Prediction of asthma using a four-locus gene model including IL13, IL4, FCER1B, and ADRB2 in children of Kazak nationality.

BACKGROUND: To study whether the four locus gene model consisting of ADRB2 rs1042713, IL4 rs2243250, FCER1B rs569108 and L13 rs20541 can predict asthma of the Kazak children in Xinjiang, China. METHODS: Four single nucleotide polymorphisms about the 4 genes were genotyped in asthma group and control group of Han children and Kazak children respectively. The frequencies of different genotypes and alleles were compared between the asthma group and the control group in the two nationalities. Different risk genotypes for asthma were evaluated in the two nationalities. RESULTS: The differences about frequencies of genotypes in ADRB2 rs1042713 and IL4 rs2243250 and IL13 rs20541 between asthma group and control group were statistically significant in Han children, as were the frequencies of alleles in the 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms, but there were no statistical differences in FCER1B rs569108(P > 0.05). For the Kazak children, no differences were existed among all the genotypes and alleles in asthma group and control group. For the Han children, more children were asthma high risk genotype in the asthma group than those in the control group and no difference was found in the Kazak children. CONCLUSIONS: The four locus gene model consisting of ADRB2 rs1042713, IL4 rs2243250, FCER1B rs569108 and L13 rs20541 can predict asthma of Han children but not for the Kazak children in Xinjiang, which illustrating that the difference of asthma prevalence between different races is closely related to the genetic background.

Construction of a dynamic model to predict the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and the formation of enterotoxins during Kazak cheese maturation.

Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen found in cheese whose Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) are the main pathogenic factors that cause food poisoning. The objective of this study was to construct two models to evaluate the safety of Kazak cheese products in terms of composition, changes in S. aureus inoculation amount, Aw, fermentation temperature during processing, and growth of S. aureus in the fermentation stage. A total of 66 experiments comprised of five levels of inoculation amount (2.7-4 log CFU/g), five levels of Aw (0.878-0.961), and six levels of fermentation temperature (32-44 °C) were performed to confirm the growth of S. aureus and the presence of SE limit conditions. Two artificial neural networks (ANN) successfully described the relationship between the assayed conditions and the growth kinetic parameters (maximum growth rates and lag times) of the strain. The good fitting accuracy (R2 values were 0.918 and 0.976, respectively) showed that the ANN was appropriate. Experimental results showed fermentation temperature had the greatest influence on the maximum growth rate and lag time, followed by the Aw and inoculation amount. Furthermore, a probability model was built to predict the production of SE by logistic regression and neural network under the assayed conditions, which proved to be concordant in 80.8-83.8% of the cases with the observed probabilities. The maximum total number of colonies predicted by the growth model in all combinations detected with SE exceeded 5 log CFU/g. Within the range of variables, the minimum Aw for predicting SE production was 0.938, and the minimum inoculation amount for predicting SE production was 3.22 log CFU/g. Additionally, as competition between S. aureus and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) occurs in the fermentation stage, higher fermentation temperatures are conducive to the growth of LAB, which can reduce the risk of S. aureus producing SE. This study can help manufacturers to make decisions on the most appropriate production parameters for Kazak cheese products and to prevent S. aureus growth and SE production.

The Cytochrome P450 2C19 Polymorphism Associated with Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events Risk in Kazak Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Receiving Clopidogrel.

BACKGROUND: Clopidogrel activity is influenced by cytochrome P450 (CYP450). CYP2C19 polymorphisms vary by ethnicity and region. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to assess the effect of genetic polymorphisms in CYP2C19*2 and *3 and clinical and demographic factors on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in Kazak patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: 397 patients with PCI treated with clopidogrel and aspirin for at least 12 months were enrolled and outcomes within 1 year were recorded. Approximately 2 ml of peripheral venous blood samples were used for genotype detection. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with MACE. RESULTS: 95 patients (23.9%) suffered MACE during the period. Logistic regression analysis revealed CYP2C19*2 carriers (odds ratio [OR]: 2.431, 95% [confidence interval] CI: 1.136- 5.275, P = 0.027) and poor metabolizers (OR: 2.128, 95% CI: 0.899-4.82, P = 0.043) to be significantly associated with MACE. CONCLUSION: The CYP2C19*2 allele variants and poor metabolizers were found to be associated with MACE in a clopidogrel-treated Kazak population with acute coronary syndrome following PCI.

