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Using Fourier representations, an elaborate study of regular cellular-convective and chaotic motions in a ferrofluid is made. Investigation is made on the adequacy or otherwise of the minimal mode in studying such motions. Higher-order modes are also considered by adding modes (vertical/horizontal/combined extension). For higher modes, the extensions yield a dynamical system of order greater than three. The characteristic features of extended ferromagnetic-Lorenz models are analyzed using the largest Lyapunov exponent(LE), second largest LE, bifurcation diagram, and phase-space plots. The effect of additional modes on critical modal-Rayleigh (infinitesimal and finite-amplitude ones) numbers and the Rayleigh number at which transition to chaos occurs are examined to report features of ferroconvection hitherto unseen in previous studies. As both horizontal and vertical modes are increased, our findings infer that the dynamical system displays advanced onset of regular convection and delayed chaotic motion. Vigorous-chaotic motion is seen on adding vertical modes, whereas on adding horizontal modes, intense chaos appears with decreased intensity for large values of the scaled Rayleigh number. Most important finding from the study is that as modes are increased (vertical/horizontal), the transition from regular to chaotic motion is greatly modified and leads the system to a hyper-chaotic state. Conventionally, the chaotic or hyper-chaotic state is intermittent with a periodic/quasi-periodic state but it can be retained in the chaotic or hyper-chaotic state by considering moderate values of the Prandtl number and/or by bringing in the ferromagnetic effect.

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In this work, we study numerically the periodicity of regular regions embedded in chaotic states for the case of an anisotropic magnetic particle. The particle is in the monodomain regime and subject to an applied magnetic field that depends on time. The dissipative Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation models the particle. To perform the characterization, we compute several two-dimensional phase diagrams in the parameter space for the Lyapunov exponents and the isospikes. We observe multiple transitions among periodic states, revealing complex topological structures in the parameter space typical of dynamic systems. To show the finer details of the regular structures, iterative zooms are performed. In particular, we find islands of synchronization for the magnetization and the driven field and several shrimp structures with different periods.

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BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a frequent medical problem of cancer patients that negatively impacts their quality of life. METHODS: A multidisciplinary group of experts in Medical Oncology, Pharmacy, and Nutrition convened to discuss the management of the nutritional support in cancer patients. RESULTS: Of the 18 questions addressed, 9 focused on nutritional support, 5 were related to parenteral nutrition (PN) and 4 about home PN (HPN). The panel of experts recommends using nutritional screening routinely, at diagnosis and throughout the disease course, for detecting the risk of malnutrition and, if it is positive, to perform a complete nutritional assessment, to diagnose malnutrition. Currently, there are different screening tools and methods that allow us to detect nutritional risk. Based on the evidence and experience, the panel stated that PN is indicated mainly when it is not possible to use the digestive tract and/or oral feeding and/or enteral nutrition is not sufficient or possible. The nutritional needs of the cancer patients, except in those cases where individualized measures are required, should be considered similar to healthy individuals (25-30 kcal/kg/day). The panel considers that the nutritional monitoring of the cancer patient should be multidisciplinary and adapted to the characteristics of each center. Additionally, the objective of the HPN is to improve or maintain the nutritional status of a patient at home. CONCLUSIONS: This document seeks to lay down a set of recommendations and to identify key issues that may be useful for the nutritional management of cancer patients.

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MDR1, which is encoded by the ABCB1 gene, is involved in multidrug resistance (hydrophobic), as well as the elimination of xenotoxic agents. The association between ABCB1 gene polymorphisms and breast cancer risk in different populations has been described previously; however, the results have been inconclusive. In this study, we examined the association between polymorphisms 3435 C/T and 1236 C/T in the ABCB1 gene and breast cancer development in Mexican women according to their menopausal status and molecular classification. Molecular subtypes as well as allele and genotype frequencies were analyzed. A total of 248 women with initial breast cancer diagnosis and 180 ethnically matched, healthy, unrelated individuals were enrolled. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was performed to detect polymorphisms 3435 C/T and 1236 C/T in the ABCB1 gene. Premenopausal T allele carriers of the 3435 C/T polymorphism showed a 2-fold increased risk of breast cancer with respect to the reference and postmenopausal groups, as well as triple-negative expression regarding the luminal A/B molecular subrogated subtypes. In contrast, the CT genotype of the 1236 polymorphism was a protective factor against breast cancer. We conclude that the T allele carrier of the 3435 C/T polymorphism in the ABCB1 gene in combination with an estrogen receptor-negative status may be an important risk factor for breast cancer development in premenopausal women.

