ALBERT

Description: Sepiolite and palygorskite are common as layers and nodules in the Neogene lacustrine sediments of the Eskişehir area. This study aims to determine their mineralogical and geochemical characteristics, plus the distribution of these economically important sepiolite and palygorskite deposits within the lacustrine environment. Using these data the research goes on to discuss the environmental conditions for their formation. Sepiolite and palygorskite layers are associated with dolomite, marlstone, and argillaceous limestone. The sepiolite nodules (meerschaum), which are former magnesite gravels, are observed in the Upper Miocene reddish-brown fluvial deposits derived from the ophiolite and its fracture-infills at the northern margin of the basin. Sepiolite and palygorskite are only sparsely associated with dolomite and accessory magnesite, quartz, feldspar, and amphibole. Sepiolite and palygorskite fibers formed as oriented platy fan, interwoven, and knitted aggregates in the absence of dolomite indicated precipitation from supersaturated solution. Sepiolite and palygorskite fibers edging dolomite crystals postdate dolomite and formed through precipitation in a vadose environment under semi-arid to arid climatic conditions. High values of Mg+Fe+Ni and enrichment of light rare earth elements ( LREE ) relative to middle rare earth elements ( MREE ) and heavy rare earth elements ( HREE ), Sr content, depletion of Rb+Ba and K, and negligible negative Eu anomalies all reflect the derivation from the Paleozoic metamorphic and Upper Cretaceous ophiolitic rocks. Locally, Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene volcanic, volcanoclastic, and fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary rocks supplied the required Si, Mg, Al, and Fe for precipitation of Al-sepiolite and Mg-palygorskite with average structural formulae of Si 11.91 Al 0.09 O 30 Mg 6.60 Al 0.78 Fe 0.13 (OH) 4 Na 0.12 K 0.06 (OH 2 ) 4 ·nH 2 O and Si 7.74 Al 0.26 O 20 Mg 2.52 Al 1.13 Fe 0.38 (OH) 2 (OH 2 ) 4 Na 0.32 K 0.14 Ca 0.12 · n H 2 O, respectively. In contrast to the layered sepiolites, the absence of Al and high Ni content in sepiolite nodules suggest formation through replacement of magnesite gravels at shallow burial in an alkaline environment. The calculated meerschaum sepiolite chemical formula is: Si 12.02 O 30 Mg 7.87 Fe 0.01 (OH) 4 Na 0.13 K 0.03 (OH 2 ) 4 ·nH 2 O.

Description: The Güzelyurt kaolinite deposit is an important source of raw material for the ceramics industry in Turkey. No detailed mineralogical or geochemical characterizations of this deposit have been undertaken previously and these were the goals of the present study. The Güzelyurt alunite-bearing kaolinite occurs along a fault zone in the Late Miocene Gördeles ignimbrite, which consists of dacitic and andesitic tuffs. Horizontal and vertical mineralogical zonations with gradual transitions were observed within the alteration zone. The inner kaolinite, alunite, and 7 Å halloysite zones progress horizontally outward to a smectite zone; and native sulfur- and cinnabar-bearing alunite with 7 Å halloysite and porous silica zones increase as one progresses up through the profile. Fe-(oxyhydr)oxide phases associated with native sulfur and cinnabar demonstrate that multiple hydrothermal-alteration processes resulted in kaolinization and alunitization of the deposit. The kaolinization of feldspar, Fe-(oxyhydr)oxidation of hornblende and mica, the presence of kaolinite as stacked and, locally, book-like forms, and of 7 Å halloysite tubes, and smectite flakes as a blanket on altered volcanic relicts indicate an authigenic origin for this deposit. The leaching of Si + Mg + K and Ba + Rb, the retention of Sr, the enrichment of light rare earth elements relative to the heavy rare earth elements, and the negative Eu anomalies suggest that fractionation of plagioclase and hornblende occurred within the volcanics. The oxygen- and hydrogen-isotopic values of the kaolinite, 7 Å halloysite, smectite, and smectite + kaolinite fractions reflect a steam-heated environment at temperatures in excess of 100°C. An increase in the D and 18 O values of 7 Å halloysite relative to kaolinite suggests its formation under steam-heated magmatic water, the mixing of steam and meteoric water near the surface, and evaporation. The oxygen- and sulfur-isotopic compositions of alunite suggest the direct influence of steam-derived sulfur. The Güzelyurt alunite-bearing kaolinite deposit is inferred to have formed after an increase in the (Al±Fe)/Si ratio and the leaching of alkali elements, which are driven by the sulfur-bearing low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of feldspar, hornblende, and volcanic glass under acidic conditions within the Neogene dacitic and andesitic tuffs.

Description: The Upper Miocene Mustafapaşa member of the Ürgüp Formation in the Cappadocia region consists predominantly of mudstones, sandstone, and conglomerate lenses with ignimbrite and basalt intercalations. The mudstones are an important source of raw materials for the ceramics industry in Turkey. A detailed mineralogical, geochemical, and genesis study of these materials has not been performed previously and the present study aims to fill that gap. The characteristics of mudstones of the Mustafapaşa member were examined using X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and chemical analyses. Weathering products of ophiolitic and pyroclastic rocks were transported into the tectonically subsided zone where they accumulated as fluvial and lacustrine deposits. Weathering in the mudstones is evidenced by smectite flakes associated with relict pyroxene, rodlike amphibole, feldspar, and volcanic glass. The chemical composition of mudstones and their distribution suggest that the depositional basin was supplied with ophiolitic material in the south and ignimbrite material in the north. This interpretation is based on an increase in the quantity of feldspar and opal-A and a decrease in the Fe 2 O 3 +MgO/Al 2 O 3 +SiO 2 ratio from south to north in the study area. The northward increases in Light Rare Earth Elements/Heavy Rare Earth Elements, La/Yb, Zr/Ni and Zr/Co ratios and Nb, Ba, Rb, Sr, and Eu in the mudstones of the Mustafapaşa member with positive Eu anomalies suggest that the Fe, Mg, Al, and Si required to form smectite were supplied mainly through the decomposition of amphiboles, pyroxenes, feldspars, and volcanic glass during weathering processes. After the deposition of mudstones, relative increases in evaporation-controlled Ca, K, and Al in pore water favored the partial dissolution of Ca-bearing minerals and smectite flakes and in situ precipitation of calcite and traces of illite fibers under alkaline micro-environmental conditions during early diagenesis.

