Structural and electronic properties of C60 fullerene network self-assembled on metal-covered semiconductor surfaces.

Using first-principles density functional theory calculations, we made an accurate structural characterization of the C60 superstructures self-assembled on the Tl-adsorbed Si(111) and Ge(111) surfaces, which finds a good agreement with the recent scanning tunneling microscopy observations. Our band structure calculations revealed the semi-metallic character of the C60/Tl/Si(111) system, while the C60/Tl/Ge(111) system was found to show up the pronounced metallic character due to the cascade of the flat bands lying in the vicinity of the Fermi level. The latter is a fingerprint for strong correlation effects in the C60/Tl/Ge(111) system, which makes it a promising object for studying electrical transport phenomena and opens the prospects for its application in the molecular-based electronic devices. We elucidated the details of the molecule-substrate and intermolecular interactions and discussed the character of a charge transfer in both systems.

Trivial band topology of ultra-thin rhombohedral Sb2Se3 grown on Bi2Se3.

Thin films of rhombohedral Sb2Se3 with thicknesses from 1 to 5 quintuple layers (QL) were grown on Bi2Se3/Si(1 1 1) substrate. The electronic band structure of the grown films and the Sb2Se3/Bi2Se3 interface were studied using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. It was found that while Sb2Se3 has an electronic band structure generally similar to that of Bi2Se3, there is no fingerprints of band inversion in it. Instead, the one-QL-thick Sb2Se3 films show direct band gap of about 80 meV. With growing film thickness, the Fermi level of the Sb2Se3 films gradually shifts by 200 meV for 5 QL-thick film revealing the band bending of the Sb2Se3/Bi2Se3 hetero-junction.

Atomic, electronic and transport properties of In-Au 2D compound on Si(1 0 0).

Two-dimensional (In, Au)/Si(1 0 0)c(2 [Formula: see text] 2) compound was synthesized and its atomic arrangement, electron band structure and low-temperature transport properties were characterized using scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and four-point-probe resistivity measurements assisted with first-principles density-functional-theory calculations. The present results are compared to those obtained earlier for the parent (Tl, Au)/Si(1 0 0)c(2 [Formula: see text] 2) system.

Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation: technique of thoracoscopic radiofrequency fragmentation of the left atrium. / Khirurgicheskoe lechenie fibrilliatsii predserdii: tekhnologiia vypolneniia torakoskopicheskoi radiochastotnoi fragmentatsii levogo predserdiia.

Presented in the article is a detailed description of a modified technique of minimally invasive surgical treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation - thoracoscopic radiofrequency fragmentation of the left atrium. This modification differs from the prototype GALAXY procedure by a significant increase of the 'quantitative' rather than 'qualitative' parameter of surgical aggression in relation to the left atrium. This technique results in creation of multiple transmural continuous closed lines of lesion to the left atrium and, consequently, a reduced risk of inadequate surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation. Besides the radiofrequency action on the wall of the left atrium, the protocol of the operation included destruction of the ligament of Marshall and resection of the left atrial appendage. An indication for performing this operation is the presence of various forms of atrial fibrillation.

Participation of PKG and PKA-related pathways in the IFN-γ induced modulation of the BKCa channel activity in human cardiac fibroblasts.

This study was devoted to elucidating the interferon (IFN)-γ-induced signaling pathway and the interaction between protein kinase G (PKG) and protein kinase A (PKA) through large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels in human cardiac fibroblasts. The IK currents were recorded using a whole-cell patch clamp method. A large depolarization (+50 mV) and a high Ca2+ concentration (pCa 6.0) were used in the internal pipette solution to activate only the KCa channels. Iberiotoxin (Ibtx), which selectively inhibits BKCa channels at a concentration of 100 nmol/l, caused a significant reduction of basal IK. Adding IFN-γ in the presence of Ibtx had no effect on IK. Application of the IFN-γ caused a significant reduction in total K+ current amplitude, recorded with a 500 ms depolarizing pulse duration, to +50 mV from a holding potential of -80 mV. We tested the involvement of the sGC/cGMP/PKG signaling pathway by using specific PKG inhibitor KT 5823, potent sGC inhibitor NS 2028, and specific sGC agonist BAY 41-8543. The obtained data confirmed that only sGC participated in the IFN-γ-mediated BKCa channel modulation, which was mediated further by PKA. This study represents first evidence about the participation of the IFN-γ in the mechanisms responsible for BKCa modulation in HCFs. We also believe that this process occurs via negative crosstalk between the PKG- and PKA-associated pathways.