Comprehensive analyses for genetic diversities of 19 autosomal STRs in Chinese Kazak group and its phylogenetic relationships with other continental populations.

Short tandem repeats (STRs) play an essential role in forensic genetics due to their high degree of polymorphisms, wide distributions and easy detection method. In this study, allelic frequencies and forensic statistical parameters of the 19 autosomal STR loci in a Kazak ethnic group were calculated, and its genetic relationships with reference populations were assessed in order to understand population structure better and enrich population genetic data for forensic practice in Chinese Kazak ethnic group. There were 226 identified alleles with the corresponding allelic frequencies ranging from 0.0008 to 0.5295 in the 628 unrelated healthy Kazak individuals in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. All autosomal STRs were conformed to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni's correction. The cumulative power of discrimination and the combined probability of exclusion of all the 19 autosomal STRs were 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 997 162 and 0.999 999 994 484, respectively. Furthermore, the D A distances and Fixation index values of pairwise populations, principal component analysis, multidimensional scaling analysis, phylogenetic tree analysis and structure analysis were conducted to probe the genetic relationships between the Kazak group and other reference populations. The population genetic results showed that these 19 autosomal STR loci were characterised by high genetic diversities in the Kazak group. Furthermore, the studied Kazak group had close genetic relationships with the Uyghur group and the Uzbek group. The present results may facilitate understanding the genetic background of the Chinese Xinjiang Kazak group.

Types of tongue movements and their interrelationships in Kazakhs / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the types of tongue movement in Xinjiang Kazakhs, to explore the relationship between tongue movement types, and to provide inference for genetic of human anthropology. Methods Totally 405 samples (178 males, 227 females) of Kazakh in Tacheng, Xinjiang, were investigated for the types of tongue movement. Chi-square test, u test and cluster analysis were used to explore the characteristics of tongue movement of Kazakhs and the tongue movement of other ethnic groups relation. Generalized multivariate dimension reduction (GMDR) analysis and logistic regression were used to analyze the correlations between tongue movements. Results The frequencies of rolling tongue, folding tongue, twisting tongue, and pointed tongue were 73. 08%, 41. 97%, 18. 02%, and 66. 91% respectively. No gender difference was found in the frequencies of four tongue moving types. Compared with other ethnic groups in our country, the frequency of rolling tongue and pointed tongue was at a moderate level, the frequency of folding tongue was higher, and the frequency of twisting tongue was lower. The cluster analysis result showed that the tongue movement type of Xinjiang Kazak was closest to that of Han nationality in Jinzhou, Liaoning. GMDR result showed that among the four tongue movements, there were interactions between the combinations of rolling tongue and folding tongue, folding tongue and rolling tongue and pointed tongue, twisting tongue and pointed tongue, and rolling tongue and folding tongue,and pointed tongue and folding tongue. Logistic regression result showed that there were correlations between rolling tongue and folding tongue, pointed tongue and folding tongue, folding tongue and pointed tongue and rolling tongue. Conclusion Compared with the tongue movements of the domestic ethnic groups, the four types of tongue movements of the Kazakhs in Xinjiang are stronger in folding tongue movement, weaker in tongue turning movement, and average in rolling tongue and pointed tongue movement. There is a relationship between rolling tongue and folding tongue, pointed tongue and folding tongue, and folding tongue are related to pointed tongue and rolling tongue.

Kazak faecal microbiota transplantation induces short-chain fatty acids that promote glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion by regulating gut microbiota in db/db mice.

