Genus-one surface registration via teichmüller extremal mapping.

This paper presents a novel algorithm to obtain landmark-based genus-1 surface registration via a special class of quasi-conformal maps called the Teichmüller maps. Registering shapes with important features is an important process in medical imaging. However, it is challenging to obtain a unique and bijective genus-1surface matching that satisfies the prescribed landmark constraints.

Structure and function of the middle temporal visual area (MT) in the marmoset: Comparisons with the macaque monkey.

Although macaque monkeys have been dominant models in visual neuroscience, recent scientific advances suggest that marmosets provide a valuable alternative in the context of many types of experiments. Here we focus on the middle temporal area (MT), the most extensively studied extrastriate area in primates, and discuss similarities and differences between marmosets and macaques. The basic response properties of MT cells are similar in these species, including direction selectivity, speed tuning, and receptive field centre-surround organization.

Inflammatory markers and risk of hip fracture in older white women: the study of osteoporotic fractures.

Hip fractures are the most devastating consequence of osteoporosis and impact 1 in 6 white women leading to a two- to threefold increased mortality risk in the first year. Despite evidence of inflammatory markers in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, few studies have examined their effect on hip fracture. To determine if high levels of inflammation increase hip fracture risk and to explore mediation pathways, a case-cohort design nested in a cohort of 4709 white women from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures was used.

Hyperkyphosis, kyphosis progression, and risk of non-spine fractures in older community dwelling women: the study of osteoporotic fractures (SOF).

While accentuated kyphosis is associated with osteoporosis, it is unknown whether it increases risk of future fractures, independent of bone mineral density (BMD) and vertebral fractures. We examined the associations of baseline Cobb angle kyphosis and 15 year change in kyphosis with incident non-spine fractures using data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. A total of 994 predominantly white women, aged 65 or older, were randomly sampled from 9704 original participants to have repeated Cobb angle measurements of kyphosis measured from lateral spine radiographs at baseline and an average of 15 years later.

Metformin in chemotherapy-naive castration-resistant prostate cancer: a multicenter phase 2 trial (SAKK 08/09).

Background: There is evidence linking metformin to improved prostate cancer (PCa)-related outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate treatment with metformin in patients with castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) and the effect of the treatment on progression-free survival (PFS) and PSA doubling time (PSA DT).

Design, Setting, And Participants: Forty-four men with progressive metastatic CRPC from 10 Swiss centers were included in this single-arm phase 2 trial between December 2010 and December 2011.

Association of serum uric acid and incident nonspine fractures in elderly men: the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study.

Uric acid (UA) is produced from purines by the enzyme xanthine oxidase, and elevated levels may cause arthritis and kidney stones. Conversely, UA also appears to function as an antioxidant and may protect against the oxidative stress associated with aging and disease. We performed a prospective fracture case-cohort study to understand the relation of UA and fracture risk in older men enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration does not independently predict incident diabetes in older women.

Aims: To investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was associated with incident diabetes in a large cohort of older women.

Methods: Data were analysed from women included in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, a cohort of community-dwelling women aged ≥65 years at enrolment. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was assessed at the year 6 visit, as were BMI and other factors associated with vitamin D and/or diabetes.

Bacteria clustering by polymers induces the expression of quorum-sensing-controlled phenotypes.

Bacteria deploy a range of chemistries to regulate their behaviour and respond to their environment. Quorum sensing is one method by which bacteria use chemical reactions to modulate pre-infection behaviour such as surface attachment. Polymers that can interfere with bacterial adhesion or the chemical reactions used for quorum sensing are therefore a potential means to control bacterial population responses.

Adoption of sun safe workplace practices by local governments.

Context: Outdoor workers are especially susceptible to skin cancer--the most common, but also one of the most preventable, forms of cancer. Colorado, the location of the study, has the second highest rate of skin cancer deaths in the nation.

Objective: Local government managers in Colorado-in municipalities, counties, and special districts-were surveyed to ascertain the extent to which they engage in formal (written) and informal practices to protect their outdoor workers against excessive exposure to sun.

Relationship between size summation properties, contrast sensitivity and response latency in the dorsomedial and middle temporal areas of the primate extrastriate cortex.

Analysis of the physiological properties of single neurons in visual cortex has demonstrated that both the extent of their receptive fields and the latency of their responses depend on stimulus contrast. Here, we explore the question of whether there are also systematic relationships between these response properties across different cells in a neuronal population. Single unit recordings were obtained from the middle temporal (MT) and dorsomedial (DM) extrastriate areas of anaesthetized marmoset monkeys.

Small nucleolar RNAs and RNA-guided post-transcriptional modification.

snoRNAs (small nucleolar RNAs) constitute one of the largest and best-studied classes of non-coding RNAs that confer enzymatic specificity. With associated proteins, these snoRNAs form ribonucleoprotein complexes that can direct 2'-O-methylation or pseudouridylation of target non-coding RNAs. Aided by computational methods and high-throughput sequencing, new studies have expanded the diversity of known snoRNA functions.

Willingness to take a screening test for colorectal cancer: a community-based survey in Malaysia.

The aims of the study were (i) to determine the knowledge and perceptions of colorectal cancer (CRC), (ii) to explore the willingness of the study population to take a screening test for CRC, and (iii) to identify factors affecting the willingness to take a screening test for CRC. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in a semiurban town in Malaysia using a pretested structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were determined for all important variables.

3M Cavilon No-Sting Barrier Film or topical corticosteroid (mometasone furoate) for protection against radiation dermatitis: A clinical trial.

