Real-World Data on Pathological Response and Survival Outcomes After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in HER2-Low Breast Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Data on the pathological responses and survival outcomes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-low breast cancer (BC) are lacking. This study aims to investigate this topic in the real world. METHODS: Clinicopathological data from 819 HER2-negative BC patients who underwent NACT between 2010 and 2020 were retrospectively retrieved from the Shanghai Jiaotong University Breast Cancer Database. These patients were categorized into HER2-low and HER2-0 groups. Logistic analyses were conducted to identify predictors of complete pathological response (pCR) and breast pCR. Cox regression analyses were conducted to assess the factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves were generated to compare DFS and OS between HER2-low BC and HER2-0 BC. RESULTS: Of the 819 BC patients, 669 (81.7%) had HER2-low tumors, and 150 (18.3%) had HER2-0 tumors. HER2-low BC had a significantly higher ratio of ER ≥ 10%, PR ≥ 20%, and Ki67 ≥ 15% than HER2-0 BC. A significantly higher breast pCR rate was observed in HER2-low BC than in HER2-0 BC (13.6% and 7.3%, respectively, P = .036). Age, HER2 status (low or 0), Ki67, and surgery options were associated with breast pCR in HER2-negative BC. In HER2-low BC, the pCR rate of ER ≥ 10% BC was significantly lower than that of ER < 10% BC, but the DFS and OS of ER 10% BC were significantly higher. The K-M curve showed no significant differences in DFS or OS between HER2-low and HER2-0 BC. Cox regression revealed that ER expression and histological grade (III vs. I∼II) were significantly associated with survival in HER2-low BC. CONCLUSIONS: In this real-world data (RWD) study, a significantly higher breast pCR rate was found in HER2-low BC than in HER2-0 BC, although there was no significant difference in survival. Moreover, ER expression had a significant prognostic impact on HER2-low BC.

Beyond Conventional Charge Density Wave for Strongly Enhanced 2D Superconductivity in 1H-TaS2 Superlattices.

Noncentrosymmetric transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers offer a fertile platform for exploring unconventional Ising superconductivity (SC) and charge density waves (CDWs). However, the vulnerability of isolated monolayers to structural disorder and environmental oxidation often degrade their electronic coherence. Herein, an alternative approach is reported for fabricating stable and intrinsic monolayers of 1H-TaS2 sandwiched between SnS blocks in a (SnS)1.15TaS2 van der Waals (vdW) superlattice. The SnS block layers not only decouple individual 1H-TaS2 sublayers to endow them with monolayer-like electronic characteristics, but also protect the 1H-TaS2 layers from electronic degradation. The results reveal the characteristic 3 × 3 CDW order in 1H-TaS2 sublayers associated with electronic rearrangement in the low-lying sulfur p band, which uncovers a previously undiscovered CDW mechanism rather than the conventional Fermi surface-related framework. Additionally, the (SnS)1.15TaS2 superlattice exhibits a strongly enhanced Ising-like SC with a layer-independent Tc of ≈3.0 K, comparable to that of the isolated monolayer 1H-TaS2 sample, presumably attributed to their monolayer-like characteristics and retained Fermi states. These results provide new insights into the long-debated CDW order and enhanced SC of monolayer 1H-TaS2, establishing bulk vdW superlattices as promising platforms for investigating exotic collective quantum phases in the 2D limit.

The crosstalk between benign thyroid disease and breast cancer: A single center study.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between benign thyroid disease and breast cancer. The clinical study includes a total of 600 participants, divided into 2 groups: the control group (N = 300), which consists of individuals from the checkup population during the same periods, and the experimental group (N = 300), which consists of patients with breast cancer. General data of the participants, including age, tumor diameter, tumor staging, pathological classification, lymph node metastasis, and classification of benign thyroid disease, were collected and analyzed. The levels of TT3, TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH, TPOAb, and TgAb in blood samples from the experimental and control groups were determined using a radioimmune method. The levels of TPOAb, TgAb, and TSH in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the levels of TT3, TT4, FT3, and FT4 in the experimental group were significantly lower. The general data of the participants contributed to the appropriate sample size and allocation. Furthermore, benign thyroid disease contributes to the development of breast cancer by regulating the levels of TT3, TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH, TPOAb, and TgAb.

