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A 9-year-old boy presented with gross hematuria of 2 days duration. Cystoscopic evaluation revealed an anterior bladder mass. Pathology was consistent with eosinophilic cystitis, and a steroid regimen was initiated accordingly, but no improvement ensued. Concern for alternate malignant pathology led to open resection and the ultimate diagnosis of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the bladder. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is a rare tumor of the bladder in children and to our knowledge has not previously been associated with a misleading eosinophil-rich mucosal inflammatory response.

This study examined children’s secret-keeping for a parent and its relationship to trust, theory of mind, secrecy endorsement, and executive functioning (EF). Children (N = 107) between 4 and 12 years of age participated in a procedure wherein parents broke a toy and asked children to promise secrecy. Responses to open-ended and direct questions were examined. Overall, secret-keeping increased with age and promising to keep the secret was related to fewer disclosures in open-ended questioning. Children who kept the secret in direct questioning exhibited greater trust and better parental ratings of EF than children who disclosed the secret. Findings highlight the importance of both social and cognitive factors in secret-keeping development.

Prior research suggests that infelicitous choice of questions can significantly underestimate children's actual abilities, independently of suggestiveness. One possibly difficult question type is indirect speech acts such as "Do you know..." questions (DYK, e.g., "Do you know where it happened?"). These questions directly ask if respondents know, while indirectly asking what respondents know. If respondents answer "yes," but fail to elaborate, they are either ignoring or failing to recognize the indirect question (known as pragmatic failure). Two studies examined the effect of indirect speech acts on maltreated and non-maltreated 2- to 7-year-olds' post-event interview responses. Children were read a story and later interviewed using DYK and Wh- questions. Additionally, children completed a series of executive functioning tasks. Both studies revealed that using DYK questions increased the chances of pragmatic failure, particularly for younger children and those with lower inhibitory control skills.

This study tested the effects of narrative practice rapport building (asking open-ended questions about a neutral event) and a putative confession (telling the child an adult "told me everything that happened and he wants you to tell the truth") on 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children's reports of an interaction with a stranger who asked them to keep toy breakage a secret (n=264). Only one third of children who received no interview manipulations disclosed breakage; in response to a putative confession, one half disclosed. Narrative practice rapport building did not affect the likelihood of disclosure. Maltreated children and nonmaltreated children responded similarly to the manipulations. Neither narrative practice rapport building nor a putative confession increased false reports.

Evidence summarized in attorney's closing arguments of criminal child sexual abuse cases ( N = 189) was coded to predict acquittal rates. Ten variables were significant bivariate predictors; five variables significant at p < .01 were entered into a multivariate model. Cases were likely to result in an acquittal when the defendant was not charged with force, the child maintained contact with the defendant after the abuse occurred, or the defense presented a hearsay witness regarding the victim’s statements, a witness regarding the victim’s character, or a witness regarding another witnesses’ character (usually the mother). The findings suggest that jurors might believe that child molestation is akin to a stereotype of violent rape and that they may be swayed by defense challenges to the victim’s credibility and the credibility of those close to the victim.

Prior research has found that children disclosing physical abuse appear more reticent and less consistent than children disclosing sexual abuse. Although this has been attributed to differences in reluctance, it may also be due to differences in the process by which abuse is suspected and investigated. Disclosure may play a larger role in arousing suspicions of sexual abuse, while other evidence may play a larger role in arousing suspicions of physical abuse. As a result, children who disclose physical abuse in formal investigations may be doing so for the first time, and they may be more reluctant to provide details of the abuse. We examined abuse disclosure and evidence in comparable samples of court-substantiated physical ( n = 33) and sexual ( n = 28) abuse. Consistent with predictions, the likelihood that the child had disclosed abuse before an investigation began was lower in physical (27%) than that in sexual (67%) abuse cases, and there was more nondisclosure evidence of abuse in physical abuse cases. These findings have implications for understanding the dynamics and meaning of disclosure in cases involving different types of abuse.

