Anisotropic Angstrom-Wide Conductive Channels in Black Phosphorus by Top-down Cu Intercalation.

Intercalation in black phosphorus (BP) can induce and modulate a variety of the properties including superconductivity like other two-dimensional (2D) materials. In this perspective, spatially controlled intercalation has the possibility to incorporate different properties into a single crystal of BP. We demonstrate anisotropic angstrom-wide (∼4.3 Å) Cu intercalation in BP, where Cu atoms are intercalated along a zigzag direction of BP because of its inherent anisotropy. With atomic structure, its microstructural effects, arising from the angstrom-wide Cu intercalation, were investigated and extended to relation with macrostructure. As the intercalation mechanism, it was revealed by in situ transmission electron microscopy and theoretical calculation that Cu atoms are intercalated through top-down direction of BP. The Cu intercalation anisotropically induces transition of angstrom-wide electronic channels from semiconductor to semimetal in BP. Our findings throw light on the fundamental relationship between microstructure changes and properties in intercalated BP, and tailoring anisotropic 2D materials at angstrom scale.

Herpes Zoster Does Not Increase the Risk of Neurodegenerative Dementia: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the association between neurodegenerative dementia and herpes zoster infection (HZI) using a national sample cohort. METHODS: From the national cohort study conducted by the Korean National Health Insurance Service, we extracted data for patients with neurodegenerative dementia and for 1:4 matched control participants and searched the patient histories for HZI. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for HZI was 0.90 (95% CI = 0.84-0.97) in the dementia group. According to the subgroup analysis, the adjusted OR for HZI was 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.83 -1.00) in the < 80 years old group, 0.88 (95% CI = 0.78 -1.00) in the ≥ 80 years old group, 0.77 (95% CI = 0.66-0.89) in men and 0.96 (95% CI = 0.88 -1.05) in women. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that HZI does not increase the risk of neurodegenerative dementia in individuals of any age or of either sex.

Bone mineral density in women treated for various types of gynecological cancer.

AIM: Patients with gynecologic cancer frequently experience bone loss due to cancer treatments, including bilateral oophorectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This study evaluated treatment-associated changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in women with gynecologic cancer and compared changes among patients with different types of gynecologic cancer. METHODS: BMD of the lumbar spine and femur was retrospectively analyzed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 118 women who underwent treatment for gynecological cancers and 132 women without gynecologic cancers. The cohort included 55 women with cervical cancer who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, 33 with endometrial cancer (EC) who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant radiation therapy and 30 with ovarian cancer who underwent bilateral oophorectomy followed by adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. Lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD were assessed at baseline and 12 months after treatment. Areal BMD, expressed as grams of mineral/cm2 scanned, was compared with that in young healthy women (T-score). RESULTS: Demographic characteristics and pretreatment BMDs, including T-scores, did not differ among cancer types. After adjustment for factors that can affect T-score, cancer type affected change in T-score 12 months after treatment. After adjustment for pretreatment age, parity, BMI and T-score, T-score 12 months after treatment was significantly lower in the EC than in the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Women treated for gynecological cancer, particularly those with EC who undergo bilateral oophorectomy followed by adjuvant radiation therapy or chemotherapy, should be managed in a timely manner to prevent or minimize bone loss.