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NGC 5139 (⁠|$\omega$| Cen) is the closest candidate of a nuclear star cluster that has been stripped of its host galaxy in the Milky Way. Despite extensive studies through the last decades, many open questions about the cluster remain, including the properties of the binary population. In this study, we use MUSE multi-epoch spectroscopy to identify binary systems in |$\omega$| Cen. The observations span 8 yr, with a total of 312 248 radial velocity measurements for 37 225 stars. Following the removal of known photometric variables, we identify 275 stars that show RV variations, corresponding to a discovery fraction of |$1.4\pm 0.1~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$|⁠. Using dedicated simulations, we find that our data are sensitive to |$70 \pm 10~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| of the binaries expected in the sample, resulting in a completeness-corrected binary fraction of |$2.1\pm 0.4~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| in the central region of |$\omega$| Cen. We find similar binary fractions for all stellar evolutionary stages covered by our data, the only notable exception being the blue straggler stars, which show an enhanced binary fraction. We also find no distinct correlation with distance from the cluster centre, indicating a limited amount of mass segregation within the half-light radius of |$\omega$| Cen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: stars: fundamental parameters; stars: horizontal-branch; globular clusters: individual: NGC 5139; globular clusters: individual: NGC 6752; errata, addendaIn the original published version, the coauthor's name S. Kamman contained a typo, it should read S. Kamann, as indicated in the author list of this Corrigendum.By M. Latour; S. Hämmerich; M. Dorsch; U. Heber; T.-O. Husser; S. Kamann; S. Dreizler and J. BrinchmannReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

Anti-Interleukin-1 (Anti-IL-1) drugs are used to treat some chronic rheumatic diseases that can affect young people, including women of childbearing age. Two anti-IL-1 drugs are available in France: anakinra and canakinumab. Data on their use during pregnancy are still limited. Based on the published literature, we carried out a review of the use of these anti-IL-1 therapies during pregnancy: therapeutic indications, pharmacological profiles and assessment of embryonic, fetal and neonatal risks. Based on this analysis, and given the absence of any reported concern, it is possible to consider the use of these two treatments during pregnancy if the clinical situation so requires and under certain conditions. Based on the data available to date, anakinra should be preferred to canakinumab whenever possible., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the usefulness of the upright posture stimulation test (UPT) in the confirmation of primary aldosteronism (PA) in patients in whom saline tests (ST) were inconclusive., Methods: One hundred eighty-seven adult patients with possible PA were retrospectively included and compared to 25 control subjects. Blood samples were obtained after a 1-hour supine posture and during 2 hours of ambulation. An increase in plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) ≥ 50% with a suppressed renin (≤10.1 ng/L; ≤1 ng/mL/hour) and a cortisol increase ≤50% were considered abnormal., Results: PA patients had higher basal PAC and lower basal direct renin concentration (DRC) ( P < .0001) and a higher maximal PAC ( P = .0025) and lower maximal DRC (DRC max ) ( P < .0001) during UPT compared to controls. PA was confirmed in 145 patients (77.5%), based on either oral/IV ST or UPT. DRC max ≤12 ng/L during UPT was a predictor of PA (receiver operating characteristic curve sensitivity 93.8%, specificity 88%), and 95.6% of PA patients increased PAC ≥50% on UPT (median 222.2%), while renin remained suppressed. All 41 PA patients with false-negative IV ST (PAC < 162 pmol/L) and 88.9% with borderline response (162-240 pmol/L) had a DRC max ≤12, while, respectively, 97.6% and 100% increased aldosterone by ≥50%. Similar responses to UPT were found in lateralized (28/63) and bilateral PA source (35/63). PA diagnosis increased from 23.6% to 88.8% using UPT results instead of IV ST and were confirmed at pathology and clinical outcome after adrenalectomy (n = 22)., Conclusion: UPT can be useful to confirm PA, particularly in patients with suspected false-negative ST., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society.)

