Colitis-associated cancer (CAC) is caused by chronic intestinal inflammation and reported to be associated with refractory inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Defective apoptosis of inflammatory cell populations seems to be a relevant pathogenetic mechanism in refractory IBD. We assessed the involvement of stress response protein cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (Cirp) in the development of intestinal inflammation and CAC. In the colonic mucosa of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, expression of Cirp correlated significantly with the expression of TNF-α, IL-23/IL-17, anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and stem cell markers such as Sox2, Bmi1 and Lgr5. The expression of Cirp and Sox2 was enhanced in the colonic mucosae of refractory UC, suggesting that Cirp expression might be related to increased cancer risk. In human CAC specimens, inflammatory cells expressed Cirp protein. Cirp-/- mice given dextran sodium sulfate exhibited decreased susceptibility to colonic inflammation through decreased expression of TNF-α, IL-23, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL in colonic lamina propria cells compared with similarly treated wild type (WT) mice. In the murine CAC model, Cirp deficiency decreased the expression of TNF-α, IL-23/IL-17, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Sox2 and the number of Dclk1+ cells, leading to attenuated tumorigenic potential. Transplantation of Cirp-/- bone marrow into WT mice reduced tumorigenesis, indicating the importance of Cirp in hematopoietic cells. Cirp promotes the development of intestinal inflammation and colorectal tumors through regulating apoptosis and production of TNF-α and IL-23 in inflammatory cells.

The Penn Program for Mindfulness provides powerful tools for coping and personal growth. Combining modern cognitive science with ancient mindfulness techniques, the program teaches people with cancer to change the way that they experience themselves and their world with skillfully applied mindfulness approaches to start anew.

This fall, reconnect with the sources of meaning in your life. Discover new ways to be steady in the most difficult moments, and learn how to connect more deeply with what matters most.

The Penn Program for Mindfulness

The Penn Program for Mindfulness is a mindfulness-based stress management program that teaches you how to use meditation as the primary tool for long-term stress management.

This highly acclaimed 8-week program will teach you a variety of meditation techniques to help you to cultivate relaxation, clarity and stillness in your day-to-day life. You will learn to recognize your unique reactions to stress, find more effective ways to respond to stressful situations, and discover how to use your own inner resources to find greater health and well-being.

The Penn Program for Mindfulness has taught thousands of individuals how to:

• Improve mood and energy
• Increase focus and mental clarity
• Manage difficult situations and emotions
• Enhance communication
• Increase enjoyment and appreciation of life

Mindfulness-based stress management is perfect for anyone who wants to maintain focus and learn positive ways to manage stress.

Fall session begins the week of September 22nd. Program has nine classes in eight different locations in PA and NJ. Each course include includes eight 2-½ hour weekly classes and one full day retreat to be held on Sunday, November 2nd. The cost of the program is $569.00. (APA, Social Work and Nursing CE credits available for an additional fee.)

The deadline to register is September 18.

Learn more about the Mindfulness-based stress management class, or register here.

The Penn Program for Mindfulness provides powerful tools for coping and personal growth. Combining modern cognitive science with ancient mindfulness techniques, the program teaches people with cancer to change the way that they experience themselves and their world with skillfully applied mindfulness approaches to start anew.

This fall, reconnect with the sources of meaning in your life. Discover new ways to be steady in the most difficult moments, and learn how to connect more deeply with what matters most.

The Penn Program for Mindfulness

The Penn Program for Mindfulness is a mindfulness-based stress management program that teaches you how to use meditation as the primary tool for long-term stress management.

This highly acclaimed 8-week program will teach you a variety of meditation techniques to help you to cultivate relaxation, clarity and stillness in your day-to-day life. You will learn to recognize your unique reactions to stress, find more effective ways to respond to stressful situations, and discover how to use your own inner resources to find greater health and well-being.

The Penn Program for Mindfulness has taught thousands of individuals how to:

• Improve mood and energy
• Increase focus and mental clarity
• Manage difficult situations and emotions
• Enhance communication
• Increase enjoyment and appreciation of life

Mindfulness-based stress management is perfect for anyone who wants to maintain focus and learn positive ways to manage stress.

Fall session begins the week of September 22nd. Program has nine classes in eight different locations in PA and NJ. Each course include includes eight 2-½ hour weekly classes and one full day retreat to be held on Sunday, November 2nd. The cost of the program is $569.00. (APA, Social Work and Nursing CE credits available for an additional fee.)

The deadline to register is September 18.

Learn more about the Mindfulness-based stress management class, or register here.

Peripheral neuropathy caused by cytotoxic chemotherapy, especially platins and taxanes, is a widespread problem among cancer survivors that is likely to continue to expand in the future. However, little work to date has focused on understanding this challenge. The goal in this study was to determine the impact of colorectal cancer and cumulative chemotherapeutic dose on sensory function to gain mechanistic insight into the subtypes of primary afferent fibers damaged by chemotherapy. Patients with colorectal cancer underwent quantitative sensory testing before and then prior to each cycle of oxaliplatin. These data were compared with those from 47 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Patients showed significant subclinical deficits in sensory function before any therapy compared with healthy volunteers, and they became more pronounced in patients who received chemotherapy. Sensory modalities that involved large Aβ myelinated fibers and unmyelinated C fibers were most affected by chemotherapy, whereas sensory modalities conveyed by thinly myelinated Aδ fibers were less sensitive to chemotherapy. Patients with baseline sensory deficits went on to develop more symptom complaints during chemotherapy than those who had no baseline deficit. Patients who were tested again 6 to 12 months after chemotherapy presented with the most numbness and pain and also the most pronounced sensory deficits. Our results illuminate a mechanistic connection between the pattern of effects on sensory function and the nerve fiber types that appear to be most vulnerable to chemotherapy-induced toxicity, with implications for how to focus future work to ameloirate risks of peripheral neuropathy. Cancer Res; 74(21); 1–8. ©2014 AACR.

The goal in this study was to determine the impact of colorectal cancer and cumulative chemotherapeutic dose on sensory function to gain mechanistic insight to the subtypes of primary afferent fibers damaged by chemotherapy. Patients with colorectal cancer underwent quantitative sensory testing (QST) before and then prior to each cycle of oxaliplatin. These data were compared to that from age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. The patients showed significant subclinical deficits in sensory function prior to any therapy compared to healthy volunteers. Sensory deficits became more pronounced in patients with chemotherapy. Sensory deficits were most pronounced for modalities mediated by large Aβ myelinated fibers and unmyelinated C fibers whereas those modalities of sensation conveyed by thinly myelinated Aδ fibers appeared showed less sensitivity to chemotherapy. Patients with baseline sensory deficits went on to develop more symptom complaints during chemotherapy than those who had no baseline deficit. Patients who were re-tested 6 to 12 months following chemotherapy showed the most numbness and pain as well as the most pronounced sensory deficits. The pattern of effects on sensory function has clear mechanistic implications for the fibers types that are vulnerable to the toxicity of chemotherapy.