Ethnobotany and diversity of medicinal plants used by the Buyi in eastern Yunnan, China

The Buyi are a socio-linguistic group in Yunnan Province of southwest China that have a long history of using medicinal plants as part of their indigenous medical system.Given the limited written documentation of the Buyi indigenous medical system,the objective of this paper is to document the medicinal plants of the Buyi and associated traditional knowledge and transmission.Field research was conducted in four villages in Lubuge Township of Luoping County in Yunnan Province using ethnobotanical methodologies including participatory observation,semi-structured interviews,key informant interviews,and focus group discussions to elicit information on medicinal plants.In total,120 informants(including 15 key informants who are healers)were interviewed.This study found that a total of 121 medicinal plant species belonging to 64 families are used by the Buyi including by local healers to treat different diseases.Among the medicinal plants recorded in this study,56 species(46%)have not previously been documented in the scientific literature as having medicinal value,highlighting the pressing need for ethnobotanical documentation in indigenous communities.The most frequently used medicinal part was the leaf(24.9%of documented plants),and the most common preparation method was decoction(62.8%of medicinal).Medicinal plants were mainly used to treat rheumatism(12.4%of plants),trauma and injuries(9.6%).The documented plants are also used for other non-medicinal purposes including food,fodder,fencing,and ornamental.In addition,35 of the medicinal plants are considered poisonous and are used by local Buyi healers for medicine.The traditional Buyi beliefs and practices associated with the documented medicinal plants likely contributes to their conservation in the environments and around Buyi communities.This study further highlights that ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Buyi is at risk of disappearing due to increased introduction and use of modern medicine in Buyi communities,livelihood changes,rapid modernization,and urbanization.Research,policy,and community programs are urgently needed to conserve the biocultural diversity associated with the Buyi medical system including ethnobotanical knowledge towards supporting both environmental and human wellbeing.

Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Plants on Antiinsulin Resistance Bioactivity of DXMS-Induced Insulin Resistant HepG2 Cells

Medicinal plants have a long history of use in China to treat diabetic symptoms.Ancient Chinese medical manuscripts and ethnobotanical surveys document plant remedies that continue to be actively used in China for the treatment of diabetic symptoms.Based on a systematic ancient Chinese medical manuscripts review in combination with ethnobotanical survey,16 medicinal plants for the traditional treatment of diabetic symptoms were identified for the evaluation of anti-insulin resistance bioactivity.The biological activity of 16 medicinal plants was tested on dexamethasone(DXMS)-induced insulin resistant HepG2 cells.The result shows that 11 of the 16 medicinal plants enhanced glucose uptake of DXMS-induced insulin resistant HepG2 cells,thereby demonstrating their ability to increase insulin sensitivity,other five medicinal plants including Astragalus membranaceus were found ineffective.The study shows that ancient Chinese medical manuscripts and ethnobotanical surveys on plants for the prevention and treatment of diabetic symptoms provide a promising knowledge base for drug discovery to mitigate the global diabetes epidemic.

Black Hole and Sink Hole Attack Detection in Wireless Body Area Networks

In Wireless Body Area Networks(WBANs)with respect to health care,sensors are positioned inside the body of an individual to transfer sensed data to a central station periodically.The great challenges posed to healthcare WBANs are the black hole and sink hole attacks.Data from deployed sensor nodes are attracted by sink hole or black hole nodes while grabbing the shortest path.Identifying this issue is quite a challenging task as a small variation in medicine intake may result in a severe illness.This work proposes a hybrid detection framework for attacks by applying a Proportional Coinciding Score(PCS)and an MK-Means algorithm,which is a well-known machine learning technique used to raise attack detection accuracy and decrease computational difficulties while giving treatments for heartache and respiratory issues.First,the gathered training data feature count is reduced through data pre-processing in the PCS.Second,the pre-processed features are sent to the MK-Means algorithm for training the data and promoting classification.Third,certain attack detection measures given by the intrusion detection system,such as the number of data packages trans-received,are identified by the MK-Means algorithm.This study demonstrates that the MK-Means framework yields a high detection accuracy with a low packet loss rate,low communication overhead,and reduced end-to-end delay in the network and improves the accuracy of biomedical data.

The Effects of 5 Weeks of Leg-Drive Training on Bench Press Performance in Recreationally-Trained,College-Age Men

Introduction The bench press is commonly used to measure upper-body strength.While much emphasis has been placed on the upper-body,little is known about how the lower-body can play a role in bench press performance.Leg-drive is a technique that includes flexing the knee so the feet line up posterior to the knee joint,while simultaneously contracting the knee extensors isometrically during the lift.The purpose of this study was to compare strength characteristics of lifters in a standard bench press versus a leg-drive bench press over the course of 5-weeks of training.Methods Twenty-three recreationally active males(age:22.4±2.1 years,height:175.0±5.9 cm,mass:78.4±9.5 kg)were randomized into a standard bench or leg-drive bench press group.Participants performed four sets to failure,two times per week for five weeks.Variables of interests were training volume and 1-repetition maximum(1RM)strength.For training volume,a 2×5(group×week)repeated measures analysis of variance(RMANOVA)was used.For the 1RM’s,a 2×2×2(group×press type×time)RMANOVA was used.A priori alpha levels were set to 0.05.Results Over time,both groups showed an approximate 6%increase in 1RM strength.Training volume for week 4 was 5.6%less than week 5,but was not different from weeks 1 through 3.No between-group differences were observed for 1RM strength or training volume.Conclusion This results of this work indicates that 5 weeks of leg-drive training is effective in increasing 1RM strength,but was not more effective than standard bench press training.Practically,lifters should choose either lifting style based on personal preference.