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Foundations under pressure: Qualitative interviews on the impact of prolonged pandemic and public health measures on Ontario youth and young adults

Introduction Foundations of youth and young adults’ (YYAs) lives were shaken by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores how over a year of pandemic, with several periods of stay-at-home orders, impacted Ontario YYAs and important foundations that influence their development and future wellbeing. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted April – June 2021 during stay-at-home orders. Nineteen Ontario YYAs, age 16–21, were asked how relationships, education, work, and important events had been impacted by the pandemic and public health responses, and how they had coped. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to iteratively engage with data to distill themes. Respondents included: eight high school students, ten post-secondary students, one full time employed. Results Three main themes were identified. First, disruptions to individual agency and life course (theme), included (subthemes): drastic shift to increased time and isolation at home; feeling responsible for others’ health and safety; learning and professional development suffered; precarious employment; and lost beginnings and endings to important transitions. Second, relationships and connectedness changed (theme), included (subthemes): Friendships were altered; family dynamics changed; and international students faced unique challenges. Third, wellbeing and coping (theme), included (sub-themes): stress was high; coping methods were diverse; and connecting digitally was suboptimal. Some friendships were lost; some grew closer. Those in their last year of high school/university in spring 2020 or 2021 lost important transitional endings (graduation, etc.). Those starting post-secondary in fall 2020 also lost transitional beginnings (e.g., leaving home, on-campus experience, meeting new friends). Conclusions There is need for further research to assess long-term impacts, especially among YYAs who had family members at severe risk and those who graduated high school during the pandemic. Public health practitioners should work with high schools and post-secondary schools to develop approaches to limit the severity of altered schooling and important transitions in future upheavals.

Correction: Variance Decomposition of the Continuous Assessment of Interpersonal Dynamics (CAID) system: Assessing sources of influence and reliability of observations of parent-teen interactions

Role of TiO2 as a cathode buffer layer for minimizing electron injection barrier at the Co/Alq3 interface

This work highlights the important role of a titanium dioxide (TiO2) cathode buffer layer in enhancing charge injection at the cobalt (Co)/tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum (Alq3) interface—an important junction in spin organic light-emitting diodes (S-OLEDs) and organic spin valves. We systematically investigate the interfacial electronic structure of the TiO2 layer within the [Co/TiO2/Alq3/Si substrate] thin film architecture using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Four thin film structures—[Alq3/Si], [TiO2/Alq3/Si], [Co/TiO2/Alq3/Si], and [Co/Alq3/Si]—were fabricated via electron beam evaporation under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The insertion of the TiO2 layer induces significant interface dipoles of 1.6 eV at the Co/TiO2 interface and 0.9 eV at the TiO2/Alq3 interface, as revealed by UPS, effectively lowering the electron injection barrier. XPS further confirms the presence of Ti3+ states and oxygen vacancies, which contribute to improved electronic structure and reduced conductivity mismatch. These insights demonstrate that TiO2 acts as an efficient cathode buffer layer, offering a compelling approach to optimize charge transport and device performance in organic spintronic applications.

Hydrophilic Iridium Bis‐<i>N</i>‐Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes Catalyze Linear‐Selective, Additive‐Free Hydroaminomethylation of Long‐Chain Olefins in Water

AbstractAqueous hydroaminomethylation (HAM) of olefins generally requires the use of organic solvents, additives, and high‐pressure hydrogen to synthesize amines in satisfactory yields and selectivity. Herein, we accomplish the HAM reactions of long‐chain olefins in water without organic solvent or additives by using a hydrophilic bis‐NHC‐Ir complex as the catalyst. A broad scope of long‐chain olefins and amines is well compatible, affording corresponding higher amines in up to 99% yields with excellent linear/branched (l/b) selectivity (up to 94/6). Mechanistic investigations reveal that water acts as both solvent and hydrogen source. The protocol can be readily extended to the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and deuterated analogues with excellent yields and deuterium rates. Moreover, the amine products are easily separated by extraction, and the recovered aqueous phase could be directly used and recycled. This protocol offers a sustainable, safe, and cost‐effective approach for synthesizing higher amines.