In preparation for a new version of the CRAT (Centre de référence sur les agents tératogènes) website, an evaluation of user satisfaction was carried out. An invitation to complete an online questionnaire covering the various dimensions of the website (appearance, content, interactivity, ease of use, technical performance) was sent in April 2022 to healthcare professionals who referred to CRAT for clinical expertise over the previous two years. After sending out 3224 individual e-mail invitations, 758 evaluators completed the questionnaire in full (response rate: 23.5%). The evaluation revealed a high-level of overall satisfaction among site users (98.0% very satisfied or satisfied). Satisfaction with the site's appearance was also high, although comments were made about the site's lack of a modern web design. Health professionals recognized in their responses the reliable, relevant and up-to-date nature of the content of this free, public online resource, independent of the pharmaceutical industry. On the basis of these highly favorable assessments, with content that has been widely acclaimed and areas for improvement that have caught the attention of site users (evolution of its appearance, of the search tool, implementation of a mobile site), a new version of www.lecrat.fr was launched in the fall of 2023., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clomiphene citrate is an ovulation inductor for which inadvertent post-conceptional exposures may occur in early pregnancy. In preclinical studies, post-conceptional exposures showed a teratogenic effect in different species. In humans, to date, little is known about the outcomes of inadvertently post-conceptionally exposed pregnancies., Objectives: The objectives of our study were to assess the association between post-conceptional exposures to clomiphene citrate and major and minor congenital malformations in the offspring., Methods: A retrospective cohort study of prospectively ascertained cases was undertaken, based on clinical data from the Centre de Référence sur les Agents Tératogènes (CRAT), Paris, France. Women with post-conceptional exposure to clomiphene citrate (n = 309), and unexposed pregnant women (n = 1236, 1:4 ratio) with prospectively collected data, known pregnancy outcome and delivery date prior to 01/02/2022, were matched by calendar year. An adjudication committee classified major and minor congenital malformations according to the EUROCAT (European Registration of Congenital Anomalies and Twins) classification., Results: Among post-conceptional exposed women, no increased risk of major malformation was found (crude relative risk = 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.19-2.15) as compared to unexposed women. Three major and ten minor congenital malformations were reported in the exposed group. An increased risk of minor malformations was found (crude relative risk = 4.05, 95% confidence interval 1.70-9.64) although there was no specific clinical pattern., Conclusions: Post-conceptional exposure to clomiphene citrate was not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations. Given potential confounding and information biases, the results about minor malformations should be interpreted with caution as no specific clinical pattern was identified., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the educational utility of virtually augmented surgical navigation (VASN) in simulation training for endoscopic sinus surgery., Study Design: Prospective trial using within-subjects design., Setting: Single academic institution., Methods: Otolaryngology trainees (n = 15) were enrolled in a prospective trial of repeated measures. Participants performed unilateral functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) on a 3-dimensional-printed sinus model without instruction. Participants then underwent educational intervention incorporating VASN tools-featuring anatomic overlay delineations, virtual planning points, proximity alerts, digital measurements, as well as artificial intelligence-generated endoscopic viewpoints. With the VASN tools activated, participants then performed FESS on the contralateral side of the model. Primary outcomes of interest included number of major complications, time to complete anterior fess, steps completed, and technical skills score. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe participant characteristics and bivariate analysis were used to evaluate differences in subjective and objective outcome measures., Results: A majority (93%) of residents strongly agreed that simulation intervention improved their confidence in surgical skills related to FESS. Complications decreased from 13 instances to 3 following interventions. Initial technical skills score of 45.2 increased to 54.4 postintervention (P < .0001) and global score also improved by 4.6 points on average (P < .001). Time to anterior FESS decreased from 1356 to 915 seconds (P = .006) and average number of completed surgical steps increased from 3.3 to 4.6 (P < .001)., Conclusion: This simulation study contributes to growing evidence supporting utility of advanced technology in surgical education. Results suggest that VASN serves as a beneficial adjunct in FESS simulation training., (© 2024 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

Key Points: Hospital frailty risk score (HFRS) correlates with complications, length of stay, and non-routine discharge. HFRS is a better predictor of postsurgical sequelae than age and Elixhauser comorbidity index., (© 2023 ARS‐AAOA, LLC.)

The varicella vaccine is recommended for women with no history of varicella who are planning to become pregnant, as well as for post-pregnancy women, to prevent the occurrence of this illness and its severe complications, especially an embryopathy, when it occurs in a pregnant woman (congenital varicella syndrome). This live attenuated vaccine should not be administered during pregnancy, nor in the month preceding it. However, when this occurs inadvertently, the data collected on the outcomes of exposed pregnancies, although few in women seronegative at the time of vaccination, allow to reassure the patients to date, as no congenital varicella syndrome has been reported to date following accidental vaccination in early pregnancy. On the other hand, during breastfeeding, a woman may be vaccinated if there is an expected short- or medium-term benefit (varicella exposure, planned pregnancy…)., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) 5-tier grade grouping (GG) system of prostate cancers as well as previously proposed optimizations., Patients and Methods: The PROCURE biobank is a prospective cohort study of patients with localized prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy in Quebec province between 2005 and 2013. Surgical specimens were graded by experienced genitourinary pathologists using 2019 ISUP criteria. Follow-up was conducted until November 2021. The current 5-tier and a proposed 6-tier GG system were evaluated, the latter having two changes: 1) Gleason 3 + 4 and 4 + 3 tumors with minor/tertiary Gleason 5 patterns were upgraded to GG 3 and 4, respectively; and 2) patients in GG5 were separated based on primary Gleason pattern (4 or 5). Cox proportional hazards models and Harrell's concordance (C) indices were used for statistical analyses., Results: 2003 patients were included (median follow-up: 8.7 years). The current 5-tier GG system predicted time to recurrence (hazard ratio [HR] 2.12, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.99-2.25, C 0.717), androgen-deprivation therapy (HR 2.58, 95%CI 2.38-2.80, C 0.790), metastasis (HR 2.48, 95%CI 2.17-2.83, C 0.806), castration-resistant prostate cancer (HR 2.67, 95%CI 2.28-3.13, C 0.829), and cancer-specific mortality (HR 2.80, 95%CI 2.27-3.44, C 0.835). Goodness-of-fit further improved with the proposed 6-tier GG system, with Harrell's C of 0.733, 0.807, 0.827, 0.853, and 0.853, respectively., Conclusions: The 5-tier GG system predicted short- and long-term outcomes for patients with localized prostate cancer, and the proposed 6-tier GG system further improved its accuracy., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Plant-derived cellulose biomaterials have been employed in various tissue engineering applications. In vivo studies have shown the remarkable biocompatibility of scaffolds made of cellulose derived from natural sources. Additionally, these scaffolds possess structural characteristics that are relevant for multiple tissues, and they promote the invasion and proliferation of mammalian cells. Recent research using decellularized apple hypanthium tissue has demonstrated the similarity of its pore size to that of trabecular bone as well as its ability to effectively support osteogenic differentiation. The present study further examined the potential of apple-derived cellulose scaffolds for bone tissue engineering (BTE) applications and evaluated their in vitro and in vivo mechanical properties. MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts were seeded in apple-derived cellulose scaffolds that were then assessed for their osteogenic potential and mechanical properties. Alkaline phosphatase and alizarin red S staining confirmed osteogenic differentiation in scaffolds cultured in differentiation medium. Histological examination demonstrated widespread cell invasion and mineralization across the scaffolds. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed mineral aggregates on the surface of the scaffolds, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of phosphate and calcium elements. However, despite a significant increase in the Young's modulus following cell differentiation, it remained lower than that of healthy bone tissue. In vivo studies showed cell infiltration and deposition of extracellular matrix within the decellularized apple-derived scaffolds after 8 weeks of implantation in rat calvaria. In addition, the force required to remove the scaffolds from the bone defect was similar to the previously reported fracture load of native calvarial bone. Overall, this study confirms that apple-derived cellulose is a promising candidate for BTE applications. However, the dissimilarity between its mechanical properties and those of healthy bone tissue may restrict its application to low load-bearing scenarios. Additional structural re-engineering and optimization may be necessary to enhance the mechanical properties of apple-derived cellulose scaffolds for load-bearing applications.

