Research square最新文献

{"title":"Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Macrophage Traffic Out of the Central Nervous System.","authors":"Xavier Alvarez, Zoey K Wallis, Cecily C Midkiff, Jaclyn Mallard, Pete J Didier, Kenneth C Williams","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6435804/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6435804/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We use intracisternal (i.c.) injection of fluorescent-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) in SIV-infected monkeys that labeled CNS CD68-CD163-CD206 perivascular, meningeal, and choroid plexus (CP) macrophages. SPION + CD163 + macrophages are also found in the optic nerves, nasal septum, and cribriform plate - potential sites-paths of macrophage exit. Outside the CNS CD163 + SPION + macrophages labeled in the CNS are in deep cervical lymph node (dCLN), spleen, dorsal root ganglia (DRG). CD163 + SPION + CNS macrophages are abundant 24 hours p.i. in normal animals and decrease over time without CNS inflammation, but accumulate with SIV infection and inflammation. Greater numbers of SPION + macrophages traffic out of the CNS in normal animals and decrease with infection. Productively infected, SPION + macrophages are found in the CNS and dCLN, spleen, and DRG of infected animals 7-14 days post i.c. injection. These data are consistent with SPION + macrophages, some of which are viral infected, trafficking out of the CNS.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136738/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between Cumulative BMI and Cognitive Decline: a 24-Year Cohort Study.","authors":"Qianhui Xu, Meng Hsuan Sung, Zhuo Chen, Janani Rajbhandari-Thapa, Grace Bagwell Adams, M Mahmud Khan, Ye Shen, Xiao Song, Xia Song, Suhang Song","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6442210/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6442210/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>High Body Mass Index (BMI) is linked to poor cognitive performance, yet few studies have examined the long-term impact of cumulative BMI (cBMI) on cognitive health. This study explores the association between cBMI and cognitive decline and identifies the critical time window when cBMI has the strongest impact.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were obtained from the Health and Retirement Study (1996-2020). Cognitive health was assessed using a standardized composite score of memory and executive function. Cumulative BMI was calculated as the area under the curve of BMI over time, and cumulative average BMI (caBMI) was computed as the mean of cBMI values over the follow-up period. Linear mixed models assessed the associations between caBMI and cognitive decline, adjusting for sociodemographic and health factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 8,252 cognitively healthy participants (mean age 58.6 years, 58.3% women, mean follow-up 17.5 years), a 100-unit increase in caBMI was significantly associated with faster cognitive decline: global cognition (-0.0030 SD/year, 95% CI: -0.0036, -0.0024), executive function (-0.0029 SD/year, 95% CI: -0.0038, -0.0021), and memory (-0.0017 SD/year, 95% CI: -0.0023, -0.0011) (all p < 0.001). Year eight was identified as the time point at which the association between caBMI showing the strongest decline rates in global cognition, memory, and executive function. Subgroup analyses revealed that caBMI was related to greater cognitive decline in older adults (≥ 65 years).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>caBMI was significantly associated with cognitive decline, with the largest impact observed eight years later. These findings highlight the importance of long-term weight management and BMI monitoring in cognitive health assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136740/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tobacco Use Patterns and Associated Factors Among Youth in Kampala's Informal Settlements: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bwaise.","authors":"Joyce Nakitende, Anthony Kirabira, Adelaine Aryaija-Karemani, Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6682635/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6682635/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tobacco use among the youth in Uganda remains higher than general national estimates. To tackle this challenge, the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa and the World Health Organization assert a need for current data and tobacco use monitoring with emphasis on most at-risk populations. In Uganda, routine monitoring is done through quinquennials; Uganda Demographic Health Survey , World Health Organisation stepwise surveys, Global Adult Tobacco Survey and Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Although recent assessments reported tobacco use among the general population, current data is scarce among the youth in informal settlements. We sought to assess the patterns of tobacco use and associated factors among the youth in informal settlements, with focus on daily tobacco smoking and smokeless tobacco use. <b>Methods:</b> We used a cross-sectional study design. Secondary data which was collected between March 2021 and April 2021 among 422 youth aged 18-30 in Bwaise was used. We used STATA version 17.0 to analyse the data, and Modified Poisson regression with robust standard errors to assess for associations. <b>Results:</b> The daily smokers were 160/422 (37.9%) while the smokeless tobacco users were 69/422 (16.4%). ' <i>Kibanga</i> ' was the most smoked product (145/160) daily. Being male <b>(</b> adj <b>.