CONTEXT: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from Kazak individuals with normal glucose tolerance (KNGT) significantly reduces plasma glycolipid levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus db/db mice. However, the mechanism behind this effect has not been reported. OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanism of improved glycolipid disorders in db/db mice by FMT from a KNGT donor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The normal diet group consisted of db/m mice orally administered 0.2 mL phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (db/m + PBS). For the db/db + PBS (Vehicle) and db/db + KNGT (FMT intervention group) groups, db/db mice received oral 0.2 mL PBS or faecal microorganisms from a KNGT donor, respectively. All mice were treated daily for 0, 6 or 10 weeks. Faecal DNA samples were sequenced and quantified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and RT-qPCR, respectively. Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels in the mouse faeces were determined by gas chromatography. G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) expression levels were determined. RESULTS: FMT intervention significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides uniformis (0.038%, p < 0.05). Clostridium levels (LogSQ) were increased (p < 0.01), while Mucispirillum schaedleri levels (LogSQ) were decreased (p < 0.01). Acetate and butyrate levels in the faeces were significantly increased (acetate; butyrate: 22.68 ± 1.82 mmol/L; 4.13 ± 1.09 mmol/L, p < 0.05). GPR43 mRNA expression and GLP-1 protein expression increased in colon tissue (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Mechanistically, FMT-KNGT could improve glycolipid disorders by changing the bacterial composition responsible for producing SCFAs and activating the GPR43/GLP-1 pathway.

Diversities of HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 loci in Chinese Kazak population and its genetic relatedness dissection with multiple populations: a comparative study.

Studying the allele and haplotype distributions of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci at 2nd-field level in different populations was important. Allele and haplotype frequencies of HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 loci in 110 unrelated healthy Kazak individuals living in Xinjiang (China) were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction sequence based typing. Thirty HLA-A, 48 HLA-B, 24 HLA-C, 34 HLA-DRB1 and 18 HLA-DQB1 alleles were detected at the 2nd-field level in the Kazak population. Frequencies of HLA alleles, genotypes, and haplotypes were calculated, and some exhibited significantly different distributions among different populations. A neighbor-joining (NJ) tree, heatmap, multidimensional scaling (MDS) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to explore the genetic relationships between the Kazak population and 32 reference populations distributed in Asia, Africa, America and Europe using frequency data of HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 loci. The NJ tree, heatmap, and MDS of the 33 populations were constructed based on pairwise DA values of populations obtained by the HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 allele frequencies. Different PCA plots were constructed based on the allele frequencies of HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 or estimated haplotypic frequencies of HLA-A, -B, -C loci. The data obtained in the present research can be used for research on HLA-related diseases or paternity relationships, and aid to finding the best matched donors in stem cell transplantation for Kazak individuals.

[Genotype distribution and behavioral risk factor analysis of human papillomavirus infection among Kazak women in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and genotype distribution of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) and the correlation between cervical lesions and analyze the risk factors for HR-HPV infection. Methods: In June 2018, a population-based study for cervical cancer screening in Tuoli county of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was conducted. A total of 2 000 Kazak women aged 25-64 years were included in the study. Three cervical exfoliated cells samples were collected from them for careHPV, PCR HPV, p16(INK4a), and liquid-based cytology (LBC) tests. Women with any positive test were referred for colposcopy with biopsies taken at abnormal sites. Histo-pathological diagnoses were used as the gold standard. Results: The overall prevalence of HPV was 14.55%, among which the infection rate of HR-HPV was 12.90%, which was even higher in the 50-54 years age group. The most prevalent genotypes of HR-HPV were HPV16 (2.80%), HPV51(2.35%), HPV52 (1.70%), HPV56 (1.50%), and HPV39 (1.20%). The most common HPV infection was a single infection (71.48%). In the age group of 50-54 years, the multiple infection rates were higher, with the majority of double infection (69.88%), and HPV42 and 56 were the most common co-infection types. HPV16 (31.82%), HPV51 (27.27%) and HPV18 (13.64%) were higher in cervical intraepithelial neplasia grade 1, HPV16 (57.14%) was higher in cervical intraepithelial neplasia grade 2, and HPV16 (55.56%) and HPV18 (33.33%) were higher in cervical intraepithelial neplasia grade 3 or worse. Results from the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher education, menopause, and syphilis infection increased the HPV infection. Conclusions: The most common prevalence genotypes of HR-HPV among Kazak women were HPV16, HPV51, and HPV52. The infection rate of HR-HPV among Kazak women was correlated with education level, menopausal status, and syphilis infection. Measures should be taken targeting high-risk factors. This result suggests that STD patients and women aged 50 and above should be encouraged for screening.