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Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Mexico. Two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the thymidylate synthase (TS) gene, the 28-base pair (bp) tandem repeat in the TS 5'-untranslated enhanced region (TSER) and the 6-bp insertion/deletion in the TS 3'-untranslated region (TS 3'-UTR), increase the rate of misincorporation of uridylate into DNA and may lead to chromosomal damage. We examined the association between these polymorphisms and BC risk in Mexican women according to menopause status. Mexican patients with initial BC diagnosis (N = 230) and 145 individuals from a reference general population group (RGP) were included. For statistical analysis, the BC group was divided into pre- and post-menopause groups (PRE and POST groups, respectively). We analyzed both TS polymorphisms (TSER and TS 3'-UTR) using polymerase chain reaction. Finetti analysis was used to evaluate inter-and intra-group differences. The results showed a high frequency for the 3R and ins6 alleles in the BC, RGP, PRE, and POST groups. No significant differences were observed for the TS and TSER genotype and allele frequency distributions between groups. We found that the TSER and TS 3'-UTR SNPs are not associated with BC risk in Mexican patients.

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Powdery mildew of mango is an important disease in Mexico's northern Sinaloa state. Identification of the causal fungal agent has been hindered by the absence of information regarding its teleomorph, as well as a detailed morphometric analysis of the anamorph and molecular characterization. The first symptoms of the disease appear in mango inflorescences of early February, and it subsequently affects young fruits. The disease progresses during March and early April, causing significant fruit abortion and a scabby appearance in a high percentage of fruits that remain attached to the trees. We observed the disease on inflorescences but not in leaves during our sampling period. Powdery mildew specimens were collected during 2011 and 2012 and included Kent and Keith varieties from commercial orchards, and creole materials from backyards of private residences in the Ahome and Fuerte Counties of northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Symptomatic inflorescences were analyzed morphologically. Conidiophores and conidia were prepared by touching the whitish lesions with clear adhesive tape, which was then placed over microscope slides with a drop of distilled water and observed under a compound microscope. The anamorph structures of the pathogen were measured. The mycelium was septate and ramified on the surface of the host, forming a dense coat of branching hyphae. The mycelium had a diameter of 2.5 to 8.7 µm; conidiophores (Pseudoidium type) emerged from the superficial mycelium, were unbranched, and consisted of 1 to 3 cells with conidia forming singly from the apex. The length of the conidiophores varied from 30.0 to 77.5 µm; the foot cell of the conidiophores was straight, 10.0 to 47.5 µm long and with a diameter of 5.0 to 15.5 µm across its midpoint. Conidia without fibrosin bodies were borne singly, and were ellipsoid/ovoid, 22.5 to 46.2 µm long and 15.0 to 27.5 µm wide. Eighty percent of the germ tubes were forked (lobed); the rest were simple, emerged from the end, and were occasionally on the side of the conidia. Germ tubes ranged from 2.0 to 7.2 µm at the midpoint. The surface of the conidia appeared smooth under the scanning electron microscope, and elliptical conidia appeared constricted at their ends; this, however, was not observed in the ovoid conidia. In both cases, the terminal end of the conidia was smooth. The teleomorph was not found. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of the ITS rDNA (2) region showed that samples are closely related to specimens of Pseudoidium anacardii (1) (teleomorph: Erysiphe quercicola [4]) collected from mango trees in diverse countries. Measurements of somatic and asexual structures are in agreement with descriptions of P. anachardii (formerly known as Oidium mangiferae) from India (3). The nucleotide sequences derived from this research were deposited in GenBank (Accession Nos. JX893951 to JX893957). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. anacardii associated to mango inflorescences in Sinaloa, Mexico. Due to the economic importance of powdery mildew of mango trees in Sinaloa, future research directions should focus on finding the teleomorph of the fungus to support its identity. References: (1) U. Braun and R. T. A. Cook CBS Biodiversity Series No. 11, 2012. (2) S. Limkaisang et al. Mycoscience 47:327, 2006. (3) O. Prakash and K. C. Srivastava. Mango diseases and their management. A World Review Today and Tomorrow Publishers. New Delhi, India, 1987. (4) S. Takamatsu et al. Mycol. Res. 111:809, 2007.

