The Muslim Identity and the Politics of Fundamentalism in Kashmir -

This paper examines the role of religion in the formation and assertion of political identity in Kashmir. The issue has been highlighted by the rise of Islamic militancy in the 1990s. Four aspects are examined: the meaning of Islam for the people of Kashmir; the role of Islam in the formation of Kashmiri political identity; the secularization of this political identity; and the implications for the politics of fundamentalism. The paper concludes that despite the sharpening of their Muslim identity, the logic of Kashmiri politics continues to be governed by the demand for autonomy - a question which remains largely non-communal. The basic issue for the people still remains the right of the political community to determine its own political future.

Electoral Politics in the Context of Separatism and Political Divergence: An Analysis of 2009 Parliamentary elections in Jammu & Kashmir

The paper analyses the 2009 Parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir in the context of the conflict situation of the last two decades. The separatist sentiment, the paper argues, remains ascendant, even though mainstream politics (that had become totally irrelevant during the initial years of militancy and political upsurge) has been gradually gaining space. Rather than challenging separatist politics, mainstream politics is seeking to legitimise itself by acknowledging its own limitations and confining itself to the politics of ‘governance’ while leaving for separatist politics the issue of the ‘ultimate resolution of conflict’. However, in this process of legitimisation, mainstream politics has taken up many issues from the agenda of separatist politics. Consequently, despite the distinction between the two kinds of politics, there exists an overlap between them. The paper also focuses on the political divergence and the assertion of regional/religious identity politics. The Amarnath agitation, which took place a few months before the Parliamentary elections, became the basis of massive political mobilisation and reaffirmation of the popular separatist sentiment in Kashmir and religious cum regional identity politics in Jammu. As such, it forms an important reference point for the analysis. The paper also focuses on the 2008 Assembly election, which immediately preceded the Parliamentary elections

The Muslim identity and the politics of fundamentalism in Kashmir

Rekha Chowdhar

Knowledge, attitude and practices of pediatricians regarding malocclusion in Haryana, India

Introduction: Pediatricians are often the first health professional whom children visit but very few patients have presented in the orthodontic clinics with referrals from pediatricians, an indication that the primary caregivers may be deficient in the knowledge and skill to recognize cases requiring orthodontic intervention. Aim: To explore the knowledge, attitude, and practices of pediatricians regarding orthodontics. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire survey of 40 questions was conducted among pediatricians in Haryana. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted between January 2015 and June 2015 (6 months) among 198 pediatricians practicing in Haryana state, India. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 19, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Frequency distribution and measures of central tendency were generated for all numerical values, and descriptive and inferential analysis was done using Chi-square test. Results: Knowledge level among the study participants was low. Although a majority (84.9%) agreed for a need for oral health assessment during general examination of the children in practice less than half (41%) did so citing problems, the lack of adequate training being the most common (41%). Conclusions: The need for more education of the pediatricians regarding orthodontics was perceived. Effective and appropriate involvement of pediatric primary care clinicians can be expected only after they receive the appropriate training and encouragement and problems with the dental referral environment are addressed

Alliance A071401: Phase II Trial of Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibition in Meningiomas With Somatic NF2 Mutations.

PURPOSE: Patients with progressive or recurrent meningiomas have limited systemic therapy options. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition has a synthetic lethal relationship with NF2 loss. Given the predominance of NF2 mutations in meningiomas, we evaluated the efficacy of GSK2256098, a FAK inhibitor, as part of the first genomically driven phase II study in recurrent or progressive grade 1-3 meningiomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients whose tumors screened positively for NF2 mutations were treated with GSK2256098, 750 mg orally twice daily, until progressive disease. Efficacy was evaluated using two coprimary end points: progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS6) and response rate by Macdonald criteria, where PFS6 was evaluated separately within grade-based subgroups: grade 1 versus 2/3 meningiomas. Per study design, the FAK inhibitor would be considered promising in this patient population if either end point met the corresponding decision criteria for efficacy. RESULTS: Of 322 patients screened for all mutation cohorts of the study, 36 eligible and evaluable patients with NF2 mutations were enrolled and treated: 12 grade 1 and 24 grade 2/3 patients. Across all grades, one patient had a partial response and 24 had stable disease as their best response to treatment. In grade 1 patients, the observed PFS6 rate was 83% (10/12 patients; 95% CI, 52 to 98). In grade 2/3 patients, the observed PFS6 rate was 33% (8/24 patients; 95% CI, 16 to 55). The study met the PFS6 efficacy end point both for the grade 1 and the grade 2/3 cohorts. Treatment was well tolerated; seven patients had a maximum grade 3 adverse event that was at least possibly related to treatment with no grade 4 or 5 events. CONCLUSION: GSK2256098 was well tolerated and resulted in an improved PFS6 rate in patients with recurrent or progressive NF2-mutated meningiomas, compared with historical controls. The criteria for promising activity were met, and FAK inhibition warrants further evaluation for this patient population