Background/purpose: Evidence on the prevention of radiation dermatitis is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 3M Cavilon No Sting Barrier Film and topical corticosteroids on irradiated skin.

Methods: Thirty-nine postoperative breast cancer patients were randomized into three groups for intraindividual comparison (skin to be irradiated was divided into 2 parts): (1) 3M No Sting Barrier Film versus no treatment; (2) corticosteroid versus no treatment; and (3) corticosteroid versus 3M No Sting Barrier Film.

Complete genome sequence of Pyrobaculum oguniense.

Pyrobaculum oguniense TE7 is an aerobic hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon isolated from a hot spring in Japan. Here we describe its main chromosome of 2,436,033 bp, with three large-scale inversions and an extra-chromosomal element of 16,887 bp. We have annotated 2,800 protein-coding genes and 145 RNA genes in this genome, including nine H/ACA-like small RNA, 83 predicted C/D box small RNA, and 47 transfer RNA genes.

Effects of antiresorptive therapies on glucose metabolism: results from the FIT, HORIZON-PFT, and FREEDOM trials.

In rodent models, undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) acts as a hormone that promotes insulin sensitivity and secretion. If ucOC plays a similar role in humans, then antiresorptive therapies, which reduce ucOC levels, may increase the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. We tested whether antiresorptive therapies result in higher fasting glucose, increased weight, or greater diabetes incidence in post hoc analyses of three randomized, placebo-controlled trials in postmenopausal women: Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT) (N = 6151) of alendronate (4 years), Health Outcomes and Reduced Incidence with Zoledronic Acid Once Yearly Pivotal Fracture Trial (HORIZON-PFT) (N = 7113) of zoledronic acid (3 years), and Fracture Reduction Evaluation of Denosumab in Osteoporosis Every 6 Months (FREEDOM) trial (N = 7076) of denosumab (3 years).

Registration of brainstem surfaces in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using discrete Ricci flow.

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) characterized by the 3D spine deformity affects about 4% schoolchildren worldwide. Several studies have demonstrated the malfunctioning of postural balance, proprioception, and equilibrium control in patients with AIS. Since these functions are closely related to structures in and around the brainstem, the morphometry of the brainstem surface is of utmost importance.

Racial/ethnic differences in bone mineral density among older women.

The epidemiologic information regarding international differences in bone mineral density (BMD) in women is currently insufficient. We compared BMD in older women across five racial/ethnic groups in four countries. The femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine BMD were measured in women (aged 65-74 years) from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) (5,035 Caucasian women and 256 African American women in the US), the Tobago Women's Health Study (116 Afro-Caribbean women), the Ms Os Hong Kong Study (794 Hong Kong Chinese women) and the Namwon Study (1,377 South Korean women).

Is there an optimal level of open-endedness in prebiotic evolution?

In this paper we explore the question of whether there is an optimal set up for a putative prebiotic system leading to open-ended evolution (OEE) of the events unfolding within this system. We do so by proposing two key innovations. First, we introduce a new index that measures OEE as a function of the likelihood of events unfolding within a universe given its initial conditions.

Twenty-year depressive trajectories among older women.

Context: Despite the frequent occurrence of depressive symptoms among older adults, especially women, little is known about the long-term course of late-life depressive symptoms.

Objective: To characterize the natural course of depressive symptoms among older women (from the young old to the oldest old) followed up for almost 20 years.

Design: Using latent-class growth-curve analysis, we analyzed women enrolled in an ongoing prospective cohort study (1988 through 2009).

Predictive value of FRAX for fracture in obese older women.

Recent studies indicate that obesity is not protective against fracture in postmenopausal women and increases the risk of fracture at some sites. Risk factors for fracture in obese women may differ from those in the nonobese. We aimed to compare the ability of FRAX with and without bone mineral density (BMD) to predict fractures in obese and nonobese older postmenopausal women who were participants in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.

Diversity of Antisense and Other Non-Coding RNAs in Archaea Revealed by Comparative Small RNA Sequencing in Four Pyrobaculum Species.

A great diversity of small, non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules with roles in gene regulation and RNA processing have been intensely studied in eukaryotic and bacterial model organisms, yet our knowledge of possible parallel roles for small RNAs (sRNA) in archaea is limited. We employed RNA-seq to identify novel sRNA across multiple species of the hyperthermophilic genus Pyrobaculum, known for unusual RNA gene characteristics. By comparing transcriptional data collected in parallel among four species, we were able to identify conserved RNA genes fitting into known and novel families.

Breaking camouflage: responses of neurons in the middle temporal area to stimuli defined by coherent motion.

Camouflaged animals remain inconspicuous only insofar as they remain static. This demonstrates that motion is a powerful cue for figure-ground segregation, allowing detection of moving objects even when their luminance and texture characteristics are matched to the background. We investigated the neural processes underlying this phenomenon by testing the responses of neurons in the middle temporal area (MT) to 'camouflaged' bars, which were rendered visible by motion.

Serum sclerostin and risk of hip fracture in older Caucasian women.

Context: Sclerostin, a protein secreted by osteocytes, inhibits bone formation. Individuals with genetic mutations that decrease the availability of sclerostin have very high bone mass.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that elevated serum sclerostin levels are associated with increased risk of hip fracture in older women.

Association between serum 25(OH) vitamin D and the risk of cognitive decline in older women.

Background: Results of prospective studies examining the association between 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and cognitive decline have been inconsistent. We tested the hypothesis that lower 25(OH)D levels are associated with a greater likelihood of cognitive impairment and risk of cognitive decline.

Methods: The study is a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of a prospective cohort of 6,257 community-dwelling elderly women followed for 4 years.