Observation of the nesting and defect-driven 1D incommensurate charge density waves phase in the 2D system.

We report on the low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) study of the (Bi, Na)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] reconstruction that is known to possess Fermi surface with apparently good nesting. We found that defects on this surface produce a one-dimensional-like pattern with the periodicity of 8.2 [Formula: see text] 0.4 [Formula: see text] that is incommensurate with the [Formula: see text] lattice period. The [Formula: see text] mapping analysis reveals an occurrence of the k-dependent branch associated with quasi-particle interference and the k-independent branch associated with the nesting vector connecting the parallel segments of the (Bi,Na)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] Fermi surface, the fingerprint of the charge-density-wave (CDW) phase. The STS data demonstrates that development of the CDW phase leads to reducing electron density of states at the Fermi level.

[Intravitreal aflibercept in high retinal pigment epithelial detachments]. / B L.N., Kh Iu.Iu., Z A.S., B A.S., K N.V. Intravitreal'noe vvedenie Aflibertsepta pri vysokikh otsloikakh retinal'nogo pigmentnogo épiteliia.

PURPOSE: To study the effectiveness of intravitreal aflibercept in high pigment epithelium detachment (PED) in eyes with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study included 16 eyes of 16 patients (10 female and 6 male) aged 52 to 82 years (mean age 68.56±2.31 years). Examination of patients included determination of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), biomicroscopy with Goldmann lens, photographic recording of the ocular fundus, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-angiography. Results of the treatment were evaluated 1 month after the third injection of aflibercept. Among the analyzed parameters were: BCVA, maximum PED height, resorption of perifocal neuroepithelium detachment (NED), expressiveness of hyperreflective content of PED. RESULTS: One months into the treatment, after the third injection, mean BCVA improved by 0.09 to 0.36±0.04, height of PED decreased in average by 225.3±44.6 µm to 326.88±25.13 µm. Complete resolution of PED was not achieved in any of the cases. Resulting mean height of perifocal PED was 61.25±12.87 µm. Full resorption of PED was achieved in 4 eyes. Expressiveness of hyperreflective content of PED higher than 50% was observed in 13 eyes (81.25%). CONCLUSION: The results of intravitreal aflibercept in AMD patients with high PED have proved its effectiveness in reducing maximum PED height, improving resorption of perifocal NED and BCVA. Optically 'empty' PEDs had higher sensitivity to intravitreal aflibercept than hyperreflective PEDs. Statistically significant dependence of BCVA on the height and content of PED was absent.

Electronic properties of the two-dimensional (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound having a honeycomb-like structure.

Heavy metal layers having a honeycomb structure on the Si(1 1 1) surface were theoretically predicted to show prospects for possessing properties of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators. The (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] atomic-layer compound synthesized in the present work is the first real system of such type, where atoms of heavy metal Tl are arranged into the honeycomb structure stabilized by Rb atoms occupying the centers of the honeycomb units. Electronic properties of the (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound has been fully characterized experimentally and theoretically and compared with those of the hypothetical (Tl, H)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] prototype system. It is concluded that the QSH-insulator properties of the Tl-honeycomb layers on Si(1 1 1) surface are dictated by the stable adsorption sites occupied by Tl atoms which, in turn, are controlled by the atom species centering the Tl honeycombs. As a result, the real (Tl, Rb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound where Tl atoms occupy the T4 sites does not possess QSH-insulator properties in contrast to the hypothetical (Tl, H)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] system where Tl atoms reside in the T1 (on-top) sites and it shows up as a QSH material.

From C60 "trilliumons" to "trilliumenes:" Self-assembly of 2D fullerene nanostructures on metal-covered silicon and germanium.