A Highly Polymorphic Panel Consisting of Microhaplotypes and Compound Markers with the NGS and Its Forensic Efficiency Evaluations in Chinese Two Groups.

Novel genetic markers like microhaplotypes and compound markers show promising potential in forensic research. Based on previously reported single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphism loci, 29 genetic markers including 22 microhaplotypes and seven compound markers were identified. Genetic distributions of the 29 loci in five continental populations, Kazak and Mongolian groups in China were investigated. We found that the expected heterozygosity values of these 29 loci were >0.4 in these populations, indicating these loci were relatively high polymorphisms. Population genetic analyses of five continental populations showed that five loci displayed relatively high genetic variations among these continental populations and could be useful markers for ancestry analysis. In summary, the 29 loci displayed relatively high genetic diversities in continental populations and Chinese two groups and could be informative loci for forensic research.

Investigation of the Lactic Acid Bacteria in Kazak Cheese and Their Contributions to Cheese Fermentation.

Kazak cheese is a traditional dairy product fermented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in Xinjiang. To investigate the LAB in Kazak cheese and their contributions to cheese fermentation, four representative LAB, Streptococcus thermophilus B8, Lactobacillus helveticus B6, Weissella confusa B14, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus B10, were isolated from Kazak cheese and subsequently used to ferment cheeses, which were named StC, LhC, WcC, and LrC, respectively. The result showed that most of the physical and chemical indicators had no significant difference, except for moisture and fat. W. confusa B14 was beneficial to the production of amino acids, whereas S. thermophilus B8 promoted the formation of organic acids and contributed to formation ideal texture property. Furthermore, the four cheeses all possessed a strong fruity aroma, with brandy, sweet, herbaceous, pungent, and fatty aromas being the most prominent in WcC. This is because L. helveticus B6 produced a high concentration of hexanal, nonanal, octanal, 3-methylbutanoic acid, ethyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, isoamyl acetate, and ethyl hexanoate in LhC. Research on the fermentation mechanism of LAB in cheese will provide a theoretical basis for the quality control and industrial production of Kazak cheese.

Fecal microbiota transplantation improves metabolism and gut microbiome composition in db/db mice.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has become an effective strategy to treat metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We previously reported that the intestinal microbiome had significant difference between individuals with normal glucose tolerance and T2DM in Chinese Kazak ethnic group. In this study, we investigated the effects of transplanted fecal bacteria from Kazaks with normal glucose tolerance (KNGT) in db/db mice. The mice were treated with 0.2 mL of fecal bacteria solution from KNGT daily for 10 weeks. We showed that the fecal bacteria from KNGT successfully colonized in the intestinal tract of db/db mice detected on day 14. In the FMT-treated db/db mice, the levels of fasting blood glucose, postprandial glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were significantly downregulated, whereas high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were upregulated. In the FMT-treated db/db mice, Desulfovibrio and Clostridium coccoides levels in gut were significantly decreased, but the fecal levels of Akkermansia muciniphila and colon histone deacetylase-3 (HDAC3) protein expression were increased. At 8 weeks, both intestinal target bacteria and HDAC3 were correlated with glycolipid levels; Akkermansia muciniphila level was positively correlated with HDAC3 protein expression (r = +0.620, P = 0.037). Our results suggest that fecal bacteria from KNGT could potentially be used to treat diabetic patients.

