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BACKGROUND: The relationship between obesity and diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains controversial, and the relationship between sarcopenic obesity and DR is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between obesity, sarcopenic obesity, and DR in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with T2DM. Obesity was assessed by body mass index (BMI), fat mass index (FMI), android fat mass, gynoid fat mass, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass. Sarcopenia was defined according to the criteria of Consensus of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS 2019). Sarcopenic obesity was defined as the coexistence of sarcopenia and obesity. The association between obesity, sarcopenic obesity, and DR was examined using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 367 patients with T2DM (mean age 58.3 years; 57.6% male) were involved in this study. The prevalence of DR was 28.3%. In total patients, significant adverse relationships between obesity and DR were observed when obesity was assessed by BMI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31 to 0.96, p = 0.036), FMI (aOR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.85, p = 0.012), android fat mass (aOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.89, p = 0.019), gynoid fat mass (aOR 0.52, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.91, p = 0.021) or VAT mass (aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.78, p = 0.005). In patients with T2DM and obesity, the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity was 14.8% (n = 23) when obesity was assessed by BMI, 30.6% (n = 56) when assessed by FMI, 27.9% (n = 51) when assessed by android fat mass, 28.4% (n = 52) when assessed by gynoid fat mass, and 30.6% (n = 56) when assessed by VAT mass. Sarcopenic obesity was associated with DR when obesity was assessed by BMI (aOR 2.61, 95% CI 1.07 to 6.37, p = 0.035), android fat mass (aOR 3.27, 95% CI 1.37 to 7.80, p = 0.007), or VAT mass (aOR 2.50, 95% CI 1.06 to 5.92, p = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with T2DM showed a substantial inverse relationship between DR and obesity, and sarcopenic obesity was considerably favorably associated with DR. Detection of sarcopenia in patients with T2DM, especially in obese T2DM, is essential to guide clinical intervention in DR.

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Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are three macroelements in agriculture production, but their combined effects on arsenic (As) toxicity and its translocation in rice plants are not clear. In this study, an orthogonal rotation combination based on different N, P and K (NPK) concentration was first designed to examine their combined effect on the As toxicity, its transformation and migration in rice plants based on the hydroponic culture and pot soil culture. The results showed that 2.0 mg/L arsenite (As(III)) had obvious toxicity on the growth of indica LuYouMingZhan (LYMZ) and the optimal NPK concentration was 28.41, 6 and 50 mg/L based on the quadratic regression of the recovery rate of chlorophyll SPAD value of indica LYMZ. The optimal NPK combination significantly alleviated the physiological toxicity of As(III) on indica LYMZ rice seedling and decreased the accumulation of inorganic As in their roots and shoots by 23.8±1.8 % and 33.4±2.4 % respectively; further pot culture from different As(III) polluted soil showed that the optimal NPK combination significantly increased the dry weight of roots, stems, sheaths and leaves of indica LYMZ rice plants as well as yield indicators by 6.4 %-61.7 % and 7.1 %-89.8 % respectively, decreased the accumulation of As(III) and arsenate by 6.25 %-100 % and 12.36 %-100 % respectively in their roots, stems, sheaths, leaves, brans and kernels except As(III) concentration in their sheaths, decreased the accumulation of dimethylarsenate in their sheaths, leaves, brans and kernels, and had the best repair effect on the translocation of As species in 50 mg/kg As(III)-added soil. Our study provided a desirable strategy for alleviating As toxicity in paddy soil and reducing As pollution in rice plants.

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The gap between serious soil heavy metals pollution and inefficient soil remediation threatens human health. This study proposed a method to improve the phytoremediation efficiency using bamboo vinegar (BV) solution and the potential mechanism was discussed. The results demonstrated that the application of BV increases the content of cadmium (Cd) in vacuole and cell wall hemicellulose 2 in leaves of Perilla frutescens. Simultaneously, it enhanced enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in leaves. Therefore, this process alleviated the damage of Cd to functional tissues of Perilla frutescens, thus improving the tolerance of plants to Cd. Moreover, the BV application reduced the Cd content bound by root cell wall pectin fractions and insoluble phosphate, subsequently improving the ability of oxalic acids to carry Cd to the aerial parts. Consequently, the aerial parts obtained a larger amount of Cd enrichment. Overall, the Transfer Factor of Cd from roots to stems and enrichment of Cd in Perilla frutescens were maximally increased by 57.70 % and 54.03 % with the application of 50-fold and 300-fold diluted BV under 2 mg·L-1 Cd stress, respectively. The results can provide a theoretical basis for the promotion of phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil treatment technology.

