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Background The prognostic significance of non‐cancer‐related prognostic factors, such as body composition, has gained extensive attention in oncological research. Compared with sarcopenia, the prognostic significance of adipose tissue for overall survival in non‐small cell lung cancer remains unclear. We investigated the prognostic value of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer. Methods This retrospective study included 4434 patients diagnosed with non‐small cell lung cancer between January 2014 and December 2016. Cross‐sectional areas of skeletal muscle and subcutaneous fat were measured, and the pericardial fat volume was automatically calculated. The skeletal muscle index and subcutaneous fat index were calculated as skeletal muscle area and subcutaneous fat area divided by height squared, respectively, and the pericardial fat index was calculated as pericardial fat volume divided by body surface area. The association between body composition and outcomes was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards model. Results A total of 750 patients (501 males [66.8%] and 249 females [33.2%]; mean age, 60.9 ± 9.8 years) were included. Sarcopenia (60.8% vs. 52.7%; P < 0.001), decreased subcutaneous fat index (51.4% vs. 25.2%; P < 0.001) and decreased pericardial fat index (55.4% vs. 16.5%; P < 0.001) were more commonly found in the deceased group than survived group. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, after adjusting for clinical variables, increased subcutaneous fat index (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.47–0.66, P < 0.001) and increased pericardial fat index (HR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.40–0.56, P < 0.001) were associated with longer overall survival. For stage I–III patients, increased subcutaneous fat index (HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.48–0.76, P < 0.001) and increased pericardial fat index (HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.34–0.54, P < 0.001) were associated with better 5‐year overall survival rate. Similar results were recorded in stage IV patients. For patients with surgery, the prognostic value of increased subcutaneous fat index (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.44–0.80, P = 0.001) and increased pericardial fat index (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.38–0.68, P < 0.001) remained and predicted favourable overall survival. Non‐surgical patients showed similar results as surgical patients. No association was noted between sarcopenia and overall survival (P > 0.05). Conclusions Increased subcutaneous fat index and pericardial fat index were associated with a higher 5‐year overall survival rate, independent of sarcopenia, in non‐small cell lung cancer and may indicate a reduced risk of non‐cancer‐related death.

Objectives To investigate the prognostic value of artificial intelligence (AI) quantified emphysema and interstitial lung abnormality (ILA) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and methods This retrospective study used AI to quantify emphysema and ILA in patients diagnosed with NSCLC between January 2015 and December 2017. Associations between AI-quantified emphysema and ILA severity and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models. The ability of AI-quantified emphysema and ILA severity to predict OS was explored via concordance index (C-index) and area under the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Furthermore, exploratory OS analyses were performed on subgroups stratified by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease status, treatment type, and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging. Results Of 1675 patients, 830 (49.6%) survived, and 845 (50.4%) died. Whole emphysema (mild: HR, 1.66 [95% CI: 1.26, 2.18]; p  < 0.001; more than mild: HR, 2.55 [95% CI: 1.88, 3.48]; p  < 0.001) and ILA (equivocal ILA: HR, 1.63 [95% CI: 1.15, 2.32]; p  = 0.006; definite ILA: HR, 2.33 [95% CI: 1.61, 3.35]; p  < 0.001) severity were independent prognostic factors for NSCLC, while regional emphysema and regional ILA severity were not. The model combining AI-quantified whole emphysema severity and ILA severity outperformed the TNM staging-only model in predicting NSCLC patient outcome (C-index, 0.80 vs. 0.75; AUC, 0.90 vs. 0.85). Conclusions Increased AI-quantified whole emphysema and ILA severity were associated with worse OS in NSCLC. The model combining AI-quantified emphysema and ILA showed improved performance for predicting patient survival versus TNM staging alone. Critical relevance statement AI-quantified emphysema and ILA severity are associated with NSCLC patient outcome and can provide information complementary to TNM staging for predicting NSCLC patient survival and promoting the development of individualized management strategies. Key Points The study explores artificial intelligence (AI) quantified emphysema and interstitial lung abnormality (ILA) severity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) prognosis. The AI-quantified whole emphysema severity and ILA severity were independent prognostic factors for NSCLC patient outcome, while regional emphysema and regional ILA severity were not. AI-quantified emphysema and ILA severity may help predict the survival of NSCLC patients and help clinicians make informed treatment decisions. Graphical Abstract

Loess area is the region that geohazards happened most frequently, accounting for 1/3 of the geohazards in China. Cutting slope has become the most prominent products in human engineering activities and slope failure induced by rainfall has become the main form in recent years. Well-instrumented centrifuge model tests have been introduced to investigate the failure process and failure pattern, including pore water pressure, progressive deformation-failure process and characteristic of the high cutting slope by rainfall. The results show that rainfall induced loess slope failure is characterized by shallow slide to flow and two deeper creepage sliding-tension surfaces. All the sliding faces are characterized by planar surfaces parallel to slope surface. The planar sliding surface differs a lot to the circular sliding surface in the gravitational soil landslide. The accumulative deformation especially the abrupt displacement before failure induced the excess pore water pressure, after which flow failure with high-speed happened. The pore-water transducers on both sides of the shallow sliding surface have distinct response to slope deformation. The quantitative monitoring data indicates that the liquefaction is not the reason but the result of the deformation accumulation and big transient def o rmation.