The small subunit (SSU) of the ribosome of E. coli consists of a core of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) surrounded peripherally by ribosomal proteins (r-proteins). Ten of the 15 universally conserved SSU r-proteins possess nonglobular regions called extensions. The N-terminal noncanonically structured extension of S12 traverses from the solvent to intersubunit surface of the SSU and is followed by a more C-terminal globular region that is adjacent to the decoding center of the SSU. The role of the globular region in maintaining translational fidelity is well characterized, but a role for the S12 extension in SSU structure and function is unknown. We examined the effect of stepwise truncation of the extension of S12 in SSU assembly and function in vitro and in vivo. Examination of in vitro assembly in the presence of sequential N-terminal truncated variants of S12 reveals that N-terminal deletions of greater than nine amino acids exhibit decreased tRNA-binding activity and altered 16S rRNA architecture particularly in the platform of the SSU. While wild-type S12 expressed from a plasmid can rescue a genomic deletion of the essential gene for S12, rpsl; N-terminal deletions of S12 exhibit deleterious phenotypic consequences. Partial N-terminal deletions of S12 are slow growing and cold sensitive. Strains bearing these truncations as the sole copy of S12 have increased levels of free SSUs and immature 16S rRNA as compared with the wild-type S12. These differences are hallmarks of SSU biogenesis defects, indicating that the extension of S12 plays an important role in SSU assembly.

A potato gene encoding a putative WRKY protein was isolated from a cDNA library enriched by suppression subtractive hybridization for sequences upregulated 1 h post-inoculation with Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica. The cDNA encodes a putative polypeptide of 172 amino acids, containing a single WRKY domain with a zinc finger motif and preceded by a potential nuclear localization site. St-WRKY1 was strongly upregulated in compatible, but only weakly in incompatible, interactions with Phytophthora infestans where, in all cases, it was coregulated with class I endochitinase, associating its expression with a known defense response. Whereas St-WRKY1 was strongly induced by E. carotovora culture filtrate (CF), confirming it to be an elicitor-induced gene, no such induction was detected after treatment with salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, ethylene, or wounding. St-WRKY1 was upregulated by treatment of potato leaves with CFs from recombinant Escherichia coli containing plasmids expressing E. carotovora pectate lyase genes pelB and pelD, suggesting that either proteins encoded by these genes, or oligogalacturonides generated by their activity, elicit a potato defense pathway associated with St-WRKY1.

Tracheobronchial stents are being used with increasing frequency to treat major airway obstruction from both malignant and benign processes. Traditionally, stents have been placed via rigid bronchoscopy, flexible bronchoscopy, or fluoroscopy by members of various individual disciplines. We describe a novel multidisciplinary airway stent team (MAST) protocol for tracheobronchial stent placement and endoscopic management of major airway obstruction. A patient with symptoms of airway obstruction is generally first evaluated with a computed tomography scan and a videotaped flexible bronchoscopy. These studies are reviewed by the team otolaryngologist, pulmonologist, and interventional radiologist. A treatment plan, including the type and location of stents and the need for adjuvant therapies, is formulated. Stent placement is performed in the operating room under general anesthesia. Rigid bronchoscopy, with flexible bronchoscopy and fluoroscopy as needed, allows precise stent placement and the best use of various therapeutic methods. The MAST protocol combines the skills, knowledge, and unique therapeutic options of specialists from otolaryngology, pulmonology, and interventional radiology. This approach allows optimal stent placement and the use of other endobronchial therapies, including laser ablation, balloon dilation, photodynamic therapy, cryotherapy, and brachytherapy. A protocol with representative case reports is presented, along with a review and comparison of several of our most commonly used stents. Otolaryngologists who practice bronchoesophagoscopy, by virtue of their operative skill and knowledge of airway management, are well equipped to become leaders of MASTs and are encouraged to initiate MASTs at their institutions.

