Interaction between microbiota and immunity and its implication in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the world. Besides genetic causes, colonic inflammation is one of the major risk factors for CRC development, which is synergistically regulated by multiple components, including innate and adaptive immune cells, cytokine signaling, and microbiota. The complex interaction between CRC and the gut microbiome has emerged as an important area of current CRC research. Metagenomic profiling has identified a number of prominent CRC-associated bacteria that are enriched in CRC patients, linking the microbiota composition to colitis and cancer development. Some microbiota species have been reported to promote colitis and CRC development in preclinical models, while a few others are identified as immune modulators to induce potent protective immunity against colitis and CRC. Mechanistically, microbiota regulates the activation of different immune cell populations, inflammation, and CRC via crosstalk between innate and adaptive immune signaling pathways, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), type I interferon, and inflammasome. In this review, we provide an overview of the potential interactions between gut microbiota and host immunity and how their crosstalk could synergistically regulate inflammation and CRC, thus highlighting the potential roles and mechanisms of gut microbiota in the development of microbiota-based therapies to prevent or alleviate colitis and CRC

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Los símbolos en la lengua y la cultura chinas : aproximación a un estudio contrastivo en la fraseología china y española

La presente tesis aborda el estudio de los símbolos en la fraseología china y su comparación con los de la fraseología española desde la perspectiva cultural. Se destaca la relación inextricable entre la lengua y la cultura, confirmada por numerosas publicaciones desde diversas perspectivas. Tanto los símbolos, como representantes esenciales del conocimiento en la lengua, el arte, la literatura y la religión, entre otros aspectos culturales, como las unidades fraseológicas, preservadoras lingüísticas de los conocimientos colectivos de una comunidad ilustran la interacción y convergencia entre lengua y cultura. El objetivo general de la investigación radica, por un lado, en identificar las similitudes y las diferencias en el simbolismo presente en la fraseología de las lenguas china y española, a la vez que en determinar los aspectos socioculturales y mecanismos psicológicos que influyen en estas similitudes y diferencias, por otro. Para alcanzar este propósito, se realiza una extensa revisión bibliográfica que abarca los conceptos de fraseología y símbolo, así como los aspectos relacionados con la formación de significados simbólicos en la fraseología china y española, a partir de los vínculos existentes con la historia, el desarrollo sociocultural y las obras clásicas y literarias. La revisión de la bibliografía especializada sobre fraseología resalta la dificultad de establecer equivalencias en las categorías fraseológicas entre la lengua china y la española, debido a diferencias tanto en lo concernido a sus características y como a los criterios de clasificación. Se enfatiza en la importancia de la fijación como criterio aplicable en ambas fraseologías, a la vez que de la idiomaticidad para poder establecer las similitudes entre ciertas categorías fraseológicas de la lengua china y la española. Sobre estos criterios y considerando las características sintagmáticas u oracionales de las unidades fraseológicas chinas, se propone una clasificación, cuyo propósito es facilitar la comprensión de los conceptos fraseológicos en el contexto de la Fraseología Contrastiva chino-española. Por lo que respecta al estudio de los símbolos en la fraseología china, se opta por trabajar con los que están directamente relacionados con el contexto cultural del confucianismo y la mitología (y religiones), por la relevancia de estos ámbitos en la cultura y la lengua chinas. El concepto del 君子 [Junzi; persona con integridad moral] representa una imagen ejemplar de la búsqueda moral confuciana y supone un elemento constitutivo de muchas unidades fraseológicas. Además, se seleccionan varios símbolos materiales, como el ume, la orquídea, el bambú, el crisantemo y el pino, junto con el mineral chino único, el jade, para ilustrar este concepto. En cuanto a la mitología (y religiones) china, se consideran símbolos como 阎王 [dios de muerte], 鬼 [fantasma], 神 [dios], 仙 [inmortal] y 佛 [Buda], representativos de las religiones taoísta y budista y los Cinco Colores como representaciones del símbolo de la mitología. Los resultados del estudio de estos símbolos muestran que los pensamientos confucianos, mitológicos y religiosos chinos poseen un impacto fundamental en la formación de los significados simbólicos de los símbolos presentes en la fraseología china. Sin embargo, existen otros muchos factores intrínsecos para su explicación, entre los cuales destacan los influjos desde la literatura (especialmente las poesías y novelas) y la historia, las características físicas del símbolo, las normas e instituciones de la clase dominante, la comunicación intercultural, entre otros. Desde la perspectiva psicológica, se observa que los mecanismos psicológicos, como el condicionamiento clásico, la ley de similitud y la empatía estética, explican la formación de significados simbólicos de los símbolos botánicos, mientras que los símbolos religiosos tienen fundamentos en el sobrecogimiento y el miedo, la creencia y la adoración, la repugnancia y el desprecio. Los símbolos cromáticos pueden abordar todos estos aspectos mencionados anteriormente. Tras el examen de los simbolismos seleccionados en la fraseología china, se realiza un análisis exhaustivo comparativo entre la fraseología china y española, que parte de la presencia y utilización en la fraseología española de los símbolos analizados para la fraseología china, a la vez que se ofrecen sustitutos adecuados para los símbolos ausentes. Las comparaciones no solo identifican similitudes lingüísticas y simbólicas, sino que también revelan la preferencia significativa en la selección de símbolos botánicos para expresar los significados simbólicos similares por la población china y la española debido a diferencias geográficas y climáticas, aunque los mecanismos psicológicos en la expresión