These findings suggest that multitasking neurons provide a computational advantage for behaviors that place simultaneous demands on two or more cognitive processes.”
“Local residual disease occurs in 7-13 % after primary treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To prevent tumor progression and/or distant metastasis, treatment is indicated. Biopsy is the “gold standard” for diagnosing residual disease. Because late histological regression frequently is seen after primary treatment

for NPC, biopsy should be performed when imaging or endoscopy is suspicious at 10 weeks. Different modalities can be used in the treatment of local residual disease. Interestingly,

the treatment of residual disease has better outcomes than treatment of S63845 recurrent disease. For early-stage disease (rT1-2), treatment results and survival rates are very good and comparable to patients who had a complete response after the first treatment. Surgery (endoscopic or open), brachytherapy (interstitial or intracavitary), external or AC220 chemical structure stereotactic beam radiotherapy, or photodynamic therapy all have very good and comparable response rates. Choice should depend on the extension of disease, feasibility of the treatment, and doctor’s and patient’s preferences and experience, as well as the risks of the adverse events. For the more extended tumors, choice of treatment is more difficult, because complete response rates are poorer and severe side effects are not uncommon. The results of external beam reirradiation and stereotactic radiotherapy are better than brachytherapy for T3-4 tumors. Photodynamic therapy resulted in good palliative responses in a few patients with extensive disease. Also, chemotherapeutics or the Epstein-Barr

virus targeted therapies can be used when curative intent treatment is not feasible anymore. However, their advantage in isolated local failure has not been well described yet. Because residual disease often is a problem in countries with check details a high incidence of NPC and limited radiotherapeutic and surgical facilities, it should be understood that most of the above mentioned therapeutic modalities (radiotherapy and surgery) will not be readily available. More research with controlled, randomized trials are needed to find realistic treatment options for residual disease.”
“The course of development of the human genital tract is undifferentiated to the 9th week of development. At this time two symmetrical paired ducts known as the mesonephric (MD) and paramesonephric ducts (PMD) are present, which together with the urogenital sinus provide the tissue sources for internal and external genital development.

\n\nResults: Platelet counts were significantly lower in the Freedom SOLO group than

in the SJM group from the first postoperative day (POD 1) up to POD 6 (p <0.001). In three patients of the Freedom SOLO group the platelet count fell below 30×10(9)/1, while the lowest level in the SJM group was 75×10(9)/1. Based on multiple linear regression models, the type of valve implanted had a statistically significant influence on postoperative platelet counts click here on POD 1, POD 3, and POD 5 (p <0.001).\n\nConclusion: Whilst the reason for this phenomenon is unknown, the use of consistent monitoring should prevent severe falls in platelet count from becoming dangerous for the patient. Further studies are required to investigate Cilengitide order the phenomenon since, despite a shorter cardiopulmonary bypass time, the fall in platelet count was more profound in the Freedom SOLO group.”
“Objective: The need for expansion of health services provided in drug treatment programs has been widely discussed since the beginning of the HIV epidemic among drug users. Service expansion has focused on various types of services including medical services

(eg, primary care) and harm-reduction services (eg, provision of sterile syringes).\n\nMethods: A staff survey was conducted in 8 methadone maintenance clinics in the New York/New Jersey area to assess attitudes toward the provision of harm reduction and other services in methadone clinics, and the relationship of these attitudes to other variables.\n\nParticipants: A total of 114 staff members in 8 methadone maintenance clinics completed the survey.\n\nResults: The majority Transmembrane Transporters inhibitor of staff was supportive of adding

services, over 90% supported medical services, and the majority supported harm-reduction services such as syringe access and disposal services. Higher education and HIV knowledge levels were significant correlates of favorable attitudes toward service provision.\n\nConclusions: Support for providing harm-reduction services in methadone maintenance clinics was found. Enhancing knowledge of staff regarding various types of health services, and engaging them in how best to institute new services, should be undertaken when new services are planned.”
“Xylans are polymeric sugars constituting a significant part of the plant cell wall. They are usually substituted with acetyl side groups attached at positions 2 or 3 of the xylose backbone units. Acetylxylan esterases are part of the hemicellulolytic system of many microorganisms which utilize plant biomass for growth. These enzymes hydrolyze the ester linkages of the xylan acetyl groups and thus improve the accessibility of main-chain-hydrolyzing enzymes and their ability to break down the sugar backbone units. The acetylxylan esterases are therefore critically important for those microorganisms and as such could be used for a wide range of biotechnological applications.

