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Editorials 546Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cause more than half of all deaths in lowand middle-income countries, claiming an estimated 29 million lives each year (of 36 million NCD deaths worldwide).

Objectives. We estimated the relationship between soft drink consumption and obesity and diabetes worldwide. Methods. We used multivariate linear regression to estimate the association between soft drink consumption and overweight, obesity, and diabetes prevalence in 75 countries, controlling for other foods (cereals, meats, fruits and vegetables, oils, and total calories), income, urbanization, and aging. Data were obtained from the Euromonitor Global Market Information Database, the World Health Organization, and the International Diabetes Federation. Bottled water consumption, which increased with per-capita income in parallel to soft drink consumption, served as a natural control group. Results. Soft drink consumption increased globally from 9.5 gallons per person per year in 1997 to 11.4 gallons in 2010. A 1% rise in soft drink consumption was associated with an additional 4.8 overweight adults per 100 (adjusted B; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.1, 6.5), 2.3 obese adults per 100 (95% CI = 1.1, 3.5), and 0.3 adults with diabetes per 100 (95% CI = 0.1, 0.8). These findings remained robust in low- and middle-income countries. Conclusions. Soft drink consumption is significantly linked to overweight, obesity, and diabetes worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries.

Significance Neurulation has been intensively studied in lower vertebrates, but marked species differences call into question the relevance of these models for human neural tube (NT) closure. Here, using mouse embryos, we demonstrate that mammalian neural fold apposition results from constriction of the open posterior NT, which is biomechanically coupled to the zippering point by an F-actin network. Using the Zic2 mutant model, we show that genetic predisposition to spina bifida, which likely underlies most human cases, directly affects the biomechanics of closure. We also identify a NT closure point at the caudal end of the embryo. Many spina bifida cases correspond to this anatomic portion of the NT, suggesting that this closure point may be important in humans as well.