scholarly journals Diversity Scaling Analysis of Chinese Gut Microbiomes Across Ethnicities and Lifestyles

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanmeng Xiao ◽  
Depei Gao ◽  
Hongju (Daisy) Chen ◽  
Yuting Qiao ◽  
Zhanshan (Sam) Ma ◽  
...  

Diversity scaling (changes) of human gut microbiome is important because it measures the inter-individual heterogeneity of diversity and other important parameters of population-level diversity. Understanding the heterogeneity of microbial diversity can be used as a reference for the personalized medicine of microbiome-associated diseases. Similar to diversity per se, diversity scaling may also be influenced by host factors, especially lifestyles and ethnicities. Nevertheless, this important topic regarding Chinese populations has not been addressed, to our best knowledge. Here, we fill the gap by applying a recent extension to the classic species–area relationship (SAR), i.e., diversity–area relationship (DAR), to reanalyze a large dataset of Chinese gut microbiomes covering the seven biggest Chinese ethnic groups (covering > 95% Chinese) living rural and urban lifestyles. Four DAR profiles were constructed to investigate the diversity scaling, diversity overlap, potential maximal diversity, and the ratio of local to global diversity of Chinese gut microbiomes. We discovered the following: (i) The diversity scaling parameters (z) at various taxon levels are little affected by either ethnicity or lifestyles, as exhibited by less than 0.5% differences in pairwise comparisons. (ii) The maximal accrual diversity (potential diversity) exhibited difference in only about 5% of pairwise comparisons, and all of the differences occurred in ethnicity comparisons (i.e., lifestyles had no effects). (iii) Ethnicity seems to have stronger effects than lifestyles across all taxon levels, and this may reflect the reality that China has been experiencing rapid urbanization in the last few decades, while the ethnic-related genetic background may change relatively little during the same period.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanmeng Xiao ◽  
Zhanshan (Sam) Ma

The human virome is a critical component of the human microbiome, and it is believed to hold the richest diversity within human microbiomes. Yet, the inter-individual scaling (changes) of the human virome has not been formally investigated to the best of our knowledge. Here we fill the gap by applying diversity-area relationship (DAR) modeling (a recent extension to the classic species-area law in biodiversity and biogeography research) for analyzing four large datasets of the human virome with three DAR profiles: DAR scaling (z)—measuring the inter-individual heterogeneity in virome diversity, MAD (maximal accrual diversity: Dmax) and LGD ratio (ratio of local diversity to global diversity)—measuring the percentage of individual to population level diversity. Our analyses suggest: (i) The diversity scaling parameter (z) is rather resilient against the diseases as indicated by the lack of significant differences between the healthy and diseased treatments. (ii) The potential maximal accrual diversity (Dmax) is less resilient and may vary between the healthy and diseased groups or between different body sites. (iii) The LGD ratio of bacterial communities is much smaller than for viral communities, and relates to the comparatively greater heterogeneity between local vs. global diversity levels found for bacterial-biomes.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuhu Joshi ◽  
Devesh Roy ◽  
Lora Iannotti ◽  
Aishwarya Nagar ◽  
Avinash Kishore

Abstract Background: Obesity is rising in developing countries like India and is associated with an increase in cardiometabolic problems. Rising incomes, rapid urbanization, and mechanization have induced lifestyle changes like consumption of more obesogenic foods and sedentary habits at work and leisure, contributing to a transition from under- to over-nutrition. This study maps the prevalence of adult (15-49 years) overweight and obesity across regions and socioeconomic groups in India, and estimates its association with lifestyle, health environment, dietary patterns, diabetes, and hypertension.Methods: We employ a combination of 3 latest nationally representative datasets with over 700,000 adults. We use a linear probability regression model to identify the correlates of overweight/obesity and their relative magnitudes. We use intra-household regression to identify differences between men and women and coarsened exact matching to causally estimate the impact of obesity on diabetes and hypertension.Results: Overweight/obesity rates have increased across all states, in rural and urban areas, and for all wealth levels. Women are more likely to be overweight/obese than men, even in the same household. Improved health environment (toilets, piped water, clean cooking fuel), urban jobs, television watching, and processed snacks increase the risk of overweight/obesity. Adults who are overweight/obese have a 5.6% higher risk of diabetes and a 9.7% higher risk of hypertension.Conclusions: Our results underscore the need for policy intervention to reduce the burden of obesity and NCD’s in India.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongju Chen ◽  
Bin Yi ◽  
Xia Xu ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Lin Dai ◽  
...  

