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Item Open Access Aberrant DNA glycosylase-initiated repair pathway of free radicals induced DNA damage: implications for age-related diseases and natural aging(Biopolymers and Cell. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7124/bc.000943, 2017) Matkarimov, B.; Saparbaev, M.Aerobic cellular respiration generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage macro-molecules including lipids, proteins and DNA. It was proposed that aging is a consequence of accumulation of naturally occurring unrepaired oxidative DNA damage. In human cells, approximately 2000 to 8000 DNA lesions occur per hour in each cell, i.e. 40000 to 200000 per cell per day. DNA repair systems are able to discriminate between regular and modified bases. For example, DNA glycosylases specifically recognize and excise damaged bases among vast majority of regular bases in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. However, mismatched pairs between two regular bases occur due to spontaneous conversion of 5-methylcytosine to thymine and DNA polymerase errors during replication. To counteract these mutagenic threats to genome stability, cells evolved special DNA repair systems that target the non-damaged DNA strand in a duplex to remove mismatched regular DNA bases. Base excision repair (BER) and mismatch repair (MMR) pathways initiated by mismatch-specific adenine- and thymine-DNA glycosylases (MutY/MUTYH and TDG/MBD4, respectively) can recognize and remove normal DNA bases in mismatched DNA duplexes. Under certain circumstances in DNA repair deficient cells bacterial MutY and human TDG can act in an aberrant manner: MutY and TDG remove Adenine and Thymine opposite to misincorporated 8-oxoguanine and damaged Adenine, respectively. These unusual activities lead either to mutations or futile DNA repair, thus indicating that the DNA repair pathways which target non-damaged DNA strand can act in an aberrant manner and introduce genome instability in the presence of unrepaired DNA lesions. Both accumulation of oxidative DNA damage in cells and the aberrant DNA repair can contribute to cancer, brain disorders and premature senescence.Item Open Access Aberrant repair initiated by mismatch-specific thymine-DNA glycosylases provides a mechanism for the mutational bias observed in CpG islands(Nucleic Acids Research, 2014-04-01) Talhaoui, Ibtissam; Couve, Sophie; Gros, Laurent; Ishchenko, Alexander A.; Matkarimov, Bakhyt; Saparbaev, Murat K.The human thymine-DNA glycosylase (TDG) initiates the base excision repair (BER) pathway to remove spontaneous and induced DNA base damage. It was first biochemically characterized for its ability to remove T mispaired with G in CpG context. TDG is involved in the epigenetic regulation of gene expressions by protecting CpG-rich promoters from de novo DNA methylation. Here we demonstrate that TDG initiates aberrant repair by excising T when it is paired with a damaged adenine residue in DNA duplex. TDG targets the non-damaged DNA strand and efficiently excises T opposite of hypoxanthine (Hx), 1,N6-ethenoadenine, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoadenine and abasic site in TpG/CpX context, where X is a modified residue. In vitro reconstitution of BER with duplex DNA containing Hx•T pair and TDG results in incorporation of cytosine across Hx. Furthermore, analysis of the mutation spectra inferred from single nucleotide polymorphisms in human population revealed a highly biased mutation pattern within CpG islands (CGIs), with enhanced mutation rate at CpA and TpG sites. These findings demonstrate that under experimental conditions used TDG catalyzes sequence context-dependent aberrant removal of thymine, which results in TpG, CpA→CpGmutations, thus providing a plausible mechanism for the putative evolutionary origin of the CGIs in mammalian genomes.Item Open Access Air Pollution in Kazakhstan and Its Health Risk Assessment(Ubiquity Press, 2019-11-08) Saliev, Timur; Kenessary, D; Kenessary, A; Adilgereiuly, Z; Akzholova, N; Erzhanova, A; Dosmukhametov, A; Syzdykov, D; Masoud, Abdul-Razakir pollution in Kazakhstan is caused by many factors and poses serious threats to public health. Ambient air in the cities of Kazakhstan is polluted due to mining and processing of mineral resources, oil and gas production, gasoline and diesel fuel motor vehicles, industrial enterprises.Item Open Access Amyloid-b peptide on