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Objective: This study aims to examine the clinical significance of ultrasound evaluation of the gastrocnemius muscle (GM) in identifying sarcopenia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: One hundred and fifty-three patients with T2D were included in this study. We measured the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), handgrip strength, and 6-meter walking speed. The US-derived muscle thickness (MT), cross-sectional area (CSA), and shear wave ultrasound elastography (SWE) of GM were also measured. We assessed the correlations between clinical indicators and US features. The model for screening sarcopenia was established using stepwise logistic regression. Stepwise linear regression was used to identify a set of variables that jointly estimated ASMI. The model's ability to identify sarcopenia and low muscle mass was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia in this study was 24.2%. The CSA, MT and SWE values of the patients with sarcopenia were lower than those of patients without sarcopenia (all p < 0.05). ASMI was positively correlated with CSA (r = 0.56, p < 0.001) and MT (r = 0.39, p < 0.001). Handgrip strength was positively correlated with CSA (r = 0.45, p < 0.001), MT (r = 0.25, p < 0.001), and SWE (r = 0.26, p = 0.002). A diagnostic model for sarcopenia was established with a sensitivity of 81.1%, specificity of 75.0%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.800. The estimated ASMI equation was developed and found to have a positive correlation with actual ASMI (r = 0.70, p < 0.001). It was also effective in diagnosing low muscle mass, with an AUC of 0.787 for males and 0.783 for females. Conclusion: Ultrasonographic assessment of the gastrocnemius muscle was found to be a useful and convenient method for detecting sarcopenia in patients with T2D.

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Background: The relationship between malnutrition and diabetic retinopathy (DR) is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between malnutrition and DR in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 612 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Four malnutrition assessment tools: Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria, controlling nutritional status (CONUT), nutritional risk index (NRI), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI), were applied to assess the nutritional status of the study population. The association between malnutrition and DR was examined using multivariable logistic regression and ordered logistic regression. Results: The proportion of malnutrition varied from 10.0% to 34.3% in total patients and from 16.3% to 45.1% in DR patients across the assessment tools. DR patients were more likely to be malnourished than patients without DR. The adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for DR of malnutrition defined by different tools were 1.86 (1.01-3.14) for GLIM criteria, 1.67 (1.04-2.70) for NRI, and 2.24 (1.07-4.69) for PNI. The aOR and 95% CI for the severity of DR of malnutrition defined by different tools were 1.99 (1.12-3.51) for GLIM criteria, 1.65 (1.06-2.58) for NRI, and 2.51 (1.31-4.79) for PNI. Conclusions: Malnutrition was common in DR patients, and it was closely linked to the presence and severity of DR. Diabetic patients with DR should undergo nutritional assessment and early treatment of malnutrition to prevent the onset or progression of DR.