Even though we use CASS primarily for planning more complex cases at the present time, this study showed an average saving of 60 min for each

case. In the context of a department that performs 200 bimaxillary cases each year, this would represent a saving of 25 days of doctor time, DMH1 in vitro if applied to every case. It is concluded that CASS offers great potential for improving efficiency when used in the planning of bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. It saves significant doctor time that can be applied to additional surgical work.”
“To date, case-control studies on the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have provided either controversial

or inconclusive results. To clarify the effect of MTHFR on the risk of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, a meta-analysis of all case-control observational studies was performed. The fixed effects and random effects model showed that the C677T polymorphism was associated with a risk of DLBCL among East Asian populations, and A1298C polymorphism was not associated with a risk of DLBCL among Caucasian and East Asian populations. Our pooled data suggest evidence for a major role of MTHFR C677T polymorphism in the carcinogenesis of DLBCL among East Asian populations.”
“Lineage-specific transcription factors (TFs) display instructive roles in directly reprogramming adult cells into alternate developmental

fates, in a process known as transdifferentiation. The present study analyses the hypothesis that Navitoclax despite being fast, transdifferentiation does not occur in one step but is rather a consecutive and hierarchical process. Using ectopic expression of Pdx1 in human liver cells, we demonstrate that while glugacon and somatostatin expression initiates within a day, Evofosfamide Others inhibitor insulin gene expression becomes evident only 2-3 days later. To both increase transdifferentiation efficiency and analyze whether the process indeed display consecutive and hierarchical characteristics, adult human liver cells were treated by three pancreatic transcription factors, Pdx1, Pax4 and Mafa (3pTFs) that control distinct hierarchical stages of pancreatic development in the embryo. Ectopic expression of the 3pTFs in human liver cells, increased the transdifferentiation yield, manifested by 300% increase in the number of insulin positive cells, compared to each of the ectopic factors alone. However, only when the 3pTFs were sequentially supplemented one day apart from each other in a direct hierarchical manner, the transdifferentiated cells displayed increased mature beta-cell-like characteristics. Ectopic expression of Pdx1 followed by Pax4 on the 2nd day and concluded by Mafa on the 3rd day resulted in increased yield of transdifferentiation that was associated by increased glucose regulated c-peptide secretion.

However, the findings provide data on a number of 1p/19q genomic regions that, because of homozygotic deletion, might be the location of genes that are important for the development and clinical evolution of some malignant gliomas in”
“Half electrolysis consists of a single faradaic reaction and a supercapacitor electrode. The electrolytic product is only produced at the faradaic electrode and the low voltage electrolysis is highly energy efficient.”
“The concentrations and relative ratios of various aroma

compounds produced by fermenting yeast cells are essential for the sensory quality of many fermented foods, including beer, bread, wine, and sake. Since the production of these aroma-active compounds varies highly among different yeast

selleck inhibitor strains, careful selection of variants with optimal aromatic profiles is of crucial importance for a high-quality end product. This study evaluates the production of different aroma-active compounds in 301 different Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces paradoxus, and Saccharomyces pastorianus yeast strains. Our results show that the production of key aroma compounds like isoamyl acetate and ethyl selleckchem acetate varies by an order of magnitude between natural yeasts, with the concentrations of some compounds showing significant positive correlation, whereas others vary independently. Targeted hybridization of some of the best aroma-producing strains yielded 46 intraspecific hybrids,