</b> PR=1.68 [95%CI=1.27-2.23]), aged 21-30 years (adj.PR=1.72 [95% CI=1.28-2.33]), below secondary education (adj.PR=0.69[95%CI=0.56-0.87]), from central Uganda (adj.PR=0.64[95%CI=0.46-0.89]), not knowing that smoking causes serious illness (adj.PR=1.5[95%CI=1.11-2.03]), heart attacks (adj.PR=1.49[95%CI=1.11-4.83]) and lung cancer (adj.PR=1.71[95%CI=1.25-2.35]) were significantly associated with daily tobacco smoking. Age 21-30 years (adj.PR=1.75 [95%CI=1.04-2.96]), not believing that smokeless tobacco causes heart attacks and serious illness (adj.PR=3.02 [95%CI=1.87-4.87]) were associated with smokeless tobacco use. <b>Conclusion:</b> Daily tobacco smoking and smokeless tobacco use prevalence were both higher than the national estimates. Future policy interventions among among youth in informal settlements should target males, aged 21-30 years, of education level below secondary, originating from central Uganda, as well as address knowledge gaps on the dangers of tobacco use.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136743/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Imaging of artificial tumor models in an anatomical breast phantom with a single-sided magnetic particle imaging scanner.","authors":"Alexey Tonyushkin, Christopher McDonough, John Chrisekos, Matthew Jurj, Alycen Wiacek","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6486706/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6486706/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an emerging biomedical imaging modality that detects superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticle tracers, providing high contrast, sensitivity, and quantification capabilities without the use of ionizing radiation, making it particularly suitable for cancer diagnostics. Considerable engineering efforts are underway to translate MPI technology to clinical settings. Most of these MPI scanners feature a cylindrical bore geometry similar to other clinical imaging modalities, which restricts their potential application primarily to head scanning. We have developed a single-sided MPI scanner designed to expand the technique's applicability to other regions of the human body. In this study, we demonstrate the imaging capabilities of our single-sided MPI scanner by imaging an anatomical breast phantom with concealed SPIO point sources to evaluate its potential for breast tumor diagnostics. Our method successfully distinguished these artificial tumors in two orthogonal slices, showcasing the scanner's capability to facilitate the transition of MPI technology from small animals to clinical use.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136751/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Host genotype and sex shape influenza evolution and defective viral genomes.","authors":"Rodrigo M Costa, Lehi Acosta-Alvarez, Kaili Curtis, Kort Zarbock, Justin Kelleher, Bhawika Sharma Lamichhane, Andrew Valesano, William Fitzsimmons, Adam Lauring, Jon Seger, Frederick R Adler, Wayne K Potts","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6394216/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6394216/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Viral evolution during initial pandemic waves favors mutations that enhance replication and transmission over antigenic escape. Host genotype and sex strongly shape this early adaptation, yet their individual and combined effects remain unclear. We experimentally adapted influenza A virus to male and female BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, generating 28 independent lineages, and employed a novel \"rolling sphere\" approach to identify mutational hotspots in three-dimensional protein structures. In BALB/c mice, adaptation favored nonsynonymous substitutions linked to increased virulence, including a hemagglutinin variant exclusively fixed in female lineages. It also revealed the first demonstration of sex-dependent selection shaping a viral protein interface. In female-adapted viruses, substitutions disrupting a key NS1 dimerization motif converged on a single residue, while in male-adapted viruses, they were dispersed across the same interface. Conversely, adaptation to C57BL/6 resulted in fewer substitutions but promoted defective viral genome formation, leading to reduced cytopathic effect and attenuated virulence. This provides the first <i>in vivo</i> evidence that host genotype alone can modulate defective viral genome formation. Our results offer critical insights into host-pathogen interactions and reveal that selective pressures imposed by specific genotype-sex combinations can increase virulence across host genotypes, enabling new epidemiological modeling and disease control strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136745/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shaker potassium channel mediates an age-sensitive neurocardiac axis regulating sleep and cardiac function in Drosophila.","authors":"Kishore Madamanchi, Dalton Bannister, Ariel Docuyanan, Shruti Bhide, Girish Melkani","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6616119/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6616119/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The <i>Shaker</i> (Sh) gene in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> encodes a voltage-gated potassium channel essential for regulating neuronal excitability and cardiac function. While Sh's role in neuronal physiology, particularly in sleep regulation, is relatively well-studied, its contribution to cardiac physiology and inter-tissue communication remains poorly understood. This study explores the impact of <i>Sh</i> mutations ( <i>Shmns</i> and <i>Sh5</i> ) on heart function and sleep/circadian behaviors, aiming to uncover potential neurocardiac interactions in an age-dependent manner. Cardiac performance and locomotor/sleep activity were assessed in mutant and control flies across aging cohorts under both normal and circadian-disrupted conditions, with and without time-restricted feeding (TRF). <i>Shmns</i> mutants displayed progressive, age-dependent cardiac dysfunction, including increased heart period, elevated arrhythmicity index, prolonged systolic and diastolic intervals, and diminished heart rate and fractional shortening, as well as disorganization of actin-containing myofibrils. These defects were paralleled by severe sleep loss and hyperactivity, suggesting a strong link between sleep/circadian dysregulation and cardiac impairment. Circadian disruption further exacerbated both cardiac and behavioral phenotypes, whereas TRF partially ameliorated these defects, highlighting a modulatory role for feeding timing. Tissue-specific knockdowns of <i>Sh</i> in cardiac and neuronal tissues recapitulated both heart and sleep abnormalities, with neuronal knockdown alone significantly impairing cardiac function, supporting a neurocardiac regulatory axis. Altogether, our findings reveal that Shaker channels mediate a critical, age-sensitive interplay between sleep/circadian systems and cardiac homeostasis in <i>Drosophila</i> . This work provides mechanistic insight into neurocardiac communication and suggests that <i>KCNA1</i> -linked human channelopathies may similarly impact sleep and cardiovascular health, offering a potential translational framework for age-related disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136753/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variants in the ciliopathy gene SCLT1 are associated with non-syndromic retinal degeneration.","authors":"Riccardo Sangermano, Kaoru Fujinami, Suk Ho Byeon, Emily M Place, Julien Navarro, Christel Condroyer, Stephanie DiTroia, Christina Zeitz, Isabelle Audo, Kinga M Bujakowska, Jinu Han","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6507107/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6507107/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs) are a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous blinding disorders. In this retrospective study, we describe five families with non-syndromic IRD in which affected probands carried rare bi-allelic variants in <i>SCLT1</i> , a gene previously associated with multiple recessive ciliopathies. Seven of the eight variants identified were novel, and four of them affected splicing, including the known missense p.(Lys544Arg), detected heterozygously in three East Asian probands, and the novel, hypomorphic, deep-intronic variant c.290 + 2732A > G, leading to the inclusion of a 45-bp cryptic exon containing a premature termination codon. Analysis of the genomic data also revealed a large in-frame tandem duplication spanning exon 3-10, which was subsequently validated. Although no clear correlation was found between the severity of the <i>SCLT1-</i> associated phenotypes and the identified causal variants, this report expands the current knowledge of <i>SCLT1</i> -associated disease by enriching its mutational landscape and supports its association with non-syndromic retinal degeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136739/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Circadian Rhythm of Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability in Pregnancy.","authors":"Mahkameh Rasouli, Mohammad Feli, Iman Azimi, Shahab Haghayegh, Fatemeh Sarhaddi, Hannakaisa Niela-Vilen, Anna Axelin, Pasi Liljeberg, Amir Rahmani","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6075260/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6075260/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates physiological changes during pregnancy, supporting fetal development and homeostasis. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) are non-invasive ANS biomarkers; however, their circadian rhythms during pregnancy remain underexplored due to the lack of continuous data collection, a gap now addressed by wearable technology. This study is the first comprehensive investigation of HR and HRV circadian rhythms throughout pregnancy using wearable devices in a free-living environment. We extract longitudinal HR and HRV from smartwatch photoplethysmography (PPG) data via a machine learning-based pipeline and employ Cosinor analysis to assess circadian rhythm characteristics. Our findings revealed significant HR and HRV circadian patterns over 16 weeks, showing a decline in HRV and an increase in HR rhythm-adjusted mean, as well as elevated nighttime stress linked to sleep disturbances and daytime fatigue. These results offer valuable insights into ANS regulation during pregnancy and highlight potential biomarkers for pregnancy complications.