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BACKGROUND: Pulmonary solid pleura-attached nodules (SPANs) are not very commonly detected and thus not well studied and understood. This study aimed to identify the clinical and CT characteristics for differentiating benign and malignant SPANs. RESULTS: From January 2017 to March 2023, a total of 295 patients with 300 SPANs (128 benign and 172 malignant) were retrospectively enrolled. Between benign and malignant SPANs, there were significant differences in patients' age, smoking history, clinical symptoms, CT features, nodule-pleura interface, adjacent pleural change, peripheral concomitant lesions, and lymph node enlargement. Multivariate analysis revealed that smoking history (odds ratio [OR], 2.016; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.037-3.919; p = 0.039), abutting the mediastinal pleura (OR, 3.325; 95% CI, 1.235-8.949; p = 0.017), nodule diameter (> 15.6 mm) (OR, 2.266; 95% CI, 1.161-4.423; p = 0.016), lobulation (OR, 8.922; 95% CI, 4.567-17.431; p < 0.001), narrow basement to pleura (OR, 6.035; 95% CI, 2.847-12.795; p < 0.001), and simultaneous hilar and mediastinal lymph nodule enlargement (OR, 4.971; 95% CI, 1.526-16.198; p = 0.008) were independent predictors of malignant SPANs, and the area under the curve (AUC) of this model was 0.890 (sensitivity, 82.0%, specificity, 77.3%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In patients with a smoking history, SPANs abutting the mediastinal pleura, having larger size (> 15.6 mm in diameter), lobulation, narrow basement, or simultaneous hilar and mediastinal lymph nodule enlargement are more likely to be malignant. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The benign and malignant SPANs have significant differences in clinical and CT features. Understanding the differences between benign and malignant SPANs is helpful for selecting the high-risk ones and avoiding unnecessary surgical resection. KEY POINTS: • The solid pleura-attached nodules (SPANs) are closely related to the pleura. • Relationship between nodule and pleura and pleural changes are important for differentiating SPANs. • Benign SPANs frequently have broad pleural thickening or embed in thickened pleura. • Smoking history and lesions abutting the mediastinal pleura are indicators of malignant SPANs. • Malignant SPANs usually have larger diameters, lobulation signs, narrow basements, and lymphadenopathy.

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BACKGROUND. Pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs) may represent a diverse range of histologic entities of varying aggressiveness. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of the reticulation sign on thin-section CT images for predicting the invasiveness of pGGNs. METHODS. This retrospective study included 795 patients (mean age, 53.4 ± 11.1 [SD] years; 254 men, 541 women) with a total of 876 pGGNs on thin-section CT that underwent resection between January 2015 and April 2022. Two fellowship-trained thoracic radiologists independently reviewed unenhanced CT images to assess the pGGNs for a range of features, including diameter, attenuation, location, shape, air bronchogram, bubble lucency, vascular change, lobulation, spiculation, margins, pleural indentation, and the reticulation sign (defined as multiple small linear opacities resembling a mesh or a net); differences were resolved by consensus. The relationship between the reticulation sign and lesion invasiveness on pathologic assessment was evaluated. RESULTS. On pathologic assessment, the 876 pGGNs included 163 nonneoplastic and 713 neoplastic pGGNs (323 atypical adenomatous hyperplasias [AAHs] or adenocarcinomas in situ [AISs], 250 minimally invasive adenocarcinomas [MIAs], and 140 invasive adenocarcinomas [IACs]). Interobserver agreement for the reticulation sign, expressed as kappa, was 0.870. The reticulation sign was detected in 0.0% of nonneoplastic lesions, 0.0% of AAHs/AISs, 6.8% of MIAs, and 54.3% of IACs. The reticulation sign had sensitivity of 24.0% and specificity of 100.0% for a diagnosis of MIA or IAC and sensitivity of 54.3% and specificity of 97.7% for a diagnosis of IAC. In multivariable regression analyses including all of the assessed CT features, the reticulation sign was a significant independent predictor of IAC (OR, 3.64; p = .001) but was not a significant independent predictor of MIA or IAC. CONCLUSION. The reticulation sign, when observed in a pGGN on thin-section CT, has high specificity (albeit low sensitivity) for invasiveness and is an independent predictor of IAC. CLINICAL IMPACT. Those pGGNs that show the reticulation sign should be strongly suspected to represent IAC; this suspicion may guide risk assessments and follow-up recommendations.

