Significant benefits of AIP testing and clinical screening in familial isolated and young-onset pituitary tumors

Context Germline mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) gene are responsible for a subset of familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) cases and sporadic pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Objective To compare prospectively diagnosed AIP mutation-positive (AIPmut) PitNET patients with clinically presenting patients and to compare the clinical characteristics of AIPmut and AIPneg PitNET patients. Design 12-year prospective, observational study. Participants & Setting We studied probands and family members of FIPA kindreds and sporadic patients with disease onset ≤18 years or macroadenomas with onset ≤30 years (n = 1477). This was a collaborative study conducted at referral centers for pituitary diseases. Interventions & Outcome AIP testing and clinical screening for pituitary disease. Comparison of characteristics of prospectively diagnosed (n = 22) vs clinically presenting AIPmut PitNET patients (n = 145), and AIPmut (n = 167) vs AIPneg PitNET patients (n = 1310). Results Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut PitNET patients had smaller lesions with less suprasellar extension or cavernous sinus invasion and required fewer treatments with fewer operations and no radiotherapy compared with clinically presenting cases; there were fewer cases with active disease and hypopituitarism at last follow-up. When comparing AIPmut and AIPneg cases, AIPmut patients were more often males, younger, more often had GH excess, pituitary apoplexy, suprasellar extension, and more patients required multimodal therapy, including radiotherapy. AIPmut patients (n = 136) with GH excess were taller than AIPneg counterparts (n = 650). Conclusions Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut patients show better outcomes than clinically presenting cases, demonstrating the benefits of genetic and clinical screening. AIP-related pituitary disease has a wide spectrum ranging from aggressively growing lesions to stable or indolent disease course

An Implemented System for Improving Promotion Productivity Using Store Scanner Data

“Single Source” databases based on scanner data offer new opportunities for evaluating promotions and improving their effectiveness. Decision support needs vary depending on the decision maker's organizational vantage point. Some managers require the evaluation of promotion results in the short term. Others should take a medium- to long-term focus. An implemented model and automated system for measuring short-term incremental volume due to promotions by developing baselines of store-level “normal” sales is presented using store-level scanner data. Empirical validation results and real life applications are presented and discussed, including the use of the baselines as measures of “brand health.”promotion evaluations, scanner data, baselines

Promoter: An Automated Promotion Evaluation System

A system and methodology for evaluating manufacturers' trade promotions which may be combined with consumer promotions is described. The methodology incorporates concepts from expert systems in order to evaluate promotions on a mass scale (i.e., by geographical area and size or flavor) with a minimum of analyst intervention. The system uses available data (shipments, warehouse withdrawal or store level scanner data) and contains a knowledge base to recognize and adjust for data irregularities. The system estimates a baseline of what sales would have been had a promotion not been run. The three available real cases where promotions were discontinued are shown as partial validation for the procedure. The large potential biases in using only factory shipment data for evaluating promotions are also explored.promotion, decision support, expert systems

A Summary of Fifty-Five In-Market Experimental Estimates of the Long-Term Effect of TV Advertising

This article reports on the first in-market experimentally based measurement of long-term TV advertising effects for a representative cross-section of 55 tests for established consumer packaged goods. The typical BehaviorScan ® weight test has a test group exposed to a heavier TV advertising weight than a matched control group for a one-year period, after which the experiment stops. For this analysis, the two groups were tracked and analyzed for another two years, when the only difference between the two groups was the TV advertising treatment during the first year. The analysis shows that when TV weight increases had a significant impact during the year of the weight increases, during the following two years, on average, the sales impact of the first year is approximately double and, on average, it was from an increasing in buying rate in the test group. The analysis also shows that if TV weight increases had no significant impact during the first year, on average, they had no impact in the two following years.advertising, carry over, long term