Biology subjects

Kinyua, P.

Publications and source records attributed to Kinyua, P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Development and assessment of tailored illustrations to enhance community understandings of genetics topics

ObjectivesEffective communication about genetics concepts is essential for collaborative anthropological genetics research. However, communication can be challenging because many ideas are abstract and may be especially unfamiliar to communities with limited access to formal education. Indeed, there are no widely adopted models for communicating such information, nor a clear understanding of the social factors that may shape participant engagement. Here, we conducted a qualitative and quantitative, community-driven study to understand how illustrations can be useful to support concept sharing with two Indigenous groups--the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia and the Turkana of Kenya. MethodsWe used a two phase approach to create and evaluate how illustrations can bolster communication about genetics concepts. First, we created images illustrating answers to frequently asked questions about genetics, iteratively updating the illustrations based on participant feedback. Second, we conducted 92 interviews to evaluate the finalized illustrations effectiveness. Finally, we analyzed the interview data using thematic analyses, multivariable modeling, and multiple correspondence analyses to identify patterns in participant understanding and feedback, including age, sex, market integration, and schooling. ResultsParticipants reported high interest in genetics research (92%) and broadly positive perceptions of the illustrations. Familiar, locally-grounded imagery was preferred and associated with greater perceived clarity, while more technical illustrations were more frequently reported as confusing. Quantitative analyses showed strong internal consistency across measures of engagement and understanding, with modest variation by degree of market-integration, schooling, and sex. DiscussionOur findings demonstrate that community-specific visualizations, co-developed through iterative feedback, can effectively support engagement with genetics research in participant communities.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2024

Sex differences in immune function and disease risk are not easily explained by an evolutionary mismatch

The "Pregnancy Compensation Hypothesis" (PCH) posits that sex differences in the mammalian immune system reflect the effects of selection on female immunity during pregnancy, during which increased immunomodulation is required to reduce immune responses to the fetus, while maintaining the ability to respond to pathogens. In humans, fewer pathogens and lower parity in urban, industrialized environments has been suggested to leave female immune systems under-stimulated, creating an "evolutionary mismatch" which exacerbates sex differences in immunity and increases female autoimmune disease risk. Yet, robust tests of this mismatch hypothesis have not been conducted. Here, we first confirmed a sex-bias in autoimmune disease prevalence in a large dataset of individuals from the United Kingdom (UK Biobank). Second, we asked whether sex differences in immune function are affected by shifts toward urban, lower-parity lifestyles in a single population--the Turkana people of northwest Kenya. We found that lifestyle alters sex differences in immune cell type proportions, but not in gene expression levels. Contrary to expectations from the PCH, parity did not predict immune physiology. We then tested for generalizable trends across natural fertility mammalian populations versus urban humans (data from Turkana, NHANES, GTEx, Batwa and Bakiga, yellow baboons, and macaques). We did not find consistent relationships between lifestyle and sex-biases in immune biomarkers or between parity and the same immune outcomes. Indeed, we found that parity predicts autoimmune disease risk in the opposite direction than expected from the PCH, with higher parity associated with higher autoimmune disease risk while adjusting for relevant socioeconomic variables in the UK Biobank. Taken together, our work suggests that while sex clearly influences immune physiology and disease risk in urban settings, these effects are not easily explained by an evolutionary mismatch. Future work addressing how sex interacts with lifestyle change to generate disease is needed.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Adaptations to water stress and pastoralism in the Turkana of northwest Kenya

The Turkana people inhabit arid regions of east Africa--where temperatures are high and water is scarce--and they practice subsistence pastoralism, such that their diet is primarily composed of animal products. Working with Turkana communities, we sequenced 367 genomes and identified 8 regions putatively involved in adaptation to water stress and pastoralism. One of these regions includes a putative enhancer for STC1--a kidney-expressed gene involved in the response to dehydration and the metabolism of purine-rich foods such as red meat. We show that STC1 is induced by antidiuretic hormone in humans, is associated with urea levels in the Turkana themselves, and is under strong selection in this population (s[~]0.041). This work highlights that partnerships with subsistence-level groups can lead to new models of human physiology with biomedical relevance.

evolutionary biology↗