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Purpose: To investigate the influence factors for the various boundary manifestations of pulmonary non-neoplastic ground glass nodules (GGNs) on computed tomography (CT). Materials and Methods: From January 2015 to March 2022, a total of 280 patients with 318 non-neoplastic GGNs were enrolled. The correlations between degree of inflammatory cell infiltration and relative density (ΔCT) and the boundary manifestations of lesions were evaluated, respectively. Results: Nongranulomatous nodules (283, 89.0%) with fibrous tissue proliferation and/or inflammatory cells as the predominant pathological findings were the most common non-neoplastic GGNs, followed by granulomatous nodules (28, 8.8%). Among nongranulomatous GGNs, cases with more and less/no inflammatory cells were 15 (10.9%) and 122 (89.1%) in 137 well-defined ones with smooth margin, 16 (24.6%) and 49 (75.4%) in 65 well-defined ones with coarse margin, 43 (91.5%) and 4 (8.5%) in 47 ill-defined ones with higher ΔCT (>151HU), and 4 (11.8%) and 30 (88.2%) in 34 ill-defined ones with lower ΔCT (< 151HU). The proportion of cases with more inflammatory cells in well-defined nodules was similar to that in ill-defined ones with lower ΔCT (P = 0.587) but significantly lower than that in ill-defined ones with higher ΔCT (P < 0.001). Among the granulomatous nodules, ill-defined cases with higher ΔCT (16, 57.1%) were the most common, and they (7/8, 87.5%) frequently had changes during short-term follow-up. Conclusion: Nongranulomatous nodules are the most common non-neoplastic GGNs, their diverse boundary manifestations closely correlate with degree of inflammatory cell infiltration and density difference.

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Background: Transition of the CT values from nodule to peripheral normal lung is related to pathological changes and may be a potential indicator for differential diagnosis. This study investigated the significance of the standard deviation (SD) values in the lesion-lung boundary zone when differentiating between benign and neoplastic subsolid nodules (SSNs). Methods: From January 2012 to July 2021, a total of 229 neoplastic and 84 benign SSNs confirmed by pathological examination were retrospectively and nonconsecutively enrolled in this study. The diagnostic study was not registered with a clinical trial platform, and the study protocol was not published. Computed tomography (CT) values of the ground-glass component (CT1), adjacent normal lung tissue (CT2), and lesion-lung boundary zone (CT3) were measured consecutively. The SD of CT3 was recorded to assess density variability. The CT1, CT2, CT3, and SD values were compared between benign and neoplastic SSNs. Results: No significant differences in CT1 and CT2 were observed between benign and neoplastic SSNs (each P value >0.05). CT3 (-736.1±51.0 vs. -792.6±73.9; P<0.001) and its SD (135.6±29.6 vs. 83.6±20.6; P<0.001) in neoplastic SSNs were significantly higher than those in benign SSNs. Moreover, the SD increased with the invasiveness degree of neoplastic SSNs (r=0.657; P<0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve revealed that the area under the curve was 0.927 (95% CI: 0.896-0.959) when using the SD (cutoff value =106.98) as a factor to distinguish SSNs, which increased to 0.966 (95% CI: 0.934-0.985) when including nodules with a CT1 of ≥-715 Hounsfield units (HU) only (cutoff of SD 109.9, sensitivity 0.930, and specificity 0.914). Conclusions: The SD as an objective index is valuable for differentiating SSNs, especially for those with a CT1 of ≥-715 HU, which have a higher possibility of neoplasm if the SD is >109.9.

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BACKGROUND: Radiomics has been used to predict pulmonary nodule (PN) malignancy. However, most of the studies focused on pulmonary ground-glass nodules. The use of computed tomography (CT) radiomics in pulmonary solid nodules, particularly sub-centimeter solid nodules, is rare. PURPOSE: This study aims to develop a radiomics model based on non-enhanced CT images that can distinguish between benign and malignant sub-centimeter pulmonary solid nodules (SPSNs, <1 cm). METHODS: The clinical and CT data of 180 SPSNs confirmed by pathology were analyzed retrospectively. All SPSNs were divided into two groups: training set (n = 144) and testing set (n = 36). From non-enhanced chest CT images, over 1000 radiomics features were extracted. Radiomics feature selection was performed using the analysis of variance and principal component analysis. The selected radiomics features were fed into a support vector machine (SVM) to develop a radiomics model. The clinical and CT characteristics were used to develop a clinical model. Associating non-enhanced CT radiomics features with clinical factors were used to develop a combined model using SVM. The performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The radiomics model performed well in distinguishing between benign and malignant SPSNs, with an AUC of 0.913 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.862-0.954) in the training set and an AUC of 0.877 (95% CI, 0.817-0.924) in the testing set. The combined model outperformed the clinical and radiomics models with an AUC of 0.940 (95% CI, 0.906-0.969) in the training set and an AUC of 0.903 (95% CI, 0.857-0.944) in the testing set. CONCLUSIONS: Radiomics features based on non-enhanced CT images can be used to differentiate SPSNs. The combined model, which included radiomics and clinical factors, had the best discrimination power between benign and malignant SPSNs.

