Moroccan Woman Research Articles

A swollen thumb

A 48-year-old, right-handed Moroccan woman with hepatitis C, receiving sofosbuvir 400 mg per day and daclatasvir 60 mg per day, presented 2 years ago a fixed painless flesh-colored nodule at the pulp of the right thumb.

POS-463 IMMUNE-COMPLEX-MEDIATED MEMBRANOPROLIFERATIVE GLOMERULONEPHRITIS SECONDARY TO ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS : CASE REPORT AND A BRIEF LITERATURE REVI1EW OF THE RENAL INVOLVEMENT IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS

Ankylosing Spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the joints, that can be associated with several extra-articular consequences. Among these, renal involvement remainsrare but significant, as it is associated with poor prognosis. To help further characterize this involvement, we report a new associated renal pattern. A 22-year-old Moroccan woman with a history of inflammatory lower back pain, buttock pain and bilateral knee and ankle arthritis, presented in our department with a nephrotic syndrome. A renal biopsy showed an Immune-complex-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Further testing in search for an etiology to explain her presentation, revealed that the patient was HLA-B27 positive and using the Assessment of Spondylarthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria, the diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis was retained. The patient was put under Adalimumab, which resulted in marked improvement of her arthralgias and her proteinuria, and a disappearance of her nephrotic syndrome. We are reporting in this paper the first known association of immune-complex-mediated glomerulonephritis and Ankylosing spondylitis. This case report adds to the myriad of renal pathologic patterns that are described in association to this chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease, offering new information that would help shed further light on the pathophysiology of these disorders.

Morocco from a Colonial to a Postcolonial Era

Abstract Women of color have long used the transformative power of writing and theorizing through their bodies to speak back to the pervasive racist and sexist hierarchies in hegemonic cultures. I extend this argument in the specific context of Muslim feminism that is theorized outside orientalist and patriarchal frames of reference. In this article, I turn to a performative autoethnographic approach to look at the Moroccan era, ‘Now and Then,’ through my grandmother’s lens, that of a Moroccan woman erased from the written history of Morocco. Drawing on ‘theories of the flesh,’ I privilege my grandmother’s voice and her embodied experience that transmits her story of resistance and survival under French colonization. Through ‘fleshing,’ my Moroccan grandmother reclaims her lived experiences and deconstructs the hegemonic universalist knowledge of feminism and struggle. It is important to foreground the political urgency of surveying the theoretical frameworks of Arab and Muslim scholars in order to create new ways of understanding communication in postcolonial/neocolonial settings.

Особенности языковой интерференции во французском языке марокканских билингвов

В статье идет речь о различных типах языковой интерференции, которые наблюдаются во французском языке в ситуации марокканского франко-арабского билингвизма. Цель исследования: наполнить термин «интерференция» конкретным языковым материалом; осуществить классификацию примеров фактического материала; сформулировать общие и частные выводы для углубления и совершенствования процесса знакомства с особенностями интерференций во французском языке марокканцев. Для достижения поставленной цели использовался сравнительно-сопоставительный метод и метод контекстуального анализа. Одним из направлений исследования в рассматриваемой области является поиск путей объяснения механизмов фонетических, лексических и морфосинтаксических ошибок, которые совершают во французском языке марокканские арабофоны. Материалом исследования, послужил роман современной писательницы билингва, ведущей повествование от лица пятнадцатилетней марокканки. Интерференция, проявляющаяся на всех уровнях во французском языке марокканцев, носит, прежде всего, количественный характер. Лексическая интерференция обязана, прежде всего, буквальному переводу слов, кальке, которые являются марокканскими реалиями. Синтаксическая интерференция, присутствующая в исследуемом произведении, более глубинная по своей сути, так как меняет структурные особенности французского языка. Французское предложение принимает несвойственные ему формы, гибридные конструкции, что отражается на качестве перевода. Фонетическая интерференция во французском языке марокканцев имеет некоторые особенности, но в целом не мешает коммуникации и переводу. Особенности марокканского варианта французского языка важно учитывать российским переводчикам. Краткое знакомство с примерами языковой интерференции, их классификация настраивают на продолжение исследования региональных особенностей французского языка.

An Atypical Case Presentation of a Mammary Pseudotumor in a Young Moroccan Woman

Some tuberculosis locations are rare or even exceptional and mammary tuberculosis (MT) is the least frequent one among visceral locations. MT still presents difficulties both in its diagnosis and treatment. We're reporting the case of a 24-years-old female patient, with no medical history, for instance, no tuberculosis contact. She was admitted for exploration of a fever associated to a general state deterioration, and arthralgia, the physical examination found a lump in her right breast, an erythema nodosum and bilateral ankle arthritis.