de ambas comunidades resultan similares. En cuanto al estudio de las palabras cromáticas, la combinación de las teorías universalista y relativista parece más adecuada. Finalmente, se identifican cuatro categorías de equivalencia cualitativa entre las unidades fraseológicas chinas y españolas: equivalencia fraseológica total (sintáctica y simbólica), equivalencia fraseológica parcial, correspondencia no fraseológica y correspondencia nula. En definitiva, nuestra tesis destaca la importancia de los trasfondos socioculturales en la formación de significados simbólicos en la fraseología china y española, que varían significativamente entre diferentes poblaciones. De manera paralela, se evidencian similitudes en la formación de estos significados, frecuentemente explicados por mecanismos psicológicos similares. Con esta investigación, se proporciona una contribución relevante y un enfoque innovador para la enseñanza de la fraseología en la combinación lingüística chino-español, al tiempo que se fortalece la comunicación interculturalThe present thesis addresses the study of symbols in Chinese phraseology and their comparison with those in Spanish phraseology from a cultural perspective. The inextricable relationship between language and culture, confirmed by numerous publications from various viewpoints, is highlighted. Both symbols, as essential representatives of knowledge in language, art, literature and religion, among other cultural aspects, and phraseological units, as linguistic preservers of collective knowledge within a community, illustrate the interaction and convergence between language and culture. The general objective of the research is, on the one hand, to identify the similarities and differences in symbolism present in the phraseology of both Chinese and Spanish languages, and, on the other hand, to determine the sociocultural aspects and psychological mechanisms that influence these similarities and differences. To achieve this purpose, an extensive bibliographic review is conducted, covering the concepts of phraseology and symbol, as well as aspects related to the formation of symbolic meanings in Chinese and Spanish phraseology, based on the existing connections with history, sociocultural development, and classical and literary works. The review of the specialized bibliography on phraseology highlights the difficulty of establishing equivalences in phraseological categories between the Chinese and Spanish languages, due to differences in both terms of their characteristics and classification criteria. The importance of fixation as an applicable criterion in both phraseologies is emphasized, as well as idiomaticity in order to establish similarities between certain phraseological categories in Chinese and Spanish. Based on these criteria and considering the syntagmatic or oracular characteristics of Chinese phraseological units, a classification is proposed, with the purpose of facilitating the comprehension of phraseological concepts in the context of Chinese-Spanish Contrastive Phraseology. As for the study of symbols in Chinese phraseology, it is decided to work with those directly related to the cultural context of Confucianism and mythology (and religions), due to the significance of these areas in Chinese culture and language. The concept of 君子 [Junzi; person with moral integrity] represents an exemplary image of the Confucian moral quest and is a constitutive element of many phraseological units. In addition, various material symbols, such as ume, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum and pine, together with the unique Chinese mineral, jade, are selected to illustrate this concept. Regarding Chinese mythology (and religions), symbols such as 阎王 [god of death], 鬼 [ghost], 神 [god], 仙 [immortal] and 佛 [Buddha], are considered representative of Taoist and Buddhist religions and the Five Colours are seen as representations of mythological symbols. The results of the study of these symbols show that Chinese Confucian, mythological and religious thoughts have a fundamental impact on the formation of the symbolic meanings of the symbols present in Chinese phraseology. However, there are many other intrinsic factors that contribute to their explanation, including influences from literature (especially poems and novels) and history, physical characteristics of the symbol, norms and institutions of the ruling class, cross-cultural communication, among others. From the psychological perspective, it is observed that psychological mechanisms, such as Pavlovian conditioning, the law of similarity and empathy, explain the formation of symbolic meanings of botanical symbols, while religious symbols have foundations in awe and fear, belief and worship, disgust and contempt. Chromatic symbols can address all these aspects mentioned above. After examining the selected symbolisms in Chinese phraseology, an exhaustive comparative analysis is conducted between Chinese and Spanish phraseology, starting from the presence and usage of the symbols in Spanish phraseology that were analyzed for Chinese phraseology, while providing suitable substitutes for absent symbols. The comparisons not only identify linguistic and symbolic similarities, but also reveal the significant preference in the selection of botanical symbols to express similar symbolic meanings by the Chinese and Spanish populations due to geographical and climatic differences, although the psychological mechanisms behind the expression of both communities are similar. As for the study of chromatic words, the combination of universalist and relativist theories seems more appropriate. Finally, four categories of qualitative equivalence between Chinese and Spanish phraseological units are identified: total phraseological equivalence (syntactic and symbolic), partial phraseological equivalence, non-phraseological correspondence and null correspondence. In conclusion, our thesis highlights the importance of sociocultural backgrounds in the formation of symbolic meanings in Chinese and Spanish phraseology, which significantly vary among different populations. At the same time, similarities in the formation of these meanings, often explained by similar psychological mechanisms, are evidenced. With this research, we provide a relevant contribution and an innovative approach to teaching phraseology in the Chinese-Spanish language combination, while enhancing intercultural communication