Exploration common biomarkers and pathogenesis of primary Sjögren’s syndrome and interstitial lung disease by machine learning and weighted gene co-expression networks

Background Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disorder that may affect the lungs, leading to interstitial lung disease (ILD). However, the diagnosis of progression from pSS to ILD is frequently delayed due to unstandardized interdisciplinary diagnostic criteria and a lack of reliable shared biomarkers. This diagnostic challenge, compounded by significant pathophysiological divergence in target organs, has hindered elucidation of their comorbidity mechanisms. This study employs integrated bioinformatics to identify shared biomarkers in pSS and ILD, deciphers their pathogenic mechanisms, and predicts targeted therapeutics via network pharmacology Methods From the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we retrieved gene expression profiles of pSS and ILD. Differential expression gene (DEG) analysis was performed on the profiles, followed by further screening using four machine learning algorithms. Concurrently, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to identify gene modules, and enrichment analysis of WGCNA-derived genes was conducted to explore their biological functions. Genes obtained from WGCNA and machine learning approaches were then intersected to identify candidate biomarkers for pSS-ILD. The diagnostic potential of these candidate genes was evaluated in both discovery and validation sets using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Finally, we performed immune cell infiltration analysis of candidate genes, regulatory network construction for transcription factor (TF)-gene and miRNA-gene interactions, drug-target prediction, and molecular docking coupled with molecular dynamics simulations for predicted drugs. Results Differential expression analysis identified 25 shared genes between pSS and ILD gene expression profiles, with machine learning algorithms refining six key genes from these DEGs. WGCNA revealed 39 intersecting genes significantly enriched in biological processes including cell division, oocyte maturation, and metabolic regulation. Intersection of machine learning and WGCNA results yielded two hub genes (CYSLTR1 and SIGLEC10), both demonstrating robust diagnostic value in discovery and validation cohorts. Immune cell infiltration profiling showed: upregulation of activated CD4+ memory T cells and memory B cells; downregulation of resting NK cells. Regulatory network analysis indicated FOXC1, hsa-mir-27a-3p, hsa-mir-195-5p, and hsa-miR-26a-5p as potential coregulators of CYSLTR1 and SIGLEC10 expression. Finally, ten candidate drug compounds targeting the hub genes were prioritized, exemplified by:Rev-5901 (CTD 00002161), Zafirlukast (BOSS database) and Montelukast (CTD 00003205). Molecular docking demonstrated substantial binding affinity of both montelukast and zafirlukast for CYSLTR1, while molecular dynamics simulations further validated the stability of their complexes. Conclusion This study revealed that CYSLTR1 and SIGLEC10 demonstrate diagnostic potential for pSS-ILD. Their mechanism of action likely involves synergistically upregulating memory B cells to promote disease progression. Furthermore, we identified montelukast as a potential therapeutic agent. This discovery holds promise for improving clinical outcomes for pSS-ILD patients.

Nonvolatile regulation of room-temperature electronic properties of Cr:In2O3 thin films by ferroelectric polarization charge and light illumination

Reversible and nonvolatile manipulation of physical properties has attained significant attention due to its potential applications in the memory industry, leveraging intrinsic physical phenomena. Here, we report the growth of Cr-doped In2O3 (Cr:In2O3) thin films on the 0.71Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.29PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) ferroelectric substrates in the form of ferroelectric field-effect devices. The application of bipolar electric fields to the PMN-PT substrates enables nonvolatile tuning of both carrier density and resistance in the Cr:In2O3 films. The effects of the PMN-PT substrate's out-of-plane orientation and the Cr doping level in Cr:In2O3 films on the performance of the Cr:In2O3/PMN-PT heterostructures have been investigated systematically. Notably, a remarkable relative resistance change of 4.37 × 104% is achieved at room temperature for the In1.88Cr0.12O3/PMN-PT(111) structure. Additionally, by combining ferroelectric gating with light illumination, multilevel resistance states in Cr:In2O3 films were realized. This approach offers an energy-efficient method for constructing multistate resistive memories and advanced optoelectronic devices.