Summary A potato gene, erg-1, was isolated from a cDNA library enriched by suppression subtractive hybridisation for sequences up-regulated one hour after inoculation of cv. Stirling leaves with Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica (Eca). Erg-1 (Eca response gene 1) exhibits strong similarity to phi-1, previously reported to be up-regulated by addition of phosphate to phosphate-starved tobacco cells. Furthermore, erg-1 is similar to families of related genes in tomato, Arabidopsis, and rice, but shows no homology to sequences from animals, fungi, or prokaryotes. Northern analyses showed erg-1 to be tightly regulated and rapidly induced by Eca, and by both compatible and incompatible races of Phytophthora infestans. In addition, erg-1 is up-regulated by treatment with Erwinia carotovora culture filtrate, ethylene and salicylic acid, showing that it is regulated by more than one defence-related signalling pathway.

For studies of differential gene expression in prokaryotes, methods for synthesizing representative cDNA populations are required. Here, a technique is described for the synthesis of cDNA from the potato pathogens Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica (Eca) and Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora (Ecc) using a combination of short oligonucleotide (11-mer) primers that were known to anneal to conserved sequences in the 3′ regions of enterobacterial genes. Specific PCR amplifications with primers designed to anneal to 14 known genes from either Eca or Ecc revealed the presence of the corresponding transcripts in cDNA, suggesting that the cDNA represented a broad genomic coverage. cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) was used to identify differentially expressed genes in Eca, including one that shows significant similarity, at the protein level, to an avirulence gene from Xanthomonas campestris pv. raphani. Northern analysis was used to confirm that differentially amplified cDNA fragments were derived from differentially expressed genes. This is the first report of the use of cDNA-AFLP to study differential gene expression in prokaryotes.

A potato cysteine protease (cyp) cDNA expressed at an early stage of an incompatible interaction with Phytophthora infestans was isolated. Both the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences are highly homologous to those of a tomato cysteine protease, CYP1. Striking protein similarity to all known cathepsins in animals, particularly cathepsin K, was also observed. However, unlike cathepsins, a granulin binding domain is located near the carboxyl terminus of the putative CYP protein. In animals, granulins bind to receptors in the plasma membrane and signal cell growth and division. A ribonuclease protection assay demonstrated that the cyp gene is tightly regulated and is induced 15 h post inoculation with P. infestans in potato leaves either with high field resistance or in which a resistance (R) gene is activated. We conclude that a common signaling pathway is activated in each form of resistance.

Purpose To evaluate function and assess incidence of complications relating to upper extremity implanted venous access devices placed in oncology patients primarily for chemotherapy. Materials and Methods The authors retrospectively evaluated the clinical course of 205 upper extremity implanted venous access devices placed with fluoroscopic and sonographic guidance in 204 patients during a 2-year period. All patients had a diagnosis of malignancy for which chemotherapy was planned. Follow-up data were collected by patient examination, direct evaluation of device function, as well as chart review and review of relevant imaging procedures. A modified technique for device placement is described. Results The devices were placed successfully on the initial attempt in all cases. Clinical follow-up was obtained for 195 devices (95.1%) for a total device service period of 33,619 days (mean service interval=169 days). Seventy-eight devices (40%) had service intervals greater than 180 days. Thirty-seven devices (19% of total devices) led to 39 complications (0.116event/100 days). No immediate procedural complications were incurred. Eight complications occurred after 180 days of port service. Nineteen devices (9.7% of total devices followed) required removal as a result of complication. Common complications included port malfunction requiring urokinase to clear ( n = 10; 0.030 event/100 days), ipsilateral upper extremity deep venous thrombosis ( n = 9; 0.027), and local infection (n = 7, 0.021). A comparison of these results relative to other published series of similar devices placed for mixed indications is presented. Conclusions Implanted venous access devices are an effective means of long-term venous access in oncology patients. Complication rates in this large series compared favorably to other published radiologic and surgical series. Analysis of complications in a subgroup of extended use implanted venous access devices (greater than 180 days follow-up) showed no statistically significant (P