sialyl-LewisX-selectin-mediated membrane tether mechanics at the cerebral endothelial cell surface(PLOS ONE:Open Access journal, 2013-04-12) Askarova, Sholpan; Sun, Zhe; Sun, Grace Y.; Meininger, Gerald A.; Lee, James C-M.Increased deposition of amyloid-b peptide (Ab) at the cerebral endothelial cell (CEC) surface has been implicated in enhancement of transmigration of monocytes across the brain blood barrier (BBB) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy (QIM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) with cantilevers biofunctionalized by sialyl-Lewisx (sLex) were employed to investigate Ab-altered mechanics of membrane tethers formed by bonding between sLex and p-selectin at the CEC surface, the initial mechanical step governing the transmigration of monocytes. QIM results indicated the ability for Ab to increase p-selectin expression at the cell surface and promote actin polymerization in both bEND3 cells (immortalized mouse CECs) and human primary CECs. AFM data also showed the ability for Ab to increase cell stiffness and adhesion probability in bEND3 cells. On the contrary, Ab lowered the overall force of membrane tether formation (Fmtf), and produced a bimodal population of Fmtf, suggesting subcellular mechanical alterations in membrane tethering. The lower Fmtf population was similar to the results obtained from cells treated with an F-actin-disrupting drug, latrunculin A. Indeed, AFM results also showed that both Ab and latrunculin A decreased membrane stiffness, suggesting a lower membrane-cytoskeleton adhesion, a factor resulting in lower Fmtf. In addition, these cerebral endothelial alterations induced by Ab were abrogated by lovastatin, consistent with its anti-inflammatory effects. In sum, these results demonstrated the ability for Ab to enhance p-selectin expression at the CEC surface and induce cytoskeleton reorganization, which in turn, resulted in changes in membrane-cytoskeleton adhesion and membrane tethering, mechanical factors important in transmigration of monocytes through the BBB.Item Open Access ANALYSIS OF BACTEROIDES FRAGILIS CLINICAL STRAINS ISOLATED IN KAZAKHSTAN(Microbiology Resource Announcements, 2021-02-04) Zholdybayeva, Elena V.; Kozhahmetova, Saniya; Tarlykov, Pavel; Atavliyeva, Sabina; Mukhtarova, Kymbat; Syzdykov, Tleuli; Khasenov, Ruslan; Shevtsov, Alexsandr; Amirgazin, Asylulan; Daniyarov, Asset; Ramankulov, YerlanOur aim was to study the nucleotide sequences of 9 previously undescribed strains of B. fragilis collected from patients with intra-abdominal diseases at city hospitals in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.Item Open Access THE ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASES 1 AND 2 MODIFY DNA BY ADP-RIBOSYLATING TERMINAL PHOSPHATE RESIDUES(Frontiers Media, 2020-11-26) Taipakova, Sabira; Kuanbay, Aigerim; Saint-Pierre, Christine; Gasparutto, Didier; Baiken, Yeldar; Groisman, Regina; Ishchenko, Alexander A.; Saparbaev, Murat; Bissenbaev, Amangeldy K.Proteins from the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family, such as PARP1 and PARP2, use NAD+ as a substrate to catalyze the synthesis of polymeric chains consisting of ADP-ribose units covalently attached to an acceptor molecule. PARP1 and PARP2 are viewed as DNA damage sensors that, upon binding to strand breaks, poly(ADP-ribosyl)ate themselves and nuclear acceptor proteins. The flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana contains three genes encoding homologs of mammalian PARPs: atPARP1, atPARP2, and atPARP3. Both atPARP1 and atPARP2 contain poly(ADP-ribosyl)ating activity; however, it is unknown whether they could covalently modify DNA by ADP-ribosylating the strand break termini. Here, we report that similar to their mammalian counterparts, the plant atPARP1 and atPARP2 proteins ADP-ribosylate 5′-terminal phosphate residues in duplex DNA oligonucleotides and plasmid containing at least two closely spaced DNA strand breaks. AtPARP1 preferentially catalyzes covalent attachment of ADP-ribose units to the ends of recessed DNA duplexes containing 5′-phosphate, whereas atPARP2 preferentially ADP-ribosylates the nicked and gapped DNA duplexes containing the terminal 5′-phosphate. Similar to their mammalian counterparts, the plant PARP-catalyzed DNA ADP-ribosylation is particularly sensitive to the distance that separates two strand breaks in the same DNA molecule, 1.5 and 1 or 2 turns of helix for atPARP1 and atPARP2, respectively. PAR