New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Monitoring agricultural pollutions from the catchment area to coastal areas

International audienceCoastal marine environments are particularly exposed to pollutants emanating from human activities such as agriculture. Phytosanitary products follow the path of the water cycle, reaching rivers and aquifers, then coastal waters through run-off, infiltrations and resurgences. « OPALE » is an observatory dedicated to the monitoring of agricultural pollutions at the scale of the rivers Pérou-Père catchment area, located in Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles). The main objectives of OPALE are to monitor and make available data on contamination levels and study the transfer of pollutants between the different aquatic compartments (surface waters, groundwaters and coastal waters)

Monitoring agricultural pollutions from the catchment area to coastal areas

International audienceCoastal marine environments are particularly exposed to pollutants emanating from human activities such as agriculture. Phytosanitary products follow the path of the water cycle, reaching rivers and aquifers, then coastal waters through run-off, infiltrations and resurgences. « OPALE » is an observatory dedicated to the monitoring of agricultural pollutions at the scale of the rivers Pérou-Père catchment area, located in Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles). The main objectives of OPALE are to monitor and make available data on contamination levels and study the transfer of pollutants between the different aquatic compartments (surface waters, groundwaters and coastal waters)

Flow patterns and pathways of legacy and contemporary pesticides in surface waters in tropical volcanic catchments

Severe water pollution issues due to legacy and contemporary pesticides exist in tropical regions and are linked to cash crops requiring intensive plant protection practices. This study aims to improve knowledge about contamination routes and patterns in tropical volcanic settings to identify mitigation measures and analyse risk. To this aim, this paper analyses four years of monitoring data from 2016 to 2019 of flow discharge and weekly pesticide concentrations in the rivers of two catchments grown predominantly with banana and sugar cane in the French West Indies. The banned insecticide chlordecone, applied in banana fields from 1972 to 1993, was still the major source of river contamination, while the currently used herbicide glyphosate, its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), and postharvest fungicides also exhibited high contamination levels. A value of 0.5 of the Gustafson Ubiquity Score (GUS) was shown to separate contaminant and noncontaminant pesticides, indicating a high vulnerability to pollution by pesticides in this tropical volcanic context. The patterns and routes of river exposure to pesticides differed markedly between the pesticides in accordance with the hydrological behaviour of volcanic islands and the history and nature of pesticide uses. Concerning chlordecone and its metabolites, observations confirmed previous findings of a main subsurface origin of river contamination by this compound but also showed large erratic short-term variations, suggesting the influence of fast surface transport processes such as erosion for legacy pesticides with large sorption capacity. Concerning herbicides and postharvest fungicides, observations have suggested that surface runoff and fast lateral flow in the vadose zone control river contamination. Accordingly, mitigation options need to be considered differently for each type of pesticide. Finally, this study points out the need for developing specific exposure scenarios for tropical agricultural contexts in the European regulation procedures for pesticide risk assessment