A real-world clinicopathological model for predicting pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a clinicopathological model to predict pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients and identify key prognostic factors. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 279 breast cancer patients who received NAC at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from 2011 to 2021. Additionally, an external validation dataset, comprising 50 patients from Lanxi People's Hospital and Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from 2022 to 2023 was utilized for model verification. A multivariate logistic regression model was established incorporating clinical, ultrasound features, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and pathology variables at baseline and post-NAC. Model performance for predicting pCR was evaluated. Prognostic factors were identified using survival analysis. Results: In the 279 patients enrolled, a pathologic complete response (pCR) rate of 27.96% (78 out of 279) was achieved. The predictive model incorporated independent predictors such as stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (sTIL) levels, Ki-67 expression, molecular subtype, and ultrasound echo features. The model demonstrated strong predictive accuracy for pCR (C-statistics/AUC 0.874), especially in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-enriched (C-statistics/AUC 0.878) and triple-negative (C-statistics/AUC 0.870) subtypes, and the model performed well in external validation data set (C-statistics/AUC 0.836). Incorporating circulating tumor cell (CTC) changes post-NAC and tumor size changes further improved predictive performance (C-statistics/AUC 0.945) in the CTC detection subgroup. Key prognostic factors included tumor size >5cm, lymph node metastasis, sTIL levels, estrogen receptor (ER) status and pCR. Despite varied pCR rates, overall prognosis after standard systemic therapy was consistent across molecular subtypes. Conclusion: The developed predictive model showcases robust performance in forecasting pCR in NAC-treated breast cancer patients, marking a step toward more personalized therapeutic strategies in breast cancer.

Development of deflector mode for spin-resolved time-of-flight photoemission spectroscopy.

Spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy ("spin-ARPES") is a powerful technique for probing the spin degree-of-freedom in materials with nontrivial topology, magnetism, and strong correlations. Spin-ARPES faces severe experimental challenges compared to conventional ARPES attributed to the dramatically lower efficiency of its detection mechanism, making it crucial for instrumentation developments that improve the overall performance of the technique. In this paper, we demonstrate the functionality of our spin-ARPES setup based on time-of-flight spectroscopy and introduce our recent development of an electrostatic deflector mode to map out spin-resolved band structures without sample rotation. We demonstrate the functionality by presenting the spin-resolved spectra of the topological insulator Bi2Te3 and describe in detail the spectrum calibrations based on numerical simulations. By implementing the deflector mode, we minimize the need for sample rotation during measurements, hence improving the overall efficiency of experiments on small or inhomogeneous samples.

Breast cancer organoids and their applications for precision cancer immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy is garnering increasing attention as a therapeutic strategy for breast cancer (BC); however, the application of precise immunotherapy in BC has not been fully studied. Further studies on BC immunotherapy have a growing demand for preclinical models that reliably recapitulate the composition and function of the tumor microenvironment (TME) of BC. However, the classic two-dimensional in vitro and animal in vivo models inadequately recapitulate the intricate TME of the original tumor. Organoid models which allow the regular culture of primitive human tumor tissue are increasingly reported that they can incorporate immune components. Therefore, organoid platforms can be used to replicate the BC-TME to achieve the immunotherapeutic reaction modeling and facilitate relevant preclinical trial. In this study, we have investigated different organoid culture methods for BC-TME modeling and their applications for precision immunotherapy in BC.

Quantum Phase Transition in Magnetic Nanographenes on a Lead Superconductor.

Quantum spins, also known as spin operators that preserve SU(2) symmetry, lack a specific orientation in space and are hypothesized to display unique interactions with superconductivity. However, spin-orbit coupling and crystal field typically cause a significant magnetic anisotropy in d/f shell spins on surfaces. Here, we fabricate atomically precise S = 1/2 magnetic nanographenes on Pb(111) through engineering sublattice imbalance in the graphene honeycomb lattice. Through tuning the magnetic exchange strength between the unpaired spin and Cooper pairs, a quantum phase transition from the singlet to the doublet state has been observed, consistent with the quantum spin models. From our calculations, the particle-hole asymmetry is induced by the Coulomb scattering potential and gives a transition point about kBTk ≈ 1.6Δ. Our work demonstrates that delocalized π electron magnetism hosts highly tunable magnetic bound states, which can be further developed to study the Majorana bound states and other rich quantum phases of low-dimensional quantum spins on superconductors.