Alliance A071401: Phase II Trial of Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibition in Meningiomas With Somatic NF2 Mutations

PURPOSE: Patients with progressive or recurrent meningiomas have limited systemic therapy options. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition has a synthetic lethal relationship with NF2 loss. Given the predominance of NF2 mutations in meningiomas, we evaluated the efficacy of GSK2256098, a FAK inhibitor, as part of the first genomically driven phase II study in recurrent or progressive grade 1-3 meningiomas. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients whose tumors screened positively for NF2 mutations were treated with GSK2256098, 750 mg orally twice daily, until progressive disease. Efficacy was evaluated using two coprimary end points: progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS6) and response rate by Macdonald criteria, where PFS6 was evaluated separately within grade-based subgroups: grade 1 versus 2/3 meningiomas. Per study design, the FAK inhibitor would be considered promising in this patient population if either end point met the corresponding decision criteria for efficacy. RESULTS: Of 322 patients screened for all mutation cohorts of the study, 36 eligible and evaluable patients with NF2 mutations were enrolled and treated: 12 grade 1 and 24 grade 2/3 patients. Across all grades, one patient had a partial response and 24 had stable disease as their best response to treatment. In grade 1 patients, the observed PFS6 rate was 83% (10/12 patients; 95% CI, 52 to 98). In grade 2/3 patients, the observed PFS6 rate was 33% (8/24 patients; 95% CI, 16 to 55). The study met the PFS6 efficacy end point both for the grade 1 and the grade 2/3 cohorts. Treatment was well tolerated; seven patients had a maximum grade 3 adverse event that was at least possibly related to treatment with no grade 4 or 5 events. CONCLUSION: GSK2256098 was well tolerated and resulted in an improved PFS6 rate in patients with recurrent or progressive NF2-mutated meningiomas, compared with historical controls. The criteria for promising activity were met, and FAK inhibition warrants further evaluation for this patient population

Alliance A071401: Phase II Trial of Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibition in Meningiomas With Somatic

PURPOSE: Patients with progressive or recurrent meningiomas have limited systemic therapy options. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition has a synthetic lethal relationship with PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients whose tumors screened positively for RESULTS: Of 322 patients screened for all mutation cohorts of the study, 36 eligible and evaluable patients with CONCLUSION: GSK2256098 was well tolerated and resulted in an improved PFS6 rate in patients with recurrent or progressiv

Alliance A071401: Phase II Trial of Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibition in Meningiomas With Somatic NF2 Mutations

Patients with progressive or recurrent meningiomas have limited systemic therapy options. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition has a synthetic lethal relationship with loss. Given the predominance of mutations in meningiomas, we evaluated the efficacy of GSK2256098, a FAK inhibitor, as part of the first genomically driven phase II study in recurrent or progressive grade 1-3 meningiomas. Eligible patients whose tumors screened positively for mutations were treated with GSK2256098, 750 mg orally twice daily, until progressive disease. Efficacy was evaluated using two coprimary end points: progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS6) and response rate by Macdonald criteria, where PFS6 was evaluated separately within grade-based subgroups: grade 1 versus 2/3 meningiomas. Per study design, the FAK inhibitor would be considered promising in this patient population if either end point met the corresponding decision criteria for efficacy. Of 322 patients screened for all mutation cohorts of the study, 36 eligible and evaluable patients with mutations were enrolled and treated: 12 grade 1 and 24 grade 2/3 patients. Across all grades, one patient had a partial response and 24 had stable disease as their best response to treatment. In grade 1 patients, the observed PFS6 rate was 83% (10/12 patients; 95% CI, 52 to 98). In grade 2/3 patients, the observed PFS6 rate was 33% (8/24 patients; 95% CI, 16 to 55). The study met the PFS6 efficacy end point both for the grade 1 and the grade 2/3 cohorts. Treatment was well tolerated; seven patients had a maximum grade 3 adverse event that was at least possibly related to treatment with no grade 4 or 5 events. GSK2256098 was well tolerated and resulted in an improved PFS6 rate in patients with recurrent or progressive -mutated meningiomas, compared with historical controls. The criteria for promising activity were met, and FAK inhibition warrants further evaluation for this patient population