15 research outputs found
Quiet Queerness in Contemporary Indian Women’s Writing
No full textThis thesis argues that quiet queerness is a productive and resistant rather than a passive form of queerness. To establish the theoretical framework for quiet queerness, the thesis builds upon Jack Halberstam’s concept of “shadow feminism” (124) that they articulated in their book, The Queer Art of Failure (2011). Halberstam outlines different characteristics of shadow feminism, such as “negation”, “refusal” and “passivity” (124). Halberstam’s explication of shadow feminism as grounded on “negation”, undoing, unbecoming and passivity is particularly useful to elaborate on the concept of quiet queerness. Much like Halberstam’s contention that shadow feminism is the opposite of a liberal activist feminism of doing, quiet queerness suggests a departure from the dominant global, liberal rights-based discourse on queer progress which plots progress as occurring on a linear path. One example is the way marriage equality is usually assumed to be the next step after the decriminalisation of homosexuality in India. By positing quiet queerness as resistant, this thesis disrupts such dominant and linear ways of thinking about queer ways of being. The thesis develops the concept of quiet queerness by examining unobtrusive depictions of queer ways of being expressed by women characters in five contemporary Indian novels published between 2000 and 2015. The five primary texts are Talking of Muskaan (2014) by Himanjali Sankar, Babyji (2005) by Abha Dawesar, Amruta Patil’s 2008 debut graphic novel, Kari; two literary fiction texts: Manju Kapur’s A Married Woman (2003) and Geetanjali Shree’s The Roof Beneath Their Feet (2013). All texts are written in English, apart from Shree’s novel, which is translated into English from Hindi by Rahul Soni. Each chapter of the thesis focuses on one primary text. In each chapter, I excavate different registers of quiet queerness that are undergirded by a distinct mode of shadow feminism
A Digital Phenotypic Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (DANO): A Pilot Study on Sociability Changes in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Brain Malignancies
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A Digital Phenotypic Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (DANO): A Pilot Study on Sociability Changes in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Brain Malignancies †
by Francesca Siddi 1,2,*,Patrick Emedom-Nnamdi 3,Michael P. Catalino 4,Aakanksha Rana 1,5ORCID,Alessandro Boaro 1,2ORCID,Hassan Y. Dawood 1ORCID,Francesco Sala 2,Jukka-Pekka Onnela 3,‡ andTimothy R. Smith 1,‡
1
Computational Neuroscience Outcomes Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
2
Section of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy
3
Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
4
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
5
McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Previous Presentations: This work was virtually presented as an oral poster presentation at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (eEANS), Virtual Congress, 1–7 October 2021; EP13028.
‡
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Cancers 2025, 17(1), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17010139
Submission received: 15 October 2024 / Revised: 24 December 2024 / Accepted: 3 January 2025 / Published: 4 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Diffuse Gliomas)
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Simple Summary
Nowadays, smartphones are the principal tool for interactions between people. Mobile health applications might be used to study the cognitive functions in the neuro-oncological population. Many brain tumor patients have cognitive challenges that have an impact on sociability. Digital phenotyping is able to characterize social and spatial dimensions of human behavior from mobile phone call records. The aim of this study was to start to explore this technology in brain cancer patients, focusing on sociability data. The results of this pilot study indicate that a digital assessment in neuro-oncology can be used to characterize and follow the social activity of patients’ lives. Changes in the patient’s social network relate to disease progression, suggesting a new tool to improve the complex evaluation of underserved brain cancer patients.
Abstract
Background: The digital phenotyping tool has great potential for the deep characterization of neurological and quality-of-life assessments in brain tumor patients. Phone communication activities (details on call and text use) can provide insight into the patients’ sociability. Methods: We prospectively collected digital-phenotyping data from six brain tumor patients. The data were collected using the Beiwe application installed on their personal smartphones. We constructed several daily sociability features from phone communication logs, including the number of incoming and outgoing text messages and calls, the length of messages and duration of calls, message reciprocity, the number of communication partners, and number of missed calls. We compared variability in these sociability features against those obtained from a control group, matched for age and sex, selected among patients with a herniated disc. Results: In brain tumor patients, phone-based communication appears to deteriorate with time, as evident in the trend for total outgoing minutes, total outgoing calls, and call out-degree. Conclusions: These measures indicate a possible decrease in sociability over time in brain tumor patients that may correlate with survival. This exploratory analysis suggests that a quantifiable digital sociability phenotype exists and is comparable for patients with different survival outcomes. Overall, assessing neurocognitive function using digital phenotyping appears promising
Morphological Variations of the Human Cadaveric Liver: A Comprehensive Review Focusing on Netter’s Type III classification
