Medical imaging in cancer cachexia.

Cancer cachexia, often referred to as "wasting syndrome," is characterized by fatigue, weakness, and involuntary weight loss. This syndrome is concomitant with progressive skeletal muscle atrophy with or without adipose tissue loss and is frequently accompanied by systemic inflammation. Understanding the complexities of cancer cachexia is crucial for early detection and intervention, and it is also paramount for enhancing patient outcomes. Medical imaging, comprising diverse imaging modalities, plays a pivotal role in this context, facilitating the diagnosis and surveillance assessment of both the disease extent and the body composition changes that offer valuable information and insights into disease progression. This article provides a comprehensive discourse of the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical manifestations of cancer cachexia as well as the role of medical imaging in this setting. Particular emphasis is placed on contemporary multidisciplinary and translational research efforts for the development of diagnostic and treatment tools, aiming to mitigate the devastating consequences of cancer cachexia.

Relationship between muscular impairment and psychological health with lower extremity functions in patients with transtibial amputation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship of muscular impairment and psychological health with lower extremity functions in patients with transtibial amputation. METHODS: The correlational study was conducted from March to September 2021 at the Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised male patients with transtibial amputation. Data was collected using the depression anxiety stress scale and the lower extremity functional scale. The correlation of muscular impairment and psychological health with lower extremity functions was determined. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: There were 85 male patients with a mean age of 53.74±11.30 years. There was weak iliopsoas muscle strength 4.64±0.50 and reduced muscle length of hamstrings 67.00±6.41 on the affected side. There was non-significant correlation in muscle atrophy of both amputated limb (p=0.82) and non-amputated limb (p=0.58) with lower extremity function. Significant inverse correlation was present between depression, anxiety and stress (p=0.001) with lower extremity function. CONCLUSIONS: Weak iliopsoas muscle strength and tight hamstrings were observed on the amputated side. Muscle atrophy was more in non-amputated limb than amputated limb. There was significant inverse correlation of depression, anxiety and stress with lower extremity function.