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BACKGROUND: Previous studies confirmed that ground-glass nodules (GGNs) with certain CT manifestations had a higher probability of malignancy. However, differentiating patchy ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and GGNs has not been discussed solely. This study aimed to investigate the differences between the CT features of benign and malignant patchy GGOs to improve the differential diagnosis. METHODS: From January 2016 to September 2021, 226 patients with 247 patchy GGOs (103 benign and 144 malignant) confirmed by postoperative pathological examination or follow-up were retrospectively enrolled. Their clinical and CT data were reviewed, and their CT features were compared. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to reveal the predictors of malignancy. RESULTS: Compared to patients with benign patchy GGOs, malignant cases were older (P <  0.001), had a lower incidence of malignant tumor history (P = 0.003), and more commonly occurred in females (P = 0.012). Based on CT images, there were significant differences in the location, distribution, density pattern, internal bronchial changes, and boundary between malignant and benign GGOs (P <  0.05). The binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the independent predictors of malignant GGOs were the following: patient age ≥ 58 years [odds ratio (OR), 2.175; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.135-6.496; P = 0.025], locating in the upper lobe (OR, 5.481; 95%CI, 2.027-14.818; P = 0.001), distributing along the bronchovascular bundles (OR, 12.770; 95%CI, 4.062-40.145; P < 0.001), centrally distributed solid component (OR, 3.024; 95%CI, 1.124-8.133; P = 0.028), and well-defined boundary (OR, 5.094; 95%CI, 2.079-12.482; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In older patients (≥58 years), well-defined patchy GGOs with centric solid component, locating in the upper lobe, and distributing along the bronchovascular bundles should be highly suspected as malignancy.

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Background: Hypodense sign (HyS) reportedly is associated with pulmonary fungal infection, while it also common in many non-fungal lesions. This study aims to determine the significance of a HyS presented on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) when distinguishing pulmonary inflammatory from malignant mass-like lesions. Methods: From January 2013 to January 2021, we retrospectively evaluated the clinical and computed tomography (CT) data of patients with pathologically confirmed pulmonary inflammatory lesions (ILs) and malignant lesions (MLs). We analyzed and compared the CT features of the HyS in MLs and ILs, and then evaluated whether the HyS helped to differentiate MLs and ILs. Results: There were significant differences in age and tumor markers between patients with ILs and MLs (both P<0.05). Compared with that in MLs, the occurrence of the HyS in ILs was higher (62.81% vs. 28.81%; P<0.0001). In ILs, more HyS were single, round or oval, well-defined, and had lower enhancement (ΔCT). Logistic regression analysis revealed that an ill-defined boundary, peripheral fibrosis, presence of a well-defined HyS, and a ΔCT value of the HyS <9.5 Hounsfield units (HU) were independent indicators for predicting ILs. After including the HyS CT features, the area under the curve (AUC) of the model predicting ILs increased from 0.953 to 0.986 with a sensitivity of 96.03% and a specificity of 94.03% (P=0.0027). Conclusions: The HyS is more common in ILs than in MLs. A single, regular, and well-defined HyS with a ΔCT value of <9.5 HU on CECT is highly suggestive of ILs. Combining the HyS with other morphological features could improve the diagnosis accuracy of pulmonary mass-like lesions.