glycohydrolase (PARG) restored native DNA structure by hydrolyzing the PAR–DNA adducts generated by atPARPs. Biochemical and mass spectrometry analyses of the PAR–DNA adducts showed that atPARPs utilize phosphorylated DNA termini as an alternative to protein acceptor residues to catalyze PAR chain synthesis via phosphodiester bond formation between C1′ of ADP-ribose and a phosphate residue of the terminal nucleotide in DNA fragment. Taken together, these data establish the presence of a new type of DNA-modifying activity in Arabidopsis PARPs, suggesting a possible role of DNA ADP-ribosylation in DNA damage signaling and repair of terrestrial plants.Item Open Access Around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site: progress of dose estimations relevant to the consequences of nuclear tests(J. Radiat. Res. Vol. 47, Suppl. A (2006); http://jrr.jstage.jst.go.jp, 2005-03-09) Stepanenko, Valeriy F.The paper is an analytical overview of the main results presented at the 3 rd Dosimetry Workshop in Hiroshima (9–11 of March 2005), where different aspects of the dose reconstruction around the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) were discussed and summarized.Item Open Access Assessing reproducibility of matrix factorization methods in independent transcriptomes(OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 2019) Cantini, Laura; Kairov, Ulykbek; de Reynies, Aurelien; Barillot, Emmanuel; Radvanyi, Francois; Zinovyev, AndreiMotivation Matrix factorization (MF) methods are widely used in order to reduce dimensionality of transcriptomic datasets to the action of few hidden factors (metagenes). MF algorithms have never been compared based on the between-datasets reproducibility of their outputs in similar independent datasets. Lack of this knowledge might have a crucial impact when generalizing the predictions made in a study to others. Results We systematically test widely used MF methods on several transcriptomic datasets collected from the same cancer type (14 colorectal, 8 breast and 4 ovarian cancer transcriptomic datasets). Inspired by concepts of evolutionary bioinformatics, we design a novel framework based on Reciprocally Best Hit (RBH) graphs in order to benchmark the MF methods for their ability to produce generalizable components. We show that a particular protocol of application of independent component analysis (ICA), accompanied by a stabilization procedure, leads to a significant increase in the between-datasets reproducibility. Moreover, we show that the signals detected through this method are systematically more interpretable than those of other standard methods. We developed a user-friendly tool for performing the Stabilized ICA-based RBH meta-analysis. We apply this methodology to the study of colorectal cancer (CRC) for which 14 independent transcriptomic datasets can be collected. The resulting RBH graph maps the landscape of interconnected factors associated to biological processes or to technological artifacts. These factors can be used as clinical biomarkers or robust and tumor-type specific transcriptomic signatures of tumoral cells or tumoral microenvironment. Their intensities in different samples shed light on the mechanistic basis of CRC molecular subtyping. Availability and implementation The RBH construction tool is available from http://goo.gl/DzpwYp Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.Item Open Access Behavior and food consumption pattern of the population exposed in 1949–1962 to fallout from Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan(Radiation and Environmental Biophysics, 2011-03) Drozdovitch, Vladimir; Schonfeld, Sara; Akimzhanov, Kuat; Aldyngurov, Daulet; Land, Charles E.; Luckyanov, Nickolas; Mabuchi, Kiyohiko; Potischman, Nancy; J. Schwerin, Michael J.; Semenova, Yulia; Tokaeva, Alma; Zhumadilov, Zhaxybay; Bouville, André; Simon, Steven L.The relationship between radiation exposure from nuclear weapons testing fallout and thyroid disease in a group of 2,994 subjects has been the subject of study by the US National Cancer Institute. In that study, radiation doses to the thyroid were estimated for residents of villages in Kazakhstan possibly exposed to deposition of radioactive fallout from nuclear testing conducted by the Soviet Union at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan between 1949 and 1962. The study subjects included individuals of both Kazakh and Russian origin who were exposed during