‘Destiny is written by God’: Islamic predestination, responsibility, and transcendence in Central Morocco

AbstractTracing the story of Atiqa, a young Moroccan woman in her late twenties, and the revivalist imagination that informs it, I reflect in this article on how responsibility is imagined and reckoned with when human choice and action encounter the transcendental forces of destiny. Far from leading to an abeyance of responsibility in the face of worldly and transcendental powers, I show that it is precisely the idea of a divine predestination based on God's omnipotence and omniscience that triggers an ethical reflection on questions of choice, action, and consequence. Atiqa's story provides insights with regard to the notion of human responsibility under God's will. Revealing the relational dynamics of the encounter (and disjuncture) between human and divine intentionalities, it compels us not only to move beyond the emphasis on the embodiment of divine will present in the paradigm of self‐cultivation, but also to reconsider transcendence in current anthropological debates on ethics.

\u201cAt this age, a Moroccan woman\u2019s life\u2019s work is over\u201d-older Moroccan-Dutch migrant women\u2019s perceptions of health and lifestyle, with a focus on Ramadan experiences: qualitative research integrating education and consultation

BackgroundOlder Moroccan-Dutch migrant women exhibit high rates of diabetes, hypertension, overweight and obesity which is further compounded by their high risk of multi-morbidity. Healthcare professionals’ efforts to encourage this group to adopt a healthier lifestyle have little success. We ask ourselves whether the concepts used in health education and promotion relate to these women’s experiences and beliefs. Today’s pluralistic Dutch society requires a more differentiated and applied approach, not in an essentialist way but in awareness that translation of rather individualized concepts like health and lifestyle is not always adequate, as the meaning and interpretation of such concepts may differ and may be related to women’s other (fundamental) perceptions. This can have practical consequences for health promotion and education. The aim of this explorative, qualitative research, conducted between April and September 2015 and taking an intersectional approach, was to explore older Moroccan-Dutch women’s perceptions of health and lifestyle and to analyse these in a broader context, related to other fundamental forms of identity such as gender, culture and religion.MethodsWe recruited women with Moroccan backgrounds by approaching Moroccan women’s organisations and using the snowballing method (chain-referral sampling). Seven ‘natural’ group discussions were held (amongst women who regularly meet each other, aged between 22 and 69 years), and twelve in-depth interviews and an observation day (with women from 40 to 66 years). The transcripts were then analysed using thematic content analysis.ResultsFive major themes were identified. Health was perceived of in the terms used in prevailing health promotion discourses in the Netherlands, but lifestyle was interpreted in a much broader sense than the current health promotion debate allows; it is not seen as an individual responsibility or as something an individual could control on their own, and the social benefits of health behaviours appear to outweigh the health benefits themselves. Lifestyle was located in three main social identities of the women: Moroccan, Muslim and mother. Finally, Ramadan played a huge and dominant role in the lifestyle experience of older Moroccan women and was central in this research.ConclusionsThe finding that lifestyle is not seen as an individual responsibility but is located in social identities, can be applied to other settings that older migrant-Dutch women occupy. Further research will clarify this.

Mediastinal plasmocytoma with multiple myeloma: unusual presentation

We report a rare case about a 60 years old Moroccan woman with a past medical history of gastrointestinal tuberculosis, admitted to the emergency department with fever, coughing, weight loss, Spontaneous sternum fracture, back and chest pain. A physical examination revealed diffuse bone pain on palpation. Laboratory testing revealed anemia at 9 g/dl, high serum viscosity (80 mm/h). C reactive protein at 100 mg/l. Serum protein electrophoresis showed monoclonal spike (30 g/dL) in the gamma zone. Serum immunofixation study revealed a IgG lambda monoclonal paraprotein. Serum free light chains (kappa/lambda ratio: 0,04). Total protein level (88g/L). 24-h proteinuria was negative, complete metabolic panel, blood calcium and serum creatinine were normal. Bone marrow aspiration was performed and showed mature and dystrophic plasma cells at 38 %. CT scan of the chest revealed left broncho pulmonary focus associated to a sternal fracture (A), mediastinal tissue mass of superior and posterior mediastinum of 30mm diameter (B), scanner-guided biopsy confirmed plasmocytoma, bronchoscopy with biopsy which objectified an inflammatory lesion. Hematological assessment concluded to mediastinal plasmocytoma with multiple myeloma Ig G Lambda. The Revised International Staging System is at 2. The patient received empirical antimicrobial therapy with good response, then she was treated with VTD protocol (Bortezomib, thalidomide and dexamethasone), achieving complete remission followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (C,D). Consolidation therapy and maintenance are planned to maintain remission.

