Fetal sex-specific differences in gestational age at delivery in pre-eclampsia : a meta-analysis

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a major pregnancy disorder complicating up to 8% of pregnancies. Increasing evidence indicates a sex-specific interplay between the mother,placenta and fetus. This may lead to different adaptive mechanisms during pregnancy. Methods: We performed an individual participant data meta-analysis to determine associations of fetal sex and PE, with specific focus on gestational age at delivery in PE. This was done on 219 575 independent live-born singleton pregnancies, with a gestational age at birth between 22.0 and 43.0 weeks of gestation, from 11 studies participating in a worldwide consortium of international research groups focusing on pregnancy. Results: Of the women, 9033 (4.1%) experienced PE in their pregnancy and 48.8% of the fetuses were female versus 51.2% male. No differences in the female/male distribution were observed with respect to term PE (delivered >= 37 weeks). Preterm PE (delivered <37 weeks) was slightly more prevalent among pregnancies with a female fetus than in pregnancies with a male fetus [odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.21]. Very preterm PE (delivered <34 weeks) was even more prevalent among pregnancies with a female fetus as compared with pregnancies with a male fetus (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.17-1.59). Conclusions: Sexual dimorphic differences in the occurrence of PE exist, with preterm PE being more prevalent among pregnancies with a female fetus as compared with pregnancies with a male fetus and with no differences with respect to term PE.Peer reviewe

Nanocrystalline magnesium oxide stabilized palladium(0): an efficient reusable catalyst for room temperature selective aerobic oxidation of alcohols

Nanocrystalline magnesium oxide-stabilized palladium(0) [NAP-Mg-Pd(0)], as an efficient catalytic system has been employed for the selective oxidation of alcohols using atmospheric oxygen as a green oxidant at room temperature. Various alcohols could be transformed into their corresponding aldehydes or ketones in good to excellent yields using a set of optimal conditions. NanoActive Magnesium Oxide Plus, [NAP-MgO] with its three-dimensional structure and well-defined shape acts as an excellent support for well dispersed palladium(0) nanoparticles. This catalyst can be recovered and reused for several cycles without any significant loss of catalytic activity