Two studies examined 192 maltreated young children's competence to take the oath. Study 1 found that despite serious delays in receptive vocabulary, a majority of 5-year-olds correctly identified truthful statements and lies as such and recognized that lying is bad and would make authority figures mad. However, most participants up to 7 years of age could not define "truth" and "lie" or explain the difference between the terms. Four-year-olds were above chance in recognizing the immorality of lying but exhibited a tendency to identify all statements as the "truth." Study 2 found that 4- and 5-year-olds performed above chance in identifying which of 2 story characters was lying or telling the truth and in identifying whether the truth-teller or the liar said something bad or would get in trouble. Children exhibited better understanding of the immorality of lying than the meaning of lying. Maltreated children's oath-taking competence may be underestimated due to linguistic and motivational difficulties.

We analyze tests for long-run abnormal returns and document that two approaches yield well-specified test statistics in random samples. The first uses a traditional event study framework and buy-and-hold abnormal returns calculated using carefully constructed reference portfolios. Inference is based on either a skewnessadjusted t-statistic or the empirically generated distribution of long-run abnormal returns. The second approach is based on calculation of mean monthly abnormal returns using calendar-time portfolios and a time-series t-statistic. Though both approaches perform well in random samples, misspecification in nonrandom samples is pervasive. Thus, analysis of long-run abnormal returns is treacherous. COMMONLY USED METHODS TO TEST for long-run abnormal stock returns yield misspecified test statistics, as documented by Barber and Lyon ~1997a! and Kothari and Warner ~1997!. 1 Simulations reveal that empirical rejection levels routinely exceed theoretical rejection levels in these tests. In combination, these papers highlight three causes for this misspecification. First, the new listing or survivor bias arises because in event studies of long-run abnormal returns, sampled firms are tracked for a long post-event period, but firms that constitute the index ~or reference portfolio! typically include firms that begin trading subsequent to the event month. Second, the rebalancing bias arises because the compound returns of a reference portfolio, such as an equally weighted market index, are typically calculated assuming periodic ~generally monthly! rebalancing, whereas the returns of sample firms are compounded without rebalancing. Third, the skewness bias arises because the distribution of long-run abnormal stock returns is positively skewed, * Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis. This paper was previously entitled “Holding Size while Improving Power in Tests of Long-Run Abnormal Stock Re

Lyon Bryce. Guillaume Des Marez and Henri Pirenne : A Remarkable Rapport. In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 77, fasc. 4, 1999. Histoire medievale, moderne et contemporaine - Middeleeuwse, moderne en hedendaagse geschiedenis. pp. 1051-1078.

Antimicrobial substances were produced by Bacillus subtilis BS 107 in a defined medium and isolated from culture filtrate by precipitation at pH 2.5. Active fractions were extracted in ethyl acetate, acetone, and 80% ethanol and purified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) on silica gel plates developed with an ethanol-water mixture (2:1, v/v). In each case, a band with a Rf of 0.75 formed an inhibitory zone when the TLC plates were placed in contact with agar seeded with test cultures of the Erwinia spp. The antibiotic was released into the culture medium during early stages of growth of Bacillus subtilis BS 107 but higher amounts were released in older cultures. The antibiotic was resistant to the action of nucleases, proteases, and lipase. It was stable when autoclaved twice for 35 min at 2 atm (1 atm = 101.325 kPa) in acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions. It remained active over the pH range of 1-14 during 1 month of observation and exhibited no loss of antimicrobial activity when stored at 4°C for over 1 year. Bacillus subtilis BS 107 showed activity in vitro and in vivo against Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica and Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora, the causal agents of potato blackleg and tuber soft rot. The application of an antagonist or its antibiotic to cut potato tissues prevented or reduced symptoms of the diseases. The antibiotic was active in vitro against a broad spectrum of bacterial and fungal species.Key words: antagonist, Bacillus subtilis BS 107, Erwinia carotovora, potato.