of which some show a distinct heterosis (hybrid vigor) effect and produce up to 45% more isoamyl acetate than the best parental strains while retaining their overall fermentation performance. Together, our results demonstrate the potential of large-scale outbreeding to obtain superior industrial yeasts that are directly applicable for commercial use.”
“Regimen adherence, systemic toxicities, and limited drug penetrance to viral reservoirs are obstacles limiting the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Our laboratory’s development of the monocyte-macrophage-targeted long-acting nanoformulated ART (nanoART) carriage provides a novel opportunity to simplify drug-dosing regimens. Progress has nonetheless been slowed by cumbersome, but required, pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamics, and biodistribution testing. To this end, we developed STAT inhibitor a small magnetite ART (SMART) nanoparticle platform to assess antiretroviral drug tissue biodistribution and PK using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Herein, we have taken this technique a significant step further by determining nanoART PK with folic acid (FA) decorated magnetite (ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide [USPIO]) particles and by using SMART particles. FA nanoparticles enhanced the entry and particle retention to the reticuloendothelial system over nondecorated polymers after systemic administration into mice.

There are three mammalian AKT isoforms located on chromosomes 14, 19 and 1, respectively. The aim of the study was to investigate genetic alterations of AKT in breast and prostatic cancers using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).\n\nMethods and results:\n\nIn oestrogen receptor(ER)-positive breast carcinomas, AKT1 was deleted in five (4.8%) and amplified in one (1%) carcinoma. Deletions of AKT2

were seen in 19 (21.1%) cases. No AKT2 amplifications were identified. Ten (9.9%) AKT3 amplifications but no deletions were seen. In prostatic cancer, AKT1 was amplified in one carcinoma (2.6%). No genetic changes were observed for AKT2 and AKT3. High frequencies of aneusomy for all chromosomes were observed in breast and prostatic carcinomas.\n\nConclusions:\n\nIn Dinaciclib concentration breast cancer

AKT3 amplifications and AKT1 and AKT2 deletions were seen, which, to our knowledge, have not been shown by FISH before. Although these two cohorts cannot be directly compared, only one AKT1 amplification was identified in prostatic carcinomas. This indicates differences in the genetic changes underlying development of breast and prostatic cancers. To evaluate further the role of genetic changes of AKT in breast cancer progression, a cohort of both ER+ and ER- patients should be evaluated.”
“Bombardment of deuterated amorphous carbon (a-C:D) and graphite systems with 20 eV D atoms has been performed using molecular dynamics simulations and two classical reactive potentials, to examine the effect of initial system choice and potential energy function on the learn more properties of the steady-state surface. While a-C:D structures evolve monotonically towards impact-modified surfaces, the graphite system exhibits layer-by-layer,

cyclical modification and evolves towards a steady state different from its amorphous counterpart. Longer-ranged potentials also have a noticeable effect on the interfacial structure and surface modifications under impact. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“We have experimentally studied an abrupt lateral-relaxed/strained layer heterojunction for ballistic complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors, which is fabricated by a local O+ ion-induced relaxation technique for strained semiconductors on a buried oxide layer. We have demonstrated that strained substrates in various conditions AZD1480 in vitro are suddenly relaxed at a critical recoil energy of O+ ions at the strained semiconductor/buried oxide layer interface. Moreover, after O+ ion implantation into strained substrates with a SiO2 mask as well as post-annealing processes, we have successfully formed lateral relaxed/strained Si layers with an abrupt strain distribution at the mask edge, according to Raman spectroscopy analysis of implanted strained substrates. In addition, strained Si layers even under the 50-nm length stripe SiO2 mask region can still keep over 60% of the strain value in strained Si layers with a large area.

Subsequent Bankart repair with transosseous

tunnels using high-strength suture was performed. Hill-Sachs lesions were made in the cadaver utilizing a plastic mold from the exact replica off the 3D printer. Testing was conducted in the following sequence for each specimen: (1) intact, (2) posterior capsulotomy, (3) Bankart lesion, (4) Bankart repair, (5) Bankart lesion with 2-mm glenoid defect, (6) Bankart repair, (7) Bankart lesion with 2-mm glenoid defect and Hill-Sachs lesion, Sapitinib (8) Bankart repair, (9) Bankart lesion with 4-mm glenoid defect and Hill-Sachs lesion, (10) Bankart repair, (11) Bankart lesion with 6-mm glenoid defect and Hill-Sachs lesion, and (12) Bankart repair. All sequences were used first for a medium Hill-Sachs lesion (10 specimens) and then repeated for a small Hill-Sachs lesion (11 specimens). Three trials were performed in each condition, and the mean value was used for data analysis. Results: A statistically significant and progressive reduction in load to translation was observed after a Bankart lesion was find more created and with the addition of progressive glenoid defects for each humeral head defect. For medium (50th percentile) Hill-Sachs lesions, there was a 22%, 43%, and 58% reduction in stability with a 2-, 4-, and