An uncommon case of uterine rupture with retroperitoneal hematoma

Uterine rupture is a serious complication for both mother and child, occurring in 0.2 to 0.8% of attempts at vaginal delivery after cesarean section. A case of 29-year-old Moroccan woman, G2P2, with a previous caesarean section, was admitted to our emergency department at 38 weeks' gestation for acute fetal distress with complete cervical dilation. The delivery was imminent and done by vaginal route. The uterine revision objectified a uterine rupture. An immediate laparotomy was performed. The surgical exploration revealed uterine rupture on the right uterine edge with vascular pedicle lesion. More, we have found a huge hematoma of the right broad ligament diffusing into the right deep retroperitoneal space. The surgical management consisted of a total hysterectomy and packing of retroperitoneal hematoma. Removal of packing was performed on the fourth day after stabilization of clinical and biological parameters. Fortunately, the evolution was favorable under antibiotic therapy and massive transfusion. The patient was discharged from the hospital on the 10th postoperative day. The baby was doing well without any neurological sequelae.

Renal Infarction and Pulmonary Embolism in Patient with Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Unclassifiable

The myelodysplastic syndrome-myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPNs) are defined by a group of heterogeneous hematological malignancies resulting from stem cell−driven clonal growth of pathological hematopoietic progenitors and ineffective hematopoiesis, they are characterized concomitant myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative signs. Myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative disorders have been considered to have a higher risk of thrombus formation.We report a rare case about a 64 years old Moroccan woman, experienced renal infarction (RI) associated with pulmonary embolism as a complication of a myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative disorder.The patient complained of acute-onset severe left flank pain, a contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen revealed RI by a large wedge-shaped defect in the right kidney with pulmonary embolism.Biological exam showed deep anemia, the bone marrow aspiration found myelodysplasia.the bone biopsy showed signs of myeloproliferatif disease. The karyotype was normal, BCR-ABL, JAK2, CALR mutations were absents, and MPL mutation was positive. The International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) was 0, and the patient was included to the low risk group.Anticoagulation therapy was initiated with heparin to treat RI and pulmonary embolism. Three months later, pulmonary embolism had resolved without the appearance of additional peripheral infarction.This case emphasizes the need to consider myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative disorders as a cause of infraction renal and pulmonary embolism.

Atopic dermatitis of the nipple and areola

Atopic dermatitis of the nipple and areola is a minor manifestation of atopic dermatitis. We present a case of a 20-year-old Moroccan woman presented to the gynecology ward for a non-pruritic rash on her nipples. She is single with a history of atopy and asthma since her childhood. One year ago, she had scabies disease treated successfully. The nipple lesions began one month earlier as a small patch. She had no breast discharge. Physical exam revealed bilateral pruritic, erythematous, scaly, lichenified plaques of the nipples and the areolas. The lesions didn´t extends beyond the areola. There were no palpable breast masses or other similar skin plaques. The diagnosis of nipple eczema was made. The patient had dermocorticoid for two weeks. The follow up was marked by a regression of the lesions at the third day with a total healing at one month. The eczema of the nipple and areola is an atopic dermatitis that can be treated with several regimes and preventive measures. The breast and nipple skin are thin and the use of topical steroids should be limited because of the risk of atrophy.

Liberal Feminism Impact on Moroccan Educated Women: Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, FLDM, as a Field Study

The present study is an attempt to investigate students’ attitudes about the social status of Moroccan woman and the variables that may influence the cause of woman liberation. These variables may include feminism, female activism and international human rights on one hand. On the other hand, factors such as religion, patriarchy and marriage legislation could stand against the cause of female emancipation. The paper uses a theoretical and practical part. The review of literature is broad and inclusive that it trespasses the national intellectual framework on the issue of woman liberation to referring to western major feministic movements for woman emancipation worldwide such as liberal feminism. The field work is conducted through distributing a representative number of questionnaires, 350 questionnaires. Briefly, the findings proved that the majority of respondents, 55% hold the view that religion stands as a primary factor behind conservative gender perception, whereas, 49% of the respondents believe that education is the factor behind such perceptions. Furthermore, 40% believed that the patriarchal system is the element behind traditional treatment of gender. Concerning marriage legislation, 55% agree with the reforms in Al Mudawana in 2004. For female activism, 72% believe that women highly contributed in bringing about the changes in Al Mudawana reforms of 2004. This helped to generate an increasing female participation in politics as proved by 58% of the respondents. Finally, 65% hold the view that woman social status nowadays is semi-liberal and improving.