Despite the popularity of the ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block and the diversity of advancing approaches, the extent of injectate spread limits its clinical benefits. This study used three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) imaging and a cold stimulus to evaluate the spread of a local anesthetic injected through the subcostal exterior semilunaris to transversus abdominis plane (SE-TAP) block in healthy volunteers. Eight healthy volunteers received a right-side ultrasound-guided SE-TAP block with 25 mL of 0.3% ropivacaine. The sensory block was assessed by a cold stimulus at 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h following the SE-TAP block according to the 18-zone division method. A CT scan and 3D imaging were performed after the first sensory assessment. The injectate spread into the transversus abdominis space in all eight volunteers. 3D imaging confirmed that the injectate spread extensively along the costal margin in the plane of the transverse abdominis muscle and that it surpassed the semilunaris. Regarding the assessment using cold stimulus, five of six anterior zones and three of six lateral zones obtained successful rates of cutaneous sensory block higher than 75% 30 min after SE-TAP. Sensory block was achieved in the ventral dermatomes of all volunteers. Our study showed that the SE-TAP injectate, which was administered using simple anatomical landmarks to provide reliable analgesia for abdominal surgery, consistently spread along the costal margin and extensively blocked cutaneous sensitivity in the anterior and lateral abdominal walls.

Red clay (RC)/mudstone is widely distributed on the Loess Plateau (LP) in China. As a sliding-prone stratum, it controls the formation of loess–mudstone landslides together with active faults. This paper examines the distribution of RC/mudstone and active faults, especially seismogenic faults, and explains their relationship with the distribution of landslides in groups and belts and the difference in landslide scales. Additionally, the paper investigates the scale and mobility of the seismic landslides. All the data of the strata, landslides, active faults, and geotechnical properties come from published documents and geological field investigations. The results reveal that (1) differences in the neotectonic activity and the distribution and outcrops of RC/mudstone affect the landslide type and scale; (2) the landslides are mainly densely distributed along rivers and fault zones and are characterized by an obvious scale difference along a river; and (3) the landslides triggered by seismogenic fault activity and earthquake activity are mainly concentrated in the Neogene mudstone basin to the west of the Liupan mountain range. The abundant data provide a reference and foundation for the engineering geologist and lay a scientific foundation for subsequent investigation, hazard zonation, prediction and forecasting, regional prevention, and control of landslide disasters on the LP.

Earthquake-triggered mudflows are typical in scale and hazard, and their formation mechanism is extremely complex. In this study, the liquefaction and mobility mechanisms of a catastrophic mudflow, namely, the Yongguangcun (YGC) mudflow, in Minxian, Gansu Province, China, under the coupled action of historical earthquakes, active faults, groundwater, long-term rainfall before an earthquake, and the 2013 M w 6.6 Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake were systematically analyzed. Through a detailed field investigation and laboratory testing, the stratigraphic structure of the YGC mudflow was revealed, a geomechanical model was established, and the complex chain process leading to the formation of the YGC mudflow was elucidated. This process includes sliding along the contact zone between the loess and strongly weathered mudstone, liquefaction of the saturated loess under the groundwater table, and liquefaction and collapse of the unsaturated loess above the groundwater table. The slightly low terrain provides the topographic conditions required for groundwater convergence, and sets the conditions for the deformation and further liquefaction of saturated loess during earthquakes. The undulating terrain in the meizoseismal area enhances the complexity of the earthquake waves. In summary, the YGC mudflow was caused by long-term geological evolution and the synergistic effects of other factors; and the site conditions, such as the local topography and groundwater, are the fundamental reasons for the failure and mobility differences between the YGC mudflow and the eastern landslide. The results of the investigation of this mudflow would enrich our understanding of mudflows, promote research on the formation mechanism of geological disasters under complex conditions on the Loess Plateau, and provide important information for improving the scientific prevention and control of landslides of the same type.