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A case-control study was carried out on a sample of 15 Mexican patients (40-56 years old) with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) that had developed five years and been treated with oral hypoglycemic drugs (sulfonylurea and/or metformin), with no microvascular or macrovascular complications. The aim of this study was to assess whether Mexican patients with DM2 differed from a control group in the frequency of micronuclei (MN). A control group of 10 individuals without DM2 (38-54 years old) was included. The frequency of MN in binucleated lymphocytes was analyzed according to the Fenech criteria. At time being this investigation should be considered as a preliminary study in which the influence of potential confounders cannot be adequately assessed. However, our result showed a MN frequency significant increase in DM2 patients (6.53 +/- 2.03 per 1000 cells) relative to that of the control group (3.10 +/- 1.79 per 1000 cells). MN may constitute a possible component of a panel of biomarkers for the risk of DM2. This cytogenetic damage also indicates an enhanced risk of cancer, as has been found in previous studies. These results should be validated by other researchers.

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Se determinó la capacidad antagónica in vitro de mutantes de Trichoderma harzianum (Th), T. piluliferum (Tpi) y T. viride (Tvi), en Rhizoctonia solani cepas 509 (GA 2-1) y 618 (GA 4) y Phytophthora nicotianae cepa 699, aisladas de tomate. Se efectuaron pruebas de antagonismo directo en cultivos duales, metabolitos volátiles y difusibles. Todos los ensayos se desarrollaron a la temperatura y pH óptimos de los 2 patógenos mencionados. Los mutantes se obtuvieron en estudios previos por medio de nitroso guanidinio y luz ultravioleta A (320 nm) y C (256 nm), de progenitores previamente caracterizados y seleccionados por su excelente capacidad para expresar mecanismos múltiples de antagonismo en estos patógenos. Todos los mutantes demostraron cierto grado de capacidad antagónica, los mejores correspondieron a los obtenidos con luz ultravioleta A y C, como: Th 11 A 20.1, Th 11 A 80.1, Th 11 A 160.1 y Th 12 A 10.1, provenientes de las cepas de T. harzianum 11 y 12; mientras que para mutantes de nitroso guanidinio el mejor fue Tvi NG 10, de la cepa T. viride. Los resultados obtenidos se evaluarán en ensayos de invernadero y de campo.

The in vitro antagonic capacity of Trichoderma harzianum (Th), T.piluliferum (Tpi) and T.viride (Tvi)mutants was determined in Rhizoctonia solani strains 509 (GA 2-1) and 618 (GA4) and in Phytophthora nicotianaestrain 699 isolated from tomatoe. Direct antagonism tests were performed in dual cultures, volatile metabolite anddiffusible metabolites. All tests were carried out at the optimum temperature and pH of the two pathogens mentioned above. Mutants resulted from early studies by means of nitrous guanidinio and UV light A (320 nm) and C (256 nm), and they came from parents that had been previously characterized and selected for their excellent ability to express multiple antagonism mechanisms in these pathogenous. All mutants showed a certain degreeof antagonic capacity , being the best of them those obtained under UV light A and C, such as: Th 11 A 20.1, Th 11 A 80.1, Th 11 A 160.1 and Th 12 A 10.1, which came from T.harzianum strains 11 and 12; as to nitrous guanidinio mutants, the best fell in Tvi NG 10 from T. viride strain. Final results will be evaluated in greenhouse and field tests.

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Lemon seedlings inoculated with Alternaria alternata develop a hypersensitive response (HR) that includes the induction of Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, E. C. 4.3.1.5) and the synthesis of scoparone. The signal transduction pathway involved in the development of this response is unknown. We used several inhibitors of the Phosphoinositide (PI) animal system to study a possible role of Inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) in the transduction of the fungal conidia signal in Citrus limon. The HR was only partially inhibited by EGTA, suggesting that not only external but internal calcium as well are necessary for a complete development of the HR. In this plant system, Alternaria alternata induced an early accumulation of the second messenger IP3. When lemon seedlings were watered long term with LiCl, an inhibitor of the phosphoinositide cycle, the IP3 production was reduced, and the LiCl-watered plants could neither induce PAL nor synthesize scoparone in response to fungal conidia. Furthermore, neomycin, a Phospholipase C (PLC, E. C. 3.1.4.3) inhibitor, also inhibited PAL induction and scoparone synthesis in response to A. alternata. These results suggest that IP3 could be involved in the signal transduction pathway for the development of the HR of Citrus limon against A. alternata.