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BACKGROUND: Adropin, a newly­identified energy homeostasis protein, has been implicated in the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. This study attempts to measure the association between serum adropin and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: This cross­sectional study was performed in 503 hospitalized patients with T2DM.Serum adropin level was measured by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by color Doppler sonography. The association between adropin and carotid atherosclerotic plaque was tested by logistic regression model. The effect of adropin on carotid intimal-medial thickness (CIMT) was estimated using linear regression model. RESULTS: Overall, 280 (55.7%) patients had carotid atherosclerotic plaque. The risk of carotid atherosclerotic plaque decreased with the increment of serum adropin level (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.90; 95%CI: 0.81-0.99) in patients with T2DM. Serum adropin (Standardized ß = - 0.006, p = 0.028) was also independently protective factor for CIMT in patients with T2DM. CONCLUSION: In patients with T2DM, high serum adropin level was correlated with a decreased risk of carotid atherosclerosis in T2DM patients. Low circulating level of adropin may promote carotid atherosclerosis.

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PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of peripheral small-cell lung cancer (pSCLC) to improve its early diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 70, 132, 69, and 95 patients with pathological confirmed nodular (≤3 cm) pSCLC, peripheral non-small cell lung cancer (pNSCLC), benign lung tumor (pBLT), and inflammatory lesion (pIL) were enrolled in this study retrospectively. The clinical and CT data of studied patients with different lesions were analyzed and compared by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was used to reveal the key features to distinguish pSCLC from pNSCLC, pBLT, and pIL, respectively. RESULTS: Univariate and multivariate analysis of the clinical and CT characteristics of studied patients indicated that 1) compared with pNSCLC and pIL, vessel convergence, spiculation, and peripheral ground-glass opacity were less common in pSCLC; 2) density homogeneity (OR = 38.84-120.21, P < 0.05), bronchial cutoff sign (OR = 10.00-60.13, P = 0.001), hilar lymph node enlargement (OR = 22.81-95.08, P < 0.0001) (pSCLC vs pNSCLC, pBLT, and pIL), male sex (OR = 5.53-10.92, P < 0.05) (pSCLC vs pNSCLC and pBLT), and emphysema (OR = 36.57-56.63, P < 0.05) (pSCLC vs pBLT and pIL) were significantly and independently associated with pSCLC. Type I and II bronchial cutoff sign, especially type I, were closely related to pSCLC. CONCLUSION: Peripheral solid nodules with homogeneous density, bronchial cutoff sign, hilar lymph node enlargement, but without spiculation or vessel convergence in male patients with emphysema should be highly suspected of pSCLC.

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Cadmium (Cd) pollution of paddy soils is one of the main concerns causing food security and environmental problems. Microbial bioremediation is an effective and eco-friendly measure that uses microbes to reduce Cd accumulation in crops. Additionally, rhizosphere bacterial communities also act essential roles in crop tolerance of heavy metals. However, the effects of inoculations with Cd resistant bacteria on crop rhizosphere bacterial communities under Cd exposure are largely unknown. In this study, we used high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing technologies to explore the community structure and co-occurrence network of the rhizosphere bacterial communities associated with the rice crop under different Cd treatments and the application of Cd-tolerant strain Pseudomonas sp. TCd-1. We found that the strain TCd-1 both significantly reduced the rhizobacterial alpha diversity and changed the beta diversity. PERMANOVA and NMDS analysis showed that Cd stress and TCd-1 strain could act as strong environmental filters resulting in observable differentiation of rhizobacterial community composition among different groups. In addition, RDA results indicated that the rhizosphere pH, root Cd content, catalase (CAT), urease (URE), gibberellic acid (GA3) exert significant association with rhizosphere bacterial assembly. PICRUSt analysis revealed that the TCd-1 strain improved the metabolic capacity of rhizosphere bacteria under Cd stress. Furthermore, co-occurrence network topological features and keystone taxa also varied among different groups. This study could provide necessary insights into developing an efficient bioremediation and safe production of rice crops in Cd contaminated paddy fields with the application of Pseudomonas sp. TCd-1 strain, as well as advance our understanding of the principles of rhizosphere bacterial community assembly under Cd stress.

