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Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has multiple prognostic factors, and there is an increase in knowledge about the body composition and physical status of patients with HCC. The present meta-analysis aimed to explore whether loss of skeletal muscle mass is associated with mortality and tumor recurrence in patients with HCC. Method: A systematic search was conducted for published literature using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. We included cohort or case-control studies investigating patients with HCC. The primary and secondary outcomes were the associations of loss of skeletal muscle mass with overall survival and tumor recurrence, respectively, expressed by a summary hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Result: A total of 13 studies comprising 3,111 patients were included. The summary HRs calculated by either univariate or multivariate analysis both suggested a significant association between sarcopenia and all-cause mortality (crude HR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.74-2.38; adjusted HR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.60-2.37). Similarly, loss of skeletal muscle mass was associated with tumor recurrence (crude HR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.44-2.37; adjusted HR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.27-2.45). The stratified analysis showed that treatment types and inclusion of body mass index or body weight in the Cox regression model did not modify both clinical outcomes. With an increase in cut-off values of muscle mass on computed tomography images (especially for male patients), there was an insignificant trend of stronger associations between loss of skeletal muscle mass and all-cause mortality. Conclusion: Loss of skeletal muscle mass is associated with increased all-cause mortality and tumor recurrence in patients with HCC. Further prospective studies incorporating measurements of muscle strength and physical function are warranted to see whether inclusion of both parameters better predicts the outcome than use of muscle mass only.

sarcopenia was independently associated with depression. The causal relationship between the two clinical conditions requires future validation with cohort studies.

The study of the amylose content of a number of southern rice varieties was undertaken as part of a more extensive investigation of quality control in rice products. These analyses have revealed a consistent variation of amylose content with grain type, the longer grain varieties having the higher amylose content. Possibly, this difference in starch composition is responsible for the known differences in cooking quality. Studies on samples of different seeding dates have so far revealed no significant differences in amylose content attributable to date of planting.

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Masticatory muscle thickness provides objective measurements of the oral motor function, which may change in patients with oral myofascial pain. In this study, we aimed to establish a reliable ultrasound (US) protocol for imaging the superficial and deep masticatory muscles and to identify the potential influencers of the measurements. Forty-eight healthy participants without orofacial pain were enrolled. The intra-and inter-rater reliabilities of US measurements for masseter, temporalis, and lateral pterygoid muscles were assessed. Intraclass correlation coefficients for all muscles were greater than 0.6. The generalised estimating equation was used to analyse the impact of age, gender, laterality, and body mass index on the measurements, whereby age and body mass index were likely to be associated with an increase in masticatory muscle thickness. The thickness tended to be lesser in females. Laterality seemed to exert minimal influence on masticatory muscle thickness. Our study shows acceptable reliability of US in the evaluation of superficial and deep masticatory muscle thickness. Future studies are warranted to validate the usefulness of US imaging in patients with oral myofascial pain syndrome. Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is frequently observed in patients seeking dental treatment. It comprises various findings concerning the stomatognathic system, involving the temporomandibular joints, masticatory muscles, teeth, and ears 1,2. The prevalence of TMDs in the general population ranges from 34.9 to 42.4% across different studies 3,4 , and the incidence is more prevalent in females 5. Of note, oral myofascial pain is commonplace in about 10-15% of patients with TMD 6. The aetiology of oral myofascial pain is still controversial. The proposed mechanisms include overuse of the masticatory muscles and a decrease in its pain threshold following central sensitization 7. While overuse might lead to hypertrophy of the masticatory muscles in the early stages, persistent pain could result in disuse atrophy in chronic cases 8. In this sense, masticatory muscle thickness provides objective measurements of the oral motor function 9 , which is supposed to change in patients suffering from oral myofascial pain. Several imaging modalities, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (US) have been used to image the masticatory muscles. CT allows precise delineation of the skull bone where the masticatory muscles attach. However, radiation and poor resolution of the soft tissues make it unsuitable for muscle thickness measurements. Nowadays, MRI serves as the gold standard for depicting soft tissue pathologies 10 , but it is limited by its high cost and contraindications in patients with metal implants. US has various advantages over CT and MRI, i.e. real-time evaluation, zero radiation, cost-effectiveness, portability, and ease of dynamic examination 11. Further, it is capable of delineating muscle fibres-making it highly effective for imaging muscle trauma and neuromuscular diseas...

Cutaneous nerve entrapment plays an important role in neuropathic pain syndrome. Due to the advancement of ultrasound technology, the cutaneous nerves can be visualized by high-resolution ultrasound. As the cutaneous nerves course superficially in the subcutaneous layer, they are vulnerable to entrapment or collateral damage in traumatic insults. Scanning of the cutaneous nerves is challenging due to fewer anatomic landmarks for referencing. Therefore, the aim of the present article is to summarize the anatomy of the limb cutaneous nerves, to elaborate the scanning techniques, and also to discuss the clinical implications of pertinent entrapment syndromes of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve, intercostobrachial cutaneous nerve, medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve, lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve, posterior antebrachial cutaneous nerve, superficial branch of the radial nerve, dorsal cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve, palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve, anterior femoral cutaneous nerve, posterior femoral cutaneous nerve, lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, sural nerve, and saphenous nerve.