Peptide therapeutics such as insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues are central to diabetes management but remain constrained by rapid enzymatic degradation, poor epithelial permeability and short systemic half-life. Bioinspired nanoarchitectures have emerged as promising strategies to address these challenges by mimicking biological membranes, extracellular matrices and supramolecular peptide assemblies to enhance peptide stability, absorption and pharmacokinetic control. This review synthesised advances in membrane-mimetic lipid nanocarriers, polymer-based systems, peptide-driven self-assembling depots and stimuli-responsive nanoarchitectures. Lipid-inspired systems including hydrophobic ion-paired exenatide lipid nanocarriers achieved oral bioavailability of 16.3-27.9%. Comparably, polymer-based systems incorporating adaptive electrostatic or stimuli-responsive designs such as charge-switchable PCB122/INS nanoparticles coated capsules, enabled oral insulin bioavailability approaching ∼27%, translating into sustained glucose lowering effects in vivo. In addition, a polymeric D-PLA-PEG stereocomplex nanoassembly enabled ultra-long insulin release for up to 16 weeks following a single subcutaneous administration, maintaining controlled blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetic models. Peptide-driven supramolecular systems such as GLP-1 nanofibre hydrogels and cassette-assembled peptides demonstrated sustained glycaemic control lasting weeks to over 40 days in preclinical models. Interestingly, emerging glucose-responsive platforms including glucose oxidase-integrated hydrogels and ROS-responsive polymersomes, further enabled closed-loop insulin release with polymersomes releasing > 90% insulin under hyperglycaemic conditions. Importantly, several nanoarchitectures also supported cell-based therapies such as biomimetic pancreatic constructs combining stem-cell-derived islet cells with peptide-loaded nanomatrices to restore glycaemic regulation in type 1 diabetes models. Overall, these bioinspired platforms illustrate how nanomedicine can integrate barrier penetration, pharmacokinetic control and stimuli-responsive release to advance next-generation peptide delivery strategies for diabetes therapy.
Marine biofouling has long posed a major challenge for marine applications. In this work, inspired by the tentacle-like structures of corals and their remarkable dynamic antifouling capability, a novel "push-kill-repel" polypyrrole/quaternary ammonium molecular brush (PPy/QAS) antifouling system was constructed by electrochemical layer-by-layer assembly. PPy-DBSA was first prepared, followed by voltage-driven grafting of CTAB onto PPy-DBSA, yielding a PPy/CTAB-E system with dynamic coral-like tentacles under cathodic polarization, actively pushing away fouling organisms. Moreover, the inherent bactericidal properties of the quaternary ammonium groups of CTAB significantly enhanced the system's antifouling capability. In addition, the cathodic polarization generates an electrostatic repulsion effect that further deters biofouling. This integrated system establishes a multifunctional dynamic antifouling interface that combines "push-kill-repel" mechanisms, showing potential for marine applications. The successful formation and dynamic antifouling behavior of PPy/CTAB-E was confirmed by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), in-situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In CTAB solution (2.5 mM), the adsorption amount of CTAB at -1 V was approximately 12 times more than that under natural adsorption. Under cathodic polarization (-1 V), the obtained PPy/CTAB-E brush system achieved the antibacterial rates of 99.4%, 99.3%, and 98.3% for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Alteromonas, respectively.
Inspired by the β-sheet nanocrystals in natural spider silk, we develop a high-damping polycrystalline-phase liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fiber enabled by a semi-interpenetrating network. Continuous large-scale fabrication of this crosslinked system is realized using a unique channel-confinement strategy. By innovatively designing the end-group molecular structures of linear polymers, we precisely regulate the liquid-crystal phases within the semi-interpenetrating network fibers. Four distinct liquid-crystal phases are constructed, mimicking the β-sheet nanocrystals of spider silk to enable efficient energy dissipation. The resulting fibers exhibit a high elastic modulus of 47.6 MPa, outstanding toughness of 60.4 MJ m-3, a high dissipation coefficient of 88.6%, an ultra-broad damping temperature window, a wide damping frequency range, and a strong actuation stress. When woven into damping nets for impact buffering, the nets exhibit a tunable memory recovery time and an exceptionally low dynamic rebound ratio of 5.9%, enabling efficient impact-energy adsorption and secure capture. Overall, this work overcomes the long-standing trade-off among mechanical, actuation performance, and damping capacity of LCEs, and provides a universal strategy for elastomer-based damper design and precise liquid crystal phase control, opening new opportunities for applications in elastomer dampers, artificial muscles, and soft robotic systems.