Abstract The human gut microbiome has been extensively studied, but its diversity scaling (changes) along the DT ( digestive tract ) as well as their inter-individual heterogeneities have not been adequately addressed in our opinion. Here we fill the gap by applying the diversity-area relationship (DAR), a recent extension to the classic species-area relationship (SAR) in biogeography, by reanalyzing the dataset of over 2000 16s-rRNA microbiome samples obtained from 10 DT sites of over 200 individuals. We sketched out the biogeography “maps” for each of the 10 DT sites by cross-individual DAR analysis, and the intra-DT distribution pattern by cross-DT site DAR analysis. Regarding the inter-individual biogeography, it was found that all DT sites have the invariant scaling parameter —all sites possessing the same diversity change rate across individuals, but most sites have different potential diversities. In terms of the genus richness, an average individual hosts approximately 20% of the population-level genus richness (total bacterial genus of a human population). In contrast, in terms of community biodiversity, the percentages of individual vs . population may exceed 90%. This suggests that the differences between individuals in their DT microbiomes are predominantly in the composition of bacterial species, rather than how their abundances are distributed ( i.e ., biodiversity). Regarding the intra-DT patterns, the scaling parameter is larger—suggesting that the intra-DT biodiversity changes are more dramatic than inter-individual changes. On average, each site contains 21%-36% of genus diversity of the whole DT, and the percentages are even higher at the higher taxon levels.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongju Chen ◽  
Bin Yi ◽  
Xia xu ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Lin Dai ◽  
...  

Abstract The human gut microbiome has been extensively studied, but its diversity scaling (changes) along the DT (digestive tract) as well as their inter-individual heterogeneities have not been adequately addressed in our opinion. Here we fill the gap by applying the diversity-area relationship (DAR), a recent extension to the classic species-area relationship (SAR) in biogeography, by reanalyzing the dataset of over 2000 16s-rRNA microbiome samples obtained from 10 DT sites of over 200 individuals. We sketched out the biogeography “maps” for each of the 10 DT sites by cross-individual DAR analysis, and the intra-DT distribution pattern by cross-DT site DAR analysis. Regarding the inter-individual biogeography, it was found that all DT sites have the invariant scaling parameter—all sites possessing the same diversity change rate across individuals, but most sites have different potential diversities. In terms of the genus richness, an average individual hosts approximately 20% of the population-level genus richness (total bacterial genus of a human population). In contrast, in terms of community biodiversity, the percentages of individual vs. population may exceed 90%. This suggests that the differences between individuals in their DT microbiomes are predominantly in the composition of bacterial species, rather than how their abundances are distributed (i.e., biodiversity). Regarding the intra-DT patterns, the scaling parameter is larger—suggesting that the intra-DT biodiversity changes are more dramatic than inter-individual changes. On average, each site contains 21%-36% of genus diversity of the whole DT, and the percentages are even higher at the higher taxon levels.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 514
Author(s):  
Hongzhang Xu ◽  
Jamie Pittock ◽  
Katherine A. Daniell