A Characterization of Maximally Entangled Two-Qubit States

As already known by Rana’s result, all eigenvalues of any partial-transposed bipartite state fall within the closed interval [−12,1]. In this note, we study a family of bipartite quantum states where the minimal eigenvalues of partial-transposed states are −12. For a two-qubit system, we find that the minimal eigenvalue of its partial-transposed state is −12 if and only if such a two-qubit state is maximally entangled. However this result does not hold in general for a two-qudit system when the dimensions of the underlying space are larger than two

Superiority of a novel flow-electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) based on a battery material at high applied voltage

Flow-electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI) provides the opportunity for continuous desalination operation of high concentration saline water. In this study, we firstly report the application of a battery material (a Prussian blue analogue, copper hexacyanoferrate, CuHCF) as flowable electrode in FCDI system, where it is coupled with activated carbon (AC). Its desalination performance under different voltage is evaluated when dealing with 10 g L-1 NaCI solution. Results show that the salt removal rate and salt removal efficiency of the designed FCDI is enhanced as increasing in applied voltage from 1.2 to 2.8 V. Moreover, benefiting from the high capacity of CuHCF material, the novel FCDI based on CuHCF-AC pair shows superiority over conventional FCDI with AC-AC pair when operates at high voltage over 2.0 V (e.g. salt removal rate of 0.12 vs. 0.11 mg cm(-2) min(-1), salt removal efficiency of similar to 91 vs. 84% and current efficiency of similar to 96 vs. 95% at 2.8 V), even though the pH of the concentrated water changes more significantly. The results indicate that FCDI based on CuHCF-AC electrode pair is effective in dealing with high saline water at high voltage. Other sodium ion intercalation material may also be applied in FCDI

Removal of chloride ions using a bismuth electrode in capacitive deionization (CDI)

