Post-treatment of Que rescues EAE mice from deterioration.

<p><b>A</b>: Schematic diagram displaying the time course of immunization and Que post-treatment. <b>B:</b> Que post-treatment was initiated on day 16 post-immunization when mice attained a clinical score of 0.5 (arrow). Untreated mice (N = 9) continued to deteriorate with increasing clinical scores that reached values of approximately 3. Mice treated with Que (N = 9) with an initial score of 0.5 reached a value just greater than1, and were stabilized and maintained at that value. Values shown are means ± SEM (*, <i>p<0.05</i>).</p

Que decreases the number of infiltrating T cells in spinal cord.

<p>Panels display the number of infiltrating CD4/8 positive T cells in the EAE spinal cord with/without Que treatment. <b>A–C</b>: CD4⁺ cells were not observed in the spinal cord prior to immunization (<b>A</b>). An extensive infiltration of CD4⁺ cells was detected throughout the spinal cord and enriched in the white matter of the EAE mice (<b>B</b>). Que treatment significantly decreases the amount of infiltrating CD4⁺ T cells (<b>C</b>) (N = 5, *, <i>P<</i>0.05). <b>E–G</b>: CD8⁺ cells display a similar decrease after Que treatment (N = 5, *, <i>p<</i>0.05), but the overall extent of CD8⁺ cells detected was much less than that of CD4⁺ cells. Quantification of the staining is depicted in the bar graphs (<b>D and H</b>). Scale bar <b>A–G</b> = 0.5 mm, <b>F’</b> = 50 µm.</p

Que inhibits the activation of microglia/macrophages and astrocytes in spinal cord.

<p>Immunofluorescent staining with anti-CD68 and CD11b antibodies to demonstrate the number of microglia/macrophages in the EAE model with/without Que treatment, A. Numerous CD11b⁺ microglia/macrophages were observed in the EAE model which were greatly decreased after Que treatment. B. CD68 staining displayed a similar staining pattern after Que treatment. C. GFAP immunofluorescent staining displayed an increase in reactive astrocytes in the spinal cord, which was greatly decreased after Que treatment (N = 5, *, <i>p<</i>0.05). Quantification of the immunostaining is present in the bar graphs. Scale bar A–C = 0.2 mm.</p

Que protectes the spinal cord from demyelination and loss of oligodendrocytes.

<p><b>A.</b> MBP immunofluorescent staining displays an obvious decrease of myelin (arrows) in the white matter of the spinal cord in the untreated EAE controls (N = 5). Post-treatment with Que (N = 5) protects myelin from breakdown and displays a similar fluorescence intensity to the unimmunized controls (N = 5). <b>B.</b> Luxol Fast Blue (LFB) staining indicates a similar pattern after Que treatment (arrows). <b>C.</b> Que prevents the loss of CC1⁺ oligodendrocytes as compared with the untreated controls. Quantification of the observations is provided in the bar graphs. (*, <i>p<</i>0.05). Scale bar A = B = 0.5 mm, C = 0.2mm.</p

DataSheet_1_Phytoplankton control by stocking of filter-feeding fish in a subtropical plateau reservoir, southwest China.docx

Stocking of filter-feeding fish (mainly Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Aristichthys nobilis) is a common method used in lakes and reservoirs in (sub)tropical China to control phytoplankton, but the results are ambiguous and lack long-term data to support. We analysed a decade (2010-2020) of monitoring data from a subtropical plateau reservoir, southwest China, to which filter-feeding fish were stocked annually. We found that the total phytoplankton biomass, cyanobacteria biomass and average individual mass of phytoplankton decreased significantly during the study period despite absence of nutrient concentration reduction. However, the grazing pressure of zooplankton on phytoplankton also decreased markedly as judged from changes in the ratio of zooplankton biomass to phytoplankton biomass and Daphnia proportion of total zooplankton biomass. This is likely a response to increasing predation on zooplankton by the stocked fish. Our results also indicated that water temperature, total phosphorus and water level promoted phytoplankton growth. Our results revealed that filter-feeding fish contributed to the decline in the biomass of phytoplankton but that it also had a strong negative effect on the grazing pressure of zooplankton on phytoplankton, even in this deep reservoir where zooplankton may have a better chance of survival through vertical migration. The particular strong effect on zooplankton is most likely due to imbalance of stocking and harvesting of fish. In the management of eutrophic reservoirs, the reduction of external nutrient loading should have highest priority. In highland (low temperature) deep-water eutrophic reservoirs, stocking of filter-feeding fish may help to control filamentous phytoplankton provided that the fish stocking is properly managed. The optimal stocking intensity of filter-feeding fish that can help control phytoplankton in such reservoirs without excessive impact on large-bodied zooplankton is a topic for further elucidation, however.</p

Additional file 1: of Modified task-based learning program promotes problem-solving capacity among Chinese medical postgraduates: a mixed quantitative survey

Pre-text questionnaire about immunohistochemistry. (DOCX 16 kb