Apoptosis of eosinophils might be suppressed by proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines such as IL-5 and eotaxin leading to their accumulation in the lung. Stimulation of eosinophils in airway with IL-5 and eotaxin may play a crucial role in allergic inflammation.

Malaria, caused by the genus Plasmodium, remains a global public health concern. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that over 40% of the world's population lives in areas at risk for malarial transmission, and around half a million people succumb to this infectious disease annually, which is related to the rapid spread of drug-resistant parasite strains. Indole derivatives, which possess broadspectrum pharmacological properties, play a crucial role in the discovery of new drugs. Many indole derivatives exhibited potential in vitro and in vivo activity against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant malaria, suggesting that the indole moiety is a useful template for the development of novel antimalarial agents.

Background: This study aims to assess the value of two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) combined with real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE) in evaluating left heart function in patients with combined ETH and PAF. Methods: A prospective study was designed, and the research period was from January 2017 to January 2020. A PAF observation group comprised of patients with ETH and PAF, a PAF control group of patients with ETH but without PAF, and a healthy volunteer group referred to as the healthy group, each comprised of 50 patients was established. All patients underwent routine ultrasound imaging examination using 2D-STI and RT-3DE. The interventricular septum thickness (IVST), left and right atrioventricular diameter (LAD), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (PWT), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the mean left atrium peak strain (mSs, mSe, mSa), strain rate (mSRs, mSRe, mSRa), the left ventricular mass (LVM), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and left atrial total emptying volume (LATEV), the left atrial volume index (LAVI), left atrial total emptying fraction (LATEF), left atrium expansion index (LAEI), left atrium passive ejection fraction (LAPEF), and left atrial active ejection fraction (LAAEF) were calculated. Patients in the PAF observation group received telmisartan combined with rosuvastatin after diagnosis and 12-and 24-month-follow up visits were conducted. During these visits, 2D-STI combined with RT-3DE was used to evaluate cardiac function and each patient's blood pressure was monitored. Results: Patients in the PAF observation group had a significantly longer course of ETH than patients in the PAF control group (13.5±4.4 vs. 10.32±5.6, P=0.002). The comparison of routine 2D-STI and RT-3DE ultrasound indexes among the three groups also showed significant differences (P<0.01). During the 2-year follow-up period, the IVST, LAD, PWT, and LVEF of remaining patients significantly improved as treatment progressed (P<0.05). The LAVI, LATEF, and LAEI also improved significantly as the treatment progressed (P<0.05). After 12 months of treatment, the recurrence rate of atrial fibrillation was 16.33% (8/45) and after 24 months this was 34.21% (13/38).Conclusions: Cardiac function could be evaluated comprehensively by 2D-STI combined with RT-3DE in patients with ETH combined with PAF at initial diagnosis and follow-up. Ethical approvalAll procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2013). The study was approved by the Clinical Ethics Committee of The Central Hospital of

The purpose of this study was to evaluate left ventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (LVMD) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI), and also to compare the usefulness of three patterns of myocardial deformation in mechanical dyssynchrony assessment. Furthermore, the relationships between left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), QRS duration (QRSd), and LVMD were explored. In total, 78 patients and 60 healthy individuals (group 3) were enrolled. The patients were classified into two subgroups: LVEF≤35% (group 1), 35%0.05). CHF patients have different extents of LVMD. Longitudinal deformation shows the best detectability of dyssynchrony motion. Left ventricular systolic function was closely related to mechanical dyssynchrony, whereas QRSd showed no significant correlation.

ObjectiveVentral anterior homeobox 2 (VAX2) gene is a key regulating factor for the development of the ventral region of the eye, and has recently attracted much attention from the cancer treatment field. Our study aimed to explore the effect of VAX2 on papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).MethodsWe determined the expression levels of VAX2 in PTC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We then assessed the prognosis of patients with PTC, and analyzed the association between VAX2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics. Subsequently, we measured the biological functions of VAX2 in PTC using qRT-PCR, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, transwell assays and western blot.ResultsVAX2 was up-regulated in PTC tissues when compared with normal thyroid tissues, and high expression level of VAX2 was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, knockdown of VAX2 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of PTC cells. Importantly, through western blot analysis, we found that the expression of phosphorylated-(p) ERK and p-MEK in ERK signaling pathway showed a significant decrease after knockdown of VAX2.ConclusionThese findings suggest that VAX2 may be involved in the malignant progression of PTC, and hold significant potential as a therapeutic target for PTC.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between interpersonal relationships and the risk of MDD in freshmen. Methods: 6,947 participants without baseline MDD (lifetime) completed the 1-year follow-up survey in 2019. Demographic information, interpersonal relationship scores measured by the Chinese version of Interpersonal Relationship Comprehensive Scale, depression severity at baseline screened with Patient Health Questionnaire-9, lifetime severe traumatic events and MDD at baseline and follow-up survey screened via the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 were collected. Logistic regression was performed to quantify the associations between interpersonal relationships and the new-onset of MDD. Results: The baseline total relationship score (9 to 14, mild relationship distress) and the dimension score of dealing with people were positively associated with MDD incidence, respectively (OR total score=1.68, 95%CI: 1.16-2.43; OR dealing with people=1.39, 95%CI: 1.10-1.75). Interpersonal relationship score was not associated with MDD in participants without baseline depressive symptoms. However, it was positively associated with MDD (OR=2.10, 95%CI: 1.40-3.15) among participants with baseline depressive symptoms. There was a statistically significant interactions between dealing with people and baseline PHQ-9 score for the risk of MDD. Conclusions: Interpersonal relationship perplex can increase the risk of MDD in college students. College students suffering from depressive symptoms without MDD yet who have interpersonal disorder deserve more attention in terms of prevention against MDD.