Non-carbon materials in capacitive deionization (CDI) can help to enhance the capacity of removed ions. Here, we report for the first time the removal of chloride ions (Cl-) with a bismuth (Bi) anode when coupled with an activated carbon (AC) cathode in CDI. The effects of carbon black in the Bi electrode, applied voltage, electrode mass loading and initial concentration on Cl- removal are investigated. Moreover, its cycle performance is also tested. Results show that addition of carbon black to a Bi electrode (Bi@CB) significantly improves Cl- removal. The declining trend of Cl- concentration and appearance of peaks assigned to products of bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) in XRD patterns confirm Cl- storage by the Bi electrode, which is enhanced with an increase in voltage. When coupled with AC in a fixed mass, increasing the Bi mass does not contribute to more Cl- removal. Although the cycle performance is not excellent (the attenuation rate is 74% after 10 cycles), its chloride removal capacity is similar to 2-3 times the value of AC (e.g. 0.95 vs. 0.32 mmol g(Bi)(-1) at 1.2 V in 500 mg L-1 NaCl solution). Besides, the Bi-AC electrode pair in CDI is more suitable to remove Cl- from a solution with a Cl- concentration of below 600 mg L-1

Selective removal of chloride ions by bismuth electrode in capacitive deionization

Common methods in capacitive deionization (CDI) for selective removal are derived from membrane separation mechanism or size-based intercalation mechanism. In this study, based on the electrochemical activity of bismuth (Bi) material to chloride ions (Cl-) and inertness to sulfate ions (SO42-), Bi electrode is used as anode in CDI to selectively remove C-l- ions from mixed NaCl and Na2SO4 solution. Through the reaction with Bi, Cl- ions are stored in bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl). Results show that Bi electrode exhibits selectivity for Cl- over SO42- with a selectivity coefficient of more than 1.5 in solutions with mole ratio of Cl- to SO42- larger than 1. The selectivity coefficient is greatly dependent on the mole ratio of Cl- to SO42- and increases when the ratio rises. In solution with a fixed Cl-/SO42- mole ratio, higher applied voltage and prolonged time result in higher Cl- ion removal capacity, but not necessarily better selectivity. The highest selectivity coefficient of 4.5 is achieved in 8.5 mM NaCl and 1.1 mM Na2SO4 mixed solution at voltage of 1.6 and 2.0 V after charging for 1 h. These results demonstrate that Bi electrode can selectively remove Cl- ions from mixed solution with a relatively lower concentration of SO42- ions, which provides new insights into ion separation and selective removal by CDI

Novel PTFE hollow fiber membrane fabricated by emulsion electrospinning and sintering for membrane distillation

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an attractive membrane material due to its superior chemical resistance, thermal stability and strong hydrophobicity. However, PTFE hollow fiber membranes are challenging to produce by conventional technique due to the high solvent resistance and high melt viscosity of PTFE. In this study, novel PTFE hollow fiber membranes composed of pure PTFE nanofibers were firstly fabricated via a scalable and environment-friendly method based on emulsion electrospinning with a non-rotating collector and followed by a high-temperature sintering process. The effects of PTFE/PEO mass ratio and sintering temperature on the morphologies and properties of the resulting membranes were investigated. The prepared PTFE hollow fiber membrane shows the excellent characteristics combining the advantages of both electrospun nanofibers membrane and hollow fiber membrane, such as high porosity (more than 82%), self-supporting and superhydrophobicity. The membrane sintered at 380 degrees C present the highest mechanical strength, which shows the tensile strength, Young&#39;s modulus, strain at break of 30.5 Mpa, 53 Mpa, and 315%, respectively. The permeate flux of the prepared PTFE hollow fiber membrane is about 4.6-8.8 times as that of the commercial PTFE hollow fiber membranes, as well as is approximately 3.2-11.6 times higher than the date of the reported PTFE hollow fiber membranes. Additionally, the prepared membrane shows high and stable flux in long-term and rising salinity experiments, indicating it is very promising for membrane distillation (MD) application and even for the treatment of hyper-saline wastewater.</p