Influence of a nutritional intervention on dietary intake and quality of life in cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Weight loss is common in patients with malignant tumors and it can adversely affect quality of life and survival. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a nutritional intervention in cancer patients in an outpatient setting.

Methods: Cancer outpatients (N = 58) who were classified as undernourished or at high risk for undernutrition by the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 tool were randomized into two groups.

Increased sensitivity of p53-deficient cells to anticancer agents due to loss of Pms2.

A large fraction of human tumours carries mutations in the p53 gene. p53 plays a central role in controlling cell cycle checkpoint regulation, DNA repair, transcription, and apoptosis upon genotoxic stress. Lack of p53 function impairs these cellular processes, and this may be the basis of resistance to chemotherapeutic regimens.

Parental origin of the supernumerary chromosome in trisomy 18.

The parental origin of an extra chromosome in Edwards syndrome has been investigated in 23 families by the combination of the VNTR probe pERT25, two microsatellite polymorphisms for D18S34 and D18S40, and several two-allele polymorphisms. Of the 23 cases, 22 were informative, with 17 (77%) being maternal and 5 (23%) paternal in origin. These results support the previous investigations, suggesting that trisomy 18 is predominantly of maternal origin, although a higher rate of paternally derived cases was observed than previously reported.