childhood and adolescence. An initial dose reconstruction used for the risk analysis of Land et al. (Radiat Res 169:373-383, 2008) was based on individual information collected from basic questionnaires administered to the study population in 1998. However, because data on several key questions for accurately estimating doses were not obtained from the 1998 questionnaires, it was decided to conduct a second data collection campaign in 2007. Due to the many years elapsed since exposure, a well-developed strategy was necessary to encourage accurate memory recall.Item Open Access Bonghan Ducts as Possible Pathways for Cancer Metastasis(Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 2009-04-01) Yoo, Jung Sun; Kim, Hong Bae; Ogay, Vyacheslav; Lee, Byung-Cheon; Ahn, Saeyoung; Soh, Kwang-supObjective: The present study has been designed to find a possible new route for the metastasis of cancer cells on the fascia surrounding tumor tissue using a novel technique of trypan blue staining. Materials and Methods: Tumor tissues were grown in the skin of nude mice after subcutaneous inoculation with human lung cancer cells. Trypan blue was recently identified as a dye with specificity for Bonghan ducts (BHDs) and not other tissues, such as blood or lymph vessels or nerves. Results: We demonstrate that the trypan blue staining technique allows the first visualization of BHDs which are connected to tumor tissues.Item Open Access Cancer-related genes in the transcription signature of facioscapulohumeral dystrophy myoblasts and myotubes(Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 2013) Dmitriev, Petr; Kairov, Ulykbek; Robert, Thomas; Barat, Ana; Lazar, Vladimir; Carnac, Gilles; Laoudj-Chenivesse, Dalila; Vassetzky, Yegor S.Muscular dystrophy is a condition potentially predisposing for cancer; however, currently, only Myotonic dystrophy patients are known to have a higher risk of cancer. Here, we have searched for a link between facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) and cancer by comparing published transcriptome signatures of FSHD and various malignant tumours and have found a significant enrichment of cancer-related genes among the genes differentially expressed in FSHD. The analysis has shown that gene expression profiles of FSHD myoblasts and myotubes resemble that of Ewing’s sarcoma more than that of other cancer types tested. This is the first study demonstrating a similarity between FSHD and cancer cell expression profiles, a finding that might indicate the existence of a common step in the pathogenesis of these two diseases.Item Metadata only Cardioprotective properties of polyphenol concentrate in Rat model of Doxorubicin-induced Cardiomyopathy(2015-08-01) Shulgau, Z.; Gulyayev, A.; Yermekbayeva, B.; Adilgozhina, G.; Tritek, V.; Nurgozhin, T.; Z., ShulgauPresent study aimed to investigate possible cardioprotective properties of polyphenol concentrates obtained from Cabernet Sauvignon type of Kazakhstani grapes using rat model doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy.Item Open Access Characterization of DNA ADP-ribosyltransferase activities of PARP2 and PARP3: new insights into DNA ADP-ribosylation(Oxford University Press, 2018-01) Zarkovic, Gabriella; Belousova, Ekaterina; Talhaoui, Ibtissam; Saint-Pierre, Christine; Kutuzov, Mikhail M.; Matkarimov, Bakhyt; Biard, Denis; Gasparutto, Didier; Lavrik, Olga I.; Ishchenko, Alexander A.Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) act as DNA break sensors and catalyze the synthesis of polymers of ADP-ribose (PAR) covalently attached to acceptor proteins at DNA damage sites. It has been demonstrated that both mammalian PARP1 and PARP2 PARylate double-strand break termini in DNA oligonucleotide duplexes in vitro. Here, we show that mammalian PARP2 and PARP3 can PARylate and mono(ADP-ribosyl)ate (MARylate), respectively, 5′- and 3′-terminal phosphate residues at double- and single-strand break termini of a DNA molecule containing multiple strand breaks. PARP3-catalyzed DNA MARylation can be considered a new type of reversible post-replicative DNA modification. According to DNA substrate specificity of PARP3 and PARP2, we propose a putative mechanistic model of PARP-catalyzed strand break–oriented ADP-ribosylation of DNA termini. Notably, PARP-mediated DNA ADP-ribosylation can be more effective than PARPs’ auto-ADP-ribosylation depending on the DNA substrates and reaction conditions used. Finally, we show an