Bird species composition and conservation challenges in the Gaoligong Mountains, one of the most diverse bird areas in the world

The Gaoligong Mountains(GLGM),located in southwestern China,extend north to south along the western border of the Hengduan Mountains,spanning approximately 600 km.In this study,we consolidated findings from 17 bird surveys conducted in the GLGM between 2010 and 2022.We found that the GLGM harbors tremendous bird diversity,with a total of 796 documented bird species in the region.Nearly a quarter(23.0%)of these species are listed as state key protected species or as Chinese and global threatened species.Analysis of species richness at the county level showed a decreasing trend with increasing latitude,with the greatest diversity in Yingjiang(661 species).Observations indicated that the GLGM belongs to the Oriental realm,primarily composed of bird species from southern and southwestern China.The GLGM plays an important role in avian conservation by sheltering exceptional bird diversity,providing corridors and flyways for bird migration and dispersal,and mitigating the effects of climate change.In response to the conservation needs of birds and other wildlife,the Chinese government has established numerous protected areas within the GLGM.Despite these efforts,avian conservation still faces considerable challenges in the GLGM due to limitations in the protected area network,transboundary nature of the regions,and existing gaps in monitoring and research.

Effects of moxibustion at 46°C on blood lipids and related indicators of thoracic aortic endothelium in a hyperlipidemia rat model

Objective:To observe the effects of moxibustion at different temperatures(38℃,46℃)on blood lipids,endothelial morphology of the thoracic aorta,serum endothelin-1(ET-1),calcitonin gene-related peptide(CGRP),nitric oxide(NO),and endothelial NO synthase(eNOS)in hyperlipidemic rats.Methods:Using the random number table method,60 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly and evenly divided into blank,model,38℃-moxibustion,and 46℃-moxibustion groups.Rats in the 3 experimental groups were fed a high-fat feed to model hyperlipidemia in rats.Rats in the 38℃-moxibustion and 46℃-moxibustion groups were moxibustion on the Shenque and bilateral Zusanli acupoints for 10 minutes each,once every other day for 4 weeks,at temperatures of 38±1℃ and 46±1℃.After that,rat blood samples were collected to detect blood lipids and ET-1,CGRP,eNOS and NO.Take the endotheal tissue of the thoracic aorta to do HE staining.Results:(1)The serum total cholesterol,triglycerides,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of rats in the 46℃-moxibustion group were significantly lower than those in the model and 38℃-moxibustion groups.(2)Revealed by hematoxylin and eosin staining,showed necrosis in the local vascular endothelial cells and mild inflammatory cell infiltration in the tunica adventitia of the hyperlipidemic rats.These endothelial morphologies did not improve significantly after moxibustion at 38℃ but did improve at 46℃.(3)Compared with the blank group,serum ET-1 was significantly higher and serum CGRP,NO,eNOS were significantly lower in the model group.Compared with the model and the 38℃-moxibustion groups,serum ET-1 was significantly lower and serum CGRP,NO,eNOS were significantly higher in 46℃-moxibustion groups.Conclusion:Moxibustion at 46℃ effectively regulated blood lipids,improved the morphology of the vascular endothelium,and protected vascular endothelial function.

Effects and mechanism of miR-214 on hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective:To explore the role of miR-214 in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma（HCC） and its inhibitory mechanisms in depressing the signaling pathway of j3-catenin.this study was conducted.Methods:We ectopically expressed miR-214 in HepG2 cells to obtain cell lines Lv-miR-214-HepG2 and their control Lv-control-HepG2.Differences between the two cell lines were compared in cell growth,proliferation,colony forming ability and cell cycles.RT-PCR method was applied for the quantification of β-catenin mRNA expression.Western-blot method was applied for the determination of the protein level of β-catenin and their downstream targets（ie.Cyclin D1,c-Myc and TCF-1）.The effect of miR-214 on cells was further explored through RNA interference and restoring miR-214 expression.Results:In comparison with negative（Lv-control-HepG2） and blank（HepG2） control,a significant inhibition of cell growth and proliferation caused by miR-214 was observed after 4872h of cell culture experiments（P【0.05）.The miR-214 treatment resulted in a colony forming efficiency of（23.28±3.26）%,which was significantly lower than that of negative control[（51.31±3.97）%]（P【0.05）.According to FCM results,the experimental group,compared with control,showed a higher proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase[（70.32±3.12）%]but a lower proportion in S phase[（18.42±2.90）%]（P【0.05）.The MTT assay demonstrated a significant inhibition of the proliferation and β-catenin expression of HCC cells compared with control（P【0.05）.while no significant difference was observed after HCC cells being transfected withβ-catenin overexpression plasmid（P】0.05）.By comparing to the RT-PCR and Western-blot results of control,the miR-214 treatment led to a slightly decrease in the β-catenin mRNA expression（P】0.05）.but an extremely inhibition in the protein level of β-catenin and its downstream targets Cyclin Dl,c-Myc.and TCF-1（P【0.05）.Conclusions:miR-214 functions as a suppressor during the progression of HCC,and its inhibitory role was achieved by downregulating β-catenin signaling pathway.