Search

Despite significant advances over the past 2 decades in preventive screening and therapy aimed at improving patient survival, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. The average 5-year survival rate of CRC patients with positive regional lymph nodes is only 40%, while less than 5% of patients with distant metastases survive beyond 5 years. There is a critical need to develop novel therapies that can improve overall survival in patients with poor prognoses, particularly since 60% of them are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Pertinently, immune checkpoint blockade therapy has dramatically changed how we treat CRC patients with microsatellite-instable high tumors. Furthermore, accumulating evidence shows that changes in gut microbiota are associated with the regulation of host antitumor immune response and cancer progression. Appropriate animal models are essential to deciphering the complex mechanisms of host antitumor immune response and tumor-gut microbiome metabolic interactions. Here, we discuss various mouse models of colorectal cancer that are developed to address key questions on tumor immune response and tumor-microbiota interactions. These CRC models will also serve as resourceful tools for effective preclinical studies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visits to the emergency department (ED) are stressful for any patient and pose special challenges and potential barriers to care for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition, people (both children and adults) with ASD differ in their perception of, or responses to, environmental stimuli. Some people with ASD present with sensory defensiveness that is environmentally moderated, but there is a gap in our knowledge about patterns or thresholds of stimulation that kindle behavioral responses. We systematically recorded visual and auditory stimuli in an ED. Data were collected in four areas, hallway, doorway of waiting room, chair in waiting room, and treatment room, over several weeks and times of day. The mean light intensity ranged from 127 to 184 lux. There were significant differences (F = 16.77, df = 3, p > 0.001) between the five ED locations. Mean sound levels ranged from a high of 63.291 dB in the waiting room chair to a low of 51.289 dB in the treatment room. The highest consistent level of noise was recorded while sitting in the waiting room chair (60.657-63.291 dB). The findings suggest significant differences in light and sound intensity in common ED locations, with the highest mean readings of light and noise in the waiting areas. The differences and descriptions of light and sound patterns support the need for additional studies in both the measurement of the ED environment and its role in stimulating sensory defensiveness in people with ASD.