6-mm glenoid defect, respectively. For small (25th percentile) Hill-Sachs lesions, there was an 18%, 27%, and 42% reduction in stability with a 2-, 4-, and 6-mm glenoid defect, respectively.

With a 2-mm glenoid defect, the see more medium Hill-Sachs group demonstrated significant reduction in translation force after Bankart repair (P smaller than .01), and for the small Hill-Sachs group, a 4-mm glenoid defect was required to produce a statistical decrease (P smaller than .01) in reduction force after repair. Conclusion: Combined glenoid and humeral head defects have an additive and negative effect on glenohumeral stability. As little as a 2-mm glenoid defect with a medium-sized Hill-Sachs lesion demonstrated a compromise in soft tissue Bankart repair, while small-sized Hill-Sachs lesions showed compromise of soft tissue repair with 4-mm glenoid bone loss. Clinical Relevance: Bipolar bony lesions of the glenoid and humeral head occur frequently together in clinical practice. Surgeons should be aware that the combined defects and glenoid bone loss of 2 to 4 mm or approximately 8% to 15% of the glenoid could compromise Bankart repair and thus may require surgical strategies in addition to traditional Bankart repair alone to optimize stability.”
“The use of phages to control pathogenic bacteria has been investigated since they were first discovered in the beginning of the 1900s. Over the last century we have slowly gained an in-depth understanding of phage biology including which phage properties are desirable when considering phage as biocontrol agents and which phage characteristics to potentially avoid.

In this review the state of the art

regarding the wealth of mVOC emission is presented. To date, ca. 300 bacteria and fungi were described as VOC producers and approximately 800 mVOCs were compiled in DOVE-MO (database of volatiles emitted by microorganisms). Furthermore, this paper summarizes morphological and phenotypical alterations and reactions that occur in the organisms due to the presence of mVOCs. These effects might provide clues for elucidating the biological and ecological significance of mVOC emissions and will help to unravel the entirety of belowgroundaEuroe volatile-wired’ interactions.”
“Nucleophosmin (NPM1/B23) is a nucleolar protein implicated in growth-associated functions, LCL161 cost in which the RNA binding activity of B23 plays essential roles in ribosome biogenesis. The C-terminal globular domain (CTD) of B23 has been believed to be the RNA binding domain because the splicing variant B23.2 lacking the CTD binds considerably less efficiently to RNA. However, the recognition of target RNAs by B23 remains poorly understood. Herein, we report a novel mechanism by which B23 recognizes specific RNA targets. We observed that the nucleolar retention of B23.3 lacking the basic region of B23.1 was lower than that of B23.1 because of its low RNA binding activity. Circular dichroism measurements indicated that the basic region and adjacent acidic regions of B23 are intrinsically

disordered regions (IDRs). Biochemical analyses GW2580 solubility dmso revealed that the basic IDR alone strongly binds to RNA with low specificity. The excessive RNA binding activity of the basic IDR was restrained by intra-molecular interaction with the acidic IDR of B23. Chemical cross-linking experiments and fluorescent labeling of bipartite tetracysteine-tagged proteins suggested that the inter-and intra-molecular interactions between the two IDRs contribute to the regulation of the RNA binding activity of CTD to control the cellular localization and functions of B23.”
“BackgroundSurveillance and focal therapy are

increasingly considered for low risk prostate cancer (PC). Selleck YAP-TEAD Inhibitor 1 We describe pathological characteristics of low risk PC at radical prostatectomy in contemporary patients. MethodsFive-hundred-fifty-two men from 2008 to 2012 with low risk (stage T1c/T2a, PSA10ng/ml, Gleason score 6) PC underwent radical prostatectomy. Slides were re-reviewed to grade and stage the tumor, map separate tumor nodules, and calculate their volumes. ResultsNinety-three (16.9%) men had prostatectomy Gleason score 3+4=7 or higher and were excluded. Five (0.9%) men had no residual carcinoma. Remaining 454 patients composed the study cohort. The median age was 57 years (36-73) and median PSA 4.4ng/ml (0.4-9.9). Racial distribution was 77.5% Caucasian, 15.5% African American, and 7% other. The median total tumor volume was 0.38 cm(3) (0.003-7.22). Seventy percent of the patients had bilateral tumor and 34% had a tumor nodule bigger than 0.5 cm(3).

