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Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been used to successfully treat primary liver cancer (PLC); however, identifying modifiable patient factors associated with therapeutic benefits is challenging. Obesity is known to be associated with increased survival after ICI treatment; however, the relationship between body composition (muscle, fat) and outcomes is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between sarcopenia and CT-derived fat content and the prognosis of ICIs for the treatment of PLC. Methods In this retrospective cohort study of 172 patients with PLC, we measured the skeletal muscle index (SMI), skeletal muscle density, visceral adipose tissue index, subcutaneous adipose tissue index, total adipose tissue index (TATI), and visceral-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio using CT. In addition, we analyzed the impact of body composition on the prognosis of the patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen for influencing factors. Results Among the seven body composition components, low SMI (sarcopenia) and low TATI were significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes. Multivariate analysis revealed that sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR], 5.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.74–16.74; p = 0.004) was a significant predictor of overall survival (OS). Kaplan–Meier curves showed that sarcopenia and TATI were significant predictors of OS. Body mass index was not associated with survival outcomes. Conclusions Sarcopenia and fat tissue content appear to be independently associated with reduced survival rates in patients with PLC treated with ICIs.

Agroforestry not only takes into account the use of land for forestry and agriculture but can also improve the efficacy of utilized above- and belowground resources, which have always garnered widespread attention. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of pecan orchard soil following the implementation of agroforestry. Consequently, 15 indices were selected for a principal component analysis (PCA), which was then combined with the norm value of each index and the correlation coefficients between indices to establish a minimum data set (MDS). A comprehensive index model was used to calculate the soil quality index (SQI) of the total data set (TDS) and MDS (SQI-TDS and SQI-MDS, respectively), and a linear regression of the two was performed. The results revealed that the MDS indices for the evaluation of soil fertility included the pH, electrical conductivity value (EC), bulk density (BD), available potassium (AK), total nitrogen (TN), magnesium (Mg), and the index screening and filtering rates attained 60%. The Soil Quality Index (SQI-MDS) of the four planting patterns, sorted from largest to smallest, were: PPS (0.573) > PPH (0.519) > PPL (0.355) > CK (0.315). BD and AK were the main factors that affected the quality of hickory orchard soils. The agroforestry composite system improved the availability of nutrients and soil quality. Thus, the promotion of understory intercropping and appropriate increases in potassium fertilizers for plantations are recommended.

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