Loss of psoas muscle during neoadjuvant treatment for rectal cancer is associated with poor oncological and surgical outcomes.

Background: Sarcopenia has been associated with poor outcomes in rectal cancer patients. This study aims to assess the degree of muscle loss during neoadjuvant therapy in patients with rectal cancer, and its relationship with tumour response, post-operative complications and long-term disease recurrence.

Methods: The change in the psoas muscle area was determined by measuring the psoas muscle area at L4 on initial staging PET CT scans and comparing this with the restaging scan 8-10 weeks after radiation treatment had been completed.

Relationship between cigarette smoking and blood pressure in adults in Nepal: A population-based cross-sectional study.

Smoking and hypertension are two major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in Nepal. The relationship between cigarette smoking and blood pressure (BP) in Nepal is unclear. This study analysed the data from the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey to explore the differences in systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) between current daily cigarette smokers and non-smokers in Nepali adults aged 18 to 49 years.