Quadratic attention enhances interaction capacity in Transformer models but leads to rapid growth in computational demands as attention rank increases. This paper presents a bounded-rank quadratic attention mechanism where fixed-dimensional feature encodings determine the interaction space and enforce a strict upper bound on attention rank. A Fourier-domain formulation offers a spectral interpretation of the quadratic kernel via unitary transformation while maintaining exact attention computation. The proposed approach achieves bounded-rank attention with computational complexity that scales linearly with sequence length when the encoding dimension remains constant. Experimental validation on a real-world Tea pest image dataset yields 84.5% classification accuracy, surpassing the 82.1% achieved by a standard Vision Transformer under equivalent experimental conditions. Attention processing time per image declines from 14.8 ms to 5.6 ms. Peak memory usage declines from 820 MB to 430 MB. Although memory bandwidth and kernel launch overhead restrict the measured speedup to [Formula: see text], the accuracy loss under additive noise reaches 2.9% compared to 3.1% for the baseline, demonstrating comparable robustness. These findings indicate that explicit rank control in attention mechanisms can be realized through representational design, offering an efficient bounded-rank alternative to conventional full-rank attention.
Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α) is a key transcription factor for tumor cells to sense and adapt to the hypoxic microenvironment, regulate tumor progression such as tumor glycolysis, and is an important target for the development of anti-tumor drugs. YC-1 (1-benzyl-3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)indazole), as a classic inhibitor of HIF-1α, has received extensive attention in multiple anti-tumor studies. Some derivatives that replace YC-1 indazole with the benzimidazole skeleton have shown certain HIF-1α inhibitory and anti-tumor potential. In this study, a series of substituted benzimidazole derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their HIF-1α inhibitory and anti-tumor effects were screened and investigated. In vitro anti-proliferation and dual-luciferase reports showed that compound 9o had superior in vitro anti-tumor (IC50 = 33.85 μM) and HIF-1α transcriptional inhibitory activity (79.59% inhibition rate) compared with the positive control YC-1. Meanwhile, compound 9o can also significantly inhibit the colony formation and survival rate of HCT-116 cells. In addition, Western blotting, real-time PCR and and lactic acid content experiments verified its inhibitory effect on HIF-1α and downstream glycolysis. In addition, compound 9o was found to reduce platelet aggregation more than YC-1, and the molecular docking results suggested that compound 9o weakened its interaction with soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), which is beneficial for avoiding the bleeding risk during tumor treatment. In vivo studies have shown that compound 9o can inhibit tumor growth and reduce the levels of HIF-1α and glycolysis rate-limiting enzyme HK2 in HCT-116 tumor-bearing mice. The acute toxicity results also demonstrated the safety of compound 9o in vivo. Finally, we also explored its pharmacokinetic properties in rats, suggesting its potential for subsequent intravenous administration. These findings provide a basis for the further discovery of anti-tumor candidate compounds based on HIF-1α inhibitors.
Porous thioctic acid-based hydrogels are prepared and exhibit an evaporation rate of up to 3.72 kg m-2 h-1 because of the photothermal ability provided by reduced polyoxometalates. The dynamic covalent bonds and intermolecular interactions endow hydrogels with self-healing ability to achieve an unchanged evaporation rate over multiple cycles.
Octopuses are capable of remarkably intricate movements without a skeletal framework, making them a compelling model for the design of soft robotic arms. While previous research has explored the bending, elongation, and shortening of octopus arms, the spatial distribution of specific muscle groups along the arm and their functional implications remain underexplored. In this study, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging of 24 arms from Octopus bimaculoides was used to quantify the distribution of transverse, aboral, oral, and lateral internal longitudinal muscles, as well as the axial core housing the nerve cord. Results revealed a progressive increase in axial core area and a decrease in transverse muscle area from proximal to distal arm regions, while longitudinal muscle distributions showed no consistent trend. These anatomical insights informed the design of four soft arm models. Two models incorporated either uniform or octopus-inspired muscle group distributions, and the other two included an additional passive axial core. Using silicone rubber to mimic muscle mechanics, each design was evaluated via finite element analysis for tip displacement and arm curvature across various motions. The bioinspired model without an axial core achieved the greatest tip displacement, while the inclusion of the core reduced performance. Moreover, a parametric analysis of transverse-assisted bending demonstrated that even modest changes in the activation levels of transverse and longitudinal muscles can produce markedly different arm curvatures. This highlights how a bioinspired architecture can enable complex movements through simple modulation of relative muscle activation. Together, these findings underscore the value of biologically informed design principles in advancing the dexterity and agility of next-generation soft robotic arms.
