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Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) is an important vegetable crop of the Cucurbitaceae plant family. The fruits of pumpkin are often used as directly edible food or raw material for a number of processed foods. In nature, mature pumpkin fruits differ in size, shape, and color. The Atlantic Giant (AG) cultivar has the world's largest fruits and is described as the giant pumpkin. AG is well-known for its large and bright-colored fruits with high ornamental and economic value. At present, there are insufficient studies that have focused on the formation factors of the AG cultivar. To address these knowledge gaps, we performed comparative transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome analysis of fruits from the AG cultivar and a pumpkin with relatively small fruit (Hubbard). The results indicate that up-regulation of gene-encoded expansins contributed to fruit cell expansion, and the increased presence of photoassimilates (stachyose and D-glucose) and jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation worked together in terms of the formation of large fruit in the AG cultivar. Notably, perhaps due to the rapid transport of photoassimilates, abundant stachyose that was not converted into glucose in time was detected in giant pumpkin fruits, implying that a unique mode of assimilate unloading is in existence in the AG cultivar. The potential molecular regulatory network of photoassimilate metabolism closely related to pumpkin fruit expansion was also investigated, finding that three MYB transcription factors, namely CmaCh02G015900, CmaCh01G018100, and CmaCh06G011110, may be involved in metabolic regulation. In addition, neoxanthin (a type of carotenoid) exhibited decreased accumulation that was attributed to the down-regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis genes in AG fruits, which may lead to pigmentation differences between the two pumpkin cultivars. Our current work will provide new insights into the potential formation factors of giant pumpkins for further systematic elucidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is well known that unexpected pandemic has led to an increase in mental health problems among a variety of populations.Methods: In this study, an online non-probability sample survey was used to anonymously investigate the anxiety and depression symptoms among medical staff under the COVID-19 outbreak. The questionnaire included Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms were estimated by logistic regression analysis.Results: A total of 1090 medical staff were investigated in this study. The estimated self-reported rates of anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms and both of the two were 13.3%, 18.4% and 23.9% respectively. Factors associated with self-reported anxiety symptoms include married status (OR=2.3, 95%CI: 1.2, 4.4), not living alone (OR=0.4, 95%CI: 0.2, 0.7), never confiding their troubles to others (OR=2.2, 95%CI: 1.4, 3.5) and higher stress (OR=14.4, 95%CI: 7.8, 26.4). Factors associated with self-reported depression symptoms include not living alone (OR=0.4, 95%CI: 0.3, 0.7), sometimes/often getting care from neighbours (OR=0.6, 95%CI: 0.4, 0.9), never confiding their troubles to others (OR=2.0, 95%CI: 1.3, 3.0) and higher stress (OR=9.7, 95%CI: 6.2, 15.2).Limitations: The study was a non-probability sample survey. Besides, scales used in this study can only identify mental health states.Conclusions: Under outbreak of COVID-19, self-reported rates of anxiety symptoms and depression symptoms were high in investigated medical staff. Psychological interventions for those at high risk with common mental problems should be integrated into the work plan to fight against the epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]