The construction of gendered identities in Moroccan radio phone-in programmes

ABSTRACT The restructuring of the media landscape and access to new radio outlets resulted in the popularity of interactive programmes among Moroccans. Many phone-ins now exist that offer advice on a variety of social problems. Some address issues that pertain specifically to the modern Moroccan woman. The interactive aspects of phone-ins offer an opportunity to study the ways gender is co-constructed by lay callers and the experts providing advice. This article offers an Ethnomethodological account of two calls to Kif Lhal, a popular Moroccan radio phone-in. It describes the ways callers mobilised the categories wife, mother, father and husband to construct specific gender identities. Methodologically, Membership Categorisation Analysis is used to describe how callers deployed gender categories, and how their deployment betrayed patriarchal worldviews. The article argues that an ethnomethodological analysis can offer a glimpse at the emic logic of gender relations in everyday life. It can also trace the ways this logic spills over into the discourse of Kif Lhal as a media text. While their positive impact is undeniable, phone-ins run the risk of inadvertently importing patriarchal modes of discourse to the public sphere of media, where major strides have been made towards gender equality.

Femininity, Masculinity, and Sexuality in Morocco and Hollywood: The Negated Sex

Femininity, Masculinity, and Sexuality in Morocco and Hollywood: The Negated Sex

Association of multiple splanchnic venous thrombosis and left renal venous thrombosis, a rare complication of pancreatitis: a\xa0case report

BackgroundVascular complications of acute pancreatitis are common. Splanchnic thrombosis accounts for 11% of these complications, whereas extrasplanchnic thrombosis remains a rare entity. These complications are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is established on the basis of clinical and radiological evaluation, especially computed tomography. Renal vein thrombosis has been reported previously, but only in association with thrombosis of the inferior vena cava. To our knowledge, renal vein thrombosis without inferior vena cava thrombosis has never been reported in the literature. We report a case of a woman who developed acute pancreatitis complicated with splanchnic thrombosis and renal vein thrombosis with a patent inferior vena cava.Case presentationA 48-year-old Moroccan woman with no significant past medical history presented to our emergency department with worsening epigastric pain and vomiting. Her physical examination was notable only for moderate epigastric tenderness. She was apyrexic and had no jaundice or any features of liver failure. An initial computed tomographic scan showed Balthazar grade C pancreatitis with multiple splanchnic thromboses involving the portal vein, superior mesenteric vein, and left renal vein and enteromesenteric venous infarct with no signs of bowel perforation. The inferior vena cava was patent. Therapeutic anticoagulation and analgesia were started with resumption of enteral feeding 72 h later. The result of a thrombophilia screen was negative. Two months later, the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit with acute liver failure. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed worsening ischemic liver lesions and no signs of bowel perforation. Biochemical analysis showed acute hepatitis with hepatocellular insufficiency. The clinical evolution was unfavorable, and the patient died 48 h later.ConclusionsAssociation of splanchnic and renal vein thrombosis without inferior vena cava thrombosis as a complication of acute pancreatitis has never been reported before. There are no specific aspects of management of this complication; therapeutic anticoagulation and symptomatic treatment are the main measures used owing to the lack of available organs for liver transplant. The prognosis depends on the consequences of splanchnic thrombosis and their complications.

Amlodipine Induced Gingival Overgrowth, Unusual Defect and The Impact of Oral Environment: A Case Report

Introduction: Calcium-channel blockers are known for their buccal side effect as Gingival Overgrowth (GO). Although Amlodipine is considered a safe drug, it may induce gingival overgrowth for some individuals, inducing then, an aesthetic prejudice for the patient and causing serious managerial problems for clinicians. This case reports unusual defects of Amlodipine-induced gingival overgrowth, with a large gingival mass that almost completely disappeared only after improving the buccal environment. Case Study: A 51-year old Moroccan woman was complaining of gingival bleeding swelling. The examination revealed a general GO on the labial side, from the 22 to 15. It involved the entire height of the keratinized gingiva, including papillae on the buccal side. The oral hygiene was really defective with abundant plaque and calculus. The patient had hypertension and daily treated by Amlodipine 5mg for one year. But she developed the GO just few months before her first visit. The mass, associated with a chronic periodontitis, almost disappeared after scaling and root planning. Such a minimal surgical treatment showed improvement with no drug substitution or reduction. She was regularly followed up for 10 months. Conclusion: Improvement of oral hygiene, associated to periodontal non-surgical treatment alone, can afford clinical satisfaction. Changing the patient’s medication should be the last solution when local measures fail.