From Stoner to local moment magnetism in atomically thin Cr2Te3.

The field of two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetism has been proliferating over the past few years, with ongoing interests in basic science and potential applications in spintronic technology. However, a high-resolution spectroscopic study of the 2D ferromagnet is still lacking due to the small size and air sensitivity of the exfoliated nanoflakes. Here, we report a thickness-dependent ferromagnetism in epitaxially grown Cr2Te3 thin films and investigate the evolution of the underlying electronic structure by synergistic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and first-principle calculations. A conspicuous ferromagnetic transition from Stoner to Heisenberg-type is directly observed in the atomically thin limit, indicating that dimensionality is a powerful tuning knob to manipulate the novel properties of 2D magnetism. Monolayer Cr2Te3 retains robust ferromagnetism, but with a suppressed Curie temperature, due to the drastic drop in the density of states near the Fermi level. Our results establish atomically thin Cr2Te3 as an excellent platform to explore the dual nature of localized and itinerant ferromagnetism in 2D magnets.

Collective Quantum Magnetism in Nitrogen-Doped Nanographenes.

The emergence of quantum magnetism in nanographenes provides ample opportunities to fabricate purely organic devices for spintronics and quantum information. Although heteroatom doping is a viable way to engineer the electronic properties of nanographenes, the synthesis of doped nanographenes with collective quantum magnetism remains elusive. Here, a set of nitrogen-doped nanographenes (N-NGs) with atomic precision are fabricated on Au(111) through a combination of imidazole [2+2+2]-cyclotrimerization and cyclodehydrogenation reactions. High-resolution scanning probe microscopy measurements reveal the presence of collective quantum magnetism for nanographenes with three radicals, with spectroscopic features which cannot be captured by mean-field density functional theory calculations but can be well reproduced by Heisenberg spin model calculations. In addition, the mechanism of magnetic exchange interaction of N-NGs has been revealed and compared with their counterparts with pure hydrocarbons. Our findings demonstrate the bottom-up synthesis of atomically precise N-NGs which can be utilized to fabricate low-dimensional extended graphene nanostructures for realizing ordered quantum phases.

Quantum nanomagnets in on-surface metal-free porphyrin chains.

Unlike classic spins, quantum magnets are spin systems that interact via the exchange interaction and exhibit collective quantum behaviours, such as fractional excitations. Molecular magnetism often stems from d/f-transition metals, but their spin-orbit coupling and crystal field induce a significant magnetic anisotropy, breaking the rotation symmetry of quantum spins. Thus, it is of great importance to build quantum nanomagnets in metal-free systems. Here we have synthesized individual quantum nanomagnets based on metal-free multi-porphyrin systems. Covalent chains of two to five porphyrins were first prepared on Au(111) under ultrahigh vacuum, and hydrogen atoms were then removed from selected carbons using the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope. The conversion of specific porphyrin units to their radical or biradical state enabled the tuning of intra- and inter-porphyrin magnetic coupling. Characterization of the collective magnetic properties of the resulting chains showed that the constructed S = 1/2 antiferromagnets display a gapped excitation, whereas the S = 1 antiferromagnets exhibit distinct end states between even- and odd-numbered spin chains, consistent with Heisenberg model calculations.

Acupuncture in treating cardiovascular disease complicated with depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Depression is a serious risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Improving depression can alleviate cardiac symptoms and improve quality of life. Studies have shown that acupuncture has a positive effect on depression and CVD. This systematic review and meta-analysis will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of depression complicated with CVD. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and China Biomedical Literature databases. Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture vs. standard care or sham acupuncture or antidepressants were included. The retrieval time is from database construction to 07 April 2022. We used the "risk of bias" tool of Cochrane Collaboration, and the Review Manager (RevMan.) Version 5.4.1 for statistics analysis. Primary outcomes included Hamilton scale for depression (HAMD), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and the effective rate of depression. Secondary outcomes included frequency of angina pectoris and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for angina pain. Results: A total of 2,366 studies were screened based on the search strategy. Twelve eligible studies with a total of 1,203 participants have been identified. The result showed that acupuncture reduced the HAMD score [weighted mean difference (WMD): -3.23; 95% confidence interval (CI): -5.38 to -1.09; P = 0.003] and the SDS score (WMD: -1.85; 95% CI: -2.14 to -1.56; P < 0.00001) in patients with depression complicated with CVD. Acupuncture also improved the effective rate of depression (risk ratio: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.29; P = 0.01). The result also showed that acupuncture reduced the attack frequency of angina pectoris (WMD: -4.54; 95% CI: -5.96 to -3.11; P < 0.00001) and the VAS score for angina pain (WMD: -0.72; 95% CI: -1.06 to -0.38; P < 0.0001). This article reviewed the significant advantages of acupuncture for depression and the superiority of acupuncture over no-intervention therapy, antidepressant therapy, and psychotherapy in reducing angina frequency and pain intensity in patients with CVD. Conclusion: This systematic review suggested that acupuncture was a good complementary and alternative therapy for CVD complicated with depression. Considering the limitations of the included research literature, it is still necessary to perform multi-center, large-sample, and double-blind high-quality studies to provide higher-level evidence in the later stage. Systematic review registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier [CRD42022304957].

Immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after removal of the polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope.

BACKGROUND: To identify the feasibility, safety, cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction of immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after removal of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel (PAAG) through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope. METHODS: This was a retrospective study. Medical records of 87 patients who underwent PAAG removal were reviewed retrospectively from February 2010 to December 2019. These patients were dichotomized based on whether they accepted immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal or not. A comprehensive analysis on the data was conducted to observe the surgical results, cosmetic outcomes, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients underwent PAAG removal through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope, while another 25 patients underwent further immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal. All the patients recovered smoothly after operation. In the immediate breast reconstructed group, most of the breasts were natural in appearance, but one patient had mild nipple and breast asymmetry, and another had mild breast asymmetry. Three patients had PAAG residual, and one of them accepted fine needle aspiration. The cosmetic satisfaction rate was 88% and 92% by surgeons and patients, respectively. In the other group, seven patients suffered from PAAG residual, one patient suffered from postoperative bleeding, and five patients suffered from skin laxity. The BREAST-Q scores revealed that patients who accepted immediate breast reconstruction had significant better outcomes in psychosocial well-being (p = 0.030), satisfaction with breasts (p = 0.021), when compared to patients who only accepted PAAG removal, while similar in sexual well-being (p = 0.081), physical well-being chest (p = 0.124), and satisfaction with outcomes (p = 0.068), and satisfaction with care (p = 0.077). CONCLUSION: Immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal through a small areolar incision aided with an endoscope might be a viable and safe technique, with better psychosocial well-being and satisfaction with breasts.

Strong Coupling Superconductivity in Ca-Intercalated Bilayer Graphene on SiC.

The metal-intercalated bilayer graphene has a flat band with a high density of states near the Fermi energy and thus is anticipated to exhibit an enhanced strong correlation effect and associated fascinating phenomena, including superconductivity. By using a self-developed multifunctional scanning tunneling microscope, we succeeded in observing the superconducting energy gap and diamagnetic response of a Ca-intercalated bilayer graphene below a critical temperature of 8.83 K. The revealed high value of gap ratio, 2Δ/kBTc ≈ 5.0, indicates a strong coupling superconductivity, while the variation of penetration depth with temperature and magnetic field indicates an isotropic s-wave superconductor. These results provide crucial experimental clues for understanding the origin and mechanism of superconductivity in carrier-doped graphene.

Real-world data on breast pathologic complete response and disease-free survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative breast cancer: a multicenter, retrospective study in China.

