Multicentre study of patient-reported and clinical outcomes following immediate and delayed Autologous Breast Reconstruction And Radiotherapy (ABRAR study).

Background: Timing of autologous breast reconstruction in patients requiring adjuvant radiotherapy remains contentious. The primary objective of this study was to assess clinical and patient reported outcomes in immediate reconstruction with radiotherapy compared to delayed reconstruction after radiotherapy, the two relevant clinical pathways for patients who need radiotherapy.

Methods: This retrospective UK multi-centre study grouped patients into three categories: immediate reconstruction with post-operative radiotherapy (IBR); delayed reconstruction after radiotherapy (DBR); control group of immediate reconstruction without radiotherapy (noRT).

Giant modulation of the electronic band gap of carbon nanotubes by dielectric screening.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a promising material for high-performance electronics beyond silicon. But unlike silicon, the nature of the transport band gap in CNTs is not fully understood. The transport gap in CNTs is predicted to be strongly driven by electron-electron (e-e) interactions and correlations, even at room temperature.