Response to comment on 'Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity'

Lambert et al. question our retrospective and holistic epidemiological assessment of the role of chytridiomycosis in amphibian declines. Their alternative assessment is narrow and provides an incomplete evaluation of evidence. Adopting this approach limits understanding of infectious disease impacts and hampers conservation efforts. We reaffirm that our study provides unambiguous evidence that chytridiomycosis has affected at least 501 amphibian species

Use of micro CHP plants to support the local operation of electric heat pumps

Fig. 1. Global distribution of chytridiomycosis-associated amphibian species declines. Bar plots indicate the number (N) of declined species, grouped by continental area and classified by decline severity. Brazilian species are plotted separately from all other South American species (South America W); Mesoamerica includes Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands; and Oceania includes Australia and New Zealand. No declines have been reported in Asia. n, total number of declines by region. [Photo credits (clockwise from top left): Anaxyrus boreas, C. Brown, U.S. Geological Survey; Atelopus varius, B.G.; Salamandra salamandra, D. Descouens, Wikimedia Commons; Telmatobius sanborni, I.D.l.R; Cycloramphus boraceiensis, L.F.T.; Cardioglossa melanogaster, M.H.; and Pseudophryne corroboree, C. Doughty

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Global urban environmental change drives adaptation in white clover

Urbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors. Urban-rural gradients were associated with the evolution of clines in defense in 47% of cities throughout the world. Variation in the strength of clines was explained by environmental changes in drought stress and vegetation cover that varied among cities. Sequencing 2074 genomes from 26 cities revealed that the evolution of urban-rural clines was best explained by adaptive evolution, but the degree of parallel adaptation varied among cities. Our results demonstrate that urbanization leads to adaptation at a global scale

Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity

Anthropogenic trade and development have broken down dispersal barriers, facilitating the spread of diseases that threaten Earth's biodiversity. We present a global, quantitative assessment of the amphibian chytridiomycosis panzootic, one of the most impactful examples of disease spread, and demonstrate its role in the decline of at least 501 amphibian species over the past half-century, including 90 presumed extinctions. The effects of chytridiomycosis have been greatest in large-bodied, range-restricted anurans in wet climates in the Americas and Australia. Declines peaked in the 1980s, and only 12% of declined species show signs of recovery, whereas 39% are experiencing ongoing decline. There is risk of further chytridiomycosis outbreaks in new areas. The chytridiomycosis panzootic represents the greatest recorded loss of biodiversity attributable to a disease.B.C.S. and D.B.L. were supported by the Australian National Environmental Science Program. L.B., L.F.S., T.A.K., and B.C.S. were supported by the Australian Research Council (grants FT100100375, LP110200240, and DP120100811), the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, and the Taronga Conservation Science Initiative. S.C., W.B., A.M., and F.P. were supported by Research Foundation Flanders grants FWO3E001916 and FWO11ZK916N‐11ZK918N and Ghent University grant BOF16/GOA/024. S.C. was supported by Research Foundation Flanders grant FWO16/PDO/019. A.A.A. was supported by the Conservation Leadership Program (0621310), Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad de Pamplona-Colombia, and Colciencias (1121-659-44242). T.C. was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel. A.C. was supported by the Amazon Conservation Association, the Amphibian Specialist Group, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Eppley Foundation, the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, the NSF, the Rufford Small Grants Foundation, and the Swiss National Foundation. I.D.l.R. was supported by the Spanish Government (CGL2014-56160-P). M.C.F. was supported by the NERC (NE/K014455/1), the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2014-273), and the Morris Animal Foundation (D16ZO-022). S.V.F. was supported by the USFWS Wildlife without Borders (96200-0-G228), the AZA–Conservation Endowment Fund (08-836), and the Conservation International Critically Endangered Species Fund. P.F.Á. was supported by a Postdoctoral Research fellowship from the Mexican Research Council (CONACYT, 171465). T.W.J.G. was supported by the NERC (NE/N009967/1 and NE/K012509/1). J.M.G. was supported by the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (collaboration grants 11164 and 5447). M.H. was supported by scholarships from the Elsa-NeumannFoundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). C.A.M. was supported by the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and the Cornell Center for Vertebrate Genomics. G.P.-O. was supported by DGAPA-UNAM and CONACYT while on sabbatical at the University of Otago, New Zealand. C.L.R.-Z. was supported by the NSF (1660311). S.M.R. was supported by a CONACYT Problemas Nacionales grant (PDCPN 2015-721) and a UC Mexus-Conacy cooperative grant. C.S.-A. was supported by the Chilean National Science and Technology Fund (Fondecyt no. 1181758). L.F.T. was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP 2016/25358-3) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq 300896/2016-6). J.V. was supported by the NSF (DEB1551488 and IOS-1603808). C.W. was supported by the South African National Research Foundatio

Fig. 2 in Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity

Fig. 2. Taxonomic distribution of chytridiomycosis-associated amphibian declines. Each bar represents one species, and color denotes the severity of its decline. Concentric circles indicate, from inner to outer, order (Caudata or Anura), family, and genus. Full names are given only for families and genera that include>5 and>2 species, respectively; details for all taxa are in table S4. Within each taxonomic level, sublevels are ordered alphabetically. Protruding bars indicate species for which there is evidence of recovery. [Photo credits (left to right): Telmatobius bolivianus, I.D.l.R.; Atelopus zeteki, B.G.; and Craugastor crassidigitus, B.G.

Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) adult study protocol: Rationale, objectives, and design.

IMPORTANCE: SARS-CoV-2 infection can result in ongoing, relapsing, or new symptoms or other health effects after the acute phase of infection; termed post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID. The characteristics, prevalence, trajectory and mechanisms of PASC are ill-defined. The objectives of the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Multi-site Observational Study of PASC in Adults (RECOVER-Adult) are to: (1) characterize PASC prevalence; (2) characterize the symptoms, organ dysfunction, natural history, and distinct phenotypes of PASC; (3) identify demographic, social and clinical risk factors for PASC onset and recovery; and (4) define the biological mechanisms underlying PASC pathogenesis. METHODS: RECOVER-Adult is a combined prospective/retrospective cohort currently planned to enroll 14,880 adults aged ≥18 years. Eligible participants either must meet WHO criteria for suspected, probable, or confirmed infection; or must have evidence of no prior infection. Recruitment occurs at 86 sites in 33 U.S. states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, via facility- and community-based outreach. Participants complete quarterly questionnaires about symptoms, social determinants, vaccination status, and interim SARS-CoV-2 infections. In addition, participants contribute biospecimens and undergo physical and laboratory examinations at approximately 0, 90 and 180 days from infection or negative test date, and yearly thereafter. Some participants undergo additional testing based on specific criteria or random sampling. Patient representatives provide input on all study processes. The primary study outcome is onset of PASC, measured by signs and symptoms. A paradigm for identifying PASC cases will be defined and updated using supervised and unsupervised learning approaches with cross-validation. Logistic regression and proportional hazards regression will be conducted to investigate associations between risk factors, onset, and resolution of PASC symptoms. DISCUSSION: RECOVER-Adult is the first national, prospective, longitudinal cohort of PASC among US adults. Results of this study are intended to inform public health, spur clinical trials, and expand treatment options. REGISTRATION: NCT05172024