One-off low-dose CT screening of positive nodules in lung cancer: A prospective community-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To improve the early stage diagnosis and reduce the lung cancer (LC) mortality for positive nodule (PN) population, data on effectiveness of PN detection using one-off low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) screening are needed to improve the PN management protocol. We evaluate the effectiveness of PN detection and developed a nomogram to predict LC risk for PNs. METHODS: A prospective, community-based cohort study was conducted. We recruited 292,531 eligible candidates during 2012-2018. Individuals at high risk of LC based on risk assessment underwent LDCT screening and were divided into PN and non-PN groups. The effectiveness of PN detection was evaluated in LC incidence, mortality, and all-cause mortality. We performed subgroup analysis of characteristic variables for the association between PN and LC risk. A competing risk model was used to develop the nomogram. RESULTS: Participants (n = 14901) underwent LDCT screening; PNs were detected in 1193 cases (8·0%). After a median follow-up of 6·1 years, 193 were diagnosed with LC (1·3%). Of these, 94 were in the PN group (8·0%). LC incidence, mortality, and all-cause mortality were significantly higher in the PN group (adjusted hazard ratios: 10.60 (7.91-14.20), 7.97 (5.20-12.20), and 1.94 (1.51-2.50), respectively). Additionally, various PN characteristics were associated with an increased probability of developing LC. The C-index value of the nomogram for predicting LC risk of PN individuals was 0·847. CONCLUSIONS: The protocol of PNs management for improvement could focus on specific characteristic population and high-risk PN individuals by nomogram assessment.

The Association Between Age at Initiation of Alcohol Consumption and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cohort Study of 0.5 Million Persons in China.

It is well known that alcohol consumption is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the association of age at initiation of alcohol consumption and duration of alcohol drinking with type 2 diabetes mellitus among Chinese adults is not fully understood. This study was based on data from the China Kadoorie Biobank, which included 512,712 participants aged 30-79 years who were living in China in 2004-2008. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the association of AAI and drinking duration with type 2 diabetes. After adjustment for potential covariates, ages at alcohol initiation (AAIs) of 18.1-29.0 years, 29.1-39.0 years, and >39.0 years were associated with 22% (95% confidence interval (CI): 14, 30), 25% (95% CI: 17, 33), and 32% (95% CI: 24, 39) lower hazards of type 2 diabetes compared with abstaining, respectively. Drinking durations of <10.1 years, 10.1-20.0 years, and 20.1-30.0 years were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, compared with abstaining. Among current (weekly) drinkers, AAI <18.1 years and drinking duration >30.0 years were associated with 18% (95% CI: 4, 33) and 20% (95% CI: 3, 40) higher hazards of type 2 diabetes, compared with AAI 18.1-29.0 years and drinking duration <10.1 years, respectively. In conclusion, late AAI and a short drinking duration were associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in this large prospective cohort study of Chinese adults, but early AAI and long drinking duration were not.

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness but Not Carotid Artery Plaque in Healthy Individuals Is Linked to Lean Body Mass.

Background Lean body mass has been identified as a key determinant of left ventricular mass and wall thickness. However, the importance of lean body mass or other body-size measures as normative determinants of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), a widely used early indicator of atherosclerosis, has not been well established. Methods and Results Carotid artery ultrasound measurements of cIMT and carotid artery plaque burden (derived from plaque number and maximum size) and measurements of body size, including height, body mass index, weight, body fat proportion, and lean body mass ([1-body fat proportion]×weight), were recorded in 25 020 participants from 10 regions of China. Analyses were restricted to a healthy younger subset (n=6617) defined as never or long-term ex-regular smokers aged <60 years (mean age, 50) without previous ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, or hypertension and with plasma non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <4 mmol/L. Among these 6617 participants, 86% were women (because most men smoked) and 9% had carotid artery plaque. In both women and men separately, lean body mass was strongly positively associated with cIMT, but was not associated with plaque burden: overall, each 10 kg higher lean body mass was associated with a 0.03 (95% CI, 0.03-0.04) mm higher cIMT (P=5×10-33). Fat mass, height, and other body-size measures were more weakly associated with cIMT. Conclusions The strong association of lean body mass with cIMT, but not with plaque burden, in healthy adults suggests a normative relationship rather than reflecting atherosclerotic pathology. Common mechanisms may underlie the associations of lean body mass with cIMT and with nonatherosclerotic vascular traits.