We discovered a set of C60 nanostructures that appear to be constructed using a universal building block made of four C60 molecules on Si(111) or Ge(111) surfaces covered by an atomic layer of Tl, Pb, or their compound. The building block is a four-C60 cluster having a shape reminiscent of the three-petal flower "white trillium." Therefore, we call it "trilliumon" and the various 2D ordered nanostructures derived from it "trilliumenes." Self-assembly of the trilliumenes is a result of an intricate interplay among the adsorbed C60 molecules, metal atoms, and semiconductor substrates. Remarkably, all metal layers triggering formation of trilliumenes on the Si(111) surface have recently been reported to be the thinnest 2D superconductors. In this respect, the trilliumenes show promise to be 2D nanostructured superconductors whose properties are awaiting their exploration.

(Tl, Au)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] 2D compound: an ordered array of identical Au clusters embedded in Tl matrix.

Formation of the highly-ordered [Formula: see text]-periodicity 2D compound has been detected in the (Tl, Au)/Si(1 1 1) system as a result of Au deposition onto the Tl/Si(1 1 1) surface, its composition, structure and electronic properties have been characterized using scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and density-functional-theory calculations. On the basis of these data, the structural model of the Tl-Au compound has been proposed, which adopts 12 Tl atoms and 10 Au atoms (in total, 22 atoms) per [Formula: see text] unit cell, i.e. ∼1.71 ML of Tl and ∼1.43 ML of Au (in total, ∼3.14 ML). Qualitatively, the model can be visualized as consisting of truncated-pyramid-like Au clusters with a Tl atom on top, while the other Tl atoms form a double layer around the Au clusters. The (Tl, Au)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound has been found to exhibit pronounced metallic properties at least down to temperatures as low as ∼25 K, which makes it a promising object for studying electrical transport phenomena in the 2D metallic systems.

New method for MBE growth of GaAs nanowires on silicon using colloidal Au nanoparticles.

We present a new method for the deposition of colloidal Au nanoparticles on the surface of silicon substrates based on short-time Ar plasma treatment without the use of any polymeric layers. The elaborated method is compatible with molecular beam epitaxy, which allowed us to carry out the detailed study of GaAs nanowire synthesis on Si(111) substrates using colloidal Au nanoparticles as seeds for their growth. The results obtained elucidated the causes of the difference between the initial nanoparticle sizes and the diameters of the grown nanowires.

[Early postoperative results of surgical treatment of patients with anterior clinoidal meningiomas]. / Rannie rezul'taty khirurgicheskogo lecheniya patsientov s meningiomami perednego naklonennogo otrostka.

Resection of anterior clinoidal meningiomas is a challenging task due to their localization, frequent involvement of the major cerebral arteries and cranial nerves, a high risk of postoperative neurological deficits, and low radicalness of surgery. AIM: To evaluate the radicalness of microsurgical removal and a neurological deficit in the early postoperative period in patients with anterior clinoidal meningiomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 35 patients with anterior clinoidal meningiomas underwent surgery at the Department of Neurooncology of the Novosibirsk Federal Neurosurgical Center in the period from 2013 to July 2016. There were 29 (82.9%) females and 6 (17.1%) males. The mean patient age was 50.1 years (31-72 years). According to the Al-Mefty classification (1990), type 1 tumors occurred in 10 (28.6%) patients, type 2 tumors were in 22 (62.8%) patients, and type 3 tumors were in 3 (8.6%) patients. Twenty four (68.6%) patients had large (greater than 4.0 cm) tumors, 7 (20.0%) patients had medium (2.0-4.0 cm) tumors, and 4 (11.4%) patients had small (less than 2.0 cm) meningiomas. The tumor involved the major arteries in 21 (60.0%) patients. RESULTS: The lateral supraorbital approach was used in 26 (74.3%) patients, and the pterional approach was used in 9 (25.7%) cases. The tumor was resected totally (Simpson II) in 25 (71.4%) cases and subtotally (Simpson IV, subtype A and B) in 10 (28.6%) patients. In the early postoperative period, cerebral symptoms regressed in 20 (57.1%) patients; visual acuity improved in 2 of 13 (15.4%) patients. Four (11.4%) patients developed IIIrd nerve palsy; 2 (5.7%) patients developed severe hemiparesis. The mortality rate was 2.9%. CONCLUSION: The completeness of resection directly depends on the tumor consistency: soft meningiomas can be totally resected (Simpson II) with a good functional outcome. In the case of solid tumors, total resection may lead to serious ischemic disorders with a high risk of death.

