Freshwater fishes worldwide face an array of threats from dam construction, river fragmentation, pollution, over‐exploitation and interactions with introduced species. Such impacts are especially prevalent in densely populated countries undergoing rapid development, and their effects are felt most strongly where regional fish diversity is high. We reviewed studies of the distribution of freshwater fish species throughout China to map a biogeographical pattern and ascertain the environmental factors contributing to this distribution. We then linked this information to identify geographic areas to be recommended as the focus of conservation efforts. A total of 920 species in 302 genera, 54 families and 21 orders were recorded. Among the recorded species, 73% were Cypriniformes and 12% were Siluriformes. Cyprinidae was the most dominant family with 473 species, followed by Balitoridae with 157 species. The administrative division of the biogeography of China's freshwater fishes consisted of nine regions, including the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau Region, Oriental Region, Northwest Region, South Region, Loess Plateau Region, Heilongjiang Region, Upper Yangtze Region, 3H Plain Region and Middle‐Lower Yangtze Plain Region. The river system was the primary factor in determining China's freshwater fish biogeography. Under stepwise regression analysis, river discharge was found to be the most influential factor in determining richness, followed by population size and net primary productivity. The higher level of fish endemicity and sensitivity to environmental change led to the identification of Southwest China and the higher areas of Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau as the primary areas to be considered for fish conservation and potential natural reserves.

The Mekong flows north to south, through six countries in south-east Asia. Many studies have concentrated on fish and fisheries in the Lower Mekong, which has been identified as one of the largest inland fisheries in the world with an incredibly rich diversity of species. In contrast, fish and fisheries in the Upper Mekong (Lancang River) have remained relatively undocumented. In this paper, we synthesized information on freshwater fish biodiversity and fisheries in the Upper Mekong and documented 173 species and subspecies (including 87 endemic species) among 7 orders, 23 families and 100 genera. We divided the Upper Mekong into 17 sub-basins based on Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and then used fish species data to cluster the sub-basins. Four parts (the headwater, the upper reach, the middle reach and the lower reach) and one lake have distinct fish species communities associated with them. There was a linear relationship between fish species (x) and endemic species (y) as y = 0.5464x -3.2926. Relationship between species number or endemic species number (y) and mean altitude (x) can be described as y = -54.352 ln(x) ? 460.79 or y = -30.381 ln(x) ? 253.85, respectively. Fisheries kept as about 6,000 t from 1989 to 1998, and then steadily increased to 10,000 t in 2004. We reviewed the overall threats to the Upper Mekong fish and fisheries, and found that hydrological alteration is the largest threat in the basin, followed by over fishing and the introduction of exotic species. In terms of specific river sections, water pollution was the most serious threat to fishes in the upper reach of the Upper Mekong, whilst migratory fishes in the lower reach of the Upper Mekong are seriously threatened by the construction of cascade dams. The Buyuan River and the Nanla River were identified as important feeding and spawning habitats for upstream migrant species and should be considered as a priority for conservation.

Two experiments were conducted to test the feeding value of fermented cottonseed meal (FCSM) in broilers. In experiment 1, 480 1-day-old male yellow-feathered broilers were allocated into 4 dietary treatments with 6 replicates (20 birds per replicate) to examine the effects of FCSM on the growth response of chickens. Experimental feeding was performed for 6 weeks in two phases (starter, days 0 to 21; finisher, days 22 to 42). FCSM was used at 0, 40, 80, and 120 g/kg levels to replace soybean meal in the basal diet. The dietary inclusion of 40 and 80 g/kg FCSM increased (quadratic (Q): p<0.01) the body weight gain of broilers in the starter and in the overall feeding periods. Experiment 2 determined the effect of FCSM on the cecal microbial populations, intestinal morphology, and digestive enzyme activity of broilers. The number of lactobacilli in the cecal digesta increased at day 21 (p<0.01) and day 42 (linear (L): p=0.01). Coliform bacteria counts decreased (L: p<0.05) with the increasing inclusion of FCSM at day 21. The inclusion of FCSM increased (L-Q: p<0.05) villus height in the duodenum and linearly elevated (p<0.05) villus height and the villus height to crypt depth ratio in the jejunum at day 21. Similar improvement (L: p<0.05) was noted in jejunal villus height at day 42. The inclusion of FCSM improved (p<0.05) the activities of amylase and protease at day 21, as well as protease at day 42. In conclusion, the appropriate inclusion of FCSM improves growth, cecal microflora, intestinal morphology, and digestive enzyme activity in yellow-feathered broilers.

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SHP2 participates in multiple signaling events by mediating T-cell development and function, and regulates cytokine-dependent granulopoiesis. To explore whether and how SHP2 can regulate bone-marrow eosinophil differentiation, we investigate the contribution of SHP2 in the bone-marrow eosinophil development in allergic mice. Blockade of SHP2 function by SHP2 inhibitor PHPS-1 or conditional shp2 knockdown by adenovirus-inhibited bone-marrow-derived eosinophil differentiation in vitro, with no detectable effects on the apoptosis of eosinophils. Furthermore, SHP2 induced eosinophil differentiation via regulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. Myeloid shp2 conditional knockout mice (LysMcreshp2flox/flox) failed to induce eosinophilia as well as airway hyper-responsiveness. The SHP2 inhibitor PHPS-1 also alleviated eosinophilic airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness, accompanied by significantly reduced levels of systemic eosinophils and eosinophil lineage-committed progenitors in allergic mice. We demonstrate that inhibition of eosinophil development is SHP2-dependent and SHP2 is sufficient to promote eosinophil formation in vivo. Our data reveal SHP2 as a critical regulator of eosinophil differentiation, and inhibition of SHP2 specifically in myeloid cells alleviates allergic airway inflammation.

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