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Recently, rice contamination by heavy metals (HMs) has become a severe problem. Taking the Western Fujian region as an example in this study, a total of 1311 rice samples containing eight HMs were collected from 2015 to 2019, then used to explore their pollution characteristics, health risks, and Spatio-temporal variations, finally derive the target remediation areas of the key pollutants. The results showed that average concentrations of all the HMs had not reached the limits of the National Standards of Food Safety, but pollution indexes of As (0.783) and Cu (0.665) were at accumulation level (>0.6), which posed high pollution risks. Furthermore, locations of higher HMs concentrations coincided with those of higher pollution estimation probabilities. The non-carcinogenic risk (4.150, 2.434) and carcinogenic risk (4.96 × 10-3, 2.92 × 10-3) for children and adults cannot be negligible, As and Cd were the largest contributors. Children were more susceptible than adults due to the metal concentrations and rice intake rate. The spatio-temporal changes indicated that a decreasing trend in average concentrations of HMs (except Cr), but As (0.37%-0.88%) contents increased in the west and northeast parts, and so did Cd (1.92%-5.11%) in the central region during monitoring. For the target remediation, particular regions in the western and eastern were used as risky areas of As and Cd, respectively. Our results will provide theoretical support for the pollution management of HMs in rice.

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PURPOSE: Solitary pulmonary inflammatory nodules (SPINs) are frequently misdiagnosed as malignancy. We aimed to investigate CT features and pathological findings of SPINs for improving diagnosis strategies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 225 and 310 consecutive patients with confirmed SPINs and lung cancerous nodules were enrolled from January 2013 to December 2020. Nodules were classified into different types based on the key CT features: I, homogeneous and well-defined nodules with smooth (Ia), coarse (Ib), or spiculated margins (Ic); II, nodules with blurred boundaries, peripheral patches, or both; III, nodules exhibiting heterogeneous density; and IV, polygonal nodules. The pathological findings of SPINs were simultaneously studied and summarized. RESULTS: Among the 225 SPINs, type I (Ia, Ib, and Ic), II, III, and IV were 137 (60.9%) (47 [20.9%], 33 [14.7%], and 57 [25.3%]), 62 (27.6%), 12 (5.3%) and 14 (6.2%), respectively. Correspondingly, those in 310 cancerous nodules were 275 (88.7%) (119 [38.4%], 70 [22.6%], and 86 [27.7%]), 20 (6.5%), 15 (4.8%), and 0, respectively. Compared with lung cancers, type I nodules were less common but type II and IV nodules were more common in SPINs (each P < 0.0001). Though the frequencies of subtype I (P = 0.095) and type III (P = 0.796) nodules were similar between two groups, their specific CT features were significantly different. The main pathological findings of each type of SPINs were most extensively identical (82.2 - 100%). CONCLUSION: Between cancerous nodules and SPINs, differences in overall or specific CT features exist. The type II and IV nodules are highly indicative of SPINs, and each type of SPINs have almost similar pathological findings.

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PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of absorbable pulmonary solid nodules (PSNs) and to clarify CT features for distinguishing absorbable PSNs from malignant ones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2015 to February 2021, a total of 316 patients with 348 PSNs (171 absorbable and 177 size-matched malignant) were retrospectively enrolled. Their clinical and CT data were analyzed and compared to determine CT features for predicting absorbable PSNs. RESULTS: Between absorbable and malignant PSNs, there were significant differences in patients' age, lesions' locations, shapes, homogeneity, borders, distance from the pleura, vacuoles, air bronchograms, lobulation, spiculation, halo sign, multiple concomitant nodules and pleural indentation (each P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the independent predictors of absorbable PSNs were the following: patient age ≤55 years (OR, 2.660; 95% CI, 1.432-4.942; P = 0.002), homogeneous density (OR, 2.487; 95% CI, 1.107-5.590; P = 0.027), ill-defined border (OR, 5.445; 95% CI, 1.661-17.846; P = 0.005), halo sign (OR, 3.135; 95% CI, 1.154-8.513; P = 0.025), multiple concomitant nodules (OR, 8.700; 95% CI, 4.401-17.197; P<0.001), and abutting pleura (OR, 3.759; 95% CI, 1.407-10.044; P = 0.008). The indicators for malignant PSNs were the following: lobulation (OR, 3.904; 95% CI, 1.956-7.791; P<0.001), spiculation (OR, 4.980; 95% CI, 2.202-11.266, P<0.001), and pleural indentation (OR, 4.514; 95% CI, 1.223-16.666; P = 0.024). CONCLUSION: In patients younger than 55 years, PSNs with homogeneous density, ill-defined border, halo sign, multiple concomitant nodules, and abutting pleura should be highly suspected as absorbable ones.

