Early Pennsylvanian Conodont-Ammonoid Biostratigraphy and the Witts Springs Problem, North-Central Arkansas

The Witts Springs Formation was proposed as a lithostratigraphic unit in north-central Arkansas to include the interval from a horizon equivalent to the base of the Prairie Grove Member, Hale Formation to the top of the Bloyd Formation, of the type Morrowan Series, northwestern Arkansas. The top of the Witts Springs Formation was regarded as being unconformably succeeded by the middle Pennsylvanian Atoka Formation. Recent investigation of this unit in its type area has shown that the presumed Atokan Sandstone is actually a unit confined to the Bloyd Formation. Thus, the type section of the Witts Springs in Searcy County, Arkansas only comprises the Prairie Grove and Brentwood interval. This determination is supported by the recovery of the conodonts Idlognatholdes sinuatus, Neognathodus symmetrlcus and Idiognathodus delicatus, and the ammonoids Arkanites, Branneroceras and Gastrioceras from a succession of calcareous units below the middle Bloyd sandstone throughout the type Witts Springs and other sections in the type region. The Witts Springs should continue to be interpreted in the sense of its original definition, although a supplementary reference section is needed for the upper Witts Springs which spans the Morrowan- Atokan boundary with removal of the Trace Creek from the Morrowan

Neurology training around the world

Lancet Neurol. 2003 Sep;2(9):572-9. Neurology training around the world. Hooker J, Eccher M, Lakshminarayan K, Souza-Lima FC, Rejdak K, Kwiecinski H, Corea F, Lima JM. The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG, London, UK. Comment in: Lancet Neurol. 2003 Oct;2(10):594; discussion 594

European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT)-TLJ 3.0 Consensus on Histopathological Analysis of Pre-Implantation Donor Kidney Biopsy:Redefining the Role in the Process of Graft Assessment

The ESOT TLJ 3.0. consensus conference brought together leading experts in transplantation to develop evidence-based guidance on the standardization and clinical utility of pre-implantation kidney biopsy in the assessment of grafts from Expanded Criteria Donors (ECD). Seven themes were selected and underwent in-depth analysis after formulation of PICO (patient/population, intervention, comparison, outcomes) questions. After literature search, the statements for each key question were produced, rated according the GRADE approach [Quality of evidence: High (A), Moderate (B), Low (C); Strength of Recommendation: Strong (1), Weak (2)]. The statements were subsequently presented in-person at the Prague kick-off meeting, discussed and voted. After two rounds of discussion and voting, all 7 statements reached an overall agreement of 100% on the following issues: needle core/wedge/punch technique representatively [B,1], frozen/paraffin embedded section reliability [B,2], experienced/non-experienced on-call renal pathologist reproducibility/accuracy of the histological report [A,1], glomerulosclerosis/other parameters reproducibility [C,2], digital pathology/light microscopy in the measurement of histological variables [A,1], special stainings/Haematoxylin and Eosin alone comparison [A,1], glomerulosclerosis reliability versus other histological parameters to predict the graft survival, graft function, primary non-function [B,1]. This methodology has allowed to reach a full consensus among European experts on important technical topics regarding pre-implantation biopsy in the ECD graft assessment.</p

Fair Value Hierarchy Measures: Post-Implementation Evidence on IFRS 7

Using a balance sheet valuation model, this study examines if information on the fair value hierarchy of on-balance sheet financial assets and financial liabilities are incorporated in the market’s valuation of companies’ equities in Singapore. The results of the study show significant associations between as-reported Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measures of financial assets and market values. However, the results are not significant for Level 3 fair value measures of financial assets and each of the three levels of fair value measures of financial liabilities. The results also show that returns are more positively associated with as-reported gains and losses from Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measures than those from Level 3 fair value measures. Overall, the evidence suggests that information on the fair value hierarchy of IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures are used by market participants in their pricing decisions. The market however appears to place greater weights on fair value changes taken to the income statement than those taken to OCI, notwithstanding the level of the fair value measure. While the fixation with income statement measures remains a puzzle, the results are consistent with prior studies that show that investors largely ignore OCI in their pricing of shares