The adverse effects of rapid urbanization are of global concern. Careful planning for and accommodation of accelerating urbanization and citizenization (i.e., migrants gaining official urban residency) may be the best approach to limit some of the worst impacts. However, we find that another trajectory may be possible: one linked to the rural development plan adopted in the latest Chinese national development strategy. This plan aims to build rural areas as attractive areas for settlement by 2050 rather than to further urbanize with more people in cities. We assess the political motivations and challenges behind this choice to develop rural areas based on a literature review and empirical case analysis. After assessing the rural and urban policy subsystem, we find five socio-political drivers behind China’s rural development strategy, namely ensuring food security, promoting culture and heritage, addressing overcapacity, emphasizing environmental protection and eradicating poverty. To develop rural areas, China needs to effectively resolve three dilemmas: (1) implementing decentralized policies under central supervision; (2) deploying limited resources efficiently to achieve targets; and (3) addressing competing narratives in current policies. Involving more rural community voices, adopting multiple forms of local governance, and identifying and mitigating negative project impacts can be the starting points to manage these dilemmas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongju (Daisy) Chen ◽  
Bin Yi ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Xia Xu ◽  
Lin Dai ◽  
...  

The human gut microbiome has been extensively studied, but its diversity scaling (changes or heterogeneities) along the digestive tract (DT) as well as their inter-individual heterogeneities have not been adequately addressed to the best of our knowledge. Here we fill the gap by applying the diversity-area relationship (DAR), a recent extension to the classic species-area relationship (SAR) in biogeography, by reanalyzing a dataset of over 2000 16s-rRNA microbiome samples obtained from 10 DT sites of over 200 individuals. We sketched out the biogeography “maps” for each of the 10 DT sites by cross-individual DAR analysis, and the intra-DT distribution pattern by cross-DT-site DAR analysis. Regarding the inter-individual biogeography, it was found that all DT sites have the invariant (constant) scaling parameter—all sites possessing the same diversity change rate across individuals, but most sites have different potential diversities, which include the portions of diversity that may be absent locally but present regionally. In the case of this study, the potential diversity of each DT site covers the total diversity of the respective site from all individuals in the cohort. In terms of the genus richness, an average individual hosts approximately 20% of the population-level genus richness (total bacterial genus of a human population). In contrast, in terms of community biodiversity, the percentages of individual over population may exceed 90%. This suggests that the differences between individuals in their DT microbiomes are predominantly in the composition of bacterial species, rather than how their abundances are distributed (i.e., biodiversity). Regarding the intra-DT patterns, the scaling parameter (z) is larger—suggesting that the intra-DT biodiversity changes are larger than inter-individual changes. The higher intra-DT heterogeneity of bacteria diversity, as suggested by larger intra-DT z than the inter-individual heterogeneity, should be expected since the intra-DT heterogeneity reflects the functional differentiations of the DT tract, while the inter-individual heterogeneity (z) reflects the difference of the same DT site across individuals. On average, each DT site contains 21–36% of the genus diversity of the whole DT, and the percentages are even higher in terms of higher taxon levels.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuba Krys ◽  
Yukiko Uchida ◽  
Colin Andrew Capaldi ◽  
Katarzyna Cantarero ◽  
Claudio Torres ◽  
...  

People across cultures differ in behaviours, thoughts and preferences. Cultural sensitivity – i.e., acknowledgment of these cultural differences – in development science is a postulate known since at least the 1960s, but has remained understudied. The goal of the current paper is to address this gap and to investigate folk theories of societal development, and in particular to identify both universal and culturally specific lay beliefs on what constitutes good societal development. In this study we collected data on preferences in social developmental from 2,684 participants across nine countries from five continents. We measured preferences towards twenty-eight different development aims, and separately for preferences towards three aims constituting Human Development Index. We used a comprehensive analysis approach, consisting of multidimensional scaling, analysis of variance, and pairwise comparisons to characterize universal and country specific preference patterns. Our results demonstrate that what people understand as modernization remains substantially universal across countries, but specific pathways of development and preferences towards these pathways tend to be different between countries. We also distinguished three facets of modernization: basics for modernization (e.g., trust, safety, economic development), welfare aims (e.g., poverty eradication, education), and inclusive aims (e.g., openness, gender equality, human rights). Importantly, in all studied countries, we found that each of the three types of modernization is much more preferred than conventional aims (e.g., military, demographic, religion). Cultural sensitivity may be reflected in how development is conceptualised and measured, and in this paper we propose a method of implementing our findings into development indexes


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 798
Author(s):  
Jianwei Xu ◽  
Jiyu Zhang ◽  
Min Liu ◽  
Yamin Bai ◽  
Xiaolei Guo ◽  
...  