Clinically, no effective preventive strategies currently exist to inhibit the progression of early dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD). Moreover, current retinal therapies rely on intravitreal injections, which carry inherent procedural risks. Inspired by natural melanin and viral structures, we developed virus-biomimetic melanin nanoparticles (VMNPs) surface-modified with ergothioneine (ET), featuring virus-like spike structures and a neutral zwitterionic shell. This study aimed to evaluate whether virus-inspired engineered nanoparticles could enhance retinal delivery and improve the therapeutic potential of melanin-based nanodrugs for dAMD. The VMNPs facilitated cellular uptake through both their virus-mimetic architecture and OCTN1-mediated active transport. They also exhibited potent antioxidant activity, significantly reducing intracellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) in oxidative stress models of ARPE-19 cells. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that VMNPs activated intrinsic cytoprotective pathways by upregulating HMOX1and SLC7A11, while downregulating inflammation-associated genes. Importantly, VMNPs promoted transcytosis and, following topical administration, demonstrated improved retention and deep penetration within the rabbit eye, effectively reaching the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and deeper retinal layers. Notably, twice-daily topical administration of VMNPs markedly inhibited retinal degeneration in rabbits, achieving therapeutic efficacy comparable to a single intravitreal injection of pegcetacoplan. Collectively, these findings establish a promising paradigm for the non-invasive clinical treatment of dAMD.
Human planning is efficient - it frugally deploys limited cognitive resources to accomplish difficult tasks - and flexible - adapting to novel problems and environments. Computational approaches suggest that people construct simplified mental representations of their environment, balancing the complexity of a task representation with its utility. These models imply a nested optimisation in which planning shapes perception and perception shapes planning - but the perceptual and attentional mechanisms governing how this interaction unfolds remain unknown. Here, we harness virtual maze navigation to characterise how spatial attention controls which aspects of a task representation enter subjective awareness and are available for planning. We find that spatial proximity governs which aspects of a maze are available for planning and that when task-relevant information follows natural (lateralised) contours of attention, people can more easily construct simplified and useful maze representations. This influence of attention varies considerably across individuals, explaining differences in people's task representations and behaviour. Inspired by the 'spotlight of attention' analogy, we incorporate the effects of visuospatial attention into existing computational accounts of value-guided construal. Together, our work bridges computational perspectives on perception and decision-making to better understand how individuals represent their environments in aid of planning.
Organ-on-chip systems are designed to recapitulate microphysiological environments for in vitro evaluation of drug safety and efficacy, offering a promising alternative to animal models in pharmaceutical research. However, in vivo organs are separated by distinct barriers yet interconnected through systemic circulation. Inspired by modular interlocking systems, we developed a reconfigurable microfluidic chip array unit for constructing a multi-organ-on-a-chip (MoC) platform. Each unit features a bicompartmental design with integrated microchannels, supporting static or bidirectional dynamic perfusion. Units can be assembled into linear arrays for high-throughput experiments or matrix arrays for systemic analysis. As a proof of concept, we assembled a liver-tumour system and found that varying the liver-to-tumour cell ratio significantly altered drug efficacy and toxicity, demonstrating inter-organ crosstalk. This modular platform offers a scalable tool for studying systemic drug responses and inter-organ interactions, with strong potential to reduce the reliance on animal models in pharmaceutical research.
Osteochondral repair remains a critical challenge owing to conventional scaffolds' inadequate dynamic mechanical adaptability, poor interfacial integration, inefficient cell recruitment, and lack of spatiotemporal regulation of bioactive cues. Inspired by native tissue hierarchical gradients and endogenous healing mechanisms, we developed an electric field-driven continuous gradient hydrogel (GHZF4) via spatiotemporal programming. Integrating nanofiber-reinforced self-adaptive matrix, electric field-induced nanofiber alignment, and ZIF-8 nanocarrier-mediated bioactive release, GHZF4 constructs compositional/structural/mechanical gradients. Its bone-mimetic zone achieves burst release of PDGF-BB and sustained release of BMP-2 for vascularized osteogenesis, while the cartilage-mimetic zone sustains TGF-β3 release for chondrogenesis. In vitro, GHZF4 enhances macrophage M2 polarization, autologous stem cell recruitment, angiogenesis, and osteochondral differentiation. In rat/rabbit defect models, it enables seamless integration and functional repair, validated by micro-CT, nanoindentation and histology. Transcriptomic analysis reveals the potential upregulation of signaling pathways associated with immunomodulation, angiogenesis, and osteochondral differentiation, which shows strong consistency with our in vitro functional outcomes and in vivo regenerative phenotypes. This nanofunctionalized gradient scaffold spatiotemporally couples key repair processes, providing a promising proof-of-concept strategy for cell-free functional osteochondral repair.