2D Tl-Pb compounds on Ge(1 1 1) surface: atomic arrangement and electronic band structure.

Structural transformations and evolution of the electron band structure in the (Tl, Pb)/Ge(1 1 1) system have been studied using low-energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The two 2D Tl-Pb compounds on Ge(1 1 1), [Formula: see text]-(Tl, Pb) and [Formula: see text]-(Tl, Pb), have been found and their composition, atomic arrangement and electron properties has been characterized. The (Tl, Pb)/Ge(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound is almost identical to the alike (Tl, Pb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] system from the viewpoint of its atomic structure and electronic properties. They contain 1.0 ML of Tl atoms arranged into a honeycomb network of chained trimers and 1/3 ML of Pb atoms occupying the centers of the honeycomb units. The (Tl, Pb)/Ge(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compound contains six Tl atoms and seven Pb atoms per [Formula: see text] unit cell (i.e. ∼0.67 ML Tl and ∼0.78 ML Pb). Its atomic structure can be visualized as consisting of Pb hexagons surrounded by Tl trimers. The (Tl, Pb)/Ge(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] and (Tl, Pb)/Ge(1 1 1)[Formula: see text] compounds are metallic and their band structures contain spin-split surface-state bands. By analogy with the (Tl, Pb)/Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text], these (Tl, Pb)/Ge(1 1 1) compounds are believed to be promising objects for prospective studies of superconductivity in one-atom-layer systems.

Serum interleukin-6: Association with circulating cytokine serum levels in patients with sinus arrhythmia and patients with coronary artery disease.

In this study, we were focused on the differences between certain circulating cytokine levels in patients with or without sinus arrhythmia, according to the median IL-6 level. All patients were stable with regards to symptoms and therapy for at least one month prior to the measurements conducted within this study.Exclusion criteria were: patients with sleep apnea, asthma, respiratory insufficiency of any genesis, active infection, allergy, inflammatory diseases, cancer, diabetes of any type and treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board. All recruited patients gave their verbal and written consent for participation in the study. The study group consisted of 74 patients divided into two groups: with (38) and without sinus arrhythmia but with diagnosed coronary artery disease (36). Sinus arrhythmia was confirmed by 24h Holter monitoring. From all test parameters only cytokines IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17 and IL-18, showed statistically significant increasing in patients with statistically higher IL-6 levels. It is possible that IL-6 may not be a marker for the selection of patients with sinus arrhythmia or coronary artery disease. The findings indicate that IL-6 represents a reliable indicator for increased expression of IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17 and IL-18 in patients with sinus arrhythmia or coronary artery disease. Further studies in a large number of patients would be necessary to confirm our observations.

[Evaluation of short-term surgical outcomes in facial paralysis patients treated by trigeminal neurotization]. / Otsenka blizhaishikh rezul'tatov khirurgicheskogo lecheniya bol'nykh s litsevym paralichom metodom trigeminal'noi nevrotizatsii.

UNLABELLED: The management of patients with facial nerve palsy is a challenge of modern neurosurgery. The study purpose was to evaluate the degree of facial nerve function recovery, following trigeminal neurotization. Trigeminal neurotization was performed in 23 patients within 1 to 10 months after the development of facial paralysis. In most cases, the cause of facial paralysis was surgery for space-occupying lesions of the cerebellopontine angle (95.6%). Outcomes of trigeminal neurotization were evaluated in 17 (73.9%) patients who were followed-up for more than 6 months. In 16 (94.1%) patients, the facial nerve function was recovered to a House-Brackmann grade III-IV. Given the surgery RESULTS: we can say that trigeminal neurotization is one of the effective treatments for facial paralysis. In most cases, this technique has provided good outcomes without additional complications, which is important for this group of patients.

[Polyclinic of the Branch N 6 of the 3rd Vishnevskiy Central Military Hospital celebrates the 40 years anniversary].