Description: Elevated levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a bone-derived phosphaturic hormone, are associated with a number of pathologic conditions including chronic kidney disease, cardiac hypertrophy, and congestive heart failure. Currently, there are no specific treatments available to lower plasma FGF23 levels. We have recently reported that genetic plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 (PAI-1) deficiency provided a significant reduction in circulating FGF23 levels while simultaneously prolonging the life span of Klotho -deficient mice. We extend our investigations into the effect of PAI-1 on FGF23 homeostasis. Transgenic overexpression of PAI-1 resulted in threefold increase in FGF23 levels compared to wild-type littermates. Moreover, pharmacological modulation of PAI-1 activity with the small-molecule PAI-1 antagonist TM5441 significantly reduced FGF23 levels in PAI-1 transgenic and Klotho -deficient mice. In addition, TM5441 treatment or PAI-1 deficiency significantly accelerated the clearance of endogenous FGF23 and recombinant human FGF23 from circulation in mice with acute kidney injury. On the basis of these observations, we studied the effects of plasminogen activators (PAs), tissue-type PA (tPA) and urokinase-type PA (uPA), on FGF23. We demonstrate that both PAs directly cleave FGF23; however, it is not known whether the PA-generated FGF23 peptides retain or acquire functions that affect binding and/or signaling properties of intact FGF23. PAI-1 inhibits the PA-dependent cleavage of FGF23, and TM5441 inhibition of PAI-1 restores the proteolysis of FGF23. Furthermore, top-down proteomic analysis indicates that tPA cleaves FGF23 at multiple arginines including the proconvertase sensitive site R176. In summary, our results indicate that PAI-1 prevents the PA-driven proteolysis of FGF23 and PAI-1 inhibition provides a novel therapeutic approach to prevent the pathologic consequences of increased FGF23.

Description: Plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 (PAI-1) has been shown to be a key component of the senescence-related secretome and a direct mediator of cellular senescence. In murine models of accelerated aging, genetic deficiency and targeted inhibition of PAI-1 protect against aging-like pathology and prolong life span. However, the role of PAI-1 in human longevity remains unclear. We hypothesized that a rare loss-of-function mutation in SERPINE1 (c.699_700dupTA), which encodes PAI-1, could play a role in longevity and metabolism in humans. We studied 177 members of the Berne Amish community, which included 43 carriers of the null SERPINE1 mutation. Heterozygosity was associated with significantly longer leukocyte telomere length, lower fasting insulin levels, and lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus. In the extended Amish kindred, carriers of the null SERPINE1 allele had a longer life span. Our study indicates a causal effect of PAI-1 on human longevity, which may be mediated by alterations in metabolism. Our findings demonstrate the utility of studying loss-of-function mutations in populations with geographic and genetic isolation and shed light on a novel therapeutic target for aging.

Description: Cellular senescence restricts the proliferative capacity of cells and is accompanied by the production of several proteins, collectively termed the “senescence-messaging secretome” (SMS). As senescent cells accumulate in tissue, local effects of the SMS have been hypothesized to disrupt tissue regenerative capacity. Klotho functions as an aging-suppressor gene, and Klotho-deficient...

Description: This paper addresses the mineralogy, geochemistry, and genesis of palygorskite and associated calcretes in the Kırşehir region. In this area, the Quaternary calcretes are present within and/or on lacustrine mudstones of the Kızılırmak Formation (Late Miocene-Pliocene). The calcretes occur in the form of nodules, tubes, fracture-infills, and hard laminated crusts (hardpans). Calcrete samples are predominantly composed of calcite associated with smectite, quartz, feldspar, and minor palygorskite. The lacustrine mudstone samples consist mainly of smectite and palygorskite with minor calcite, quartz, feldspar, illite, kaolinite and amorphous material. Petrographic studies revealed that the calcrete samples are predominantly micrites that were partially converted to microsparites by recrystallization. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images indicate that palygorskite fibres formed authigenically on and between calcite rhombs in the calcrete samples and at the edges of smectite flakes of host rocks adjacent to the calcretes. The oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope values of the calcite suggest that it precipitated from meteoric water under arid or seasonally arid climatic conditions. Calcite precipitation occurred in the vadose zone, as evidenced by desiccation cracks and vadose pisolites. The enrichment of Rb+Ba±Sr and Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) relative to Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE)with a distinct negative Eu anomaly are responses to the fractionation of volcanogenic feldspar and hornblende under the influence of meteoric water. The palygorskite associated with calcretes was precipitated from alkaline water rich in Si, Al and Fe and low in Mg. The palygorskite precipitation occurred at increased temperatures, characterising the advanced stage of calcrete formation which lowers the Ca content in the soil water. The required chemical elements for palygorskite and calcite were most likely derived from the dissolution of smectitic clays, ignimbrites and carbonate minerals.