effective PARP3- or PARP2-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of high-molecular-weight (∼3-kb) DNA molecules, PARP-mediated DNA PARylation in cell-free extracts and a persisting signal of anti-PAR antibodies in a serially purified genomic DNA from bleomycin-treated poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase-depleted HeLa cells. These results suggest that certain types of complex DNA breaks can be effectively ADP-ribosylated by PARPs in cellular response to DNA damage.Item Open Access Clinical characterizations of children with bacterial meningitis (BM) in the Republic of Kazakhstan(2016-12-01) Seidullayeva, A.; Zhaxylykova, G.; Kenzhebayeva, S.; Turdalina, B.; Volkova, G.; Nurtazina, G.; Kostrovskaya, T.; Greenberg, D.; Kushugulova, A.; Bayesheva, D.; A., SeidullayevaItem Open Access Comparison of Phenolic Content in Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi Wines(Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 2019-12-12) Sergazy, Shynggys; Gulyayev, Alexandr; Dudikova, Galina; Chulenbayeva, Laura; Nurgaziyev, Madiyar; Krivyh, Elena; Nurgozhoina, Ayaulym; Ziyat, Arailym; Tritek, V.; Kozhakhmetov, Samat S.; Kushugulova, Almagul R.Several studies reveal that the phenolic compounds present in the wine and their concentrations determine physiological activities of the red wine. In this study, the main polyphenol components, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavones, flavan-3-ols and stilbenoids, were investigated via HLPC-UV in the “Cabernet Sauvignon” and “Saperavi” wines selected from different regions and different years. In assistance of a meta-analysis, we found that there are no fundamental differences in phenolic compounds between the wines Cabernet Sauvignon and Saperavi. However, the amounts of several important phenolic materials such as catechin, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid and myricetin significantly higher in Saperavi wine as compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. Moreover, on the basis of the correlation analysis, we assume that flavones synthesis and regulation of stilbenoids coordinated to a greater extent in “Saperavi” than in “Cabernet Sauvignon”.Item Open Access Comparison of the characteristic features of bonghan ducts, blood and lymphatic capillaries(Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 2009-03-31) Ogay, Vyacheslav; Bae, Kyung Hee; Kim, Ki Woo; Soh, Kwang-supObjective: To show that the characteristic morphological and ultrastructural features of a Bonghan corpuscle and duct presented here are consistent with the description given in the early reports of Bonghan Kim. Materials and Methods: We compared the morphological aspects of Bonghan ducts with those of blood and lymphatic capillaries on the ultrastructural level to display the manifestly distinctive nature of the Bonghan system. Results: The walls of the ductules were observed to be composed of a single layer of endothelial cells with characteristic rod-shaped nuclei and were not surrounded by a basal lamina or by accessory cells, such as pericytes or smooth muscle cells. The abluminal cell membranes of Bonghan ductules were not attached by anchoring filaments to the fibers of extracellular matrices as observed in lymphatic capillaries.Item Metadata only Cytisin Amidophosphate – Promising Role for The Liver Treatment(2015-08-01) Gulyayev, A.; Shulgau, Z.; Yermekbayeva, B.; Sergazy, S.; Nurgozhin, T.; A., GulyayevItem Open Access Deep phylogenetic analysis of haplogroup G1 provides estimates of SNP and STR utation rates on the human Y-Chromosome and reveals migrations of Iranic speakers(PLOS ONE, 2015-04-07) Balanovsky, Oleg; Zhabagin, Maxat; Agdzhoyan, Anastasiya; Chukhryaeva, Marina; Zaporozhchenko, Valery; Utevska, Olga; Highnam, Gareth; Sabitov, Zhaxylyk; Greenspan, Elliott; Dibirova, Khadizhat; Skhalyakho, Roza; Kuznetsova, Marina; Koshel, Sergey; Yusupov, Yuldash; Nymadawa, Pagbajabyn; Zhumadilov, Zhaxybay; Pocheshkhova, Elvira; Haber, Marc; Zalloua, Pierre A.; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Dybo, Anna; Tyler-Smith, Chris; Balanovska, ElenaY-chromosomal haplogroup G1 is a minor component of the overall gene pool of South- West and Central Asia but reaches up to 80% frequency in some populations scattered within this area. We have genotyped the G1-defining marker M285 in 27 Eurasian populations (n= 5,346), analyzed 367 M285-positive samples using 17 Y-STRs, and sequenced ~11 Mb of the Y-chromosome in 20 of these samples to an average coverage of 67X. This allowed detailed phylogenetic reconstruction. We identified five branches, all with high geographical specificity: G1-L1323 in Kazakhs, the closely related G1-GG1 in Mongols, G1- GG265 in Armenians and its distant brother clade G1-GG162 in Bashkirs, and G1-GG362 in West Indians.Item Open Access Determining the optimal number of independent components for reproducible transcriptomic data analysis(BioMed Central, 2017) Kairov, Ulykbek; Cantini, Laura; Greco, Alessandro; Molkenov, Askhat; Czerwinska, Urszula; Barillot, Emmanuel; Zinovyev, AndreiBackground: Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is a method that models gene expression data as an action of a set of statistically independent hidden factors. The output of ICA depends on a fundamental parameter: the number of components (factors) to compute. The optimal choice of this parameter, related to determining the effective data dimension, remains an open question in the application of blind source separation techniques to transcriptomic data.Results: Here we address the question of optimizing the number of statistically independent components in the analysis of transcriptomic data for reproducibility of the components in multiple runs of ICA (within the same or within varying effective dimensions) and in multiple independent datasets. To this end, we introduce ranking of independent components based on their stability in multiple ICA computation runs and define a distinguished number of components (Most Stable Transcriptome Dimension, MSTD) corresponding to the point of the qualitative change of the stability profile. Based on a large body of data, we demonstrate that a sufficient number of dimensions is required for biological interpretability of the ICA decomposition and that the most stable components with ranks below MSTD have more chances to be reproduced in independent studies compared to the less stable ones. At the same time, we show that a transcriptomics dataset can be reduced to a relatively high number of dimensions without losing the interpretability of ICA, even though higher dimensions give rise to components driven by small gene sets. Conclusions: We suggest a protocol of ICA application to transcriptomics data with a possibility of prioritizing components with respect to their reproducibility that strengthens the biological interpretation. Computing too few components (much less than MSTD) is not optimal for interpretability of the results. The components ranked within MSTD range have more chances to be reproduced in independent studies.Item Open Access Diabetes prevalence, awareness and treatment and their correlates in older persons in urban and rural population in the Astana region, Kazakhstan(2016-02-01) Supiyev, Adil; Kossumov, Alibek; Kassenova, Aliya; Nurgozhin, Talgat; Zhumadilov, Zhaxybay; Peasey, Anne; Bobak, Martin; Adil, SupiyevAbstract AimsThe evidence on the prevalence and distribution of diabetes and its determinants in Central Asia is sparse. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of diabetes and factors associated with these characteristics in the population of Astana (capital) city and adjacent rural area in Kazakhstan. MethodsParticipants aged 50-75 years old, residing in Astana city (the capital) and Akmol village were invited to participate in a cross-sectional study. The subjects were randomly selected from polyclinic registers. A total of 953 adults were interviewed (response rate 59%), and their fasting plasma glucose, blood pressure, height and weight were measured. Diabetes was defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0mmol/l (126mg/dl) and/or being on diabetes medication. ResultsThe overall prevalence of diabetes was 12.5%, and it was almost twice higher in the urban residents (16.3%) than in the rural population (8.6%). Diabetes prevalence was associated with age, men sex, hypertension, obesity, and Russian ethnicity. Among subjects with diabetes, 72.3% were aware of their condition; 65.6% were on treatment and 27.7% had controlled fasting plasma glucose. The awareness, treatment and control of diabetes were substantially higher in the urban population and among women. ConclusionsThe large differences in all diabetes indices between urban and rural regions, if confirmed in larger studies, may suggest an impact of westernised and urbanised lifestyle as well as access to health care.