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Microbial remediation is a promising technique to reduce Cd accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa). In present study, a set of pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Cd-tolerate Pseudomonas TCd-1 inoculation on rice Cd uptake, soil enzyme activities and Cd bioavailability in the rhizosphere soils under Cd contaminated conditions. The results showed that at the ripening stage, with the inoculation of TCd-1, Cd contents in root, culm, leaf, hull and brown rice significantly reduced by 60.7%, 47.7%, 50.6%, 58.1% and 47.9%, respectively, and the cadmium bioconcentration factor (BCF) of rice lowered by 66.2% under 5 mg kg-1 Cd treatment. At the meantime, in the rhizosphere soils, pH increased by 0.05, the contents of exchangeable Cd (EX-Cd) and Fe-Mn oxides (OX-Cd) increased by 107.8% and 33.5%, whereas organic matter (OM-Cd) and residual (Res-Cd) decreased by 31.9% and 60.0%, respectively. The activity of acid phosphatase (ACP) increased by 28.3%, catalase (CAT), saccharase (SUC) activity decreased by 28.5% and 26.0%. Similarly, the Cd contents in root, culm, leaf, hull and brown rice reduced by 42.1%, 42.5%, 58.0%, 50.3%, and 68.8%, respectively, and the BCF lowered by 57.1%, under 10 mg kg-1 Cd treatment. Simultaneously, the soil pH increased by 0.06, the activities of CAT, SUC, urease (URE), ACP decreased by 26.4%, 34.6%, 63.8% and 15.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the correlation analysis showed that the inoculation of TCd-1 changed the correlation between rice Cd content and the biomass of roots, leaves, soil pH, CAT, PPO, URE activities, OM-Cd in rhizosphere soils. It suggested that Pseudomonas TCd-1 effectively reduced Cd uptake and Cd accumulation in rice was closely linked to the changes of soil pH, enzyme activities and Cd availability.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The presence of pulmonary vessels inside ground-glass nodules (GGNs) of different nature is a very common occurrence. This study aimed to reveal the significance of pulmonary vessels displayed in GGNs in their diagnosis and differential diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 149 malignant and 130 benign GGNs confirmed by postoperative pathological examination were retrospectively enrolled in this study. There were significant differences in size, shape, nodule-lung interface, pleural traction, lobulation, and spiculation (each p < 0.05) between benign and malignant GGNs. Compared with benign GGNs, intra-nodular vessels were more common in malignant GGNs (67.79% vs. 54.62%, p = 0.024), while the vascular categories were similar (p = 0.663). After adjusting the nodule size and the distance between the nodule center and adjacent pleura [radius-distance ratio, RDR], the occurrences of internal vessels between them were similar. The number of intra-nodular vessels was positively correlated with nodular diameter and RDR. Vascular changes were more common in malignant than benign GGNs (52.48% vs. 18.31%, p < 0.0001), which mainly manifested as distortion and/or dilation of pulmonary veins (61.19%). The occurrence rate, number, and changes of internal vessels had no significant differences among all the pre-invasive and invasive lesions (each p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of internal vessels in GGNs is mainly related to their size and the distance between nodule and pleura rather than the pathological nature. However, GGNs with dilated or distorted internal vessels, especially pulmonary veins, have a higher possibility of malignancy.