Several estimating equations for predicting 24-h urinary sodium (24-hUNa) excretion using spot urine (SU) samples have been developed, but have not been readily available to Chinese populations. We aimed to compare and validate the six existing methods at population level and individual level. We extracted 1671 adults eligible for both 24-h urine and SU sample collection. Mean biases (95% CI) of predicting 24-hUNa excretion using six formulas were 58.6 (54.7, 62.5) mmol for Kawasaki, −2.7 (−6.2, 0.9) mmol for Tanaka, −24.5 (−28.0, −21.0) mmol for the International Cooperative Study on Salt, Other Factors, and Blood Pressure (INTERSALT) with potassium, –26.8 (−30.1, −23.3) mmol for INTERSALT without potassium, 5.9 (2.3, 9.6) mmol for Toft, and −24.2 (−27.7, −20.6) mmol for Whitton. The proportions of relative difference >40% with the six methods were nearly a third, and the proportions of absolute difference >51.3 mmol/24-h (3 g/day salt) were more than 40%. The misclassification rate were all >55% for the six methods at the individual level. Although the Tanaka method could offer a plausible estimation for surveillance of the population sodium excretion in Shandong province, caution remains when using the Tanaka formula for other provincial populations in China. However, these predictive methods were inadequate to evaluate individual sodium excretion.


1974 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Collette ◽  
Pat O'Malley

The New Zealand Maori represent an important case study in the processes of urbanization and acculturation of an indigenous people. Whereas prior to World War II very few Maoris lived in cities, despite the existence of urban areas since the mid-nineteenth century, the postwar period has witnessed the most rapid urbanization of an indigenous people. By 1966, over one-half of the Maori population resided in cities and urban boroughs. The reasons for the occurrence of this phenomenon are discussed in terms of four factors: (1) changes in the attitudes of the European population; (2) changes in governmental policies concerning the social and economic development of the Maori population; (3) differences between the economic positions of rural and urban Maoris; and (4) the social changes effected by the military and logistic necessities of World War II. One of the most important features of Maori urbanization is that it is occurring without involving extensive loss or destruction of traditional Maori culture. It seems that the rapidity with which urbanization is occurring is at least partly responsible for the maintenance of traditional culture in the urban setting.


2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
pp. 1853-1860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M Hansen ◽  
Einar E Nielsen ◽  
Dorte Bekkevold ◽  
Karen-Lise D Mensberg

Studies of genetic interactions between wild and domesticated fish are often hampered by unavailability of samples from wild populations prior to population admixture. We assessed the utility of a new Bayesian method, which can estimate individual admixture coefficients even with data missing from the populations contributing to admixture. We applied the method to analyse the genetic contribution of domesticated brown trout (Salmo trutta) in samples of anadromous trout from two stocked populations with no genetic data available before stocking. Further, we estimated population level admixture proportions by the mean of individual admixture coefficients. This method proved more informative than a multidimensional scaling analysis of individual-based genetic distances and assignment tests. The results showed almost complete absence of stocked, domesticated trout in samples of trout from the rivers. Consequently, stocking had little effect on improving fisheries. In one population, the genetic contribution by domesticated trout was small, whereas in the other population, some genetic impact was suggested. Admixture in this sample of anadromous trout despite absence of stocked domesticated trout could be because of introgression by domesticated trout adopting a resident life history.


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