Evaluation of the Effect of Auxiliary Starter Yeasts With Enzyme Activities on Kazak Cheese Quality and Flavor.

To investigate the effect of yeasts on Kazak cheese quality and flavor, three isolated yeasts (Kluyveromyces marxianus A2, Pichia kudriavzevii A11, and Pichia fermentans A19) were used to ferment cheeses and designated as StC, LhC, and WcC, respectively. The cheese fermented with a commercial lactic acid starter without adding yeast was used as control named LrC. The results showed that the texture of cheese added with yeasts were more brittle. K. marxianus A2 contributed to the formation of free amino acids and organic acids, especially glutamate and lactic acid. Moreover, K. marxianus A2 provides cheese with onion, oily, and floral aromas. Furthermore, P. kudriavzevii A11 promotes a strong brandy, herbaceous, and onion flavor. Although no significant aroma change was observed in PfC, it promoted the production of acetic acid, isoamyl acetate, and phenethyl acetate. These results indicate that yeasts are important auxiliary starters for cheese production.

Comparative analysis of serum biochemical indexes of Uygur and Kazak adults of different ages and genders in Xinjiang / 解剖学报

Objective To analyze the changes of serum biochemical indexes with age and gender in Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak populations, and to compare the differences of serum biochemical indexes between Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak populations in gender and age. Methods Totally 511 Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak healthy adults were randomly selected from a hospital in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for normal physical examination, including 252 and 259 Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak healthy adults. Serum biochemical indexes were detected by CX-7 automatic biochemical analyzer produced by Beckman, USA, and statistical analysis was conducted by variance analysis, t test, correlation analysis and chi-square test. Results Xinjiang Uygur nationality and Kazak serum biochemical indexes for the male and the female, including glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT), direct bilirubin (DBil), uric acid (UA), creatinine (Cre) and urea (Ure), glucose (Glu), total bilirubin(TBil), cystatin C(Cys-C) increased with the growth of the age, and sex between different age groups were statistically significant (P 0. 05). There were statistically significant differences in Glu, TG, TC, LDL and HDL between Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak people of the same gender and age group (P < 0. 05). Conclusion The serum biochemical indexes of Uygur and Kazak in Xinjiang are different in different ages and genders. The Glu and lipid levels of Uygur nationality in Xinjiang are different from those of Kazak nationality.

Development of a novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction system for forensic individual identification using insertion/deletion polymorphisms.

Insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphisms have been widely used in the fields of population genetics, genetic map constructions, and forensic investigations owing to the advantages of their low mutation rates, widespread distributions in the human genome, and small amplicon sizes. In order to provide more InDels with high discrimination power in Chinese populations, we selected and constructed one novel multiplex PCR-InDel panel for forensic individual identification. Genetic distributions of these 35 InDels in five reference populations from East Asia showed low genetic differentiations among these populations. Forensic efficiency evaluations of these InDels revealed that these loci could perform well for forensic individual identifications in these reference populations. In the meantime, genetic diversities and forensic parameters of these InDels were further investigated in the studied Kazak group. Mean value of polymorphism information content for 35 InDels was 0.3611. Cumulative power of discrimination of 35 InDels was 0.99999999999999603 in Kazak group. Given these results, the panel is suitable for individual identifications in the studied Kazak and these reference populations.

Genetic polymorphism analysis of mitochondrial DNA from Chinese Xinjiang Kazak ethnic group by a novel mitochondrial DNA genotyping panel.

