Genomic signatures of adaptation in native lizards exposed to human-introduced fire ants.

Understanding the process of genetic adaptation in response to human-mediated ecological change will help elucidate the eco-evolutionary impacts of human activity. In the 1930s red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) were accidently introduced to the Southeastern USA, where today they are both venomous predators and toxic prey to native eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus). Here, we investigate potential lizard adaptation to invasive fire ants by generating whole-genome sequences from 420 lizards across three populations: one with long exposure to fire ants, and two unexposed populations.

The politics of health systems policies during COVID-19: reflections on experiences from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Politics as the exercise of power always influence public policies-which reflects the multifaceted nature of decision-making-but "using politics" as a motivation for self-serving interests of government leaders and their allies poses problems. This article reviews the impacts of COVID-19 on health systems of the Latin American and Caribbean region from a political lens. We highlight the overriding influence of politics in health policies, weak governance structures that became compromised, exacerbation of corruption, and breakdowns in the communication and trust between governments and their citizens.

A randomized controlled trial of postbiotic administration during antibiotic treatment increases microbiome diversity and enriches health associated taxa.

Antibiotic-induced microbiome injury, defined as a reduction of ecological diversity and obligate anaerobe taxa, is associated with negative health outcomes in hospitalized patients, and healthy individuals who received antibiotics in the past are at higher risk for autoimmune diseases. No interventions are currently available that effectively target the microbial ecosystem in the gut to prevent this negative collateral damage of antibiotics. Here, we present the results from a single-center, randomized placebo-controlled trial involving 32 patients who received an oral, fermentation-derived postbiotic alongside oral antibiotic therapy for gastrointestinal (GI)-unrelated infections.

The MTIST platform: a microbiome time series inference standardized test.

The human gut microbiome is a promising therapeutic target, but interventions are hampered by our limited understanding of microbial ecosystems. Here, we present a platform to develop, evaluate, and score approaches to learn ecological interactions from microbiome time series data. The microbiome time series inference standardized test (MTIST) comprises: a simulation framework for the generation of microbiome study data akin to what is obtained with quantitative next-generation sequencing approaches, a compilation of a large curated data set generated by the simulation framework representing 648 simulated microbiome studies containing 18,360 time series, with a total of 2,182,800 species abundance measurements, and a scoring method to rank ecological inference algorithms.

Measurement bias in caregiver-report of early childhood behavior problems across demographic factors in an ECHO-wide diverse sample.

Background: Research and clinical practice rely heavily on caregiver-report measures, such as the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5), to gather information about early childhood behavior problems and to screen for child psychopathology.

Assessing the role of ankle and hip joint proprioceptive information in balance recovery using vibratory stimulation.

Background: Previous work suggests that proprioceptive information from ankle and hip are crucial in maintaining balance during upright standing; however, the contribution of these proprioceptive information during stepping balance recovery in not clear. The goal of the current study was to assess the role of ankle and hip proprioceptive information on balance recovery performance by manipulating type 1a afferent in muscle spindles using vibratory stimulation.

Methods: Twenty healthy young participants were recruited (age = 22.

Scots pine - panmixia and the elusive signal of genetic adaptation.

Scots pine is the foundation species of diverse forested ecosystems across Eurasia and displays remarkable ecological breadth, occurring in environments ranging from temperate rainforests to arid tundra margins. Such expansive distributions can be favored by various demographic and adaptive processes and the interactions between them. To understand the impact of neutral and selective forces on genetic structure in Scots pine, we conducted range-wide population genetic analyses on 2321 trees from 202 populations using genotyping-by-sequencing, reconstructed the recent demography of the species and examined signals of genetic adaptation.

Leveling the Research Playing Field: Decolonizing Global Health Research Through Web-Based Platforms.