CCR6 may also regulate the renal outcome in human mesangioprolfierative glomerulonephritis. Copyright (c) 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.”
“Here we demonstrate the usefulness of peptide fractionation by SIDS-free polyacrylamide Epigenetics inhibitor gel electrophoresis and its applicability to proteomics studies. In the absence of SIDS,

the driving force for the electrophoretic migration toward the anode is supplied by negatively charged acidic aminoacid residues and other residues as phosphate, sulfate and sialic acid, while the resulting mobility depends on both the charge and the molecular mass of the peptides. A straightforward method was achieved for SDS-PAGE of proteins, enzyme digestion, peptide transfer and fractionation by SIDS-free PAGE, which was named dual-fractionation polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (DF-PAGE). This method increases the number of identified proteins 2.5-fold with respect to the proteins identified after direct analysis, and more than 80% of assigned peptides were found in unique SDS-free gel slices. A vast majority of identified peptides (93%) have p/values below 7.0, and 7% have p/values between 7.0 and 7.35. check details Peptide

digests that were derived from complex protein mixtures were in consequence simplified as peptides that are positively charged are not-recovered in the present conditions. The analysis of a, membrane protein extract from Neisseria meningitidis by this approach allowed the identification

of 97 proteins, including low-abundance components.”
“Objective. To analyze whether the polymorphisms -22 (G/C) and -348 (C/T) of the BATI gene are associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis (RA).\n\nMethods. One hundred fifty-six patients with RA and 154 controls were genotyped for HLA-DRB1 and the polymorphisms -22 and -348 of the BAT1 gene.\n\nResults. HLA-DRB1*04 alleles were associated with RA susceptibility (33.9% vs 20.1%; p(c) = 0.04). Among these, HLA-DRB1 *0401 (13.4% vs 5.1%; p(c) = 0.04) and HLA-DRB1 *0404 (5.7% vs 1.2%; p(c) = 0.2) were increased in patients with RA. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/qnz-evp4593.html Additionally, carriage of BATI -348T polymorphism was strongly associated with RA (23.7% vs 12.1%; p(c) = 0.0002). Significantly, BAT1 -348T was in linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DRB 1 *0404 and HLA-DRB1 *0405. However, BAT1 -348 T was associated independently with HLA-DRB1 shared-epitope alleles (42.6% vs 18.9%; p = 0.001).\n\nConclusion. The BATI -348T polymorphism is associated with RA susceptibility independently of HLA-DRB1. The role of BAT] in the regulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha suggests that BAT1 may regulate the inflammatory response observed in patients with RA.”
“Kinetics and thermodynamics of lipase-catalyzed esterification of L-ascorbic acid in acetone were investigated by using vinyl acetate as acyl donor. The results showed that L-ascorbic acid could generate inhibition effect on lipase activity.

Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.”
“The

ancient therapy of bloodletting that was universal in the West traveled to Japan 500 years ago on the trading vessels that carried physicians and barber-surgeons to care for the body and Christian missionaries to care for the Soul. Then bloodletting was replaced by blood transfusion in the 19th century, only to return less than 50 years ago as apheresis. An understanding of those transitions can be gained from the story of the introduction Of Western medicine to Japan and the events that have led to the practice of apheresis there today. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Microphotoluminescence (mu-PL) investigation has been performed at room temperature on InAs quantum INCB28060 mouse dot (QD) vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) structure in order to characterize the QD epitaxial structure which LY3023414 was designed for 1.3 mu m wave band emission. Actual and precise QD emission spectra including distinct ground state (GS) and excited state (ES) transition peaks are obtained by an edge-excitation and edge-emission (EEEE)

