands of Pixian Douban Sauce were selected as the research objects. SPME and GC-MS techniques were used to extract and qualitatively analyze the aroma components, and the sensory evaluation of the three types of Pixian Douban Sauce was conducted based on current effective group standards. Results: 57, 90, and 70 volatile flavor compounds were identified in brands T, J, and C Pixian Douban Sauce, and 46, 70, and 60 were identified in the database. Excluding impurity peaks and extremely low content fragment peaks, the flavor substances of brands T, J, and C are 32, 47, and 43, respectively. Brand J has the highest sensory rating, followed by brand T, and brand C has the lowest. Based on the analysis of aroma components and content, the relative content of 3-methylbutyraldehyde and 2-methylbutyraldehyde (both with apple aroma and a pleasant feeling) in brand J is higher than the other two brands, and only furfural with a relative content greater than 3% was detected in brand C. Conclusion: The combination of SPME-GC-MS technology and sensory evaluation analysis can distinguish the aroma components of different brands of Pixian Douban Sauce.

Heparin is a widely used blood anticoagulant and its monitoring in blood is essential during surgery. Unavoidable interference factors such as blood color and luminescence can interfere with the fluorescence visualization of heparin. Herein, we found a ratiometric fluorescence probe consisting of SYBR green and cresyl violet responsive to heparin mainly based on electrostatic interactions. A simple sensor was further embedded in an agarose hydrogel, exhibiting an obvious color change from orange to green without complex pretreatment of blood, which overcomes the susceptibility of fluorescence sensors toward biological samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the increasing popularity of ARVs, physical symptoms of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have been effectively improved. Improving mental health and quality of life has gradually become the focus of attention in the treatment. The aim of this study is to explore the association between death anxiety and depression in men living with HIV/AIDS (MLWHA) from the perspective of network analysis. Methods: This study recruited 701 MLWHA in Jilin Province, China. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire. The average age of the participants was 37.4 years old. Among them, there were 54 heterosexual participants, 494 homosexual participants, 139 bisexual participants, and 14 asexual/other participants. Network analysis was used to identify central symptoms, key bridge symptoms, and the strongest edge among symptoms in the death anxiety and depression network. Results: In this study, 18.1% of MLWHA may suffer from severe depression. The severity of depression in homosexual MLWHA was severer than in heterosexuals. Death anxiety was severer among unmarried and married/cohabiting MLWHA compared to divorced/separated/widowed MLWHA. This study found that item DAS10 (The topic of post death is very confusing to me) was the most central symptom. The edge DAS2 – PHQ9 (Rarely think of death – Suicide ideation) was the strongest edge between death anxiety and depression. Item DAS2 (Rarely think of death) was the strongest bridge symptom. Conclusion: Psychological symptoms such as distress over the topic of death, thoughts of death, and suicidal ideation play an important influential and connecting role in the death anxiety-depression network among MLWHA. Implementing appropriate interventions for these symptoms—such as popularizing correct knowledge of death and providing more psychological counseling services for this group—can effectively reduce the co-occurrence of death anxiety and depression, thereby improving the mental health of MLWHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although positive attitudes toward own aging (ATOA) have been shown to be associated with higher levels of quality of life (QoL) among older adults, the potential interrelationship between ATOA and QoL has not been fully explored. A sample of 2129 older adults aged 60 and above who participated in the three waves of the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey was used. QoL was measured using three indicators, including self‐rated health, loneliness, and life satisfaction. The cross‐lagged analysis results showed that the bidirectional association between ATOA and QoL was not significant, while positive ATOA predicted better self‐rated health, higher life satisfaction, and less loneliness. And there are no gender or age differences in the above relationships. In addition, economic status, sleep quality, and activity participation were common influences on self‐rated health, life satisfaction, and loneliness, as well as important factors affecting ATOA. Several variables, such as demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and health status, also influenced QoL and ATOA. Measures to promote positive ATOA can help improve QoL. In addition, emphasis should be placed on improving economic status, sleep quality, and activity participation levels to enhance QoL and ATOA in older adults, with appropriate interventions targeting other factors affecting QoL and ATOA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work developed an aptamer-dye complex as a label-free ratiometric fluorescence sensor for rapid analysis of THC and its metabolite in sewage samples. Integrated with a portable fluorescence capture device, this sensor exhibited excellent sensitivity with visualization of as low as 0.6 μM THC via naked-eye observation, and THC analysis can be accomplished within 4 min, which would be a complementary tool for quantifying THC in sewage samples to estimate cannabis consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]