Time-Series Transcriptome of Cucumis melo Reveals Extensive Transcriptomic Differences with Different Maturity.

As the most important melon cultivar grown in the north-western provinces of China, Hami melon (Cucumis melo) produces large edible fruits that serve as an important dietary component in the world. In general, as a climacteric plant, melon harvested at 60% maturity results in a product with bad quality, while the highest-quality product can be guaranteed when harvesting at 90% maturity. In order to clarify the genetic basis of their distinct profiles of metabolite accumulation, we performed systematic transcriptome analyses between 60% and 90% maturity melons. A total of 36 samples were sequenced and over 1.7 billion reads were generated. Differentially expressed genes in 60% and 90% maturity melons were detected. Hundreds of these genes were functionally enriched in the sucrose and citric acid accumulation process of C. melo. We also detected a number of distinct splicing events between 60% and 90% maturity melons. Many genes associated with sucrose and citric acid accumulation displayed as differentially expressed or differentially spliced between different degrees of maturity of Hami melons, including CmCIN2, CmSPS2, CmBGAL3, and CmSPS2. These results demonstrate that the phenotype pattern differences between 60% and 90% maturity melons may be largely resulted from the significant transcriptome regulation.

Dynamic Multivariate Outlier Detection Algorithm Using Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy for Monitoring Surface Water Contamination With Hydrological Fluctuation in Real-Time.

The contamination of surface water is of great harm. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy is an effective method to detect water contamination. However, surface water quality is influenced by hydrological fluctuation caused by rain, change of flow, etc., leading to changes of spectral characteristics over time. In the process of contamination detection, such changes cause confusion between hydrological fluctuation spectra and contaminated water spectra, thus increasing the false alarm rate. Besides, missing alarms of contaminated water is a common problem when the signal-to-noise ratio is low. In this paper, a dynamic multivariable outlier sampling rate detection (DM-SRD) algorithm is proposed. A dynamic updating strategy is introduced to increase adaptability to hydrological fluctuation. Additionally, multiple outlier variables are adopted as outlying degree indicators, which increases the accuracy of contamination detection. Two experiments were carried out using spectra collected from real surface water sites and hydrological fluctuation was constructed. To verify the effectiveness of the DM-SRD method, a comparison with the static SRD method and spectral match method was conducted. The results show that the accuracy of the DM-SRD method is 97.8%. Compared with the other two detection methods, DM-SRD significantly reduces false alarm rate and avoids missing alarms. Additionally, the results demonstrate that whether the database contained prior information on hydrological fluctuation or not, DM-SRD maintained high detection accuracy, which indicates great adaptability and robustness.

Effect of Cefoperazone/Sulbactam on Blood Coagulation Function in Infected Emergency Department Patients and the Necessity of Vitamin K1 (VK1) Preventive Intervention: A Single-Center, Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND Owing to its broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, strong antibacterial effects, and ß-lactamase stability, cefoperazone/sulbactam has been recognized as a first-line empirical drug for treating severe infections. However, its administration is also characterized by numerous adverse effects, including coagulation dysfunction. Here, we summarize past clinical treatment data to provide data support for clinical use of cefoperazone sulbactam. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical medical records of 820 patients treated with cefoperazone/sulbactam from January 2015 to December 2020. A retrospective cohort study design was used. We assessed the general data of patients, age and sex distribution, type of primary disease, and incidence and days of abnormal blood coagulation with cefoperazone sulbactam. The chi-square test and t test were used to analyze the effect of cefoperazone sulbactam on coagulation function and the effect of vitamin K intervention on prognosis. RESULTS The rate of coagulation dysfunction was 24.39% (200 patients). Among these 200 patients, 50 were treated with vitamin K1. With increasing patient age, the number of patients with cefoperazone/sulbactam-induced coagulation dysfunction increased (peak at 81-90 years). APACHE II of coagulation dysfunction (15.54±4.095) was significantly higher than that in the normal group. It occurred at days 2-19 after administration of 9.0 g/day of cefoperazone/sulbactam. Measured coagulation indices were significantly higher after treatment with cefoperazone/sulbactam than before treatment, including international normalized ratio, prothrombin time, and activated partial thrombin time (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS All coagulation indices decreased significantly after vitamin K1 intervention, indicating improved coagulation function, especially in patients with high APACHE II scores. Hence, regulated vitamin K1 administration can benefit patients with coagulation dysfunction in clinical treatment.

Study on the differences in aroma components and formation mechanisms of "Nasmi" melon from different production areas.

Aroma is an important factor that guides consumers in purchasing and is thus very important in melon research. To our knowledge, the number of studies with a focus on the aroma differences of the same melon variety in different production areas is largely limited. In this study, the differences in aroma components of "Nasmi" melons from two different production regions were analyzed using gas-phase ion migration spectroscopy. Transcriptome sequencing was performed for analyzing fragrance-related genes. Results showed that there were significant differences in the aroma components between products from the two regions. The total amount of aroma compounds from the Turpan region (TT) was 1.7 times higher than that from the Altay region (AT). Through the analysis of transcriptome data, the key genes encoding melon aroma components in different regions were identified as ethanol dehydrogenase, 3-hydroxyl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydrogenase, acyl-CoA oxidase, long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, and acetyl-CoA acyltransferase. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) showed that the verified genes were similar to the transcriptome. In this study, the main aroma components of the same variety of melon that differed in different production areas and the key genes causing these differences were identified. In addition, the aroma metabolic pathway of melon in different regions was preliminarily elucidated. These results could provide a theoretical basis for further study of the formation mechanism of melon aroma and breeding.