The current status of surgical pilonidal sinus disease therapy in Germany

European Surgery - Treatment of pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) requires a tailored approach. A national guideline was published in 2014. The current status of surgical PSD therapy...     

Constructing robust selves after brain injury: positive identity work among members of a female self-help group

Despite common experiences of identity damage, decline, and deterioration, many brain injury survivors succeed in reconstructing robust identities in the wake of injury. Yet, while this accomplishment greatly benefits survivors’ quality of life, little is known about how positive identity work might be facilitated or enhanced in therapeutic institutions. Drawing on data from a women’s self-help group, we argue that an egalitarian, reflective, strength-focused, and gender-segregated environment can provide female ABI (acquired brain injury) survivors with a fertile scene for identity enhancement and offer unique opportunities for collective identity development. Sociolinguistic interactional analysis revealed four types of positive identity work undertaken within the group: constructing competent selves; tempering the threat of loss and impairment; resisting infantilisation and delegitimisation; and asserting a collective gender identity. This identity work was facilitated by specific programme attributes and activities and contributed to the global project of decentring disability and destigmatising impairments and losses. We call for increased attention to identity issues in brain injury rehabilitation and argue that gender-segregated programming can provide a unique space for female survivors to construct empowering individual and collective identities after injury.     

Cost-effectiveness of a clinical medication review in vulnerable older patients at hospital discharge,a randomized controlled trial

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy - Background Drug-related problems (DRP) following hospital discharge may cause morbidity, mortality and hospital re-admissions. It is unclear whether a...     

Granulomatous slack skin T-cell lymphoma: an important differential diagnosis with giant cell tumor of soft tissue

Granulomatous slack skin is an indolent T-cell lymphoma, considered to be a variant of mycosis fungoides. Clinically it is characterized by areas of redundant skin, wrinkled, inelastic, with variable erythema and infiltration besides a poikilodermic surface. A differential diagnosis unknown to most dermatologists is the giant cell tumor of soft tissue, which is an extremely rare low-grade sarcoma. The authors report a patient who had undergone extensive surgery because of a primary diagnosis of giant cell tumor of soft tissue, but which proved to be granulomatous slack skin after a second interventional procedure with confirmatory histopathology.