BACKGROUND: The data in the real-world setting on breast pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative (HR+, HER2-) breast cancer (BC) is limited. The present study aims to screen for some predictors and investigate the prognostic significance of breast pCR after NAC in HR+, HER2- BC in China. METHODS: This was a multicenter, retrospective study. In this study, three hundred eighty-four HR+, HER2- BC patients who received NAC were enrolled between 2010 and 2016 from Shanghai Jiaotong University Breast Cancer Database (SJTU-BCDB). These patients were dichotomized according to the presence of breast pCR after NAC. Logistic analysis was used to screen for predictors associated with breast pCR. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curve and a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis were performed to compare the disease-free survival (DFS) between the two groups. Cox regression was used to analyze the prognostic significance of breast pCR on DFS in HR+, HER2- BC. A nomogram model was established to predict the probability of DFS at 1, 3, and 5 years after NAC. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients (14.8%) achieved breast pCR. Univariate analysis showed that tumor size, estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Ki67 were associated with breast pCR. Further, multivariate analysis showed that tumor size, PR, and Ki67 remained statistically significant. K-M curves showed a statistical difference between the breast pCR and non-pCR groups before PSM (p = 0.047), and a more significant difference was shown after PSM (p = 0.033). Cox regression after PSM suggested that breast pCR, adjuvant ET, clinical T stage, and Ki67 status were the significant predictive factors for DFS in HR+, HER2- BC patients. The adjusted hazards ratio (aHR) for breast pCR was 0.228 (95% CI, 0.070~0.739; p = 0.014), for adjuvant endocrine therapy was 0.217 (95% CI, 0.059~0.801; p = 0.022), for Ki67 was 1.027 (95% CI, 1.003~1.052; p = 0.027), for cT stages 2 and 3 compared with 1, the values were 1.331 (95% CI, 0.170~10.389), and 4.699 (95% CI, 0.537~41.142), respectively (p = 0.043). A nomogram was built based on these significant predictors, providing an integrated probability of DFS at 1, 3, and 5 years. The values of area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) were 0.967, 0.991, and 0.787, at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years, respectively, demonstrating the ability of the nomogram to predict the DFS. CONCLUSIONS: This real-world study demonstrates that tumor size, PR, and Ki67 were independent predictive factors for breast pCR in HR+, HER2- BC. Breast pCR after NAC was an independent predictor for DFS in HR+, HER2- patients, regardless of a change in nodes. Furthermore, the nomogram built in our study could predict the probability of individualized DFS in HR+, HER2- BC patients.

Observation of Magnetism-Induced Topological Edge State in Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator MnBi4Te7.

Breaking time reversal symmetry in a topological insulator may lead to quantum anomalous Hall effect and axion insulator phase. MnBi4Te7 is a recently discovered antiferromagnetic topological insulator with TN ∼ 12.5 K, which is composed of an alternatively stacked magnetic layer (MnBi2Te4) and nonmagnetic layer (Bi2Te3). By means of scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we clearly observe the electronic state present at a step edge of a magnetic MnBi2Te4 layer but absent at nonmagnetic Bi2Te3 layers at 4.5 K. Furthermore, we find that as the temperature rises above TN the edge state vanishes, while the point defect induced state persists upon an increase in temperature. These results confirm the observation of magnetism-induced edge states. Our analysis based on an axion insulator theory reveals that the nontrivial topological nature of the observed edge state.

Coexistence of Robust Edge States and Superconductivity in Few-Layer Stanene.

High-quality stanene films have been actively pursued for realizing not only quantum spin Hall edge states without backscattering, but also intrinsic superconductivity, two central ingredients that may further endow the systems to host topological superconductivity. Yet to date, convincing evidence of topological edge states in stanene remains to be seen, let alone the coexistence of these two ingredients, owing to the bottleneck of growing high-quality stanene films. Here we fabricate one- to five-layer stanene films on the Bi(111) substrate and observe the robust edge states using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. We also measure distinct superconducting gaps on different-layered stanene films. Our first-principles calculations further show that hydrogen passivation plays a decisive role as a surfactant in improving the quality of the stanene films, while the Bi substrate endows the films with nontrivial topology. The coexistence of nontrivial topology and intrinsic superconductivity renders the system a promising candidate to become the simplest topological superconductor based on a single-element system.

Predicting Axillary Response in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Using Real-World Data.

