Supplementation with antioxidant micronutrients and chemotherapy-induced toxicity in cancer patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Cisplatin-induced toxicities are mainly caused by the formation of free radicals, leading to oxidative organ damage. Plasma concentrations of antioxidants decrease significantly during cisplatin chemotherapy for cancer. Forty-eight cancer patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy were randomised in a double-blind manner to receive either supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium dissolved in a beverage or to receive a placebo beverage.

Cisplatin combination chemotherapy induces a fall in plasma antioxidants of cancer patients.

Background: Antioxidants protect the body against cellular oxidative damage and thus some of the adverse effects induced by cisplatin and other cytostatic drugs.

Patients And Methods: The effect of cisplatin-combination chemotherapy on concentrations of plasma antioxidants was studied in 36 cancer patients, including osteosarcoma and testicular carcinoma patients.

Results: Eight to 15 days after the start of each cytostatic drug infusion concentrations of various plasma antioxidants were measured and compared to pretreatment values: vitamin C and E, uric acid and ceruloplasmin levels fell significantly (P < 0.

[Diabetic gastroparesis: is tube feeding an alternative?].

A woman aged 26 with long-standing insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus displayed recurrent periods of nausea, vomiting, abnormal blood sugar levels, weight loss and poor physical condition in spite of a diet and use of propulsive agents. Scintigraphy revealed decelerated gastric evacuation for solid and liquid nutrients. The patient recovered after insertion of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) catheter.

Effect of gluten supplementation in healthy siblings of children with celiac disease.

The clinical, functional, and histopathological effects of 18 g additional gluten intake daily for 4 wk was studied in 13 healthy siblings of Spanish children with celiac disease, including two pairs of discordant monozygotic twins. Five of the 13 children were HLA-DR identical to the celiac sibling, 5 shared only one HLA-DR antigen with the celiac sibling, and 3 had completely different HLA-DR antigens than their respective celiac brothers or sisters. Clinical evaluation and functional tests (routine blood, xylose absorption, and fecal fat excretion studies) were performed before, during, and after gluten challenge.