Information-theoretic multi-scale geometric pre-training for enhanced molecular property prediction

Maximizing information transfer across different structural scales is critical for effective molecular representation learning. Current molecular graph neural networks fail to fully capture the multi-scale nature of molecular geometry, leading to suboptimal information propagation between local and global structural features. We propose Multi-Scale Geometric Pre-training (MSG-Pre), an information-theoretic framework that hierarchically integrates molecular information across atomic, functional group, and conformer levels through entropy-guided mechanisms. Our approach employs a scale-adaptive attention mechanism that dynamically weights geometric features based on their information content, coupled with a hierarchical contrastive learning scheme that maximizes mutual information between complementary structural views. This is further reinforced by a geometric regularization strategy that minimizes information loss of essential conformational properties. Rigorous empirical validation on 14 molecular benchmark datasets demonstrates state-of-the-art performance with improvements up to 5.2% over previous methods. Notably, MSG-Pre significantly enhances information extraction for nanomedicine applications including nanoparticle-protein interactions and surface functionalization efficacy. Theoretical analysis reveals that MSG-Pre effectively maximizes cross-scale mutual information while minimizing intra-scale redundancy, maintaining an optimal information-entropy balance in molecular representations. Our work establishes an information-theoretic foundation for geometric pre-training that improves molecular understanding and enhances prediction capabilities for both drug discovery and nanomaterial design applications.

Two-dimensional metals thickness scaling effect on electrical contact in metal–semiconductor junctions: Carrier transport and ultrafast dynamics study

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals metal–semiconductor junctions (MSJs) with low-resistance contacts have great potential for designing high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, due to the quantum confinement effect, 2D metals exhibit layer-dependent conductivity that inevitably influences the contact properties of 2D MSJs, the underlying mechanism behind this effect is unclear. Herein, taking multilayer graphene and MoS2 as examples, we systematically studied the effect of 2D metal layer number on the MSJs by non-equilibrium Green's function and non-adiabatic molecular dynamics methods. Compared with the trilayer-graphene/MoS2 (Gr/MoS2) MSJ (5.0 × 104 KΩ µm), the contact resistance of the monolayer-Gr/MoS2 MSJ (7.6 × 103 KΩ µm) is reduced by one order of magnitude. Under a 0.6 V bias voltage, the reduced contact resistance results in the current increasing from 0.1 to 60 nA. The superior transport performance of monolayer-Gr/MoS2 MSJ derives from the reduction in the Schottky barrier of the MSJ as the number of graphene layers decreases, whereas the tunneling barrier remains nearly constant. Meanwhile, monolayer-Gr/MoS2 MSJ exhibits high photogenerated carrier gain, which is attributed to the ultrafast transfer (388 fs) of photogenerated electrons and long carrier lifetime (71 ns), resulting in superior optoelectronic performance. Our study presents a layer-number engineering strategy for optimizing contact properties in 2D MSJs.

Meteorosensitivity of patients with rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases

Objectives To evaluate if self-assessed rheumatic disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or ankylosing spondyloarthritis (AS) is linked to local weather. Methods In this prospective, multicentre study in Switzerland, adult patients were asked to report geographic location and rheumatic disease activity by means of Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3)) via a webApp. The associations between RAPID3 scores and weather data on the day of the RAPID3 entry and the preceding week was investigated through regression analysis. Results 238 patients were included (61.3% female). 100 patients had RA (baseline mean DAS28-CRP 2.8), 47 patients had PsA, and 91 patients had AS (mean BASDAI 3.8). 45.0% of all patients declared themselves as meteorosensitive. In the entire cohort, we found a weak negative correlation (r = −0.167) between RAPID3 and air pressure, the correlations between the remaining weather variables were weak (r &lt; 0.1). In the subgroups of meteorosensitive AS and PsA patients, we identified negative correlations between RAPID3 and air pressure (r = −0.321 and −0.232 respectively). In the AS meteorosensitive group, there was also weak correlation between wind and RAPID3 (r = 0.144). In RA patients, only negligible correlations (r &lt; 0.1) were observed, regardless of meteorosensitivity. In all analyses, also in the analyses of weather changes over the preceding week, we failed to identify effect sizes that exceed the minimal clinically important difference of the RAPID3. Conclusions We did not find weather to be a major factor in disease activity of RA, AS and PsA patients receiving DMARD treatment.