Purpose: To develop a scoring system for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer patients who are expected to achieve axillary pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). To confirm the correlation between axillary status and survival rate in HR+ breast cancer after NAC. Methods: Women from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Breast Cancer Database (SJTU-BCDB) who underwent NAC for cT1-4N1-3M0 primary HR+ breast cancer between 2009 and 2018 were included in the study. In this case, patient follow up was performed until 2022 for those with complete data before and after NAC. The main outcome measures were the axillary pCR rate, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). The patients were randomly assigned to a test set (n = 175) and a validation set (n = 68) in a 7 : 3 ratio. A prediction risk score was then developed based on the odds ratios from the multivariate analysis of the test set (n = 175) before being validated in the validation set (n = 68). Finally, the Kaplan-Meier curves were used to explore the survival on this score system. Results: From the database, 243 women were included, and the median follow-up period was 47.5 months (95% confidence interval: 41.9-53.1). The axillary pCR rate was 18.9% (46 of 243), with the independent predictors of residual positive axillary lymph nodes (LNs) being lymphovascular invasion (LVI), breast conserving surgery (BCS), Ki67 < 14%, HER2 negativity, positive lymph nodes in ultrasound (US) before surgery, and stage III histological grade (All, P < 0.05). Using the above predictors of the model, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for calibration and inspection, with values for the test and validation sets being 0.847 (P < 0.001; 95% CI: 0.769, 0.925) and 0.813 (P < 0.001; 95% CI: 0.741, 0.885), respectively. The total risk score ranged from 0 to 6 for the multivariate analysis, and from this range, a risk score of 0-2 was defined as a low-risk group, while scores of 3-6 were defined as the high-risk one. By constructing the survival curve, it was found that the 5-year OS rates for the low-risk and high-risk groups were 89.0% and 84.2% (P = 0.236). Similarly, the 5-year DFS rates for the low-risk and high-risk groups were 80% and 68.5% (P = 0.048), respectively. In addition, axillary pathological stages were significantly correlated with the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) (All, P < 0.05). Conclusion: The prediction model showed good performance for HR + breast cancer. LVI, BCS, low Ki-67, HER2 negativity, suspected positive LNs before surgery, and stage III histological grade were all risk factors for residual positive axillary LNs. However, unlike pathological stages, achieving pCR in the axillary LNs does not affect the survival status.

Discovery of segmented Fermi surface induced by Cooper pair momentum.

A sufficiently large supercurrent can close the energy gap in a superconductor and create gapless quasiparticles through the Doppler shift of quasiparticle energy caused by finite Cooper pair momentum. In this gapless superconducting state, zero-energy quasiparticles reside on a segment of the normal-state Fermi surface, whereas the remaining Fermi surface is still gapped. We use quasiparticle interference to image the field-controlled Fermi surface of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) thin films under proximity effect from the superconductor niobium diselenide (NbSe2). A small applied in-plane magnetic field induces a screening supercurrent, which leads to finite-momentum pairing on the topological surface states of Bi2Te3. We identify distinct interference patterns that indicate a gapless superconducting state with a segmented Fermi surface. Our results reveal the strong impact of finite Cooper pair momentum on the quasiparticle spectrum.

Sierpinski Structure and Electronic Topology in Bi Thin Films on InSb(111)B Surfaces.

Deposition of Bi on InSb(111)B reveals a striking Sierpinski-triangle (ST)-like structure in Bi thin films. Such a fractal geometric topology is further shown to turn off the intrinsic electronic topology in a thin film. Relaxation of a huge misfit strain of about 30% to 40% between Bi adlayer and substrate is revealed to drive the ST-like island formation. A Frenkel-Kontrova model is developed to illustrate the enhanced strain relief in the ST islands offsetting the additional step energy cost. Besides a sufficiently large tensile strain, forming ST-like structures also requires larger adlayer-substrate and intra-adlayer elastic stiffnesses, and weaker intra-adlayer interatomic interactions.

Quantum spin Hall and quantum anomalous Hall states in magnetic Ti2Te2O single layer.

Magnetic topological insulators, such as MnBi2Te4have attracted great attention recently due to their application to the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. However, the magnetic quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect in two-dimensional (2D) materials has not yet been reported. Here based on first-principle calculations we find that Ti2Te2O, a van der Waals layered compound, can cherish both the QAH and QSH states, depending on the magnetic order in its single layer. If the single layer was in a chessboard antiferromagnetic (FM) state, it is a QSH insulator which carries two counterpropagating helical edge states. The spin-orbit-couplings induced bulk band gap can approach as large as 0.31 eV. On the other hand, if the monolayer becomes FM, exchange interactions would push one pair of bands away from the Fermi energy and leave only one chiral edge state remaining, which turns the compound into a Chern insulator (precisely, it is semimetallic with a topologically direct band gap). Both magnetic orders explicitly break the time reversal symmetry and split the energy bands of different spin orientations. To our knowledge, Ti2Te2O is the first compound that predicted to possess both intrinsic QSH and QAH effects. Our works provide new possibilities to reach a controllable phase transition between two topological nontrivial phases through magnetism tailoring.