Diversity Patterns of Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient in Arid and Semi-Arid Mountain Ecosystems in China.

Quantitative classification and ordination are instrumental in improving our understanding of plant community patterns and facilitating effective conservation efforts in national mountain ecosystems worldwide. However, there has been a lack of relevant research focused on arid and semi-arid mountain ecosystems. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the Ningxia Helan Mountain National Nature Reserve (located in Northwest China).

Effect of topographical features on hydrologically connected riparian landscapes across different land-use patterns in colossal dams and reservoirs.

Topographic features impact the riparian landscape, which shapes reservoir ecosystems. We know little about ecological network parameter (ENP) responses to topographical features (riparian width, stream-channel width, slope, and elevation) from three land-use areas (rural, urban, and rural-urban transitional) in larger dams and reservoirs globally. This study used a field-based approach with 305 transects on an inundated area of 58,000 km inside the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir (TGDR) in China.

Plant-soil interactions and C:N:P stoichiometric homeostasis of plant organs in riparian plantation.

Carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometric ratios give valuable insight into ecosystem function. The purpose of the present study is to probe into the C, N, and P stoichiometric characteristics in various organs and their relationships with soil factors of the dominant deciduous conifer plant species ( and ) during afforestation in the riparian zone of Three Gorges Reservoir. The results showed only a small change in the concentration of C in different plant organs and soils.

Effect of berberine and bicyclol on Chinese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a retrospective study.

Objectives: To compare the effect of berberine and bicyclol on patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Methods: Chinese nonalcoholic and non-viral hepatitis patients with a hepatic lipid content > 13% and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS) ≥ 2 were treated with 500 mg berberine thrice daily, together with dietary modification (low-fat diet) and Tai Chi exercise for 4 months (BT cohort; n = 112), or 25 mg bicyclol thrice daily plus dietary modification and Tai Chi exercise for 4 months (CT cohort, n = 145), or dietary modification and Tai Chi exercise for 4 months (DT cohort, n = 128).

Results: Patients in the BT and the CT cohorts had improved anthropometric measurements (weight, height, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio), biochemical parameters (blood sugar, lipid profile, and liver functions tests), liver/spleen computed tomography findings, and liver biopsy results after 4 months of intervention ( < 0.

Genetic variants of endothelial PAS domain protein 1 are associated with susceptibility to acute mountain sickness in individuals unaccustomed to high altitude: A nested case-control study.

The endothelial PAS domain protein 1 () gene functions to sense the blood oxygen level by regulating the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor pathway, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of have been found to have a strong and positive selection in the adaptation of the native Tibetan highland population to high-altitude hypoxia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of SNPs on the risk of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and the physiological responses to acute high-altitude hypoxia in lowland humans. Three tag SNPs (rs6756667, rs13419896 and rs4953354; minor allele frequency, ≥5%) were selected and genotyped in 603 unrelated Han Chinese men, who had traveled to Lhasa (a high-altitude hypoxia environment) by plane, using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry method.