Preoperative computed tomography-guided localization for pulmonary nodules: comparison between hook-wire and anchored needle localization.

Introduction: Both hook-wire (HW) and anchored needle (AN) techniques can be used for preoperative computed tomography (CT)-guided localization for pulmonary nodules (PNs). But the outcomes associated with these two materials remain unclear. Aim: To assess the relative safety and efficacy of preoperative CT-guided HW and AN localization for PNs. Material and methods: This was a retrospective analysis of data collected from two institutions. Consecutive patients with PNs between January 2020 and December 2021 who underwent preoperative CT-guided HW or AN localization followed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) procedures were included in these analyses, which compared the safety and clinical efficiency of these two localization strategies. Results: In total, 98 patients (105 PNs) and 93 patients (107 PNs) underwent CT-guided HW and AN localization procedures, respectively. The HW and AN groups exhibited similar rates of successful PN localization (95.2% vs. 99.1%, p = 0.117), but the dislodgement rate in the HW group was significantly higher than that for the AN group (4.8% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.029). The mean pain score of patients in the HW group was significantly higher than that for the AN group (p = 0.001). HW and AN localization strategies were associated with comparable pneumothorax (21.4% vs. 16.1%, p = 0.349) and pulmonary hemorrhage (29.6% vs. 23.7%, p = 0.354) rates. All patients other than 1 individual in the HW group successfully underwent VATS-guided limited resection. Conclusions: These data suggest that AN represents a safe, well-tolerated, feasible preoperative localization strategy for PNs that may offer value as a replacement for HW localization.

High red/far-red ratio promotes root colonization of Serratia plymuthica A21-4 in tomato by root exudates-stimulated chemotaxis and biofilm formation.

Effective colonization on plant roots is a prerequisite for plant growth promoting rhizobacterias (PGPR) to exert beneficial activities. Light is essential for plant growth, development and stress response. However, how light modulates root colonization of PGPR remains unclear. Here, we found that high red/far red (R/FR) light promoted and low R/FR light inhibited the colonization and growth enhancement of Serratia plymuthica A21-4 (S. plymuthica A21-4) on tomato, respectively. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis of root exudates collected from different R/FR ratio treated tomato seedlings with or without S. plymuthica A21-4 inoculation by UPLC-MS/MS showed that 64 primary metabolites in high R/FR light-grown plants significantly increased compared with those determined for low R/FR light-grown plants. Among them, 7 amino acids, 1 organic acid and 1 sugar obviously induced the chemotaxis and biofilm formation of S. plymuthica A21-4 compared to the control. Furthermore, exogenous addition of five artificial root exudate compontents (leucine, methionine, glutamine, 6-aminocaproic acid and melezitose) regained and further increased the colonization ability and growth promoting ability of S. plymuthica A21-4 on tomato under low R/FR light and high R/FR light, respectively, indicating their involvement in high R/FR light-regulated the interaction of tomato root and S. plymuthica A21-4. Taken together, our results, for the first time, clearly demonstrate that high R/FR light-induced root exudates play a key role in chemotaxis, biofilm formation and root colonization of S. plymuthica A21-4. This study can help promote the combined application of light supplementation and PGPR to facilitate crop growth and health in green agricultural production.

Luffa rootstock enhances salt tolerance and improves yield and quality of grafted cucumber plants by reducing sodium transport to the shoot.

Soil salinity severely limits crop yield and quality. Grafting onto tolerant rootstocks is known as an effective means to alleviate salt stress. The present study was planned to find out the potential roles, mechanisms and applications of luffa rootstock to improve salt tolerance of grafted cucumber plants. Here, we screened a highly salt-tolerant luffa rootstock by evaluating the growth, photosynthetic performance, antioxidant defense and the accumulation of Na+ and K+ under salt stress. Reciprocal grafting between cucumber and luffa showed that luffa rootstock significantly improved the salt tolerance of cucumber plants, as evidenced by higher fresh weight, photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), and lower relative electrical conductivity (REC), which was closely associated with the decreased accumulation of Na+ and increased the accumulation of K+ in shoots of luffa grafted cucumber seedlings, leading to a lower Na+:K+ ratio in shoot when compared with self-grafted cucumber. Furthermore, grafting with intermediate stock of luffa also sufficiently alleviated cucumber salt stress by reducing Na+ accumulation in shoot and the whole plant but increasing Na+ accumulation in interstock and root under salt stress, fully proving the salt tolerance depending on the capacity of luffa interstock to limit the transport of Na+ from the root to the shoot. More importantly, luffa rootstock improved the growth, yield and quality of grafted cucumber plants grown in pots in solar greenhouse as revealed by increased net photosynthetic rate, plant height, leaf number, yield, Vitamin C and soluble sugar but decreased titratable acid under both salinity and normal conditions. Together, these results, for the first time, clearly demonstrated that luffa,a new highly salt-tolerant rootstock, enhances salt tolerance and improves yield and quality of grafted cucumber plants by reducing sodium transport to the shoot.

