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Ginger oils from steam distillation and liquid carbon dioxide extraction (600 -700 psi) were fractionated into hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons by silica gel column chromatography. Volatile hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons were analyzed by capillary GC and GC-MS. Monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, aliphatic aldehydes, 2-alkanones, citral, monoterpene alcohols and sesquiterpene alcohols were major categories of ginger components which were affected or generated by thermal induced degradation during steam distillation.Steam distillation is the most common process for the extraction of essential oils from plants (1-3). It provides a fast and simple way to obtain aromatic components which bear the characteristic odor of that species. However, " s t i l l notes" or "burnt notes" are fre quently found in freshly distilled oil. The off-flavor results in most cases from thermally induced hydrolytic or degradative re actions (4).Volatile ginger oil obtained from steam distillation has been the subject of many research studies (5-12). However, the thermal degradative effects of steam distillation upon volatile and nonvol atile components of ginger were seldom discussed. Recently, Moyler (1) compared the advantages of liquid carbon dioxide extraction over conventional methods such as solvent extraction or steam dis tillation by showing reconstructed GC chromatograms which clearly displayed the differences. However,quantitative results showing the differences were not mentioned.The present study compares the capillary GC analysis of vola tile compounds derived from steam distillation of ginger with those extracted by liquid carbon dioxide. Volatile components affected by thermal treatment during preparation were of major concern.

Volatile components of mushroom (Agaricus subrufecens) were extracted by the simultaneous distillation-extraction method. About 30 volatile components could be identified by GC and K-MS analyses. Aromatic compounds, such as benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, benzonitrile, methyl bcnzoate, and a phenyl acetic acid-like compound, were the major volatiles (>85%) and are possibly the cause of "almond-like" aroma of this mushroom. Eight carbon compounds which are common to most mushroom volatiles make up only a minor part (ca 2%) of the total volatiles.

Acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood represents a novel entity of acute encephalophathy, predominantly affecting infants and young children living in Taiwan and Japan. It manifests with symptoms of coma, convulsions, and hyperpyrexia after 2 to 4 days of respiratory tract infections in previously healthy children. The hallmark of acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood consists of multifocal and symmetric brain lesions affecting the bilateral thalami, brainstem tegmentum, cerebral periventricular white matter, or cerebellar medulla. The etiology and pathogenesis of this kind of acute encephalopathy remain unknown, and there is no specific therapy or prevention. The prognosis is usually poor, and less than 10% of patients recover completely. We report a 3-year-old previously healthy girl presenting with acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood associated with influenza type B virus infection, which resulted in severe neurologic sequelae. We also review the current knowledge of the clinical, neuroimaging, and pathologic aspects of acute necrotizing encephalopathy of childhood.