Zebrafish model reveals how cancer causes muscle loss

In a breakthrough that could transform the understanding of cancer-induced muscle loss, researchers successfully recreated cancer cachexia in zebra-fish larvae, marking the first such demonstration in the world.

The fish-based experiment, led by Bhagvat Memorial Mahajan Postgraduate College Prof. A J Mahesh Prasad with his PhD student Sautan Show, revealed that cancer cells secrete a molecule called Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 2 (SFRP2), which disrupts the essential Wnt signalling pathway. This disruption triggers muscle degradation, mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and eventually cell death, closely reflecting the condition of human cancer patients.

The study was carried out in collaboration with eminent muscle biology scientist Upendra Nongthomba of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc, Bengaluru), said Prasad. He noted that cancer doesn’t attack just one organ as it rewired the whole body, and added that the research could help develop strategies to protect muscles  in both cancer and ageing. He added the project, supported by UGC funding, took 2.5 years to complete, and that progressing toward human trials may also be possible.

Cachexia, a severe wasting syndrome seen in advanced cancer, leads to drastic loss of muscle and fat, profound weakness, and poor therapeutic recovery. Despite contributing to nearly 20 % of cancer-related deaths, it remains without an effective treatment. To unravel this mystery, the researchers turned to the tiny but powerful zebra-fish model. Because their larvae are transparent, scientists were able to directly observe how disease signals travel and damage the body, he explained.

When human lung cancer cells were injected into the young fish, they began to display symptoms remarkably similar to human cachexia, including bent posture, swelling, muscle thinning and weakened heartbeats.

Published in the ‘FASEB Journal’, the study offers a new platform for testing potential therapies aimed at preventing muscle wasting in cancer.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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How the colour of your nails can reveal cancer

The link between your nails and cancer

Nails are an integral part of our body. It helps protect our fingers and toes and lets us do activities that would not be possible without them, like scratching or picking things up. Given that it receives blood and nutrition from the body, it can signal any deficiency or hidden ailments you may be suffering from.

Changes in the colour of the nails may not seem alarming in most cases.

However, at times it can be a tell-tale sign of chronic illnesses, especially cancer. That said, let us look at what your nails can reveal about your health.

Your nails can say a lot about your health

Nail changes can occur in anyone, depending on the kind of illnesses, deficiencies a person is experiencing.

While yellowing or thickening of nails can suggest a fungal infection, brittle nails may be a signifier of a thyroid disease or anemia. If you see pitting i.e. small cracks in your nails, it may indicate psoriasis or alopecia areata. Additionally, white lines underneath your nails can mean that you're suffering with a kidney or a liver disease.

The best way is to get yourself tested by a medical professional. Early diagnosis can protect you from as deadly a disease as cancer.

Change in nail colour can be a marker of cancer

A change in the nail colour should never be neglected, for it may indicate cancer.

Subungual melanoma, a type of skin cancer can be detected through the changes in the colour of the fingernails. It can appear in the form of a dark line under your nails, leading to nail discoloration. It can create dark areas near the cuticle of the nail, also known as subungual lesions.

Besides being a mark of cancer, such changes in nail colour can also be an outcome of cancer treatments, side effects that usually occur due to cancer medications.

Subungual melanoma can show other symptoms

Apart from the formation of black lines on your finger or toe nails, there are other signs of subungual melanoma that can appear on your nails.

- Weak, brittle nails

- A bruise on your nail, which is difficult to heal

- Bleeding around nails

- Thinning, cracking of the nail plate

- Blackish-brownish streaks that continue to grow

Treatment is key

Considering melanoma is life-threatening, if left untreated, it can be fatal.

A physical exam and a biopsy may help with the diagnosis. That said, treatment would involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies, depending on how far the cancer has progressed. 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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MRI scans reveal major abnormalities in the eyes of people with severe COVID-19

Researchers using MRI have found significant abnormalities in the eyes of some people with severe COVID-19, according to a study published in the journal Radiology. The study results support the need for eye screening in these patients to provide appropriate treatment and management of potentially severe ophthalmological manifestations of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 100 million people since it began early in 2020. While the virus primarily attacks the lungs, it has been linked with eye abnormalities like conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, and retinopathy, a disease of the retina that can result in a loss of vision. Eye abnormalities visible on MRI exams have been reported but there is limited research on the nature and frequency of these abnormalities.

To find out more, the French Society of Neuroradiology (SFNR) initiated a study of 129 patients with severe COVID-19 who underwent brain MRI.

Of the 129 patients, nine (7%) had abnormal MRI findings of the globe, or eyeball. The MRI scans showed one or more nodules in the back part, or posterior pole, of the eyeball. Eight of the nine patients had spent time in the intensive care unit (ICU) for COVID-19.

"We showed that a few patients with severe COVID-19 from the French COVID-19 cohort had one or several nodules of the posterior pole of the globe," said study lead author Augustin Lecler, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Paris and neuroradiologist from the Department of Neuroradiology at the Foundation Adolphe de Rothschild Hospital in Paris. "This is the first time these findings have been described using MRI."

All nine patients had nodules in the macular region, the area in the back of the eye responsible for our central vision. Eight had nodules in both eyes.

The results suggest that screening should be considered in all patients with severe COVID-19 to detect these nodules. In clinical practice, this screening could include dedicated exploration of the eyes with high-resolution MRI, the researchers said.

Additional recommended exams include fundoscopy, which uses a magnifying lens and a light to check the back of the inside of the eye, and optical coherence tomography, a noninvasive test that provides a 3D picture of the structure of the eye.

Dr. Lecler noted that severe eye problems might largely go unnoticed in the clinic, as COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the ICU are often being treated for much more severe, life-threatening conditions.

Our study advocates for screening of all patients hospitalized in the ICU for severe COVID-19. We believe those patients should receive specific eye-protective treatments."

Augustin Lecler, M.D., Ph.D., Study Lead Author adn Associate Professor, University of Paris

The mechanism behind nodule formation remains unknown, the researchers said, although it could be related to inflammation triggered by the virus. Inadequate drainage of the veins of the eyes, a problem found in patients who spend time in the ICU in the prone position or intubated, may also be a factor. Seven of the nine patients with eye abnormalities in the study had been placed in a prone position in the ICU for an extended time.

The researchers are performing follow-up clinical and MRI examinations in the survivors to monitor the nodules and see if they carry any clinical consequences such as vision loss or visual field impairment.

They are also performing MRI examinations in new patients with severe COVID-19 from the second and third waves of the pandemic, using more comprehensive ophthalmological tests to correlate with the MRI results.

The effects on patients with moderate COVID-19 are currently under investigation.

"We have launched a prospective study with dedicated high-resolution MR images for exploring the eye and orbit in patients with light to moderate COVID," Dr. Lecler said. "Therefore, we will be able to know whether our findings were specific to severe COVID patients or not."

The findings support previous research that showed COVID-19 exacts a greater toll in people with existing health problems. Of the nine patients with eye nodules, two had diabetes, six were obese and two had hypertension.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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