Genetic polymorphism analysis of 60 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) loci in Chinese Xinjiang Kazak group was conducted in this study. Blood samples from 141 unrelated healthy volunteers were randomly collected from Chinese Kazak ethnic group in Ili, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. Among these mtDNA loci, single nucleotide transition was the most commonly observed variant (87.93%). A total of 25 haplogroups and 79 haplotypes were found in Kazak group, and Haplogroup D4 was the most common haplogroup (21.28%). Among the entire 79 haplotypes, 53 of them were observed for only once, 14 for twice. The haplotype diversity was 0.978 ± 0.005, and the nucleotide diversity was 0.17449. The detection of (CA)n and 9-bp deletion polymorphisms could improve the discrimination power of the mtDNA genetic marker. Moreover, Xinjiang Kazak group was compared with other previously reported groups to infer its genetic background. The present results revealed that Xinjiang Kazak ethnic group was genetically closer related to Xinjiang Uygur, Xinjiang Uzbek and Xinjiang Han populations. Meanwhile, our results also indicated the potential closer genetic relationships among Xinjiang Kazak group with Altaian Kazak as well as Xinjiang Xibe group. In conclusion, this novel mtDNA panel could be effectively utilized for forensic applications. Additionally, to further reveal the genetic background of Chinese Kazak group, more relevant populations and genetic markers should be incorporated in our future study.

Different lipid profiles, insulin sensitivity, and insulin resistance among Han, Uygur, and Kazak men with normal glucose tolerance in Xinjiang, China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the differences in clinical parameters among Han, Uygur, and Kazak men with normal glucose tolerance. METHODS: Participants' data from the China National Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders Study pertaining to Han, Uygur, and Kazak men from the Xinjiang province were used (n = 930). Pearson's correlation was used to examine the relationship between HOMA-IR, Matsuda Index, and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: HOMA-IR of Han men was significantly higher than in Uygurs and Kazaks (P < 0.001). The Matsuda Index of Kazaks was significantly higher than that of Hans and Uygurs (P < 0.001). While Kazaks had the highest BMI, WC, SBP, and DBP; they also had the highest HDL-C and lowest TG (P < 0.001). TG of Uygurs was significantly higher than that of Hans and Kazaks (P < 0.001). In Hans and Kazaks, the TG/HDL-C ratio increased with HOMA-IR quartiles; there was no association in Uygurs. In Hans and Kazaks, the TG/HDL-C ratio decreased with Matsuda index quartiles; there was no association in Uygurs. Multivariate linear regression showed that HOMA-IR was independently associated with ethnicity, BMI and TG/HDL-C ratio (P < 0.01), while Matsuda index was independently associated with ethnicity, BMI, LDL-C levels (P < 0.001) and TG/HDL-C ratio (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, Han, Uygur, and Kazak men had different lipid profiles, BMI, and WC. Han men had the highest insulin resistance while Kazak men had the highest insulin sensitivity.

Evaluating the microbial ecology and metabolite profile in Kazak artisanal cheeses from Xinjiang, China.

Kazak artisanal cheese is one of the famous fermented food in Uighur Autonomy Region of Xinjiang, China. However, the microbial ecology in Kazak artisanal cheeses across different regions is unclear. In this study, we determined the microbial community composition through amplicon sequencing and measured the flavor profile of 10 cheese samples from different regions of Xinjiang. The associations between microbial communities, flavors and environmental factors were examined by redundancy analysis and Monte Carlo permutation test. Cheeses from different regions had different microbial communities, which was mainly reflected in the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Issatchenkia, Debaryomyces and Kluyveromyces. In addition, Pichia and Torulaspora were also the key microbial groups, according to the high relative abundance and large co-occurrence incidence in the correlation network. Using the microbe-metabolites correlation analysis, the major flavor-producing taxa were identified as Kluyveromyces, Anoxybacillus, Torulaspora, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus and Dipodascus. Environmental factors accounted for the majority of the microbial community variations, 88.54% for bacteria and 75.71% for fungi. Compared to physico-chemical factors (temperature, moisture, and pH), geographical factors (longitude, latitude and elevation) had a stronger effect on microbial communities in cheese samples from different regions of Xinjiang.

