Objective: To investigate the serum uric acid levels among residents living in Balikun County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from 2018 to 2021, so as to provide insights into local hyperuricemia control. Methods: The residents at ages of 20 to 69 years undergoing physical examinations in Balikun County Hospital during the period from 2018 to 2021 were enrolled. Their age, gender, and history of medication and disease were collected, and serum uric acid levels were measured. The gender- and age-specific prevalence of hyperuricemia and hypouricemia was descriptively analyzed. Results: A total of 3 097 subjects were enrolled, which included 1 210 males ( 39.07% ) and 1 887 females ( 60.93% ) and had a mean age of ( 46.12±12.84 ) years. The overall mean serum uric acid was ( 260.41±71.99 ) μmol/L, and the mean serum uric acid was ( 298.22±69.57 ) μmol/L in men and ( 236.17±62.44 ) μmol/L in women. The serum uric acid level appeared a tendency towards a rise with ages both in whole study subjects and in women ( P<0.05 ). The overall prevalence of hyperuricemia was 4.26%, with 4.63% prevalence in men and 4.03% in women. The prevalence of hyperuricemia appeared a tendency towards a rise with ages both in whole study subjects and in women ( P<0.05 ). The overall prevalence of hypouricemia was 0.71%, with 0.25% prevalence in men and 1.01% in women; the prevalence of moderate hypouricemia was 11.11%, with 2.56% prevalence in men and 16.59% in women. Conclusions Low level of serum uric acid and prevalence of hyperuricemia is detected among residents living in Balikun County. Monitoring of serum uric acid is recommended to be intensified among men.

As the largest ecosystem of human body, intestinal microorganisms participate in the synthesis and metabolism of uric acid. Developing and utilizing intestinal bacteria to degrade uric acid might provide new ideas for the treatment of hyperuricemia. The fecal samples of people with low uric acid were inoculated into uric acid selective medium with the concentration of 1.5 mmol/L for preliminary screening, and the initially screened strains that may have degradation ability were domesticated by concentration gradient method, and the strains with high uric acid degradation rate were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing method. A strain of high-efficiency uric acid degrading bacteria was screened and domesticated from the feces of people with low uric acid. The degradation rate of uric acid could reach 50.2%. It was identified as Escherichia coli. The isolation and domestication of high efficient uric acid degrading strains can not only provide scientific basis for the study of the mechanism of intestinal microbial degradation of uric acid, but also reserve biological strains for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout in the future.
Bacteria/metabolism* ; Domestication ; Ecosystem ; Escherichia coli/genetics* ; Humans ; Hyperuricemia ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/metabolism* ; Uric Acid/metabolism*