Early life stress (ELS) is highly prevalent among women with HIV (WWH) and contributes to risk for brain health disorders. Mitochondria represent key regulators of cellular stress processes and may represent a key mechanism linking ELS to biological vulnerability. While mitochondrial dysfunction has been associated with ELS in other populations, it remains unknown whether ELS is related to multidimensional mitochondrial health in WWH. Thus, we examined associations between ELS and mitochondrial health metrics in WWH. Sixty-one WWH completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and provided blood samples. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and used to assess mitochondrial bioenergetic function (Seahorse Cell Mito Stress Test), mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn, qPCR), mtDNA integrity (qPCR), cell free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA, qPCR), and static mitochondrial protein expression (western blots). Linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between CTQ scores and mitochondrial outcomes. Higher CTQ scores were associated with increased basal respiration (β = 0.824, p = 0.012, q = 0.028), maximal respiration (β = 3.716, p = 0.014, q = 0.028), and spare respiratory capacity (β = 2.844, p = 0.026, q = 0.031). Conversely, higher CTQ scores were associated with lower mtDNAcn (β = − 2.369, p = 0.009, q = 0.018). No associations were observed with mtDNA integrity, cf-mtDNA, or mitochondrial protein expression. These findings demonstrate a divergent mitochondrial phenotype in WWH exposed to ELS, characterized by increased respiratory activity despite reduced mtDNA copy number. Mitochondrial health is potentially an integral consideration for understanding the link between ELS and biological vulnerability.
Small RNAs (sRNAs) act as critical regulators of post-transcriptional activity and diverse cellular processes in bacteria. However, the entire repertoire of sRNAs and their functions has not yet been extensively studied. This study employs a novel combined computational-experimental prediction approach to identify and characterize small RNAs (sRNAs) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. We defined the first pan-sRNome, including 1663 sRNAs across 484 P. aeruginosa strains, and classified our 9 newly discovered sRNAs as 3 core and 6 accessory elements within the regulatory network. Functional studies revealed distinct sRNA activities: PA0982.1 was found to be a direct regulator of the rhl quorum sensing system. PA1014.1, PA2734.1, and PA2736.2 enhanced pyocyanin production. PA1014.1 and PA2734.1 facilitated biofilm formation for surface attachment. PA2734.1 and PA2736.2 suppressed motility to regulate dispersal, collectively shaping virulence traits. Additionally, PA1270.1, PA1367.1, and PA3471.1 were associated with reduced interbacterial competitiveness and the downregulation of the Type VI secretion system. Evolutionary analysis across diverse bacterial taxa and archaea demonstrated selective conservation, exposing the evolutionary trajectory of a diverse group of regulatory molecules. Overall, this study not only expands the P. aeruginosa sRNA landscape but also provides a framework for understanding how sRNAs fine-tune virulence and evolutionary adaptation.
The electrooxidation of urea offers a promising reaction for wastewater remediation and energy-efficient electrochemical conversion, but its commercialization requires active, stable, and inexpensive anode materials. In this work, a selenium-containing dicarboxylate linker, 2,2′-diselanedibenzoic acid (H2Se2DBA), was prepared via a Sandmeyer diazotization–selenation procedure. H2Se2DBA was subsequently used for the synthesis of Co(II)- and Ni(II)-diselenidibenzoate coordination materials and evaluated as electrocatalysts for urea oxidation in alkaline medium. Both materials were characterized via different methods, and the results indicate the formation of hierarchical assemblies of interconnected nanoparticles with characteristic sizes of 40–150 nm. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed the coordination of deprotonated carboxylate groups to the metal centers while preserving the aromatic diselenide backbone. Co-MOF exhibited greater crystallinity, whereas Ni-MOF showed lower crystallinity. For thermal analysis, both frameworks had more than 80% of their initial mass up to 340 °C, which confirms sufficient thermal robustness. Electrochemical measurements indicate a difference in the electrocatalytic activity of the prepared Co-MOF and Ni-MOF, although both were prepared by the same framework and method. This difference is due to the use of transition metals: Co or Ni. In urea solution, the electrooxidation current of 31.83 mA is found in the case of Ni-MOF, which is higher than that of Co-MOF (9.232 mA). Electrochemical impedance analysis showed that the two charge-transfer resistance components of Ni-MOF decreased from 1796 and 1280 Ω to 104.1 and 473.2 Ω, respectively, because of urea addition. This improvement can be attributed to the electrochemical activation of nickel centers and their ability to generate highly reactive Ni(III) oxyhydroxide species. These findings demonstrate how metal-center selection within the coordination framework controls structural and catalytic performance.
Emotion-aware conversational systems are increasingly adopted in healthcare, yet most emotion detection approaches rely on sentiment polarity, which fails to capture emotional nuance and intensity in short, informal chat messages. To overcome these limitations, this study develops an interpretable emotion-aware framework called Word Intensity Scoring Engine (WISE) that explicitly models emotional intensity in short-form conversational text. Grounded in Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, WISE integrates lexicon-based emotion labeling, synonym expansion, semantic similarity using word embeddings, and negation-aware feature extraction to calculate intensity-weighted emotion scores at the word level. The WISE framework is evaluated through experimental benchmarking and an expert review involving practicing healthcare professionals. Results show that WISE enhances the performance of ML and LLM-based classifiers. Further, expert evaluations indicate that WISE-derived responses are perceived as professional, contextually appropriate, and empathetic. This study contributes a transparent, theoretically grounded design artifact that advances affective computing research and informs the deployment of emotion-aware conversational agents in healthcare.
BACKGROUND:Dog-assisted interventions (DAIs) to improve human health and wellbeing are increasingly implemented in health, care and educational settings. However, the quality and consistency of reporting of trial design and findings remains poor. Current trial reporting guidelines do not adequately address the unique methodological, ethical, and welfare considerations involved in DAI randomised controlled trials (RCTs). To improve the design and transparent reporting of these trials, we developed SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials) 2025 and CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) 2025 extensions for DAI trials. The current paper presents the explanation and elaboration (E&E) for these extensions. METHODS:Using the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR) methodological framework, a four-phase consensus approach was conducted: (1) a systematic review; (2) three-round Delphi survey; (3) expert consensus workshops, and (4) checklist finalisation. This E&E paper complements the DAI extensions checklist (reported elsewhere) by providing item-by-item rationales, guidance, and illustrative examples from DAI trials to demonstrate good reporting. RESULTS:The four-phase consensus approach resulted in 69 extensions for DAI RCT reporting (35 applied to SPIRIT; 34 applied to CONSORT). This paper explains the purpose of each extension item and highlights best practice for reporting, based on examples from published DAI protocols and trial reports. CONCLUSION:These DAI extensions provide guidance for the design and reporting of high-quality and transparent DAI RCTs. This E&E paper supports the application of these extensions by offering detailed explanations and examples. Adoption by researchers, journal editors, funders, and ethics committees may enhance the credibility and impact of DAI research.
