Social support after TBI: an investigation of Facebook posts in open access support groups.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) significantly affects social interactions and emotional well-being. Following COVID-19, there has been growing interest in how individuals with TBI use online social media groups for support. This study examined engagement patterns in four Facebook support groups: two for TBI and two control groups.

A retrospective, multicentric, nationwide analysis of the impact of splenectomy on survival of pancreatic cancer patients.

Objective: Splenectomy is regularly performed in total and distal pancreatectomy due to technical reasons, lymph node dissection and radicality of the operation. However, the spleen serves as an important organ for competent immune function, and its removal is associated with an increased incidence of cancer and a worse outcome in some cancer entities (Haematologica 99:392-398, 2014; Dis Colon Rectum 51:213-217, 2008; Dis Esophagus 21:334-339, 2008). The impact of splenectomy in pancreatic cancer is not fully resolved (J Am Coll Surg 188:516-521, 1999; J Surg Oncol 119:784-793, 2019).

Curvature Perception of Mesenchymal Cells on Mesoscale Topographies.

Cells can sense geometrical cues with sizes of several tens of micrometers in their vicinity. Recent in vitro studies show that cells can adapt their shape, align along specific directions, or regulate other cellular functions when grown on surfaces with curvatures larger than their size. Although possible mechanisms for such responses like the alignment along axial cues have been suggested, a detailed understanding of the involved cellular processes remains open.

[State of the art-pharyngeal reconstruction].

Background: Reconstruction of the pharynx after ablative cancer surgery is challenging. Restoration of function and esthetics is at the forefront. There is currently no gold standard for reconstruction.

Investigating the effect of verapamil on preservation of beta-cell function in adults with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus (Ver-A-T1D): protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicentre trial.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a disorder that arises following the selective autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells. Beta-cell protective or beta-cell regenerative approaches have gained wider attention, and pharmacological approaches to protect the patient's own insulin-producing beta-cell mass have been proposed. Verapamil is an L-type calcium channel blocker that has been reported to effectively lowers beta-cell thioredoxin-interacting protein expression in rodent beta cells and islets, as well as in human islets, and thus promotes functional beta-cell mass.