Kipling’s Depiction of the Great Game Between British India and Czarist Russia

This article provides valuable information about the living conditions of Muslims of the Pak-Afghan Region in the context of revisiting Rudyard Kipling’s view of the Great Game of the 19th century between Great Britain and Russia that roughly continued for about a century beginning in the second decade of the 19th century to the signing of the Anglo Russian convention in 1907. In this respect his famous novel, Kim (1901) has been critically examined to establish the political content of his creative work. Coupled with the appreciation of the novel as a great work of art with its many facets and themes, views of Edward Said have been juxtaposed to arrive at a conclusion that the novel is also a celebration of imperialism. In today’s scenario in Central Asia particularly Afghanistan, a revisit of Kipling is an interesting revelation. The discussion also reveals the similarities of the tussle of two centuries back to the realities in the region today. This insight as we appreciate Kipling’s masterpiece novel proves even more eye-catching and real. This paper also examines Peter Hopkirk’s works on the Great Game to historically asses the dialectics of the imperial struggle between the two super powers of the time. In this connection, a brief discussion is available on the three Anglo-Afghan Wars as well as the conflict in Kashgharia. This article presents an overview of the view head by Russians on the conflict which they call Tournament of Shadows or Bolshya Igra involving spies and military personnel. A fresh look at Kipling’s works in general and his novel Kim, in particular, helps explore the very essentials of the working of Imperialism and empire-building, which is the main stay of this paper. A deeper look would understandably unfurl big powers rivalry in general, and the present day security situation in Asia in particular, by going through the works of a great writer; the first Englishman and the youngest recipient for Nobel Prize in Literature (1907).  

Expression of Mismatch Repair Proteins in Colorectal Cancer at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi

Introduction: Microsatellite instability is one of three molecular pathways described in the pathogenesis of colorectal carcinoma. The presence of microsatellite instability in patients with colorectal cancer has implications for prognosis and family counselling. Deficiency in mismatch repair genes leads to microsatellite instability and this can be reliably demonstrated in formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue by methods, which include immunohistochemistry for the detection of mismatch repair proteins. Local data show a disproportionately large number of younger patients with colorectal cancer compared to that documented in Caucasians. Colorectal cancer in younger ages is often attributed to deficient mismatch repair. The objective of this study therefore, was to determine the proportion of colorectal cancers associated with the microsatellite instability pathway through detection of the mismatch repair proteins on immunohistochemistry. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of 80 colorectal adenocarcinoma resection specimens received over a three-year period from January 2009 to January 2012. The mismatch repair gene mutation expression was analysed by immunohistochemical staining for products of mismatch repair genes. Associated clinical and pathologic characteristics were reviewed and documented. Results: The proportion of deficient mismatch colorectal cancer in the study was 19.4% [95% CI 11.7%-30.4%].There was a significant but weak association between mismatch repair gene protein expression and tumour grade, and tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (tumour grade Cramer’s V=0.263, p=0.031; tumour infiltrating lymphocytes Cramer’s V=0.246, p=0.044). Mismatch repair gene protein expression outcome showed significant but moderately strong association with the anatomic site of tumour, and tumour histological type (anatomic site Cramer’s V=0.469, p=0.001, tumour histological type Cramer’s V=0.469, p=0.001,). Conclusions: The study provides preliminary data of the contribution of the deficient mismatch repair molecular pathway of colorectal cancer in Kenya.