Obesity modulates NK-cell activity via LDL & DUSP1 signaling for Populations with Adverse Social Determinants.

African American (AA) women are disproportionally affected by obesity and hyperlipidemia, particularly in the setting of adverse social determinants of health (aSDoH) contributing to health disparities. Obesity, hyperlipidemia, and aSDoH appear to impair Natural Killer cells (NKs). As potential common underlying mechanisms are largely unknown, we sought to investigate common signaling pathways involved in NK dysfunction related to obesity and hyperlipidemia in AA women from under-resourced neighborhoods.

Immunomodulation of human T cells by microbubble-mediated focused ultrasound.

While met with initial and ground-breaking success targeting blood borne cancers, cellular immunotherapy remains significantly hindered in the context of solid tumors by the tumor microenvironment. Focused ultrasound, in conjunction with microbubbles, has found tremendous potential as a targeted and local drug/gene delivery technique for cancer therapy. The specific immunomodulating effects of this technique on immune cells, including T-cells, remain unexplored.

South African Parents' and Grandparents' Perspectives on the Acceptability of Implant Delivery of Treatment to Young Children with HIV.

Children living with HIV (CLWH) face unique challenges with adherence to antiretroviral therapy. In South Africa, just over a third of children receiving antiretroviral therapy are virally suppressed. Long-acting, subcutaneous implants may improve outcomes in CLWH compared to current daily oral dosing regimens.

Acceptability of the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring and Daily Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) during Pregnancy in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Pregnant and lactating persons in sub-Saharan Africa face a heightened risk of HIV acquisition, due to biological and behavioral factors, combined with limited access to prevention and treatment services. Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and the dapivirine vaginal ring are promising tools for HIV prevention, and the ring's recent approval in multiple African countries represents a significant advancement in expanding access to HIV prevention. In a nested qualitative study within the MTN-042 trial, we explored the acceptability of study products among pregnant persons in the second and early third trimesters.