Convergent evolution of complex adaptive traits modulates angiogenesis in high-altitude Andean and Himalayan human populations.

Convergent adaptations represent paradigmatic examples of the capacity of natural selection to influence organisms' biology. However, the possibility to investigate the genetic determinants underpinning convergent complex adaptive traits has been offered only recently by methods for inferring polygenic adaptations from genomic data. Relying on this approach, we demonstrate how high-altitude Andean human groups experienced pervasive selective events at angiogenic pathways, which resemble those previously attested for Himalayan populations despite partial convergence at the single-gene level was observed.

Breathing room: Toward next-generation tracheal engineering.

The creation of an engineered trachea with robust phenotype and sufficient mechanical properties for clinical application remains a challenge. In their work, Tang et al. propose a stacked approach of alternating cartilaginous and fibrous rings to form a tracheal segment, which integrated and retain patency in rabbits for 8 weeks.

Drug delivery to the pediatric upper airway.

Pediatric upper airway disorders are frequently life-threatening and require precise assessment and intervention. Targeting these pathologies remains a challenge for clinicians due to the high complexity of pediatric upper airway anatomy and numerous potential etiologies; the most common treatments include systemic delivery of high dose steroids and antibiotics or complex and invasive surgeries. Furthermore, the majority of innovative airway management technologies are only designed and tested for adults, limiting their widespread implementation in the pediatric population.

Stress and immunity: Field comparisons among populations of invasive cane toads in Florida.

Cane toads (Rhinella marina) were introduced worldwide and have become invasive in multiple locations, representing a major driver of biodiversity loss through competition (food, shelter, territory), predation, and the poisoning of native species. These toads have been used in Australia as a model for studies concerning invasion biology and ecoimmunology, as longer-established (core) and invasion front (edge) populations show altered stress and immune response profiles. Although cane toads were also introduced into the United States in the 1950s, these patterns have yet to be evaluated for the populations spanning Florida.

Innate immunity of Florida cane toads: how dispersal has affected physiological responses to LPS.

Physiological tradeoffs occur in organisms coping with their environments, which are likely to increase as populations reach peripheries of established ranges. Invasive species offer opportunities to study tradeoffs that occur, with many hypotheses focusing on how immune responses vary during dispersal. The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is a well-known invasive species.