American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Zingiber striolatum Diels is a unique medicine food homology plant native to China. In recent years, due to severe habitat destruction, studying the impact of climate change on the distribution of wild resources is of great significance for the ecological conservation and artificial cultivation of Z. striolatum. This study collected 141 valid species distribution records, and 37 environmental variables, and projected two future climate scenarios (SSP126 and SSP585) for two periods (2050s and 2090s). By employing Pearson analysis, Maximum Entropy Model (MaxEnt), and Geographic Information System (ArcGIS), we predicted the potential suitable habitats for Z. striolatum under present and future climates, as well as identified the dominant environmental variables influencing its distribution. The results indicated that the MaxEnt model performed well (AUC > 0.9) with high accuracy and reliability. The dominant environmental factors included Precipitation of driest quarter (39.0 ~ 473.8 mm), Precipitation of wettest quarter (593.2 ~ 1269.4 mm), Temperature annual range (9.8 ~ 28.6℃), and Mean diurnal range (6.5 ~ 9.6℃). The highly suitable areas for Z. striolatum were mainly distributed in western and southern Yunnan, northern and western Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and central Hainan. Under future climate change, the centroid of the total suitable area for Z. striolatum is projected to shift towards the southwest (Yungui Plateau) at higher elevations.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-73202-4.

Abstract Diabetes and cognitive dysfunction are highly prevalent disorders, while the underlying mechanism is still elusive. The effects of Gastrodin on central nervous system have been emphasized recently. In this study, we aim to explore the potential mechanism leading to cognitive dysfunction in diabetes and the therapeutic effect of Gastrodin. Diabetes was induced by a single injection of streptozotocin. RNA sequencing technique was used to identify the potential factors involved. Western blot and immunofluorescence were applied to detect the protein expression. Our results have shown that spatial learning was impaired and hippocampal pyramidal neurons were damaged in diabetic rats, which could be ameliorated by Gastrodin intervention. Transcriptional analysis identified differential expression genes, which were confirmed by qPCR and western blot. Furthermore, p21 activated kinase 2 (PAK2) was selected and its inhibitor could promote the survival of primary hippocampal neurons. It suggested that PAK2 pathway may be involved in cognitive dysfunction in diabetes and a therapeutic target for Gastrodin intervention.

Abstract Background Obesity is considered a major public health problem in the world. At present, the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS) Pro12Ala and C161-T in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARγ2) gene with obesity is still controversial. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the Pro12Ala and C161-T polymorphisms of PPARγ2 gene and obesity among Han nationality of Yunnan Plateau in Southwest China. Methods The genotypes of 284 extremely overweight patients, 475 obese patients and 759 normal controls from Yongsheng County of Yunnan Province (China) were analyzed. The Pro12Ala and C161-T genotypes of PPARγ2 were detected by SNaPshot genotyping assay. The data were analyzed statistically. Results The overall prevalence of obesity was 4.99% and the overweight rate was 23.93% among Han nationality in Yongsheng, Yunnan Province. Statistical analysis showed that there were no significant differences in the Pro12Ala genotype, C161-T genotype and the two combined genotypes between the extremely overweight and the control 1, either between the obesity and the control 2 (P > 0.05). Further, the alleles of Pro12Ala and C161-T did not exhibit any signifificant association with extreme overweight or obesity among the complete sample population (P > 0.05). However, conditional logistic regression analysis showed that there was a statistically significant association between the two combined genotype of “CC + TT” and the extreme overweight after adjusting for covariates (Calculated with the combined genotype of “CC + CC ” as the reference category; P = 0.014; OR = 4.04; 95%CI = 1.33–12.33). Conclusions Our study indicates that the combined genotypes "CC + TT" of PPARγ2 Pro12Ala and C161-T were associated with an increased risk of extreme overweight, however, Pro12Ala and C161-T polymorphisms may not be the main cause of obesity in Han nationality of the Yunnan Plateau in Southwest China.

Background:The potential association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and development of osteoporosis has drawn significant attention from clinicians and researchers in recent years due to the increasing prevalence of HBV infection. This study aims to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to show whether HBV infection is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis.Methods:Case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies that report the incidence of osteoporosis, osteoporotic fracture, osteopenia, and bone mineral density level in populations with HBV infection will be selected. Four databases from their inception to October 2019 will be searched. All data were assessed and extracted by 2 authors independently. The Newcastle–Ottawa scale and (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality checklist will be used to assess the quality of the selected studies. Stata 15.1 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX) will be used to conduct meta-analysis.Result:The results of this systemic review and meta-analysis will be submitted to a recognized journal for publication.Conclusion:This systemic review and meta-analysis will determine whether HBV infection is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. We hope this review can provide a reliable evidence.Registration:PROSPERO (registration number CRD42020140522).

PurposeIn many organizations, professionals who were once in supportive roles or considered subject matter experts are now expected to take a consulting role in order to facilitate change in their area of expertise. Most, whilst skilled and knowledgeable in their field, have no training in the skills required to be a successful consultant and agent of change. They need to understand and manage the process of consulting and develop new skills; one of the key skill‐sets is interpersonal influence. This article aims to focus on the issues.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop in detail the applications of influence skills to the process of internal consulting.FindingsGood influence skills are essential for success as an internal consultant, since by definition people in that role cannot mandate change. Both expressive and receptive influence behaviors are useful at various phases of the consulting process. Developing the skills and knowing when and how to use the different behaviors described can be invaluable to professionals in an internal consulting role.Research limitations/implicationsThis is not a research paper, but the authors are open to suggestions as to research possibilities.Practical implicationsAnyone in an internal consulting role can gain value from thinking of him or herself as an influencer and being thoughtful in how he or she uses influence skills to achieve the results required or expected from a specific consulting engagement or project.Social implicationsAn open discussion about mutual influence skills and strategies can enhance working relationships and make it easier to achieve results in complex organizations and situations.Originality/valueVery little has been studied or written about the skills required to be an internal consultant, though much has been written about the process of external consulting. The authors' observations and experience have led them to conclude that the roles are quite different and that internal consultants must depend on their interpersonal influence skills to a greater degree in order to achieve successful results.

Customs and attitude about marriage, divorce, and sexual practices are undergoing change in China. Some of the changes have been encouraged by the government while others have occurred almost in spite of government efforts to redirect policy. Getting information on changes is not an easy task, even in this period of Chinese willingness to be more open. The resulting overview is based on available sources as well as the personal experiences of the authors, one of whom is a Chinese national and well known researcher into sex, marriage, and family in China. The others is an American who has visited Chi na and written on various aspects of sexual behavior in China.