Survival of larval red drum Sciaenops ocellatus (36 h posthatch) stocked into fertilized culture ponds was monitored to determine the effects of temperature and pH. In 108 pond trials, larvae were stocked at pH values ranging from 8.5 to 10.8 and temperatures ranging from 19.8°C to 30.8°C. Fish were acclimated for 15–25 min before stocking. Culture ponds were stocked only when temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity were conducive to survival. In addition to pH and temperature, ponds were monitored for dissolved oxygen and salinity over a 3-d period before sampling. Pond stocking success was based on the results of ichthyoplankton tows where less than 50 larvae/tow was considered failure and 50 or more larvae/tow was considered success. Ponds with a maximum pH of 9.4 and above had reduced survival (

Our study evaluates the moral reasoning skills of healthy and chronically ill 3 and 4 year olds with respect to illness and treatment, by use of an interview technique that reduces verbal demands on the child. We presented children with pairs of scenarios comparing ill characters with characters acting immorally and characters being punished, as well as with pairs of scenarios comparing treated characters with characters acting immorally and characters being punished. We asked children to point to the character who did something "naughty." With the exception of the chronically ill 3 year olds, the children performed consistently above chance and did not confuse illness and immorality. Older and healthy children performed better than younger and chronically ill ones (differences were the result of differing receptive vocabulary skill levels). This research has implications for evaluating young children's reasoning abilities and suggests that medical professionals should use tools that reduce demands on children's verbal proficiency.

Erwinia carotovora ssp. atroseptica has been transfortned with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene from Aequorea victoria. Transformants had very high levels of GFP expression but some plasmid instability was apparent when bacteria were not grown on atnpicillin. Confocal microscopy showed variation between cells in the level of expression of GFP. Transfonnants retained their pathogenicity on potatoes, rotting tubers and causing typical blackleg symptoms when inoculated into stems, but the level of fluorescence was not suitable for observing bacterial movement. In contrast, E. coli producing GFP could be used to follow bacterial movement within vascular tissue of potato leaves. Zusammenfassung Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica wurde mit Hilfe des green fluorescent protein (GFP) Gens aus Aequorea victoria transformiert. Transformanden hatten sehr hohe GFP-Expressionsniveaus, jedoch wurde eine gewisse Plasmidinstabilitat beobachtet, wenn die Bakterien nicht mit Ampicillin kultiviert wurden. Confokale Mikroskopie zeigte Variationen zwischen den Zellen in dem Grad der GFP-Expression. Transformanden waren an der Kartoffel noch infektios, sie verursachten eine Knollenfaule sowie die typischen Schwarzbeinigkeit-symptome nach einer Stengelinokulation; die Starke der Fluoreszenz war jedoch zu schwach, um die Bewegung von Bakterieti in der Pflanze festzustellen. Im Gegensatz hierzu konnte GFP-produzierende Escherichia coli ange-wandt werden, um die Bewegung von Bakterien in den Leitbundein von Kartoffelblattern zu verfolgen.

The technique presented in this correspondence uses the MV spectrum's convergence properties to identify unknown and arbitrary harmonic signal fields. The correlation sequence for the identified harmonic signal field is then combined with the observed overall correlation sequence to obtain a spectral model of the random noise field.

Fama and French (1992) document a significant relation between firm size, book-to-market ratios, and security returns for nonfinancial firms. Because of their initial interest in leverage as an explanatory variable for security returns, Fama and French exclude from their analysis financial firms, thus creating a natural holdout sample on which to test the robustness of their results. The authors document that the relation between firm size, book-to-market ratios, and security returns is similar for financial and nonfinancial firms. In addition, they present evidence that survivorship bias does not significantly affect the estimated size or book-to-market premiums in returns. The authors' results indicate data-snooping and selection biases do not explain the size and book-to-market patterns in returns. Copyright 1997 by American Finance Association.