Red and blue light function antagonistically to regulate cadmium tolerance by modulating the photosynthesis,antioxidant defense system and Cd uptake in cucumber(Cucumis sativus L.).

Cadmium (Cd) is highly toxic to both plants and humans.Light plays crucial roles in plant growth, development and stress responses, but how light functions in plant Cd response remain unclear.Here,we found that Cd treatment significantly induced the expression of PHYB but not PHYA and CRY1 in leaves and roots of cucumber. Correspondingly,compared with white light (W) during Cd stress,red light(R) increased Cd sensitivity,whereas blue light (B) enhanced Cd tolerance as evidenced by decreased Cd-induced chlorosis, growth inhibition, photosynthesis inhibition and chloroplast ultrastructure damage.Furthermore,B markedly increased the transcripts and activities of the antioxidant enzymes including ascorbate peroxidase (APX),catalase (CAT),superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR),as well as glutathione (GSH) content and GSH1 expression, resulting in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide (O2.-) reduction,but R treatment showed the opposite trend. Moreover, R and B markedly up-regulated and down-regulated the expression levels of Cd uptake and transport genes including IRT1, NRAMP1 and HMA3, leading to more and less Cd accumulation than the W-treated plants in both shoots and roots, respectively under Cd stress. Collectively, our data clearly demonstrate that R and B function antagonistically to regulate Cd tolerance in cucumber via modulating the photosynthesis, antioxidant defense system and Cd uptake, providing a novel light quality control strategy to enhance crop Cd tolerance and food safety.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid improves phenanthrene phytotoxicity tolerance in cucumber through the glutathione-dependent system of antioxidant defense.

Phenanthrene (PHE), a typical organic pollutant, has drawn attention in recent years due to its toxicity to plants and human health. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) induce plant tolerance to diverse stresses. However, the role and regulatory mechanisms of GABA in PHE stress responses in plants remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we showed that GABA content increased by 44.5%, 89.2%, 160% and 39.2% under 50, 100, 200 and 300 µM PHE treatment, respectively compared with mock. GABA treatment alleviated PHE-induced growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner, with the most effective concentration of 50 mM GABA. Although exogenous GABA could not influence the accumulation of PHE in cucumber, it significantly mitigated photosynthetic inhibition and enhanced the transcripts and activities of the antioxidant enzymes such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), resulting in less accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide (O2.-). Importantly, timecourse analyses of glutathione (GSH) homeostasis showed that GABA markedly increased GSH content and GR activity as well as the transcripts of GSH biosynthesis-related genes GSH1, GSH2 and GR during PHE stress. Conversely, pretreatment with GSH biosynthesis inhibitor buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) abolished the GABA-induced changes in PHE stress. Together, these results suggest that GABA enhances tolerance to PHE stress via a GSH-dependent system of antioxidant defense in cucumber.

Limb-bud and Heart (LBH) functions as a tumor suppressor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by inducing G1/S cell cycle arrest.

Epstein-Barr virus-encoded latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1) plays a fundamental role in the malignant transformation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), although the mechanism is not well understood. Here, we showed that Limb-bud and Heart (LBH) is considerably downregulated in patient NPC tissues. The expression of LBH in biopsies of 40 consecutive NPC patients devoid of initial distant metastasis and treated according to consistent guidelines was also analyzed, and we found the LBH expression level was correlated with some of clinicopathological features, disease-specific survival (DSS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). We further determined that LBH normally induces NPC cell cycle arrest at the G1/S transition, and LBH can suppress the growth of transplanted NPC tumors in vivo by downregulating LMP1-mediated NF-κB transcriptional activity. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) normally protects against tumor development by suppressing cell proliferation, but NPC cells acquire resistance to TGF-ß1-mediated inhibition. We found that TGF-ß1 inhibits NF-κB transcriptional activity and nasopharyngeal epithelial cell proliferation through upregulating LBH expression. These data reveal a previously unknown NPC transformation mechanism and provide a new concept and treatment strategy for LMP1-driven oncogenesis in NPC.