Understanding the cost-utility of implementing HIV self-testing with digital-based supports.

Introduction: HIV self-testing (HIVST) is an innovative strategy that has been shown to increase uptake of HIV testing compared to conventional facility-based testing. HIVST implementation with digital-based supports may help facilitate testing accessibility and linkage to care after a reactive self-test. Economic evidence around community-based implementation of HIVST is growing; however, economic evidence around digital-based HIVST approaches remains limited.

Pregnancy entails a U-shaped trajectory in human brain structure linked to hormones and maternal attachment.

Growing evidence places the gestational period as a unique moment of heightened neuroplasticity in adult life. In this longitudinal study spanning pre, during, and post pregnancy, we unveil a U-shaped trajectory in gray matter (GM) volume, which dips in late pregnancy and partially recovers during postpartum. These changes are most prominent in brain regions associated with the Default Mode and Frontoparietal Network.

TWEAK and TNFɑ Pro-inflammatory Soluble Cytokines and their Specific Autoantibodies Secretion in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex, chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, where immune dysregulation plays a critical role. We sought to explore the modulation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFɑ) and TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), along with their respective autoantibodies, TNAb and TWAb, and to decipher potential associations between these and clinical characteristics which could assist personalized therapy in MS. We also assessed the complementarity to leading candidate biomarkers in MS patient monitoring, namely, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light chain (NfL).

The transition to parenthood: Linking hormones, brain, and behavior.

This Special Issue brings together pioneering research that explores the neurobiological and hormonal underpinnings of parenting, with an important emphasis on translational perspectives that bridge laboratory findings with real-world applications. By integrating evidence from both human and animal studies, this collection sheds light on the biological flexibility that supports adaptive caregiving behaviors, offering insights into the hormonal shifts, neural adaptations, and stress responses that characterize the perinatal and postpartum periods.