mu-PL configuration. Conventional photoluminescence methods for QD-VCSELs structure analysis are compared and discussed, which indicate the EEEE mu-PL is a useful tool to determine the optical features of the QD active region in an as-grown VCSEL structure. Some experimental results have been compared with simulation results obtained with the aid of the plane-wave admittance method. After adjustment of epitaxial growth according to EEEE mu-PL measurement results, QD-VCSEL structure wafer with QD GS transition wavelength of 1300 nm and lasing wavelength

of 1301 nm was obtained. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3490236]“
“The PCR-based DNA microsatellite analysis has been applied MI-503 price to define genetic relationships among eleven Romanian grapevine varieties. 87 alleles with a mean number of 7.90 alleles per locus were detected in the set of cultivars analyzed. The total number of alleles per locus varied between 4 (in VVMD24 and VVIQ52) and 10 (in VMC8G9, UDV125 and VMC5G6.1). The expected heterozygosity (gene diversity) ranged from 0.63 at locus VVMD24 to 0.92 at locus VVMD28. The observed heterozygosity varied between 0.63 at locus VVMD24 to 1 at locus VVMD28 and was higher than the expected one at 4 out of 11 loci. Microsatellite analysis proved to be useful for the genetic characterization of Romanian grapevines, allowing precise identification and good discrimination of all tested cultivars.”
“Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common and debilitating abnormalities of the arrhythmias worldwide, with a major impact on morbidity and mortality. The detection of AF becomes crucial in preventing both acute and chronic cardiac rhythm disorders.\n\nObjective: Our objective is to devise a method for real-time, automated detection of AF episodes in electrocardiograms (ECGs).

\n\nMethod. Experienced psychiatrists conducted interviews and chart reviews at baseline and throughout the 15-year follow-up period. Survival analyses were conducted on the presence/ learn more absence of a DSM-III-R mood disorder at follow-up.\n\nResults. There were 59 cases of first lifetime episodes of depression. Analyses showed that Neuroticism [hazard ratio (HR) per one point increase in the Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI) = 1.05, 95 % confidence interval (CI)

1.02-1.08] but not Extroversion (HR 1.02, 95 % CI 0.97-1.06) amplified risk for mood disorder.\n\nConclusions. This prospective study on a randomly sampled birth cohort of older adults showed that Neuroticism confers risk for a first lifetime episode of clinically significant depression. Findings have implications for understanding the etiology of late-life depression (LLD) and could also aid in the identification and treatment of people at risk.”
“Purpose: PET-guided radiation therapy treatment planning, clinical diagnosis, assessment of tumor growth, and therapy response rely on the accurate delineation selleck kinase inhibitor of the tumor volume and quantification of tracer uptake. Most PET image segmentation techniques proposed thus far are suboptimal in the presence of heterogeneity of tracer uptake within the lesion. This work presents an active contour model

approach based on the method of Chan and Vese ["Active contours without edges," IEEE Trans. Image Process. 10, 266-277 (2001)] designed to take into account the high level of statistical uncertainty

(noise) and to handle the heterogeneity of tumor uptake typically present in PET images.\n\nMethods: In the proposed method, QNZ manufacturer the fitting terms in the Chan-Vese formulation are modified by introducing new input images, including the smoothed version of the original image using anisotropic diffusion filtering (ADF) and the contourlet transform of the image. The advantage of utilizing ADF for image smoothing is that it avoids blurring the object’s edges and preserves the average activity within a region, which is important for accurate PET quantification. Moreover, incorporating the contourlet transform of the image into the fitting terms makes the energy functional more effective in directing the evolving curve toward the object boundaries due to the enhancement of the tumor-to-background ratio (TBR). The proper choice of the energy functional parameters has been formulated by making a clear consensus based on tumor heterogeneity and TBR levels. This cautious parameter selection leads to proper handling of heterogeneous lesions. The algorithm was evaluated using simulated phantom and clinical studies, where the ground truth and histology, respectively, were available for accurate quantitative analysis of the segmentation results. The proposed technique was also compared to a number of previously reported image segmentation techniques.