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136750/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimizing Genetic Ancestry Adjustment in DNA Methylation Studies: A Comparative Analysis of Approaches.","authors":"Kira D Höffler, Seyma Katrinli, Matthew W Halvorsen, Anne-Kristin Stavrum, Kevin S O'Connell, Alexey Shadrin, Srdjan Djurovic, Ole A Andreassen, James J Crowley, Jan Haavik, Kristen Hagen, Gerd Kvale, Kerry Ressler, Bjarne Hansen, Jair C Soares, Gabriel R Fries, Alicia K Smith, Stéphanie Le Hellard","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6580295/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6580295/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background Genetic ancestry is an important factor to account for in DNA methylation studies because genetic variation influences DNA methylation patterns. One approach uses principal components (PCs) calculated from CpG sites that overlap with common SNPs to adjust for ancestry when genotyping data is not available. However, this method does not remove technical and biological variations, such as sex and age, prior to calculating the PCs. The first PC is therefore often associated with factors other than ancestry. Methods We developed and adapted the adapted <i>EpiAnceR +</i>  approach, which includes 1) residualizing the CpG data overlapping with common SNPs for control probe PCs, sex, age, and cell type proportions to remove the effects of technical and biological factors, and 2) integrating the residualized data with genotype calls from the SNP probes (commonly referred to as rs probes) present on the arrays, before calculating PCs and evaluated the clustering ability and relationship to genetic ancestry. Results The PCs generated by <i>EpiAnceR +</i>  led to improved clustering for repeated samples from the same individual and stronger associations with genetic ancestry groups predicted from genotype information compared to the original approach. Conclusions We show that the <i>EpiAnceR +</i>  approach improves the adjustment for genetic ancestry in DNA methylation studies. <i>EpiAnceR +</i>  can be integrated into existing R pipelines for commercial methylation arrays, such as 450K, EPICv1, and EPICv2. The code is available on GitHub (https://github.com/KiraHoeffler/EpiAnceR).</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136211/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social Determinants of Health and Linkage to HIV Care Among Groups at High Risk for Not Linking to HIV Care.","authors":"Lauryn Mills, Estefania Reyes Sepulveda, Zoe Miller, Jasmine Jones, Gabriela Hernandez, Sophia M Ly, Jules Canfield, Tim Flanigan, Paul Goulet, Raynald Joseph, Emily Hurstak, Jennifer A Palmer, Martha Sanchez, Kaku So-Armah, Amanda M Fitzpatrick","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6534966/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6534966/v1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background 1 in 5 people with new HIV diagnoses are not linked to medical care after diagnosis. Persons who are Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, young, and previously or currently use drugs via injection have low rates of linking to HIV care. We explored perceptions of patients living with HIV about how social determinants of health (SDoH) affect linkage to care. Methods We recruited patients from a large safety-net hospital in Boston belonging to one of the groups with high risk for low linkage to HIV care. We conducted semi-structured interviews in-person or via Zoom/telephone about how the five domains of SDoH (i.e., health care access and quality, education access and quality, economic stability, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context) impacted their HIV care experience. We conducted rapid thematic analysis of data by creating: 1) transcript summaries organized by each SDoH and 2) a matrix comprising the transcript summary data. Results Participants were 50% female, 72% Black/African American, 22% Hispanic or Latina/o/x, and 56% with current or past use of drugs via injection. 89% had experienced at least one gap in HIV care since diagnosis. Themes related to how healthcare access and quality impacted linking individuals to HIV care included enrollment in HIV drug assistance programs and rapport with (or stigma from) healthcare providers including mental healthcare providers. Themes related to education access included explicit education on HIV treatment from providers and adapting HIV education to patient's needs (e.g., tailoring to patient's self-efficacy for independently finding credible health information). Economic stability themes included access to affordable food, and reliable transportation. Themes on social and community context included emotional support (or stigma) from family, friends, and/or partners. Conclusions Participants perceived multiple social needs as impacting HIV care linkage. Their most salient perceptions related to positive and negative roles of family/friend support, self-perception as a person with HIV, and HIV stigma. Addressing SDoH may improve linkage to HIV care in disproportionately affected populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":519972,"journal":{"name":"Research square","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12136204/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144228353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}