Genetic polymorphisms, forensic efficiency and phylogenetic analysis of 15 autosomal STR loci in the Kazak population of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern China.

AIM: We investigated the frequencies of 15 autosomal STR loci in the Kazak population of the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture with the aim of expanding the available population information in human genetic databases and for forensic DNA analysis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Genetic polymorphisms of 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci were analysed in 456 individuals of the Kazak population from Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern China. RESULTS: A total of 173 alleles at 15 autosomal STR loci were found; the allele frequencies ranged from 0.5022-0.0011. The combined power of discrimination and exclusion statistics for the 15 STR loci were 0.999 999 999 85 and 0.999 998 800 65, respectively. In addition, phylogenetic analysis involving the Ili Uygur population and other relevant populations was carried out. A neighbour-joining tree and multidimensional scaling plot were generated based on Nei's standard genetic distance. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the population comparison indicated that the Ili Uygur population was most closely related genetically to the Uygur populations from other regions in China. These findings are consistent with the historical and geographic backgrounds of these populations.

Dynamic correlations between microbiota succession and flavor development involved in the ripening of Kazak artisanal cheese.

Cheese is a typical handcrafted fermented food in Kazak minority from the Uighur Autonomy Region in China. The ripening process of the cheese is crucial for quality and flavor. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper knowledge on the bacterial and fungal community diversity at different time points during the post-ripening of the cheese and to understand the relationship between bacterial and fungal profiles and the chemical components including amino acids, fatty acids and volatile compounds related the cheese flavor. Cheese samples were collected from days 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 after the starting point of post-ripening. The bacterial and fungal compositions were analyzed with next generation sequencing targeting the 16S rDNA loci for bacteria and ITS loci for fungi. The amino acids contents were analyzed by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography combined with UV detection. The fatty acids and the volatile components were analyzed by Solid Phase Micro Extraction followed by Gas Chromatography/Mass spectrometry. We found that Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Kluyveromyces and Torulaspora were the dominant cheese's population. Bidirectional orthogonal partial least squares (O2PLS) based correlation analysis between microbiota succession and flavor dynamics showed that bacteria made more contributions to flavor formation than fungi. Eight bacteria genera and seven fungi genera were determined as functional core microbiota for the flavor production based on their dominance and functionality in microbial community. This study provided a comprehensive picture of the dynamic changes of microbiota profiles through the post-ripening process. The elucidation of the causal relationship between microbiota and the flavor components has advanced our understanding of the mechanism underlying the cheese development.

Correlations of ALDH2 rs671 and C12orf30 rs4767364 polymorphisms with increased risk and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the Kazak and Han populations in Xinjiang province.

OBJECTIVE: Genetic polymorphisms in ALDH2 and C12orf30 genes have been reported to increase the risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This study aims to investigate the relationship between ALDH2 rs671 and c12orf30 rs4767364 polymorphisms in the chromosome 12q24 gene, and risk and prognosis of individuals developing esophageal cancer (ESCC) in Xinjiang Kazak and Han populations. METHODS: The case group consisted of 127 ESCC patients. The control group comprised of 125 healthy individuals. Subjects that were recruited all come from Xinjiang province. TaqMan and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were the main methods employed to detect and examine the distribution of genotypes of rs671 and rs4767364. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of ALDH2 rs671 between the Kazak case and control groups were statistically significant, while no significant difference was observed between the Han case and control groups (P>.05). Moreover, ALDH2 rs671 (G>A) was associated with poor prognosis of ESCC in both Kazak and Han populations, and c12orf30 rs4767364 (A>G) was also connected with poor prognosis of ESCC in Kazak but not in Han population. CONCLUSION: In the chromosome 12q24 locus, ALDH2 rs671 (G>A) is related to the susceptibility to ESCC in Kazak populations, and it is also associated with poor prognosis of EC in Kazak and Han populations. Furthermore, c12orf30 rs4767364 (A>G) may be correlated with poor ESCC prognosis in Kazak population.