State-of-the-art soft materials can be engineered as sensors and actuators, yet, methods for learning from external information remain a subject of current research. Inspired by the use of large datasets to train artificial intelligence, tuning physical responsiveness to relayed data would introduce learning behavior in soft materials. In this work, we develop a trainable liquid crystal oligomer network (LCON) that stores digital information directly into its molecular configuration. By functionalizing the anisotropic LCON with photo-switchable azobenzene, we simultaneously integrate basic logic and memory in a material through a binary-state system; we coin this design the trainable self-propelled gate (T-SPG). We can tune the memory of our T-SPG with photonic stimuli, allowing the system to be trained by a conventional digital controller. We demonstrate the trainability of the T-SPG through two hierarchical tasks: a lower-level binary classification task where the decision boundary is stored as material memory, and a higher-level motion task that uses the stored memory to trigger actuation.
Quorum sensing (QS) coordinates collective bacterial behavior, but during infection, its activity is also shaped by host biology. This review examines how host-derived factors modulate QS-linked virulence in enteric pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Across these systems, host control operates through three recurring modes: activation or signal mimicry, enzymatic signal degradation, and extracellular sequestration or receptor-level interference. Catecholamines and related metabolites can feed into bacterial sensory pathways and promote virulence signaling; PONs (paraoxonases) and other host enzymes can degrade autoinducers; and lipoproteins, immune mediators, and epithelial surveillance systems can intercept or reinterpret quorum signals. Together, these data support the view that the host is an active signal-processing environment that reshapes colonization, persistence, and tissue damage, and they point to host-inspired anti-virulence strategies that target signaling rather than viability.
Wide-band-gap oxide semiconductors are very promising channel candidates for next-generation electronics due to their large-area manufacturing, high-quality dielectrics, low contact resistance, and low leakage current. However, the absence of ultrashort-gate-length (Lg) p-type transistors has restricted their application in future complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integration. Inspired by the successfully grown high-hole-mobility bilayer (BL) β-tellurium dioxide (β-TeO2), we investigate the performance of sub-5-nm Lg BL β-TeO2 field-effect transistors (FETs) by utilizing first-principles quantum transport simulation. The distinctive anisotropy of BL β-TeO2 yields different transport properties. In the y direction, both the sub-5-nm Lg n-type and p-type BL β-TeO2 FETs can fulfill the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) criteria for high-performance (HP) devices, which are superior to the reported oxide FETs (only n-type). Remarkably, we for the first time demonstrate the existence of the NMOS and PMOS symmetry in sub-5-nm Lg oxide semiconductor FETs. As to the x direction, the n-type BL β-TeO2 FETs satisfy both the ITRS HP and low-power (LP) requirements with Lg down to 3 nm. Consequently, our work sheds light on the tremendous prospects of BL β-TeO2 for CMOS applications.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is widely used in paediatric cardiac surgery units. Over recent years, interest in ECMO has grown among anaesthesiologists working in paediatric intensive care units. The indication for ECMO therapy is respiratory or cardiopulmonary failure in which, despite high inspired oxygen concentrations, advanced ventilator strategies and optimisation of the patient's condition, persistent hypoxaemia and hypercapnia carry a risk of further deterioration and death. This consensus statement of Paediatric Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy Section of the Polish Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy provides recommendations on the use of veno-venous ECMO in paediatric patients in Poland, with the aim of improving outcomes in severe respiratory failure and facilitating appropriate selection of patients for ECMO support.