Water retention, unsaturated permeability, and deformation-failure characteristics induced by infiltration were studied by analyzing stress-dependent soil–water characteristics and the wetting stress path of unsaturated intact clayey loess in Baoji, China. Test results in Baoji and Heifangtai were compared. The results show the following: (1) The soil–water characteristic shape is related to stress, and suction decreases with water content; (2) the van Genuchten model is applicable to the clayey loess in Baoji, (3) the unsaturated permeability coefficient is related to stress, which increases with axial net stress; (4) under certain confining stress, hydraulic properties of loess vary considerably by region and, compared with loess in Heifangtai, the water retention capacity of clayey loess in Baoji is greater; (5) brittle deformation is dominant in Baoji but plastic deformation is dominant in Heifangtai; and (6) deformation behavior and the strength of loess is related to the confining stress, and the combined action of that stress and suction cause breakage of loess cementation bonds. The decrease of matric suction is not necessary for loess deformation, but the breakage of cementation bonds is the essence of the decreasing strength and final deformation failure of loess.

The instability evolution of loess slopes under the coupling of water and earthquake is very complex. Quantitative assessment of seismic landslide hazard has become a common challenge for engineering geologists and seismic geologists. This article takes the Yongguangcun (YGC) landslide induced by the 2013 M w 6.6 Minxian-Zhangxian earthquake to systematically study the hazard of loess slopes under the coupling effect of water and earthquake, namely their runout problem. The seismic accelerations in three directions recorded by MXT were decomposed along the sliding direction and the inclination of the slope to obtain the seismic load along the tangential direction of the sliding surface. Then, a combination of a finite element method and the Newmark method is used to study the co-seismic sliding of the YGC landslides during the earthquake, fully considering the effects of various factors such as pore water pressure, groundwater, and matric suction during rainfall on the permanent displacement of the slope. The present study yields the following research findings: 1) The pre-earthquake safety factor of the Y W # landslide, which has a sliding surface in close proximity to the groundwater level, is reduced to 1.247 under the combined influence of rainfall and groundwater. Additionally, the critical earthquake acceleration is determined to be 0.0763 g. 2) It is observed that when the peak acceleration along the tangential direction of the sliding surface near the groundwater surface reaches or surpasses 0.175 g, the cumulative displacement of the Y W # landslide may exceed the critical failure value of 5–10 cm. It provides a reference for the quantitative assessment of regional seismic landslide hazard, which has important theoretical and practical value.

The response of a loess-mudstone landslide model to seismic activity is examined using centrifuge shaking table tests and 2D seismic input waves. The physical model of a dormant landslide is subjected to simulated seismic signals of different input amplitudes, and the dynamic response is analyzed in terms of relative peak ground acceleration (PGA), which is used to assess deformation and failure mechanisms of the slope. Relative PGA increases with increasing landslide height, reaching maximum values at the crest, while values at the toe are slightly larger than those in the middle of the slope. Relative PGA is the highest along the outer surface and weakest along the sliding surface. Horizontal values are generally larger than vertical values, and the amplitude of the seismic input strongly affects the landslide dynamic response. The PGA amplification factors increase considerably with increasing input amplitude, reaching maximum values at 0.3–0.4 g, and then decrease. The largest displacement is observed at the crest, while displacements in the middle part and at the toe increase steadily with higher input amplitudes, and displacement at the crest increases at a higher, irregular rate. Deformation is most apparent at the crest, developing from cracks into collapsed soil deposited at the toe. Local shallow sliding is observed along the landslide surface, and the dormant sliding body may generate displacement along the sliding surface caused by earthquake reactivation. A numerical model of the landslide provides results consistent with centrifuge model testing; both indicate similarity in seismically induced dynamic responses and failure characteristics.

In this paper, we study the effect of the amplitude of input shaking on the dynamic response of a loess-mudstone slope through a series of staged centrifuge tests, including different amplitude earthquake excitations, in which the seismic performance of the slope models was analyzed and investigated. The derived outputs were processed to study the earthquake acceleration amplification effect and to assess the induced deformation mechanism in terms of the resulting displacements and deformation mode. The test results indicated that the amplification factors of peak ground acceleration (PGA) increased with increasing slope height, reaching maximum values at the crest. The amplification effect was also demonstrated on the slope surface. In addition, the predominant amplitude of the input seismic excitation was critical to the response of the slope. The results proved that the displacements in the loess layer were much larger than those in the weathered mudstone. Tensile cracks were formed mainly on the crest and the upper part of the slope, and failure modes were dominant at the slope surface. The location of the slide plane in the model was consistent with the location of maximum acceleration. A continuous shallow slide plane was formed in the loess layer. The analysis provides good information for identifying both surface movement and mass movement.