Uncommon case of abdominal pregnancy with spontaneous uterine rupture at 35 weeks

Abdominal pregnancy is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy and is frequently misdiagnosed. Here, we report a case of abdominal pregnancy with spontaneous uterine rupture of the cesarean-section scar at 35 weeks. A 26-year-old Moroccan woman, G2P2, with a previous caesarean section, was presented to the hospital at 35 weeks of pregnancy with the chief complaint of abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. Ultrasonography identified the term of an abdominal pregnancy without fetal cardiac activity. An abdominal computed tomography was confirmed the diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy with hemoperitoneum. An emergency laparotomy was performed. The dead male fetus was extracted uneventfully. The placenta which was developed through the cesarean-section scar, was attached to intestines and it was removed with great caution and secured haemostasis. The exploration was showed a complete rupture of the cesarean-section scar which was sutured in two layers. The patient was transfused with 2 units of packed red blood cells, and she was discharged from the hospital on the 10th postoperative day. The abdominal pregnancy is an extremely rare diagnosis. The suspicious case of abdominal pregnancy should be referred to the experienced clinicians in the centres with diagnosis facilities.

Una narrativa que no ama a las "moras": análisis comparado de la violencia de y hacia la mujer marroquí en textos literarios españoles

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar la violencia que ejerce la mujer marroquí imaginada en la narrativa española de ficción escrita por mujeres durante el siglo XX pero, también, la violencia a la que es sometida. La literatura, al igual que otros soportes culturales, contribuye en el proceso de construcción, consolidación y transmisión de imaginarios de «otras» culturas que ayudan a la naturalización de estereotipos y prejuicios que se defienden como verdades incuestionables. En este caso, el orientalismo ha logrado que en el orden simbólico occidental sobre lo marroquí predomine su caracterización como violento. La narrativa española de tema marroquí refuerza esta idea hasta tal punto que con la excusa de “reflejar” la realidad de un país árabe-islámico, lo que consigue, performativamente, es instaurar esa realidad social en el imaginario generalizado.

Painful tumors in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1: a\xa0case report

BackgroundHerein, we report an unusual case of multifocal glomus tumors in the same hand in a patient suffering from neurofibromatosis type 1.Case presentationThe patient was a 37-year-old Moroccan woman, suffering from neurofibromatosis type 1, with intense pain in the fingers, successfully treated with the excision of the tumors. Histology of the lesions confirmed the diagnosis of glomus tumor.ConclusionWe present this case to support the association between glomus tumors and neurofibromatosis type 1. Thus, we strongly recommend that one should suspect a glomus tumor in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 if such patients have symptoms from finger pulp or nails.

Dermoscopy of skin metastases from breast cancer: two case reports

BackgroundCutaneous metastatic breast cancer is the most common cutaneous metastatic malignancy in women. The assessment of cutaneous metastatic disease can be perplexing because the clinical presentation appears similar to other skin malignancies like angiosarcoma or melanoma, or benign diseases like cellulitis and lymphedema. To date, only a limited number of dermoscopic images of cutaneous metastatic solid tumors, especially breast cancer, have been published.Case presentationThe authors report two Moroccan cases highlighting dermoscopy as a quick tool to recognize skin metastasis of breast cancer in two different clinical presentations. A 51-year-old Moroccan woman presented with nodules of various sizes on and around a mastectomy scar, and a 65-year-old Moroccan woman presented with cellulitis-like lesions on her chest wall and her back. Dermoscopic features were similar in the two cases with findings of yellow central areas, polymorphic vessels, whitish bright lines, whitish structureless areas, and linear irregular fissure-like depressions on a pink-orange background.ConclusionsThe recognition of dermoscopic patterns of cutaneous metastasis of breast cancer is not only useful to facilitate diagnosis at an early stage and to rule out other differentials, especially in difficult presentations such as cellulitis-like lesions or lymphedema, but it may also be used by physicians in monitoring mastectomy scars.