Agrobacterium transformation systems forBrassica, Solanum andRubus, using carbenicillin, cefotaxime and ticaracillin respectively to eliminate contamination, were examined for the presence of residualAgrobacterium. The results indicated that none of the antibiotics in question, succeeded in eliminatingAgrobacterium and the contamination levels increased in explants from 12 to 16 weeks to such an extent thatSolanum cultures senesced and died. This may be due to the fact that four times the Minimum bactericidal concentration values (concentration to be used for elimination of contaminants in culture), for the three antibiotics, were higher than the concentrations employed in the culture medium. Contamination in shoot material decreased over 16 to 24 weeks possibly due to bacteriostatis and the use only of the apical node for further culture. The presence of the binary vector was also noted under non-selective conditions, even up to 6 months after transformation, where approx. 50% of contaminated material still harboured bacterial cells with the binary vector at levels of approx. 107 Colony forming units per gram.

We analyze the empirical power and specification of test statistics in event studies designed to detect long-run (one- to five-year) abnormal stock returns. We document that test statistics based on abnormal returns calculated using a reference portfolio, such as a market index, are misspecified (empirical rejection rates exceed theoretical rejection rates) and identify three reasons for this misspecification. We correct for the three identified sources of misspecification by matching sample firms to control firms of similar sizes and book-to-market ratios. This control firm approach yields well-specified test statistics in virtually all sampling situations considered.

Government export promotion programs are ultimately intended to increase exports of US products over the long run; however, empirical testing to determine the most efficient way to attain this goal is limited. Regression results from a time-series of five processed fruit industries indicate that direct exporters -- processors who themselves handle exports -- are far more likely to maintain export levels over time than trading companies. Generic promotion expenditures are found to increase only indirect exports, and indirect exports have a very limited effect on future direct exports. These results indicate that efficient export enhancement policy should encourage direct exporting by food processors. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Two studies, with 102 nonmaltreated 3- to 6-year-old children and 96 maltreated 4- to 7-year-old children, examined children's understanding of the relative strengths of "I promise," "I will," "I might," and "I won't," to determine the most age-appropriate means of eliciting a promise to tell the truth from child witnesses. Children played a game in which they chose which of 2 boxes would contain a toy after hearing story characters make conflicting statements about their intent to place a toy in each box (e.g., one character said "I will put a toy in my box" and the other character said "I might put a toy in my box"). Children understood "will" at a younger age than "promise." Nonmaltreated children understood that "will" is stronger than "might" by 3 years of age and that "promise" is stronger than "might" by 4 years of age. The youngest nonmaltreated children preferred "will" to "promise," whereas the oldest nonmaltreated children preferred "promise" to "will." Maltreated children exhibited a similar pattern of performance, but with delayed understanding that could be attributed to delays in vocabulary. The results support a modified oath for children: "Do you promise that you will tell the truth?".