Anomalous valley Hall effect in two-dimensional multiferroic V2N2O semiconductor

Intrinsic ferromagnetism, with coexisting ferroelectric and ferrovalley polarizations in a single two-dimensional semiconductor, is highly desirable for developing next-generation multifunctional nanospintronic devices. Based on first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations, the two-dimensional V2N2O monolayer is predicted to be an indirect bandgap ferromagnetic semiconductor, characterized by a near-room-temperature Curie temperature and an out-of-plane easily magnetized axis. Interestingly, the spontaneous valley polarization can be effectively modulated by the ferroelectric polarization. Remarkably, the anomalous valley Hall effect in the V2N2O monolayer can be controlled by reversing the magnetization. Thus, the V2N2O monolayer is considered a potential candidate for polymorphic memory and multifunctional valley electronic devices.

Mental health, eating disorder risk, and disordered eating patterns among Lebanese National Taekwondo Players: A cross-sectional study

Objectives Elite athletes, particularly those engaged in combat sports like Taekwondo, are exposed to unique physical and psychological stressors. These demands may increase vulnerability to mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression, as well as disordered eating behaviors, especially when weight categories and performance pressures are involved. This study aimed to establish the mental health profile of Lebanese Taekwondo players while exploring the potential relationship between the psychological health indicators and eating disorders or disordered eating patterns. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to July 2023 on 110 Lebanese black belt Taekwondo players recruited through the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation. Data collection involved anthropometric measurements, body composition analysis, and a self-administered questionnaire covering sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, the Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool-1 (SMHAT-1) and the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Results This study involved 110 Lebanese Taekwondo players (mean age 24.28 ± 10.5 years, 67.3% male), with the majority under 24 years old and half unemployed. Participants reported various socioeconomic challenges, including income reductions due to the post-economic crisis. Mental health assessments using the SMHAT-1 questionnaire revealed 14.5% were at high risk for anxiety, with female athletes exhibiting significantly higher anxiety scores (p = 0.006). Depression was reported in 13.6% of athletes, particularly among females (30% vs 5%, p = 0.000), and 10% had self-harm thoughts. Sleep disturbances affected 24.5% of participants, while 12.7% reported alcohol misuse. Disordered eating (DE) patterns were more common in females (50%) compared to males (p = 0.01), and the overall prevalence of DE was 33.6%. Using the EAT-26 questionnaire, 15.5% of participants were at risk of eating disorders (ED), with no significant gender differences. Factors such as unemployment, high exercise volume (≥10 hours per week), and reduced income were associated with higher ED risk. Depression and Psychosis were linked to both ED and DE, while anxiety was only associated with DE. Binary logistic models showed that athletes facing salary reductions were affected by ED, while those with psychosis had an 11-fold increased risk for ED. Household income and ADHD were strongly associated with DE patterns. Conclusion This study revealed significant connections between mental health indicators and eating disorders or disordered eating patterns among Lebanese Taekwondo players. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, increased mental health awareness, and the development of prospective programs tailored to enhance athletes’ well-being and performance, including personalized mental health support.

High-performance self-powered MoS1.2Se0.8 lateral homojunction photodetector with broadband spectrum response

Self-powered photodetector plays a key role in lower power consumption operation in the next-generation optoelectronic system. In recent years, two-dimensional (2D) materials van der Waals lateral homojunction has revealed exceptional potential in the self-powered photodetector. Here, we propose a n–n+ lateral homojunction photodetector based on the intrinsic thickness-dependent bandgap of 2D semiconductor material MoS1.2Se0.8. The photodetector has a pronounced self-powered feature with gate-tunable photovoltaic response and exhibits remarkable zero-bias performance with a photoresponsivity of 4.35 A/W and a specific detectivity of 1.49 × 1011 Jones. Furthermore, the photodetector maintains superior performance across a broad spectral range from 405 to 808 nm. This work not only validates the significant potential of thickness-modulated lateral homojunction in self-powered photodetection but also establishes a versatile platform for developing advanced optoelectronic devices through band structure engineering in 2D material systems.