Proliferative activity in human breast cancer: Ki-67 automated evaluation and the influence of different Ki-67 equivalent antibodies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ki67 labeling index (Ki67 LI), the percentage Ki67 immunoreactive cells, is a measure of tumor proliferation, with important clinical relevance in breast cancer, and it is extremely important to standardize its evaluation.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To test the efficacy of computer assisted image analysis (CAIA) applied to completely digitized slides and to assess its feasibility in routine practice and compare the results obtained using two different Ki67 monoclonal antibodies.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>315 consecutive breast cancer routinely immunostained for Ki-67 (223 with SP6 and 92 with MM1 antibodies previously examined by an experienced pathologist, have been re-evaluated using Aperio Scanscope Xs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean human Ki67 LI values were 36%± 14.% and 28% ± 18% respectively for SP6 and MM1 antibodies; mean CAM Ki67 LI values were 31%± 19% and 22% ± 18% respectively for SP6 and MM1. Human and CAIA evaluation are statistically highly correlated (Pearson: 0.859, p<0.0001), although human LI are systematically higher. An interobserver variation study on CAIA performed on 84 cases showed that the correlation between the two evaluations was linear to an excellent degree.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Our study shows that a) CAIA can be easily adopted in routine practice, b) human and CAIA Ki67 LI are highly correlated, although human LI are systematically higher, c) Ki67 LI using different evaluation methods and different antibodies shows important differences in cut-off values.</p

European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT)-TLJ 3.0 consensus on histopathological analysis of pre-implantation donor kidney biopsy: redefining the role in the process of graft assessment

The ESOT TLJ 3.0. consensus conference brought together leading experts in transplantation to develop evidence-based guidance on the standardization and clinical utility of pre-implantation kidney biopsy in the assessment of grafts from Expanded Criteria Donors (ECD). Seven themes were selected and underwent in-depth analysis after formulation of PICO (patient/population, intervention, comparison, outcomes) questions. After literature search, the statements for each key question were produced, rated according the GRADE approach [Quality of evidence: High (A), Moderate (B), Low (C); Strength of Recommendation: Strong (1), Weak (2)]. The statements were subsequently presented in-person at the Prague kick-off meeting, discussed and voted. After two rounds of discussion and voting, all 7 statements reached an overall agreement of 100% on the following issues: needle core/wedge/punch technique representatively [B,1], frozen/paraffin embedded section reliability [B,2], experienced/non-experienced on-call renal pathologist reproducibility/accuracy of the histological report [A,1], glomerulosclerosis/other parameters reproducibility [C,2], digital pathology/light microscopy in the measurement of histological variables [A,1], special stainings/Haematoxylin and Eosin alone comparison [A,1], glomerulosclerosis reliability versus other histological parameters to predict the graft survival, graft function, primary non-function [B,1]. This methodology has allowed to reach a full consensus among European experts on important technical topics regarding pre-implantation biopsy in the ECD graft assessment.Immunopathology of vascular and renal diseases and of organ and celltransplantationIP

The impact of the institutional environment on the value relevance of fair values

Most prior studies attribute valuation discounts on certain fair valued assets to measurement error or bias. We argue that institutional differences across countries (e.g., information environment or market sophistication) affect investors’ ability to process and impound fair value information in their valuation. We predict that the impact of the institutional environment on value relevance is particularly pronounced for reported fair values of assets designated at fair value through profit or loss (hereafter, “FVO assets”), for which investor experience is lowest and complexity is highest. Using a global sample of IFRS banks, we find that FVO assets are generally less value relevant than held-for-trading assets (HFT) and available-for-sale assets (AFS). By partitioning countries into market- and bank-based economies to proxy for institutional differences, we find that the valuation discount on FVO assets is more pronounced in bank-based economies. Additional tests suggest that this valuation discount is attenuated by a richer firm-level information environment and the presence of institutional investors with fair value experience