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Many cisgender women in the US who have experienced incarceration are at substantial risk for HIV acquisition after they return to the community. Various network interventions have been leveraged for HIV prevention in this population. The objective of this study was to identify network and relationship determinants of influence on HIV prevention decisions, including PrEP. We conducted interviews with a network mapping exercise with participants recruited from the social and sexual networks of women who had experienced incarceration. Participants enumerated important individuals in their lives from the past six months and provided demographic and relationship data as well as whether each relationship influenced their HIV prevention decisions. We abstracted network data from the interview transcripts and described the data set using descriptive statistics and network density graphs. To measure associations between characteristics at each level and whether a relationship was considered influential regarding PrEP decision-making, we use multiple logistic regression with random intercepts for each respondent. We interviewed 32 participants, average age 33.5 years (SD = 8.98), majority female (n = 28, 87.5%), white (n = 23, 71.8%), heterosexual/straight (n = 25, 78.1%), and with a personal history of incarceration (n = 29, 90%). They reported 253 relationships (119 family, 116 friend, 18 sexual relationships). Most adult network members had used drugs or alcohol (n = 182, 80.9%), and of those, 30.8% had used them with the participant (n = 53). The mean network size was 7 (SD = 4) and network density was 52.2%. In the full model, significant positive predictors of an influential relationship included participant non-heterosexual identity (OR 27.8), older average age in the network (OR 3.9 per standard deviation), and being a current or prior sexual partner (OR 10.1). Significant negative predictors included relationships with individuals who use or had used drugs (OR 0.28), longer average relationship duration in the network (OR 0.09) and being in a network with at least one sexual partner (OR 0.2). There are significant positive and negative determinants of relationship influence related to PrEP at individual-, dyad-, relationship-, and network-levels. These support using nuanced network approaches to behavior change that respect and leverage the diversity of relationships that comprise the social networks of women who have experienced incarceration.

Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention designed to strengthen autistic children’s social communication skills. Few studies have examined which children benefit the most from PRT and which characteristics are associated with meaningful progress. We analyzed data from 23 children with autism and significant language delay who had been randomized to receive PRT in a previously completed 24-week randomized controlled trial of parent training and clinician-delivered intervention. Participants were categorized as intervention responders and non-responders based on the demonstration of meaningful improvement (or lack thereof) in social communication using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MCDI) Reliable Change index scores and clinician determination based on review of language samples and the Clinical Global Impressions—Improvement Scale (CGI). Baseline child characteristics associated with being a responder were assessed. Sixteen participants were responders on the language sample, ten on the MCDI, and sixteen on the CGI. Nine were consistent responders across all three measures; six were consistent non-responders. Verbal ability at baseline was associated with being a responder across all measures. In our small sample, baseline verbal ability was associated with being a responder to PRT, though categorization as a responder differed somewhat based on outcome measure. Future research should explore responder profiles specifically in children who are nonspeaking to inform the development of more effective supports for this group.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant public health threat due to both extensive antimicrobial resistance and immune evasion capabilities, necessitating alternative therapeutic strategies. Disruption of bacterial metal ion homeostasis, a process already leveraged by host nutritional immunity, represents a promising therapeutic approach. The synthetic ionophore PBT2 delivers zinc (Zn) directly into the bacterial cytosol, where it can dysregulate cellular processes and restore the efficacy of conventional antibiotics. Here, we use PBT2 and Zn (PZ) to study the cellular response to metal dysbiosis in MRSA, identifying new metal-dependent molecular vulnerabilities. Integrated transcriptomics, metabolomics and molecular analyses revealed that the antibacterial and oxacillin-resensitisation action of PZ is driven by dual metal stress: intracellular Zn accumulation and manganese (Mn) depletion. PZ disrupted central carbon metabolism at multiple key nodes, impairing glycolysis, the TCA cycle and respiration, leading to NADH and ATP depletion and compromised peptidoglycan biosynthesis. PZ also altered the metal-dependent oxidative stress response, resulting in superoxide accumulation. Collectively, this work presents the dynamic interplay between bacterial metal ion homeostasis, central metabolism, and β-lactam resistance. Uncovering how PBT2 subverts the adaptive responses of MRSA to host-imposed stresses contributes to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and offers a foundation for developing novel antimicrobials based on metal homeostasis disruption.

A mediados del siglo pasado, existían dos tipos de científicos de la agronomía en México. Unos, que veían una agricultura atrasada y que había, ciegamente, que llevar hacia los avances tecnológicos más modernos. Otros, que salían al campo y exploraban intensivamente los sistemas indígenas y campesinos. El estudiar y dar a conocer la riqueza tanto biológica como humana que albergaban estos sistemas, dio pie a la agroecología en este país. Sobra decir que varios de los pioneros de esa ciencia a nivel mundial, fueron aprendices de sistemas indígenas mexicanos. En este trabajo se hace el esfuerzo por narrar los hitos históricos más importantes en la investigación y la enseñanza de la agroecología en el pasado y en la actualidad; además, hacemos también una reflexión sobre los desafíos que enfrenta esa disciplina.