Nanoscale phase separation and pseudogap in the hole-doped cuprates from fluctuating Cu-O-Cu bonds

The pseudogap phenomenology is one of the enigmas of the physics of high-Tc superconductors. Many members of the cuprate family have now been experimentally characterized with high resolution in both real and momentum space, which revealed highly anisotropic Fermi arcs and local domains which break rotational symmetry in the CuO2 plane at the intraunit cell level. While most theoretical approaches to date have focused on the role of electronic correlations and dopinginduced disorder to explain these features, we show that many features of the pseudogap phase can be reproduced by considering the interplay between electronic and nonlinear electron-phonon interactions within a model of fluctuating Cu-O-Cu bonds. Remarkably, we find that electronic segregation arises naturally without the need to explicitly include disorder. Our approach points not only to the key role played by the oxygen bond in the pseudogap phase, but opens different directions to explore how nonequilibrium lattice excitations can be used to control the properties of the pseudogap phase.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry MINECO (National Plan 15 Grant: FISICATEAMO No. FIS2016-79508-P, SEVERO OCHOA No. SEV2015-0522, FPI), European Social Fund, Fundacio Cellex, Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR Grant No. 2017 SGR 1341 and CERCA/Program), EU FEDER, ERC AdG OSYRIS and NOQIA, ERC StG SEESUPER, EU FETPRO QUIC, and the National Science Centre, PolandSymfonia Grant No. 2016/20/W/ST4/00314. A.D. was financed by a Juan de la Cierva fellowship (IJCI-2017- 33180). R.W.C. acknowledges funding from the Polish National Center via Miniatura-2 Program Grant No. 2018/02/X/ST3/01718.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Alterations in Natural Killer Cells in Colorectal Cancer Patients with Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA)

Background: Recently, our group introduced Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA) as an independent prognostic predictor for a poorer outcome in colon cancer patients, which is probably based on immunologic alterations combined with a direct tumor-adipocyte interaction: the two together reflecting a distinct tumor biology. Considering it is already known that peripheral immune cells are altered in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, this study aims to investigate the changes in lymphocyte subsets in SARIFA-positive cases and correlate these changes with the local immune response. Methods: Flow cytometry was performed to analyze B, T, and natural killer (NK) cells in the peripheral blood (PB) of 45 CRC patients. Consecutively, lymphocytes in PB, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and CD56+ and CD57+ lymphocytes at the invasion front and the tumor center were compared between patients with SARIFA-positive and SARIFA-negative CRCs. Results: Whereas no differences could be observed regarding most PB lymphocyte populations as well as TILs, NK cells were dramatically reduced in the PB of SARIFA-positive cases. Moreover, CD56 and CD57 immunohistochemistry suggested SARIFA-status-dependent changes regarding NK cells and NK-like lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment. Conclusion: This study proves that our newly introduced biomarker, SARIFA, comes along with distinct immunologic alterations, especially regarding NK cells

Alterations in natural killer cells in colorectal cancer patients with Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA)

Recently, our group introduced Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA) as an independent prognostic predictor for a poorer outcome in colon cancer patients, which is probably based on immunologic alterations combined with a direct tumor-adipocyte interaction: the two together reflecting a distinct tumor biology. Considering it is already known that peripheral immune cells are altered in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, this study aims to investigate the changes in lymphocyte subsets in SARIFA-positive cases and correlate these changes with the local immune response. Methods: Flow cytometry was performed to analyze B, T, and natural killer (NK) cells in the peripheral blood (PB) of 45 CRC patients. Consecutively, lymphocytes in PB, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and CD56+ and CD57+ lymphocytes at the invasion front and the tumor center were compared between patients with SARIFA-positive and SARIFA-negative CRCs. Results: Whereas no differences could be observed regarding most PB lymphocyte populations as well as TILs, NK cells were dramatically reduced in the PB of SARIFA-positive cases. Moreover, CD56 and CD57 immunohistochemistry suggested SARIFA-status-dependent changes regarding NK cells and NK-like lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment. Conclusion: This study proves that our newly introduced biomarker, SARIFA, comes along with distinct immunologic alterations, especially regarding NK cells