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Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important cereal crop with high genome plasticity that is cultivated in all climatic zones. Traditionally, barley grain is used for animal feed, malting, brewing, and food production. Depending on the end-use product, there are individual requirements for the quality traits of barley grain, particularly for raw starch and protein contents. This study evaluates a collection of 406 two-rowed spring barley accessions, comprising cultivars and lines from the USA, Kazakhstan, Europe, and Africa, based on five grain quality traits (the contents of raw starch, protein, cellulose, and lipids, and grain test weight) over two years. The results of population structure analysis demonstrate the significant impact of geographical origin on the formation of subclusters in the studied population. It was also found that the environment significantly affects grain quality traits. Heat and drought stresses, particularly during grain filling, led to higher protein and lower starch contents. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a multiple-locus mixed linear model (MLMM) allowed for the identification of 26 significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the five studied grain quality traits. Among them, 17 QTLs were found to be positioned close to known genes and previously reported QTLs for grain quality in the scientific literature. Most of the identified candidate genes were dehydration stress and flowering genes, confirming that exposure to heat and drought stresses during grain filling may lead to dramatic changes in grain quality traits, including lower starch and higher protein contents. Nine QTLs were presumably novel and could be used for gene mining and breeding activities, including marker-assisted selection to improve grain quality parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyslipidemia plays an essential role in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The role of lipids and lipoproteins in the early pre-disease state of CKD in hypertensive patients is still unclear. The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between early renal dysfunction and lipid profile parameters among hypertensive patients in Kazakhstan. From April 2015 to December 2016, 800 Kazakh males and females with primary hypertension who met the inclusion criteria were included in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected on socio-demographics, lifestyle parameters, family history of cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. Additionally, Dietary Quality Score (DQS), anthropometric data, and blood pressure were recorded. Laboratory blood measurements included eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate), lipid profile parameters such as Apolipoprotein B, A1, HDL-C, LDL-C, and TG. We found a linear relationship between early renal dysfunction and LDL-C, Apolipoprotein B, and Apolipoprotein B/A1 ratio, which was in all cases negative and small (r = −0.27, −0.23 and −0.16, respectively). Apolipoprotein A1, HDL-C and TG have not revealed a linear relationship with GFR (r = −0.06, r = −0.06, and ρ = −0.045, respectively). The multicollinearity test restricted the linear model to Apolipoprotein B only. Further linear regression analysis confirmed an inverse significant linear association between eGFR and Apolipoprotein B. Age, DQS, and income appear to be positive confounding factors, significantly fitted the final model. ROC analysis had proven the predictive power of Apolipoprotein B in pre-CKD eGFR decline before and after adjustment for age, DQS and income (AUC = 0.62 and AUC = 0.77, respectively). For differentiating non-diabetic subjects with and without pre-CKD eGFR decrease, 1.05 g/L and 0.98 g/L are likely to be optimal cutoff points in males and females, respectively. These findings will help early prediction of renal dysfunction and contribute to a more accurate estimation of CVD risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]