G protein-coupled receptors: a gateway to targeting oncogenic EVs?

Dysregulated intercellular communication is a key feature driving cancer progression. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have added a new channel to this dense communication network. Despite solid evidence that EVs are central mediators of dysregulated signaling in onco-pathological settings, this has yet to be translated into clinically actionable strategies.

The Role of Intersectional Stigma in Coronary Artery Disease Among Cisgender Women Aging with HIV.

Cisgender women living with HIV experience elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk that increases with age, a concern given extended life expectancies for people living with HIV. The CVD risk disparity among cisgender women aging with HIV is understudied and remains unclear. Taking a psychoneuroimmunology approach, given this group's intersecting marginalized identities, one potential driver of the disparity is intersectional stigma.

Characterizing syndemic HIV risk profiles and mHealth intervention acceptability among patients in the emergency department.

proposes that co-occurring, mutually reinforcing psychosocial challenges (mental health, substance use, minority stress [discrimination/stigma], abuse, unmet basic needs) drive HIV risk behavior and create barriers to care for marginalized populations. It is thus necessary to address this holistic, complex picture in HIV prevention. Emergency department (ED) visits are a prime opportunity to engage key risk groups, given their low engagement in regular clinic-based care and high utilization of drop-in care via EDs.

What Women with HIV Know about Heart Health and Cardiovascular Risk and Intervention Preferences.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant health concern influenced by various determinants. Stigma and resilience have emerged as factors in CVD development and management. Women with HIV (WWH) have higher CVD rates than women without HIV.

Facets of mindfulness are associated with inflammation biomarkers in a sample of sexual minority men with HIV.

Sexual minority men (SMM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV and thus, HIV related-health complications. HIV has been linked to earlier onset of multi-morbid chronic diseases and declines in physical and cognitive functioning attributable to chronic HIV immune activation and resulting inflammation. Inflammation has been targeted with mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs); however, hypothesized negative associations between mindfulness and inflammation need to be confirmed in SMM with HIV.

Comparison of embryologist stress, somatization, and burnout reported by embryologists working in UK HFEA-licensed ART/IVF clinics and USA ART/IVF clinics.

Study Question: What is the prevalence of occupational stress, somatization, and burnout reported by UK and US, embryologists and the impact of work conditions on these well-being outcomes?

Summary Answer: Surveyed UK and US embryologists reported moderate perceived stress, low somatic symptom severity, high levels of burnout, and overall stressful work conditions, but with differences that could be due to country-specific occupational and employment characteristics.

What Is Known Already?: Spanish, UK, US, and international surveys have identified high levels of occupational stress, somatization, burnout, and occupational health issues among embryologists. These issues have been attributed to embryologists' occupational challenges and work conditions.

Leveraging A Digital Pill System to Understand Prevention-Effective Adherence to Oral Hiv Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Men Who Have Sex with Men with Substance Use.

Daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective for HIV prevention, though efficacy depends on adherence. Digital pill systems (DPS) can enable direct, real-time adherence measurement. HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) with substance use (excluding alcohol) utilized a DPS over 90 days and completed weekly surveys reporting sexual activity, condom use, and substance use.

A Longitudinal Examination of HIV Risk Perception Accuracy among Sexual Minority Men with History of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) with history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are at high risk for HIV acquisition. One reason is posttraumatic responses compromise ability to accurately appraise risk for danger/vulnerability. Health behavior change models and related interventions assume risk perception can be changed in an enduring manner.

Acceptance of digital phenotyping linked to a digital pill system to measure PrEP adherence among men who have sex with men with substance use.

Once-daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective strategy to prevent HIV, but is highly dependent on adherence. Men who have sex with men (MSM) who use substances face unique challenges maintaining PrEP adherence. Digital pill systems (DPS) allow for real-time adherence measurement through ingestible sensors.

Informing Acceptability and Feasibility of Digital Phenotyping for Personalized HIV Prevention among Marginalized Populations Presenting to the Emergency Department.

For marginalized populations with ongoing HIV epidemics, alternative methods are needed for understanding the complexities of HIV risk and delivering prevention interventions. Due to lack of engagement in ambulatory care, such groups have high utilization of drop-in care. Therefore, emergency departments represent a location with those at highest risk for HIV and in highest need of novel prevention methods.

Pathways and Intersections: Multifaceted Approaches to Engage Individuals From Underrepresented and Marginalized Communities in HIV Research and Career Development.

Background: The underrepresentation of historically marginalized groups in the HIV research workforce is a barrier to reaching national Ending the Epidemic goals.

Setting: The Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (HU CFAR) Diversity Equity and Inclusion Working Group (DEI WG) uses a multifaceted approach to enhance the field's diversity.

Methods: We established a DEI WG to improve the recruitment, inclusion, and retention of underrepresented minorities (URMs) in HIV research.