This paper presents a dataset of cyclic tests and FE simulations of T-joints with Circular-Hollow-Section (CHS) chords and passing-through plates. These specimens were designed to be representative of components of beam-to-column joints between CHS columns and passing-through IPE beams, subjected to the cyclic load protocol proposed by AISC 341. Specifically, cyclic displacement histories were applied at the ends of the plates using a hydraulic actuator. The provided dataset includes the displacement histories recorded through a potentiometric transducer during the tests and the reaction forces recorded using the actuator's load cell. Subsequently, Finite Element (FE) models of the specimens were developed and validated against the experimental results. The FE models accurately replicate the geometrical and mechanical properties of the tested specimens, and the displacement histories experienced by the specimens were applied. Starting from the validated FE models, a parametric analysis explored the behaviour of a more extensive dataset comprising 44 geometric configurations of the analysed connection. Key geometric parameters influencing the connection's response were varied, including the ratio between plate width and tube diameter ( β, ranging between 0.44 and 0.74), the ratio between tube diameter and twice its thickness ( γ, ranging between 15.28 and 27.39 ) , and the ratio between plate and tube thicknesses ( τ, ranging between 2 and 8.75). For each of the 44 cases, cyclic simulations were performed, adopting the same protocol applied to the tested specimens and elaborating the force-displacement response. The significance of this dataset lies in its derivation from numerical simulations based on FE models validated against experimental results, making it a reliable resource for researchers aiming to develop mathematical and mechanical models for predicting the cyclic response of T-joints between CHS chord members and passing-through plates., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: Pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) is the most common complication to follow total laryngectomy (TL) and is associated with increases in length of hospital stay and with a need for revision surgery or readmission, as well as with delays in return to oral diet. Patients who require salvage TL (STL) or primary (chemo)radiation therapy are at higher risk for developing PCF. Due to the quality-of-life burden of PCF on patients, limiting this occurrence is crucial., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing STL with placement of Montgomery salivary bypass tube (MSBT)™ for at least 2 weeks duration between 2013 and 2017 at a single institution. Our patients all underwent free flap reconstruction. Our primary outcome of interest was development of PCF. Secondary outcomes included demographics, previous treatment, base of tongue (BOT) involvement, extent of defect, concurrent neck dissection (ND), and margin status. Univariate χ 2 analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with PCF., Results: Forty-four patients underwent STL with Montgomery tube placement and free flap reconstruction. Eight developed PCF (18.2%). The average age was 61.6 years; 36 patients were male (81.8%), whereas eight patients were female (18.2%). There was no association between PCF and previous chemoradiation versus radiation (15.8% vs. 33.3%, P  < 0.30), BOT involvement versus not (11.1 vs. 22.2%, P  < 0.38), circumferential versus partial defect (18.8% vs. 17.9%, P  < 0.94), ND versus none (10% vs. 25%, P  < 0.20), or margin status., Conclusion: PCF complicated 18.2% of STL cases at our institution and was not associated with differences in primary treatment modality, presence of concomitant ND, extent of pharyngeal defect, BOT involvement, or positive frozen or permanent surgical margin., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Authors. World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology ‐ Head and Neck Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Chinese Medical Association.)