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The good nutritional properties of meat from big squid (Dosidicus gigas) living on the Chilean coast, was determined through its proximal composition 70 cal/100 g fresh meat; 82.23 +/- 0.98% moisture; 15.32 +/- 0.93% protein; 1.31 +/- 0.12% ashes; 0.87 +/- 0.18% fat and 0.27% NNE (non-nitrogen extract). The big squid meat was used to develop a gel product which contained NaCl and TPP. It was necessary to use additives for gel preparation, such as carragenin or alginate or egg albumin, due to the lack of gelation properties of squid meat. Formulations containing egg albumin showed the highest gel force measured by penetration as compared to those that contained carragenin or alginate.

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OBJECTIVES: The authors described some variables related to the retention of drug dependent veterans receiving outpatient treatment at San Juan V.A.M.C. and compared the profile of addiction severity with retention using a global dysfunction scale. METHODS: The clinical charts of 74 patients were examined at random using a 16-item questionnaire based on the ASI scale. The data was processed and analyzed using the Epi Info V6.2 computer program, utilizing chi square as the main statistics. RESULTS: The patient's retention in treatment for > or = to 3 months was associated with some specific variables such as: more than 12 years of education, being Catholic, divorced, living with parents, use of more than one drug of preference, having a negative urine toxicology result before treatment and after treatment, and showing a favorable change in urine toxicology results. In terms of severity of dysfunction, a considerable substance problem and an extreme legal problem were associated with a retention of > or = to 3 months, as well as no evidence of occupational problems. CONCLUSION: The strong correlation between specific variables and the retention of patients in treatment for > or = to 3 months should create awareness of the importance of available and effective treatments in the fight against substance abuse and mental health problems as well as to educate and integrate family members in patients treatment, since a supportive family member is one of the best tools that patients and therapist can have to help maintain patient's sobriety.

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It has been suggested that areas with large inner-city Black and Latino populations have worse organ donation rates than those with large suburban and rural White populations. Yet data are sparse. We studied family refusal rates (FRRs) to cadaver organ donation between 1/84 and 5/87 in three United States city-areas (New York, Los Angeles, and Miami) with large Black and distinct Latino populations. Blacks are at least 18% and Latinos at least 25% of the combined general population of the three cities, totaling over three and four million people, respectively. In addition, Blacks and Latinos represent 42% of cadaver transplant recipients, 49% of patients on waiting lists, and 57% of the patients on dialysis in the three cities. Combining the data from the three cities, Black (45%) and Latino (43%) FRRs were similar (P = .78), and each was significantly higher than that in the White population (17%) (P less than 0.0001). The overall refusal rate in NYC (42%) was significantly higher (P less than .0001) than in LA (26%) or Miami (21%), and LA's refusal rate was significantly higher than Miami (P = .03). The refusal rates for the White (31%) and Black (55%) populations in NYC were each significantly higher than their respective populations in LA (14% and 33%) or Miami (11% and 36%) (P less than .05). Although Miami Latinos had a lower FRR (35%) than Latinos in NYC (46%) or LA (45%), the difference was not statistically significant (P = .19 and P = .20, respectively). In the three cities combined, 515 of a possible 1772 medically and legally eligible organ donors were lost during the 40 months studied due to families' refusal of consent. This represents approximately 1000 transplantable kidneys and large numbers of extrarenal organs. Further studies are needed to elucidate the reasons for differences in donation rate among groups and regions in the United States.

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The biosynthesis of mono- and sesquiterpene precursors and components of essential oils, has been studied isolating enzyme systems from soluble fractions. Improved methods for preparing homogenates from plant tissues, together with a knowledge of its ultrastructure, have allowed to determine that most of the processes of biosynthesis of terpenes, are associated to membranous organelles. The results obtained by different groups are discussed, in order to give an overview of the subcellular distribution of enzymes and specialized organelles, that participate in the biosynthetic processes mentioned above.

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