Correction to “A Hybrid Supramolecular Polymeric Nanomedicine for Cascade‐Amplified Synergetic Cancer Therapy”

Short-term passenger flow prediction for urban rail systems: A deep learning approach utilizing multi-source big data

Predicting short-term passenger flow in urban rail transit is crucial for intelligent and real-time management of urban rail systems. This study utilizes deep learning techniques and multi-source big data to develop an enhanced spatial-temporal long short-term memory (ST-LSTM) model for forecasting subway passenger flow. The model includes three key components: (1) a temporal correlation learning module that captures travel patterns across stations, aiding in the selection of effective training data; (2) a spatial correlation learning module that extracts spatial correlations between stations using geographic information and passenger flow variations, providing an interpretable method for quantifying these correlations; and (3) a fusion module that integrates historical spatial-temporal features with real-time data to accurately predict passenger flow. Additionally, we discuss the model’s interpretability. The ST-LSTM model is evaluated with two large-scale real-world subway datasets from Nanjing and Chongqing. Experimental results show that the ST-LSTM model effectively captures spatial-temporal correlations and significantly outperforms other benchmark methods.

Enhancement of surface acoustic wave amplification by drifting electrons in graphene under microwave irradiation

This paper analyzes the effect of microwave irradiation on the amplification of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) by drifting electrons in graphene. An expression is obtained for the SAW gain G as a function of the frequency and intensity of microwaves, the electron drift velocity, and the parameters of the considered graphene/piezoelectric substrate hybrid structure. Our calculations show that in the presence of microwave radiation incident normally on the graphene layer and polarized along the direction of SAW propagation, the SAW gain G, measured in units of dB/cm, can be several times greater than in the presence of only an applied dc electric field causing electron drift. The results obtained indicate an effective way to improve the performance of ultra-compact graphene-based SAW amplifiers.

What gets a dentist hired? Factors influencing employment of recent dentist graduates in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, the media have highlighted employment struggles among newly graduated dentists. The aim of this study was to assess the factors that influence the employment of dentists who graduated within the last 5 years. This was a cross-sectional study that assessed 241 dentists who recently graduated from dental studies in Saudi Arabia. The assessment was conducted using a validated self-reported questionnaire. Among the participants, 66.39% were employed (20.75% in the governmental sector, 1.66% in academics, 43.98% in the private sector). Employment was associated with being married (p = 0.047), graduated more than a year ago (p &lt; 0.001), and who had sales skills (p = 0.015) in both government and private sectors. Graduates from private universities were associated with employment in the private sector (p = 0.004). Graduates with a higher grade point average (GPA) were associated with employment in government jobs, while lower GPA graduates were associated with private sector employment (p = 0.006). Publishing scientific papers increased employment odds by 53.5% (p = 0.001, R² = 0.071). Applying for government or academic jobs improved odds by 13.4% (p = 0.006, R² = 0.060). Postgraduate applications to the Saudi Commission of Health Specialties (SCHS) raised employment chances by 47.5% (p = 0.002, R² = 0.061). Dentists in government or academic jobs were more satisfied with their salaries (79.61%, p &lt; 0.001) than were private sector employees (26.41%). Dental employment levels in Saudi Arabia are surprisingly better than expected. However, more efforts are needed to improve the employment percentage and increase salary satisfaction in the private sector.

Tracking polarons in real space by STM/AFM

While the concept of polaron was formulated almost a century ago, this topic has been gradually emerging in many fields in physics, chemistry, and materials science. Polarons, i.e., charge carriers that are spatially confined by electron–phonon coupling, affect various properties of materials and devices. While we mostly deduce their properties indirectly from macroscopic characteristics of materials, it is appealing to observe these localized charge carriers in real space. Such experimental inputs could directly answer fundamental questions, as well as provide precise quantitative information about the polaron physics. In this perspective, we discuss seminal works focused on real-space imaging of polarons by scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy, summarize the opportunities emerging from such experiments, highlight both the technical and fundamental challenges that remain, and provide an outlook on future directions and open questions in the field.

“I know what to say now” Students’ evaluation and utilisation of Accidental Counsellor Training