Global health research has traditionally been rooted in colonialism, with some investigators in high-income countries leading and managing research and investigators in low- and middle-income countries serving as implementing partners. The Community Health Worker-Led Intervention for Vaccine Information and Confidence (CIVIC) Project, conducted in India and led jointly by India- and US-based investigators, leveraged web-based platforms to facilitate a more horizontal, inclusive, and balanced approach to partnerships between researchers and the community. Using web-based platforms to conduct research was found to be an effective strategy to engage researchers at all levels and combat systemic barriers associated with in-person activities such as power, economic, social, and gender dynamics.

A Multi-Cohort Examination of the Independent Contributions of Maternal Childhood Adversity and Pregnancy Stressors to the Prediction of Children's Anxiety and Depression.

Women's social experiences can have long-term implications for their offspring's health, but little is known about the potential independent contributions of multiple periods of stress exposures over time. This study examined associations of maternal exposure to adversity in childhood and pregnancy with children's anxiety and depression symptoms in a large, sociodemographically diverse sample. Participants were 1389 mother-child dyads (child age M = 8.

Cohort profile: the ECHO prenatal and early childhood pathways to health consortium (ECHO-PATHWAYS).

Purpose: Exposures early in life, beginning in utero, have long-term impacts on mental and physical health. The ECHO prenatal and early childhood pathways to health consortium (ECHO-PATHWAYS) was established to examine the independent and combined impact of pregnancy and childhood chemical exposures and psychosocial stressors on child neurodevelopment and airway health, as well as the placental mechanisms underlying these associations.

Participants: The ECHO-PATHWAYS consortium harmonises extant data from 2684 mother-child dyads in three pregnancy cohort studies (CANDLE [Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood], TIDES [The Infant Development and Environment Study] and GAPPS [Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth]) and collects prospective data under a unified protocol.

Vaccine acceptance in rural India: Engaging faith leaders as vaccine ambassadors.

Introduction: Religious faith is a key marker of identity and shapes community perspectives and trust. Faith leader involvement in vaccine campaigns in India have been beneficial to counter misinformation regarding infectious diseases such as polio. Faith leaders are influential stakeholders who bear potential to enhance public confidence in vaccine campaigns.

Prenatal urinary metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and toddler cognition, language, and behavior.

Background: Animal and epidemiological studies suggest that prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may negatively impact toddler neurodevelopment.

Methods: We investigated this association in 835 mother-child pairs from CANDLE, a diverse pregnancy cohort in the mid-South region of the U.S.

Modern, archaeological, and paleontological DNA analysis of a human-harvested marine gastropod (Strombus pugilis) from Caribbean Panama.

Although protocols exist for the recovery of ancient DNA from land snail and marine bivalve shells, marine conch shells have yet to be studied from a paleogenomic perspective. We first present reference assemblies for both a 623.7 Mbp nuclear genome and a 15.

Effects of landscapes and range expansion on population structure and local adaptation.

Understanding the origin and distribution of genetic diversity across landscapes is critical for predicting the future of organisms in changing climates. This study investigated how adaptive and demographic forces have shaped diversity and population structure in Pinus densata, a keystone species on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). We examined the distribution of genomic diversity across the range of P.

The Mitogenome of Norway Spruce and a Reappraisal of Mitochondrial Recombination in Plants.

Plant mitogenomes can be difficult to assemble because they are structurally dynamic and prone to intergenomic DNA transfers, leading to the unusual situation where an organelle genome is far outnumbered by its nuclear counterparts. As a result, comparative mitogenome studies are in their infancy and some key aspects of genome evolution are still known mainly from pregenomic, qualitative methods. To help address these limitations, we combined machine learning and in silico enrichment of mitochondrial-like long reads to assemble the bacterial-sized mitogenome of Norway spruce (Pinaceae: Picea abies).

An environmental DNA sampling method for aye-ayes from their feeding traces.

Noninvasive sampling is an important development in population genetic monitoring of wild animals. Particularly, the collection of environmental DNA (eDNA) which can be collected without needing to encounter the target animal facilitates the genetic analysis of endangered species. One method that has been applied to these sample types is target capture and enrichment which overcomes the issue of high proportions of exogenous (nonhost) DNA from these lower quality samples.