Transcriptomic Events Involved in Melon Mature-Fruit Abscission Comprise the Sequential Induction of Cell-Wall Degrading Genes Coupled to a Stimulation of Endo and Exocytosis

Background: Mature-fruit abscission (MFA) in fleshy-fruit is a genetically controlled process with mechanisms that, contrary to immature-fruit abscission, has not been fully characterized. Here, we use pyrosequencing to characterize the transcriptomes of melon abscission zone (AZ) at three stages during AZ-cell separation in order to understand MFA control at an early stage of AZ-activation. Principal Findings: The results show that by early induction of MFA, the melon AZ exhibits major gene induction, while by late induction of MFA, melon AZ shows major gene repression. Although some genes displayed similar regulation in both early and late induction of abscission, such as EXT1-EXT4, EGase1, IAA2, ERF1, AP2D15, FLC, MADS2, ERAF17, SAP5 and SCL13 genes, the majority had different expression patterns. This implies that time-specific events occur during MFA, and emphasizes the value of characterizing multiple time-specific abscission transcriptomes. Analysis of gene-expression from these AZs reveal that a sequential induction of cell-wall-degrading genes is associated with the upregulation of genes involved in endo and exocytosis, and a shift in plant-hormone metabolism and signaling genes during MFA. This is accompanied by transcriptional activity of small-GTPases and synthaxins together with tubulins, dynamins, V-type ATPases and kinesin-like proteins potentially involved in MFA signaling. Early events are potentially controlled by down-regulation of MADS-box, AP2/ERF and Aux/IAA transcription-factors, and up-regulation of homeobox, zinc finger, bZIP, and WRKY transcription-factors, while late events may be controlled by up-regulation of MYB transcription-factors. Significance: Overall, the data provide a comprehensive view on MFA in fleshy-fruit, identifying candidate genes and pathways associated with early induction of MFA. Our comprehensive gene-expression profile will be very useful for elucidating gene regulatory networks of the MFA in fleshy-fruit

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Anserine and carnosine determination in meat samples by pure micellar liquid chromatography

Anserine and carnosine, which are both imidazole dipeptides, are natural antioxidants that are present in some types of meat. A pure micellar liquid chromatographic procedure was developed using a micellar mobile phase of 0.10 M sodium dodecyl sulphate buffered at pH 7, an amino column and UV detection. Three types of stationary phases (C18, phenyl and amino columns) were examined and the procedure was used to determine the two compounds in meat samples. They were completely resolved without any interference from the protein band. Total analysis time was 12 min. The limits of detection (ng/mL) were 71 and 53 for anserine and carnosine, respectively. Calibration curves were constructed on three different days (r > 0.998). Repeatability and intermediate precision were evaluated at three different concentrations in meat matrices, the residual standard deviations being below 2.1%. Meat samples of poultry, pork and beef were injected directly into the chromatographic system after extraction in a sodium dodecyl sulphate solution and filtration. The possibility of direct injection using micellar liquid chromatography reduces the cost and time of analyses, and decreases error sources owing to minimised risks of losses and chemical changes in the analytes. Moreover, the selection of a pure mobile phase of sodium dodecyl sulphate allows this procedure to offer a number of advantages, such as non-toxicity, non-flammability, biodegradability and low cost, in comparison with aqueous-organic solvents. Its simplicity, then, makes it a good candidate for application in routine analysis in the area of food control and quality. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Determination of drugs in pharmaceuticals and pesticides by micellar liquid chromatography

1973-1982Micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is a reversed-phase liquid chromatography technique that uses surfactants as components in the mobile phase at a concentration higher than the critical micellar concentration. Chromatographic procedures using micellar mobile phases have been reported for the analysis of pharmaceutical formulations commercialised as tablets, pills, capsules, drops, solutions, syrups, gels, suspension s, enemas, sprays, oily injections, ointment and creams. The compounds studied in this work include benzodiazepines, phenethylamines, antihistamines, vitamins, and corticosteroids formulations, and carbamates pesticides. These compounds are usually determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) with aqueous-organic mobile phases. MLC has the advantages of avoiding sample pretreatment, analysis time, accuracy, reproducibility, toxicity, environmental impact and low cost of the procedures respect to the classical RPLC. Some features of the analytical procedures arc examined including modelling of the retention behaviour of solutes, selection of column, surfactant and alcohol, study of hydrophobicity, and screening analysis. Usually, optimum pH is fixed at 7, but pH 3 is used in the case of the most hydrophilic analytes. C18 columns are often used, but C8 columns allow the obtention of rapid procedures with the lowest analysis time. Pentanol, butanol or propanol are used in function of the hydrophobicity of the substrate. Finally, optimised procedures have been applied for the determination of the substances in pharmaceuticals and in biological samples, including serum and urine

Corrigendum to "Micellar liquid chromatography determination of some biogenic amines with electrochemical detection" [J. Pharmaceut. Biomed. Anal. 36 (2004) 357-363] (DOI:10.1016/j.jpba.2004.06.026)

[No abstract available