Bones, blood, pellets, glass, and no body.

A man was found guilty of killing his wife, although her body was never found. The case centered on her car, which contained fragments of bone, glass, shotgun pellets, and dried blood. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting techniques were used to establish the decedent's identity. Examination of the bone fragments revealed that they were from the skull. These two pieces of information, added to other evidence, proved that the defendant's wife had received a fatal injury in her car, and a guilty verdict was rendered.     

Medicare program; peer review organization contracts: solicitation of statements of interest from in-state organizations--Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wyoming--HCFA. Notice

This notice, in accordance with section 1153(i) of the Social Security Act, gives at least 6 months' advance notice of the expiration dates of contracts with out-of-State Utilization and Quality Control Peer Review Organizations. It also specifies the period of time in which in-State organizations may submit a statement of interest so that they may be eligible to compete for these contracts.     

Primary hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia, paranoid delusions, homicide, and attempted murder

This report describes a case of primary hyperparathyroidism in a 68-year-old man. The endocrine disorder, while suspected before the commission of homicide and attempted murder, was proven biochemically and histologically a number of months after the commission of the crimes. The acts of homicide and attempted murder followed the development of paranoid delusions, which rapidly resolved upon successful removal of a single cystic parathyroid gland adenoma. The unusual events that immediately followed the acts of violence indicate that the delusions occurred in a clear sensorium (absence of delirium). Psychological measures taken before and after surgery document improvement in subtle organic functioning while intelligence was unchanged. This report discusses the neuropsychiatric manifestations of hypercalcemia and reviews the literature.     

On Theory, Models, Model-Testing, and Estimation

I reply to comments and criticisms of my article raised in this Special Issue by Cantor and Land, Britt, O'Brien, Levitt, and Paternoster and Bushway.