The Roma population is one of the ethnic minorities with a long history of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of underweight in Roma population living in rural settlements from Călăraşi County in the south part of Romania.

This cross-sectional, epidemiological, non-interventional study was conducted from March 2014 to May 2017 in several villages from Calarasi County. We analized the data from 978 people: 660 Roma (457 females/203 males), and 318 Romanian Caucasians (213 females/105 males) aged between 18 and 88 yr. Body mass index (BMI) was classified using the definitions of World Health Organization and a BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 was defined as underweight.

In Roma population group, the prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity was 4.5% (n = 30), 26.5% (n = 175), 25% (n = 165) and 43.9% (n = 290) respectively. The prevalence of underweight was higher in Roma population compared to Romanian Caucasian, with a significantly higher prevalence in young age groups, 6.9% in 18–29-year age group and 8.2% in 30–39-year age group as well as in the age group of over 70 years (7.5%).

Among the Roma population, in multivariate adjustment for all covariates in a backward stepwise elimination procedure, significant predictors of underweight were a current smoking and lower socio-educational level (under eight classes).

Our results confirm and reinforce the need to implement prevention programs in high-risk populations such as the Roma population, due to the double burden of malnutrition, low access to the health system, low socio-economic level, limited access to education lack of medical education and preventive healthcare.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the expression of p53 protein in colorectal adenocarcinoma in diabetic (type 2) obese vs non-obese vs and to analyse p53, Bcl2 proteins expression in type 2 diabetic vs non-diabetic patients based on histological grade.

In a retrospective study we analyzed all hospitalized patients with colorectal cancer between 2011–2015 in Bucharest Emergency Hospital, according to International Statistical Classification of Diseases classification and Related Health Problems 10th Revision.

The p53 and Bcl2 proteins expressions were investigated by automated immunohistochemistry BenchMark XT Ventana platform using dual Bcl2-p53 protocol in the Histopathology Department of the Central Reference Laboratory Synevo.

We identified in order of appearance only the cases with appropriate inclusion criteria, 95 cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma: 52 were type 2 diabetic patients (33males /19 females, mean age 70.2 years) and 43 non-diabetics (30 males /13 females mean age 69.5 years). There were 15vs2 obese subjects in diabetic/non-diabetic patients compared to 37vs41 with normal weight.

Our data showed that obese diabetic patients associate more frequently the overexpression of p53 protein in colorectal adenocarcinoma in the 80% (12/15 of cases) comparative with non-obese diabetic patients 40.5% (15/37 cases) or non-diabetics and non-obese controls 36.6% (15/41 cases p = 0.024).

Regarding histological grade, diabetic patients associated low-grade colorectal tumors (78.8% of cases) compared with non-diabetics (58.1% of cases) and non-diabetic patients associated high-grade colorectal tumors increased (41.9%) compared to diabetics (21.2%), with statistical significance (p = 0.043).

Diabetics compared with non-diabetics associated an oversexpression of all immunophenotypes in the low histological grade colorectal adenocarcinoma: Bcl2-/p53- immunophenotype in 62% vs 53% of cases (p = 0.836); for Bcl2 + / p53- immunophenotype in 67% vs 43% of cases (p = 0.064); for Bcl2-/p53 + immunophenotype in 77% vs 71% of cases (p = 0.489) and for Bcl2 + /p53 + immunophenotype in 100% vs33% of cases (p = 0.333).

It is known that the protein p53 is a powerful transcriptor factor acting as checkpoint controlling the differentiation of the various cells including adipocytes and also possible enterocytes (explaining the higher frequency of colorectal cancer which has been associated with the increased proliferation of adipocytes characterizing the obesity).Due to the protection conferred by a normal p53 protein its upregulation could be a new target for the treatment of obesity. Interesting our work revealed that diabetic patients associated low-grade colorectal adenocarcinoma with an oversexpression of all immunophenotypes.