Electronic structures and band topology of a single Sb(111) bilayer in the buckled honeycomb configuration are investigated using first-principles calculations. A nontrivial topological insulating phase can be induced by tensile strain, indicating the possibility of realizing the quantum spin Hall state for Sb thin films on suitable substrates. The presence of buckling provides an advantage in controlling the band gap through an out-of-plane external electric field, making a topological phase transition with six spin-polarized Dirac cones at the critical point. With a tunable gap and reversible spin polarization, Sb thin films are promising candidates for spintronic applications.

Periods of fasting and refeeding may reduce cardiometabolic risk elevated by Western diet. Here we show in the substudy of NCT02099968, investigating the clinical parameters, the immunome and gut microbiome exploratory endpoints, that in hypertensive metabolic syndrome patients, a 5-day fast followed by a modified Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension diet reduces systolic blood pressure, need for antihypertensive medications, body-mass index at three months post intervention compared to a modified Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension diet alone. Fasting alters the gut microbiome, impacting bacterial taxa and gene modules associated with short-chain fatty acid production. Cross-system analyses reveal a positive correlation of circulating mucosa-associated invariant T cells, non-classical monocytes and CD4+ effector T cells with systolic blood pressure. Furthermore, regulatory T cells positively correlate with body-mass index and weight. Machine learning analysis of baseline immunome or microbiome data predicts sustained systolic blood pressure response within the fasting group, identifying CD8+ effector T cells, Th17 cells and regulatory T cells or Desulfovibrionaceae, Hydrogenoanaerobacterium, Akkermansia, and Ruminococcaceae as important contributors to the model. Here we report that the high-resolution multi-omics data highlight fasting as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for the treatment of high blood pressure in metabolic syndrome patients.

BackgroundCdk1 (cyclin-dependent kinase 1) is critical regulator of the G2-M checkpoint. Cyclin-dependent kinase pathways are considered possible targets for cancer treatment; however, the prognostic role of Cdk1 in colorectal cancer is still controversial. Therefore, we attempted to determine the impact of Cdk1 on the clinical outcome of colorectal cancer patients to further identify its role in colorectal cancer.MethodsCdk1 immunoreactivity was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 164 cancer specimens from primary colorectal cancer patients. The medium follow-up time after surgery was 3.7 years (range: 0.01 to 13.10 years). The prognostic value of Cdk1 on overall survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard models.ResultsAll samples displayed detectable Cdk1 expression with predominant location in the cytoplasm and nucleus. A high Cdk1 nuclear/cytoplasmic (N/C) expression ratio was correlated with poor overall survival (5-year survival rate: 26.3% vs 46.9%, N/C ratio ≥1.5 vs N/C ratio <1.5, log-rank p = 0.027). Accordingly, a Cdk1 N/C expression ratio ≥1.5 was identified as an independent risk factor by multivariate analysis (hazard ratio = 1.712, P = 0.039).ConclusionsWe suggest that Cdk1 N/C expression ratio determined by IHC staining could be an independent prognostic marker for colorectal cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2407-14-951) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fusion of cytotrophoblasts into the multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast layer is essential for the development of a functional placenta. The envelope protein of a human endogenous retrovirus W (HERV-W) family member, syncytin 1, has been shown to mediate placental cell fusion. Recently, the envelope protein of another HERV family member (HERV-FRD), syncytin 2, has been identified and shown to be highly expressed in the placenta. To better understand the biology of syncytin 2, in this study we first investigated syncytin 2 gene expression in normal and preeclamptic placentas and then characterized the functions of syncytin 2. The expression of syncytin 2 gene was decreased in preeclamptic placentas and could be stimulated by the cAMP stimulant forskolin. The endoprotease furin was found to be involved in the posttranslational cleavage of syncytin 1 and 2 polypeptides into surface and transmembrane subunits. In addition, proper association of the subunits of syncytins 1 and 2 is probably required for the functional integrity of each protein, because subunit swapping of syncytins 1 and 2 failed to generate fusogenic chimeras. Finally, we demonstrated that the disulfide bridge-forming CX(2)C and CX(7)C motifs found in syncytins 1 and 2 are essential for their fusogenic activities, because mutations in the CX(2)C motif not only abolished fusogenesis but also functioned as dominant-negative mutants. Our results suggest that syncytin 2 may function as a second fusogenic protein for placental cell fusion.

Tetragonal chalcopyrite CuIn-(S1−x Se x )2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) nanocrystals were synthesized by reacting a mixture of CuCl, InCl3, S, and Se in the presence of oleylamine at 265 °C. The S/Se composition ratio in the CuIn(S1−x Se x )2 could be tuned across the entire composition range of x from 0 to 1 by modulating the S/Se reactant mole ratio. The tetragonal lattice constants, that is, a and c, increase linearly with the increase of Se content, following Vegard’s law. The band gap energies of CuIn(S1−x Se x )2 nanocrystals could be tuned in the range between 0.98 and 1.46 eV and change nonlinearly with respect to x, deriving a bowing parameter of 0.17 eV. In addition, the method developed in this study was scalable to achieve gram-scale production of stoichiometry-controlled CuIn(S1−x Se x )2 and CuIn1−x Ga x Se2 nanocrystals.

Background The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to compare the clinical efficacy of the early dental implant placement protocol with immediate and delayed dental implant placement protocols. Methods An electronic and manual search of literature was made to identify clinical studies comparing early implant placement with immediate or delayed placement. Data from the included studies were pooled and quantitative analyses were performed for the implant outcomes reported as the number of failed implants (primary outcome variable) and for changes in peri‐implant marginal bone level, peri‐implant probing depth, and peri‐implant soft tissue level (secondary outcome variables). Results Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Significant difference in risk of implant failure was found neither between the early and immediate placement protocols (risk difference = −0.018; 95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.06, 0.025; P = 0.416) nor between early and delayed placement protocols (risk difference = −0.008; 95% CI = –0.044, 0.028; P = 0.670). Pooled data of changes in peri‐implant marginal bone level demonstrated significantly less marginal bone loss for implants placed using the early placement protocol compared with those placed in fresh extraction sockets (P = 0.001; weighted mean difference = −0.14 mm; 95% CI = −0.22, −0.05). No significant differences were found between the protocols for the other variables. Conclusions The available evidence supports the clinical efficacy of the early implant placement protocol. Present findings indicate that the early implant placement protocol results in implant outcomes similar to immediate and delayed placement protocols and a superior stability of peri‐implant hard tissue compared with immediate implant placement.

Solid and hollow structures of Cu 2−x Te nanocrystals are synthesized by the injection of a Te−TOP solution at different reaction times. Both types of Cu 2−x Te nanocrystals exhibit an intense absorption peak (localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)) in the near-infrared region, arising from excess holes in the valence band, and high molar extinction coefficients of 2.6 × 10 7 M −1 cm −1 at 1150 nm and 8.1 × 10 7 M −1 cm −1 at 1200 nm are demonstrated for the solid-type and hollow-type Cu 2−x Te nanocrystals, respectively. The experimentally observed extinction spectra and calculated extinction spectra based on the electrostatic approximation are studied. The LSPR responses in the near-infrared (NIR) region for both solid and hollow Cu 2−x Te nanocrystals are affected by the refractive index of the medium, whereas the NIR resonance shift is more obvious in the hollow-type Cu 2−x Te nanocrystals. Furthermore, the localized surface plasmon band of the Cu 2−x Te nanostructures can be tuned by post processing via oxidation and reduction methods (controlling their degree of copper deficiency).

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