Vitamin D and risk of pregnancy related hypertensive disorders: Mendelian randomisation study

Objective To use mendelian randomisation to investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration has a causal effect on gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia. Design One and two sample mendelian randomisation analyses. Setting Two European pregnancy cohorts (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, and Generation R Study), and two case-control studies (subgroup nested within the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, and the UK Genet

Genetic correlations of psychiatric traits with body composition and glycemic traits are sex- and age-dependent

Body composition is often altered in psychiatric disorders. Using genome-wide common genetic variation data, we calculate sex-specific genetic correlations amongst body fat %, fat mass, fat-free mass, physical activity, glycemic traits and 17 psychiatric traits (up to N = 217,568). Two patterns emerge: (1) anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and education years are negatively genetically correlated with body fat % and fat-free mass, whereas (2) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), alcohol dependence, insomnia, and heavy smoking are positively correlated. Anorexia nervosa shows a stronger genetic correlation with body fat % in females, whereas education years is more strongly correlated with fat mass in males. Education years and ADHD show genetic overlap with childhood obesity. Mendelian randomization identifies schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa, and higher education as causal for decreased fat mass, with higher body fat % possibly being a causal risk factor for ADHD and heavy smoking. These results suggest new possibilities for targeted preventive strategies

Size fractionation of trace metals in the Edmond hydrothermal plume, Central Indian Ocean

The investigation of the distribution of trace elements between the dissolved, colloidal and particulate phases within a hydrothermal plume is key to understanding plume processes. Particulate and colloidal size fractions of four trace elements (iron, manganese, copper and phosphorus) along with the dissolved size fraction of iron, manganese and copper have been determined in the hydrothermal plume overlying the Edmond vent-site in the Central Indian Ocean. Dissolved iron and manganese are the most heavily enriched metals in hydrothermal fluids emerging from vents and iron plays a significant role in subsequent dissolved-particulate interactions within hydrothermal plumes. Copper and phosphorus are each representative members of discrete groups of tracers (chalcophile elements and oxyanions, respectively) that are known to exhibit distinct patterns of behaviour, relative to iron, within hydrothermal plumes. Here we show that iron is present in all three hydrothermal plume fractions (dissolved, colloidal and particulate), being least abundant in dissolved form. Manganese resides predominantly in the dissolved fraction, copper resides primarily in the particulate phase and phosphorus is abundant in both the colloidal and coarser particulate phases, but not the dissolved fraction. The correlation of phosphorus to iron in the Edmond hydrothermal plume is both (i) constant across the colloidal and coarser particulate phases and (ii) matches well to broader inter-ocean trends reported previously from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. These results demonstrate a mechanism whereby plume-height P:Fe ratios are established during the very earliest stages of dissolved Fe(II) oxidation, followed by aggregation into coarser hydrothermal plume particles. This provides a strong argument for the study of P:Fe ratios in hydrothermal sediments as potential paleotracers of deep-water dissolved phosphate distributions and, hence, past deep-ocean circulation patterns

Syntheses of new amino-functionalized methacrylates and their use in free radical polymerizations

For use in emulsion and solution copolymerization a series of novel amino-functional methacrylates has been synthesized, most of which have seldom, or never, been described in the literature before. In this investigation, the preparation of the hydrochloric and/or tosylate salt of the monomers aminoethyl, 3-amino-1-propyl, 5-amino-1-pentyl, 6-amino-1-hexyl and 11-amino-1-undecyl methacrylate will be described, along with the characterization of the parameters water solubility, pKa and chemical stability. The homopolymers of these monomers have been prepared and characterized. Results show the occurrence of an acyl migration upon neutralization of the monomers aminoethyl- and 3-amino-1-propyl methacrylate. This migration does not occur in the monomer 5-amino-1-pentyl methacrylate, which makes it possible to synthesize the neutralized monomer although, after neutralization, a Michael addition occurs, resulting in a limited lifetime. Copolymerizations have been performed in emulsion. The monomer aminopentyl methacrylate especially proved to be suitable for emulsion copolymerizations when used under controlled conditions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 1401-1415, 200

The effect of plume processes on the Fe-isotope composition of hydrothermally derived Fe in the deep ocean as inferred from the Rainbow vent site, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 36,14'N

The Rainbow hydrothermal vent site, which is the largest known point source for dissolved Fe delivered to the deep North Atlantic ocean, has remained invariant in its Fe isotope composition over at least the past 16,000 years, based on analysis of metalliferous sediments beneath the plume. Because of the conservative behavior of Fe in the Rainbow plume, 56Fe values of particles in the neutrally buoyant plume (?0.18±0.05‰) and underlying sediments (?0.19±0.05‰) are indistinguishable from the 56Fe values of the high-temperature fluid sources (?0.23±0.04‰). Particles from the near-vent, buoyant stage of the plume, however, have higher 56Fe values (+0.15‰ to +1.20‰) relative to the original vent fluid, consistent with fractionation during oxidation of Fe(II)aq to Fe(III)aq. Isotope compositions become invariant in the plume once all Fe(II)aq is fully oxidized, preserving the original composition of the vent fluid. The constant Fe isotope compositions of the vent fluids over time implies that changes in seawater Fe isotope composition of the North Atlantic ocean, as they are recorded in Fe–Mn crusts, requires changes in the relative fluxes of Fe to the ocean