Use of patient-derived explants as a preclinical model for precision medicine in colorectal cancer: A scoping review.

Purpose: Whilst the treatment paradigm for colorectal cancer has evolved significantly over time, there is still a lack of reliable biomarkers of treatment response. Treatment decisions are based on high-risk features such as advanced TNM stage and histology. The role of the tumour microenvironment, which can influence tumour progression and treatment response, has generated considerable interest.

Immune mediated colitis: a surgical perspective.

Background: This study aims to review and summarize the current up to date literature that explore the current treatment approaches to immune mediated colitis and the role of surgical specialties in the landscape of management.

Methods: A narrative review of papers was performed following a literature search through Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Central databases pertaining to immune mediated colitis as an adverse event of cancer immunotherapy.

Results: Current guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of immune mediated colitis mirror the approach to the workup of inflammatory bowel disease and guided by treating oncology and gastroenterology specialties.

Effect of Surgical Humidification on Inflammation and Peritoneal Trauma in Colorectal Cancer Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Pre-clinical studies indicate that dry-cold-carbon-dioxide (DC-CO2) insufflation leads to more peritoneal damage, inflammation and hypothermia compared with humidified-warm-CO (HW-CO2). Peritoneum and core temperature in patients undergoing colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery were compared.

Methods: Sixty-six patients were randomized into laparoscopic groups; those insufflated with DC-CO2 or HW-CO2.

Molecular and genomic characterisation of a panel of human anal cancer cell lines.

Anal cancer is a rare disease that has doubled in incidence over the last four decades. Current treatment and survival of patients with this disease has not changed substantially over this period of time, due, in part, to a paucity of preclinical models to assess new therapeutic options. To address this hiatus, we set-out to establish, validate and characterise a panel of human anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) cell lines by employing an explant technique using fresh human ASCC tumour tissue.

Novel Vaccine Targeting Colonic Adenoma: a Pre-clinical Model.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the USA. Over 80% of CRC develop from adenomatous polyps. Hence, early treatment and prevention of adenomas would lead to a significant decrease of disease burden for CRC.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte Function Predicts Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Purpose: The presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in tumors is superior to conventional pathologic staging in predicting patient outcome. However, their presence does not define TIL functionality. Here we developed an assay that tests TIL cytotoxicity in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer before definitive treatment, identifying those who will obtain a pathologic complete response (pCR).

An Update on Immunotherapy for Solid Tumors: A Review.

In recent years, it has been demonstrated that immunotherapy is an effective strategy for the management of solid tumors. The origins of immunotherapy can be traced back to the work of William Coley, who elicited an immune response against sarcoma by injecting patients with a mixture of dead bacteria. Significant progress has been made since, with immune markers within the tumor now being used as predictors of cancer prognosis and manipulated to improve patient survival.

A recombinant fusion protein derived from dog hookworm inhibits autoantibody-induced dermal-epidermal separation ex vivo.

The proteins secreted by parasitic nematodes are evolutionarily optimized molecules with unique capabilities of suppressing the immune response of the host organism. Neutrophil inhibitory factor (NIF), which is secreted by the dog hookworm Ancylostoma caninum, binds to the β2 integrin CD11b/CD18, which is expressed on human neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes and macrophages and inhibits neutrophil-dependent lung injury and neutrophil invasion of ischaemic brain tissue. Neutrophils are key players in the pathogenesis of subepidermal autoimmune blistering diseases (sAIBDs), and their pathogenic activities are crucially dependent on β2 integrin functionality.

Does school size affect interest for purchasing local foods in the midwest?

Background: Due to the recent surge in environmental consciousness and the need to address childhood obesity, Farm to School programs have gained momentum. Even though Farm to School programs have increased in popularity, many schools still fail to take advantage of the benefits from such programs. School food service employees' lack of familiarity with the benefits of Farm to School programs or the means to overcome obstacles to implement such programs, along with school size, may represent key variables that serve to explain why more schools do not purchase more local foods for their schools.

Noninvasive screening for risk factors of type 2 diabetes in young, rural, caucasian children.

School nurses play an important role in identifying students who are at risk for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Few studies have screened Caucasian students, and none have targeted rural, low-income, elementary children. The five noninvasive risk factors used for this study were family history, high body mass index (BMI) for age/sex, racial/ethnic background, hypertension, and acanthosis nigricans.

Positive changes in perceptions and selections of healthful foods by college students after a short-term point-of-selection intervention at a dining hall.

Objective: Determine the effects of a short-term, multi-faceted, point-of-selection intervention on college students' perceptions and selection of 10 targeted healthful foods in a university dining hall and changes in their self-reported overall eating behaviors.

Participants: 104 college students, (age 18-23) completed pre-I and post-I surveys.

Methods: Pre-survey collected at dining hall in April 2007, followed by 3-week intervention then post-survey collected via email.