Introduction In 2020 and 2021, 280 health profession students who were engaged in student leadership roles and peer mentoring were invited to undertake extracurricular training in accidental counselling to build skills in recognising and responding to a person in distress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of the online training course, and to explore students’ confidence to use Accidental Counsellor tools to support peers in distress after completion of the training course. Methods A retrospective cohort study including a post- intervention only design was used. A survey was administered approximately 12 months after 225 students completed an Accidental Counsellor training program. The survey instrument assessed reluctance or confidence to recognise and respond to someone having a mental health crisis, and acceptability of the training. Reliability coefficients were computed for scales, and descriptive analyses including frequencies and percentages were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 27). Open-text responses underwent descriptive content analysis. Results Sixty-one students completed the online survey. Of these, 90% felt confident and 85% felt low reluctance to respond to peer mental health crises. Nearly all (85%) participants recognised at least one person in distress in the 12 months following the training. T-test confirmed no gender differences in mean confidence score (Men mean = 30.0, Std. dev. = 2.90; Women mean = 29.5, std. dev. = 4.80; t(63)=0.48, p = 0.633), however, there was a statistically significant difference between age groups as determined by one-way ANOVA (F(2,62)=7.43, p = 0.001). Listening non-judgmentally and referring the person to resources was the most common response to peer distress. The online format was described as offering accessibility and interaction benefits but lacked realism and engagement for some. Conclusion With ever increasing rates of depression and other mental health conditions being reported among university students, there is increasing pressure to develop strategies to support mental health and wellbeing. This project is unique in evaluating an online delivery of Accidental Counsellor training. Since completing the training, most participants recognized at least one person in distress and reported confidence and skill to respond.

Structural landscape of two-dimensional phases in group II–VI semiconductors

Group II–VI semiconductors, renowned for their direct band gaps, high carrier mobilities, and mature synthesis, are essential in optoelectronic applications. While scaling down to the two-dimensional (2D) limit could unlock enhanced and distinct functionalities, realizing stable intrinsic 2D phases remains challenging due to their nonlayered bulk structures, strong interlayer covalency, and high ionicity. Here, using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that II–VI compounds adopt stable 2D configurations distinct from both graphene-like sheets and bulk fragments. The most stable phases identified include tetragonal–triangle, double-layer honeycomb, planar honeycomb, and a non-conventional bilayer. Despite being isoelectronic, these compounds exhibit markedly different energetic landscapes. We propose that this diversity originates from a dual competing mechanism: the geometric stability imparted by favorable building blocks vs the long-range Coulomb interactions. Several predicted structures exhibit excellent electronic properties, with computed mobilities exceeding 29 000 cm2 V−1 s−1 in CdS, highlighting their potential for nanoelectronic applications. Our findings provide both a structural design rule and a set of experimentally accessible targets, offering a pathway toward integrating II–VI semiconductors into the 2D material landscape.

From fear of infection to awareness against stigma: A mixed-methods analysis of discourses on HIV in a parliamentary context

Background and purpose Parliamentary discourse holds significant relevance both socially, due to its impact on stigmatization, and because of its potential legislative consequences. However, despite the persistent stigma surrounding HIV and the numerous regulations that affect people living with HIV, there is a global lack of research on how this topic is addressed in parliamentary debates. This study provides a case analysis from the Madrid Regional Parliament, offering insights that may be applicable to other parliamentary contexts. The principal objective is to analyze the content of HIV-related initiatives in this context, along with its possible relationship to the political parties’ ideology. Methods A mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative study was conducted, including all parliamentary initiatives on HIV from the 12th Legislature of the Madrid Regional Parliament (2021–2023). Subthemes, initiative types, parliamentary groups ideologies, and debate dates were analyzed. Additionally, a Critical Discourse Analysis of the interventions in the plenary sessions was carried out and categorized based on the ideologies of the parliamentary groups, offering insights that may be reflective of broader political discourse trends. Results In the analyzed legislature, 0.09% of all the initiatives addressed HIV. Of these, 83.3% were written, and only 16.7% were presented orally in plenary sessions. Two-thirds focused on prevention, while those concerning access to treatment accounted for 16.7%, and those addressing stigma made up 11.1%. All initiatives were presented by left-wing or center-left parliamentary groups. Right-wing groups discourses centered on fear and the perception of risk, with a strongly stigmatizing rhetoric. In contrast, left and center-left groups emphasized discrimination and stigma as issues and advocated for universal treatment access. Conclusions HIV is minimally addressed in the Madrid Regional Parliament, and when it is, the focus is more on prevention than on addressing the needs of people living with HIV. The study highlights the significant role of political ideology in shaping parliamentary discourse, with stigmatizing rhetoric mainly present in right-wing groups. These findings may offer insights for other legislative bodies where HIV-related stigma and political ideologies intersect.