Polyclinic of the Branch N 6 of the 3rd Vishnevskiy Central Military Hospital celebrates the 40 years anniversary. The history of development^of the policlinic of the branch N 6 of the Federal Government Budgetary Institution <> of the Ministry of Defence, which dates back to 1976, when the 9th clinic of the Moscow garrison was formed. Over the years, repeatedly changed the organizational and staff structure and the name of the clinic (9" consultative-diagnostic polyclinic, polyclinic of the 52,d Consultative Diagnostic Centre MF), continuously improved patient care technology. Currently, the clinic deployed 26 medical-diagnostic branches and offices, with more than 200 employees. Among them, 1 Honoured doctor, 5 candidates of medical sciences, 50% of doctors and 65% of nurses have the highest qualification category. To health care is more than 22 thousand people.

Two-Dimensional Superconductor with a Giant Rashba Effect: One-Atom-Layer Tl-Pb Compound on Si(111).

A one-atom-layer compound made of one monolayer of Tl and one-third monolayer of Pb on a Si(111) surface having √3×√3 periodicity was found to exhibit a giant Rashba-type spin splitting of metallic surface-state bands together with two-dimensional superconducting transport properties. Temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy revealed an enhanced electron-phonon coupling for one of the spin-split bands. In situ micro-four-point-probe conductivity measurements with and without magnetic field demonstrated that the (Tl, Pb)/Si(111) system transformed into the superconducting state at 2.25 K, followed by the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless mechanism. The 2D Tl-Pb compound on Si(111) is believed to be the prototypical object for prospective studies of intriguing properties of the superconducting 2D system with lifted spin degeneracy, bearing in mind that its composition, atomic and electron band structures, and spin texture are already well established.

Risk Factors of the Invasive Breast Cancer Locoregional Recurrence.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the research was to estimate the frequency of the locoregional breast cancer recurrence appearance, the recurrence-free period continuance, and the 3- and 5-year survival depending on the scope of the surgical intervention, menstrual profile, and histological and molecular-biologic characteristics of the primary tumor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Among 218 patients with a breast cancer, 99 patients had breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and 119 underwent radical mastectomy (RME); all patients had regional lymphatic nodes dissection. The size and the primary tumor differentiation degree, metastasis presence in the regional lymph nodes, ER expression, PR, and Her/2neu were assessed as the prognostics factors. RESULTS: It was defined that the locoregional recurrence appearance frequency in patients with BCS turned out to be 13%, and in patients after RME it turned out to be 9%; the recurrence-free period continuance was 53 ± 8 months and 56 ± 10 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The locoregional cancer recurrence frequency is higher in women with the menstrual function being preserved at the moment of the primary tumor detection than in postmenopausal patients and also in patients having the hyperexpression of the Her/2neu. The ipsilateral cancer recurrence decreases the 3-year survival by 7,1% and the 5-year one by 20,3%, respectively.

Incommensurate superstructure in heavily doped fullerene layer on Bi/Si(111) surface.

Cs adsorption onto the C60-covered Si(111)-ß-√3×√3-Bi reconstruction has been studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and photoelectron spectroscopy. Unexpected increase in apparent size of every second C60 molecule has been detected, hereupon the close packed molecular array almost doubles its periodicity. The change affects only the fullerenes that are in direct contact with the metal-induced reconstruction and takes no place already in the second layer. Photoelectron studies have revealed that this incommensurate "2 × 2" superstructure of a heavily doped C60 monolayer remains in an insulating state regardless of doping level.

Atomic arrangement and electron band structure of Si(1 1 1)-ß-√3 x √3-Bi reconstruction modified by alkali-metal adsorption: ab initio study.

Using ab initio calculations, atomic structure and electronic properties of Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text]-Bi surface modified by adsorption of 1/3 monolayer of alkali metals, Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs, have been explored. Upon adsorption of all metals, a similar atomic structure develops at the surface where twisted chained Bi trimers are arranged into a honeycomb network and alkali metal atoms occupy the [Formula: see text] sites in the center of each honeycomb unit. Among other structural characteristics, the greatest variation concerns the relative heights at which alkali metals reside with respect to Bi-trimer layer. Except for Li, the other metals reside higher than Bi layer and their heights increase with atomic number. All adsorbed surface structures display similar electron band structures of which the most essential feature is metallic surface-state band with a giant spin splitting. This electronic property allows one to consider the Si(1 1 1)[Formula: see text]-Bi surfaces modified by alkali metal adsorption as a set of material systems showing promise for spintronic applications.