No full textThe liver, largest abdominal organ in the human body, is located in the right hypochondrium, epigastrium, and extending partially into the left hypochondrium. It lies just below the diaphragm and is largely protected by the thoracic cage where its superior surface conforms to the concavity of the diaphragm, and is separated from the thoracic organs by this muscular partition. It plays a vital role in metabolism, detoxification, and maintaining homeostasis. Owing to its anatomical location and embryological development, the liver is prone to considerable morphological variations. Although the segmental anatomy of the liver has been extensively researched, very few studies have dealt with surface variations of the liver. During routine dissection in the Department of Rachana Sharira, National Institute of Ayurveda (Deemed University), Jaipur, an adult cadaveric liver was observed with notable morphological variations. The liver had a saddle-shaped configuration, with an enlarged left lobe extending beyond the midline, irregular inferior border, and costal impressions along the superolateral surface. These findings represent the classical Types of liver as described in Netter’s classification. This study aims to focus anatomical study and literature review on morphological variations of the liver, especially as categorized by Netter’s classification. However, variations in liver morphology such as differences in size, shape, and the presence of accessory lobes or fissures can pose challenges in both diagnosis and surgical intervention. These anatomical variants are often asymptomatic and may mimic pathological conditions on imaging or complicate operative procedures if not properly identified. Therefore, a thorough understanding of normal and variant liver anatomy is crucial for clinicians, radiologists, and surgeons
An Ayurvedic Approach to Artava Rogas: Exploring the Significance of Agni in Female Reproductive Health
No full textMenstrual disorders are among the most common women\u27s health conditions worldwide, with a prevalence ranging from 3-87% in different populations. Dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are common presentations. Through Ayurveda\u27s conceptual frame of Artava Rogas, these disorders reveal underlying imbalances related to the dysfunction of Artava (menstrual blood), Agni (digestive/metabolic fire), and Dhatu (tissues). Artava is noted to be an Upadhatu of Rasa Dhatu, dependent on the Jatharagni, the digestive fire of the stomach, and the Rasadhatvagni, the fire that metabolizes Rasa to Upadhatus, including Artava and Agni. The dysfunction of Agni results in Ama, Rasa Dushti, and ultimately Dushti of Artava, leading to different gynecological disorders (Artava Kshaya, Asrukdara, Anartava, and Ashta Artava Dushti). The concept of Agni is not only used to understand rationales for all condition, including Jwara (fevers) as well. In Jwara, and specifically Pittoulbana Sannipataj Jwara, the described disturbances can be seen in the Agni and metabolic processes in Dhatus. Ayurveda focuses on bringing the Agni back into balance, which can be done with Ayurvedic medicine (Agneya Dravya) and detoxificants (Shodhana). The system provides a framework to reinstate the metabolism of Rasadhatu and Artava function via Agni. This integrative understanding of illness reflects the understanding of Agni as the foundation of both reproductive and systemic health, and can aid in subsequently understanding diagnosis and co-therapeutics of menstrual disorders and for non-menstrual syndrome conditions like typhoid fever
A Rare Congenital Splenic Fissure: Insights from a Cadaveric Study
No full textThe spleen, an important organ of the immune and circulatory systems, lies in the left hypochondriac region between the 9th and 11th ribs. It develops from the mesoderm as distinct lobules, which later fuse. In adults, residual notches along the superior border indicate this early lobulated stage. Congenital anomalies such as persistent lobulation, accessory spleens, and polysplenia are generally asymptomatic. Case Findings: During routine cadaveric dissection, a rare anatomical variation was observed- a sharp fissure measuring approximately 2cm in depth along the superior border. This fissure separated a distinct lobule on the diaphragmatic surface extending to the visceral surface. Such deep clefts occur in about 10% of individuals, but this presentation was unusually well- defined. Diagnosis and Management: The fissure was identified as a possible congenital anomaly, with no clinical symptoms and no intervention required. Clinical Significance: Knowledge of splenic morphology, including variations in notches and fissures, is essential for accurate diagnosis and surgical planning. Persistent fissures may be mistaken for traumatic lacerations or pathological lesions on imaging. This case highlights the importance of recognising rare congenital variations to avoid diagnostic errors and ensure safe clinical management
An Anatomical variation of Flexor Hallucis Longus with two extra slips
No full textFlexor hallucis longus (FHL), a key toe flexor muscle, located on the posterior aspect of the fibula below the deep fascia of the calf. It originates from lower two-thirds of posterior surface of fibula and inserts at the base of distal phalanx of great toe. Background: Anatomical variations in the plantar musculotendinous architecture, particularly at the Chiasma Plantare (Master Knot of Henry), can influence foot biomechanics and have surgical significance. Main Clinical Findings: During routine cadaveric dissection, a rare unilateral variant was identified in which two tendinous slips originated from the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon and merged with the flexor digitorum longus (FDL) tendons inserting at base of the distal phalanx of second, third, toes. The slips arose deep to the quadratus plantae at the classical FHL–FDL crossover. Discussion: This configuration corresponds to Type I-b of Plaass et al.’s classification and may contribute to enhanced toe flexion strength, improved force distribution, and functional redundancy. Such variations have surgical relevance during tendon grafting, Achilles tendon reconstruction, and in managing tibialis posterior dysfunction. Conclusion: Documenting such rare patterns enriches anatomical databases, aids preoperative planning, and deepens our understanding of plantar biomechanics