Ureteroarterial fistula (UAF) is a rare but potentially fatal cause of hematuria seen in patients with prolonged ureteral stenting in the setting of surgery or abdominal radiation. It presents as episodic, transfusion-dependent hematuria with formation of clots. There is no current consensus for the optimal way to diagnose or treat UAF. We report two cases of UAF that required repeated studies and provocative testing to confirm the diagnosis. Both were successfully managed by endovascular stenting. Clinicians must recognize the diagnostic difficulties involved and maintain a high index of suspicion for UAF in stented patients with intermittent, severe hematuria.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the kidney is a rare disease often characterized by a young age of onset and aggressive clinical course. Because there are few case series and the optimal management is not well defined, we reviewed the combined experience of two large tertiary centers in the diagnosis and management of pts with renal PNET. METHODS: Following IRB approval at the University of Pittsburgh and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, we conducted a retrospective review of pts with surgically managed renal PNET treated from 1998?2012. RESULTS: There were 5 female and 3 male pts diagnosed at a median of 38 years (21 – 71 years). All pts had symptoms at presentation including abdominal pain (87.5%), anorexia (67.5%), and hematuria (50%). An abdominal mass was palpable in 50%. At presentation, 2 pts had metastatic disease, 3 had an IVC thrombus, and 2 had a renal vein thrombus. One pt had a history of a spinal PNET treated six years prior. The average radiographic size of the renal masses was 13.5cm (8.3-23cm) and 6 were left sided. All pts underwent radical nephrectomy and 50% had concurrent resections of the pancreas (3), spleen (2), colon (1), diaphragm (1), and/or psoas (1). Lymph nodes were positive in 25%, negative in 12.5%, and not reported in 67.5%. Three pts underwent percutaneous biopsy and the diagnosis of PNET was made in all 3 cases. One pt who had preoperative chemotherapy had complete tumor necrosis on final pathology. FISH analysis demonstrated EWS-FLI-1 and EWSR1 rearrangements in 2 and 3 pts, respectively. Four pts received chemotherapy prior to and 4 after surgery based on guidelines for the Ewing’s family of tumors. Radiation was performed for adjuvant (n 2) and palliative purposes (n 1). Median follow up was 27 mths (2.7 – 175 mths). Two pts died of disease at a median of 22.5 mths after diagnosis. Kaplan Meier estimates for 3 and 5 year overall survival were 62.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Renal PNET is a rare tumor that should be considered in younger pts presenting with a large renal mass associated with an IVC thrombus. The diagnosis can be made by percutaneous biopsy but more commonly it is established after nephrectomy. Treatment is multi-modal and chemotherapy is based on the Ewing’s family of tumors guidelines. Pts who present with metastatic disease have a poor overall prognosis (Fig 1). Source of Funding: Steven Hanson Family Kidney Cancer Research Fund.

Purpose The authors report on the use of Palmaz balloon-expandable intraluminal metallic stents to supplement conventional balloon angioplasty and to primarily treat a variety of supra-aortic arterial atherosclerotic lesions manifested by claudication or embolic phenomena. Patients and Methods Results from a series of seven patients are reported. Five patients received stents following percutaneous balloon angioplasty (PTA): four patients received five stents for suboptimal initial result of PTA and one patient received one stent for early restenosis following successful PTA. Two patients received three stents primarily: one patient had one stent placed for a highly eccentric innominate lesion and the other patient had two stents placed for an ulcerated nonocclusive subclavian lesion causing blue digits. Results Treatment produced immediate angiographic or hemodynamic improvement in all seven patients. Clinical follow-up was obtained on all patients (mean, 10 months; range, 3–18 months). One patient had an episode of vertigo after PTA of a right subclavian lesion that resolved after thrombolytic therapy and stent placement. Conclusion The placement of metallic stents in supra-aortic arteries represented an effective adjunct to PTA of atherosclerotic stenoses in these vessels. Primary stent placement may be an effective treatment for selected lesions.

This research evaluates methods used in event studies that employ accounting-based measures of operating performance. We examine the choice of an accounting-based performance measure, a statistical test, and a model of expected operating performance. We document the impact of these choices on the test statistics designed to detect abnormal operating performance. We find that commonly used research designs yield test statistics that are misspecified in cases where sample firms have performed either unusually well or poorly. In this sampling situation, the test statistics are only well specified when sample firms are matched to control firms of similar pre-event performance.

Summary Calli derived from hypocotyl explants of a susceptible and resistant genotype of Coffea arabica were evaluated for their response to different concentrations of partially purified culture filtrates (PPCFs) produced by Colletotrichum kahawae which are phytotoxic. The size of calli was measured non-destructively by automated image analysis. Differential responses of calli ranged from complete necrosis or reduced growth in the susceptible genotype (N39) to an absence of necrosis and rapid growth in the resistant genotype (cv. Hybrido de Timor). Subsequently, one selection cycle in the presence of PPCF was devised and applied to calli of nine C. arabica genotypes. Normal plants were regenerated through somatic embryogenesis of callus lines that survived the phytotoxin treatment and in vitro and in vivo testing of these plants against the PPCF showed that increased resistance to the toxin had been obtained. These studies suggest that in vitro selection of calli may be a feasible approach to acquiring germplasm with improved resistance to coffee berry disease.