Attitudes towards participating in research involving digital pill systems to measure oral HIV pre-exposure chemoprophylaxis: a cross-sectional study among men who have sex with men with substance use in the USA.

Objectives: This quantitative survey sought to understand, among men who have sex with men (MSM) with potentially problematic substance use, the attitudes towards participation in research involving digital pill systems (DPS) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence measurement, and the barriers and facilitators to research participation.

Design: One-time, cross-sectional, online sampling-based survey.

Setting: US social networking app predominantly focused on MSM.

Does Problematic Substance Use Moderate Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adherence and Depression in HIV?

Problematic substance use may attenuate the effect of treating depression in people living with HIV (PLWH). We examined the potential moderating effect of problematic substance use on depression and adherence outcomes in PLWH (N = 143) who participated in a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) and were randomized to either CBT-AD or enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU). Problematic substance use was operationalized as either having substance use-related diagnosis or current substance use in the past 30 days with a lifetime history of problematic use.

Sexual Minority Stress and Cellular Aging in Methamphetamine-Using Sexual Minority Men With Treated HIV.

Objective: Sexual minority men (e.g., gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men) experience stigma and sexual minority stress, which are theorized to drive negative health outcomes.

Posttraumatic Cognitions and Condomless Sex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) with a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Role of Avoidance Coping.

This study explicated associations between trauma-related cognitions and condomless sex, examining avoidance coping style and behavior (i.e., substance use) as intermediate variables, among a group disproportionately affected by both trauma and HIV.

Structural Life Instability and Factors Related to Latino Sexual Minority Men's Intention to Engage with Biomedical HIV-Prevention Services.

Latino sexual minority men (LSMM) experience high rates of HIV and co-occurring health inequities. Structural and psychosocial factors may lead to mental health problems and decreased engagement with biomedical HIV-prevention behaviors. This cross-sectional study assessed the extent to which structural life instability is related to biomedical HIV-prevention services engagement (HIV-testing and PrEP uptake) indirectly through psychological distress among 290 LSMM living in Greater Miami.

The shame spiral of addiction: Negative self-conscious emotion and substance use.

Background: The bidirectional associations between negative self-conscious emotions such as shame and guilt and substance use are poorly understood. Longitudinal research is needed to examine the causes, consequences, and moderators of negative self-conscious emotions in people who use substances.

Methods: Using parallel process latent growth curve modeling, we assessed bidirectional associations between shame and guilt and substance use (i.

Tryptophan depletion predicts lower positive affect in sexual minority men living with HIV who use methamphetamine.

This longitudinal study with 76 sexual minority men living with HIV who use methamphetamine examined whether dysregulation of essential amino acid precursors for neurotransmitters at baseline predicted positive and negative affect at 15 months. After controlling for covariates including baseline positive affect, a higher baseline kynurenine/tryptophan (K/T) ratio independently predicted lower positive affect at 15 months (β = - 18.31; 95% CI = - 35.

Trauma exposure, PTSD, and suboptimal HIV medication adherence among marginalized individuals connected to public HIV care in Miami.

Individuals living with HIV report disproportionately high levels of trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, both which have been associated with suboptimal ART adherence. Often conflated, the question arises as to which construct is driving subsequent HIV self-care behavior. Given the HIV disparities among Black and Hispanic/Latinx individuals, and that Miami is a geographic region with a high racial/ethnic minority make up and a unique socioeconomic environment, it is important to explore factors related to HIV outcomes in Miami to mitigate its uncontrolled epidemic.

Syndemics and salivary inflammation in people living with HIV/AIDS.

Objective: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are disproportionally exposed to a host of structural, community, and individual-level physical and psychosocial stressors also termed 'syndemic conditions.' The current study aimed to examine the association between experiencing syndemic conditions and physiological stress response and be associated with bodily inflammation, including Interlekin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in PLWHA.

Design: Participants (N = 103) were recruited from a public HIV clinic.

Connecting the dots: a comparison of network analysis and exploratory factor analysis to examine psychosocial syndemic indicators among HIV-negative sexual minority men.

Syndemics, or comorbid and mutually reinforcing psychosocial problems, are associated with increased HIV risk among men who have sex with men (MSM). Although the dynamic interplay among syndemic indicators is theorized to be crucial for increasing risk of HIV acquisition, novel approaches are needed to understand how these syndemic problems interrelate. This study examined the associations between nine self-reported syndemic indicators in 194 MSM at high risk of HIV acquisition.

High Levels of Syndemics and Their Association with Adherence, Viral Non-suppression, and Biobehavioral Transmission Risk in Miami, a U.S. City with an HIV/AIDS Epidemic.

Miami is a Southeastern United States (U.S.) city with high health, mental health, and economic disparities, high ethnic/racial diversity, low resources, and the highest HIV incidence and prevalence in the country.