Hypoxemia is a frequent complication in the bronchoscopic interventions (BI) under deep sedation due to shared airway challenges. The Wei nasal jet tube (WNJ) enables supraglottic jet oxygenation and ventilation (SJOV) without tracheal intubation, but its efficacy and safety compared to conventional oxygen therapy (COT) or high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in patients with mild-to-moderate airway stenosis remain unclear. In the prospective randomized controlled trial, 150 patients through BI under deep sedation were allocated to three groups: COT (fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2 1.0, 10 L/min), HFNC (FiO2 1.0, 40 L/min), or SJOV via WNJ (FiO2 1.0, driving pressure 0.6 bar, respiratory rate 600 cycles/min). Primary outcomes included the incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia (SpO2 < 90%), severe hypoxemia (SpO2 < 80%), the requirement for mask positive-pressure oxygenation (MPPO) and endotracheal intubation. Arterial blood gas parameters, hemodynamic variables, adverse events and procedure duration were also analyzed. A sum of 150 patients participated in the study. The incidences of hypoxemia, severe hypoxemia, and MPPO were compared among the three groups. The overall incidence of hypoxemia differed significantly (P = 0.020), with the SJOV group showing a lower rate than the COT group (P = 0.018). The overall incidence of severe hypoxemia differed significantly among groups (P = 0.024), SJOV showed a notably reduced incidence compared to COT (P = 0.016). MPPO incidence varied significantly among groups (P = 0.022). SJOV showed a lower rate than COT (P = 0.014). PaO2 was significantly higher in the SJOV group compared to both the COT and HFNC groups (P < 0.001 for both). The SJOV group exhibited significantly lower lactic acid levels than both the COT group (P < 0.001) and the HFNC group (P = 0.006). No significant differences were observed in endotracheal intubation, PaCO2, pH, hemodynamic stability, total propofol and remifentanil consumption, adverse events or procedure duration among groups. SJOV delivered via the Wei nasal jet tube improved intraoperative oxygenation and reduced hypoxemia compared with COT during bronchoscopic intervention under deep sedation, without increasing adverse events. These findings support SJOV as a feasible oxygenation and ventilation strategy for selected patients with mild-to-moderate airway stenosis. https://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.html, identifier ChiCTR2100054123.
Lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) promise higher energy density than Li-ion cells but face a trade-off between ionic conductivity and mechanical strength in gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs). Inspired by caddisfly larvae cases, which assemble silk with particles for toughness and permeability, we develop a caddisfly larva case-mimicked gel polymer electrolyte (CLC GPE) with high toughness and enhanced ion transport. It integrates an electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene scaffold with shear thickening fluid. CLC GPE achieves a high ionic conductivity (2.80 × 10-3 siemens per centimeter), a Li+ transference number of 0.89, superior toughness (7.29 megajoules per cubic meter), and a puncture energy of 49.69 millijoules, which can resist thermal abuse (150°C), flame, and bullet impact (225 kilometers per hour). Symmetric Li||Li cells exhibit stable cycling over 800 hours, while Li||LFP (LiFePO4) full cells maintain 97.6% capacity after 700 cycles at 0.5C. This design couples mechanical robustness with fast ion transport, offering a scalable route to safer, high-performance LMBs.
Recording the movement of freely swimming, weakly electric fish during naturalistic behavior and social interactions poses persistent challenges to neuroethologists. Most species are nocturnal; consequently, illumination for video recording often disrupts their natural behavior. Substantial work has addressed this issue using shallow-water tanks, infrared illumination, or indirect movement derivation. While inferring position from a fish's own electrical signals has also been explored, it remains a promising yet largely unresolved problem in 3D. We introduce an open-source, multimodal, and data-driven method as a first step toward 3D tracking based on electrical signals. Applied to the pulse-type fish Gymnotus carapo, this approach links 3D posture to self-generated electric field dynamics. This proof-of-concept study utilized a deep tank, a peripheral electrode array, and a multi-camera system to record a freely swimming animal. Using deep-learning algorithms, we reconstructed 3D skeletal trajectories from video recordings, achieving a spatial accuracy of approximately 0.8 mm per coordinate. Subsequently, we simulated the electric potentials generated by three charge distribution models mapped onto the skeletal structure throughout the tracking period. By comparing these simulations with experimental recordings, we evaluated the consistency of the forward modeling framework and the relative performance of each model. The results suggest that a biologically inspired asymmetric charge distribution better reproduces experimental observations than simpler traditional dipole-like models. Furthermore, we developed a tool dedicated to the precise, non-invasive study of charge distribution along the electric organ. It supports the evaluation of biophysical models linking body posture to electric signal generation. These findings suggest that paired electrical and spatial datasets may support the development of video-free 3D tracking methods based on machine learning for dark, deep-water environments. These results could also assist in the design of novel biomimetic electrolocation systems. Looking ahead, this methodology could be extended to multiple animals and adapted to some other pulse- or wave-type electric fish, thereby offering a framework for integrating anatomy, locomotion, electrosense, and electrogenesis in neuroethological studies.
Miniaturized medical robots offer a promising solution for minimally invasive measurements and interventions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Clinical assessment of GI disorders is commonly guided by threshold-based physiological indicators, including pressure, temperature, and pH, which motivate event-triggered strategies for personalized medicine. However, identifying homeostatic dysregulation and enabling in-situ therapy remains challenging, because ingestible robotic systems must tightly integrate sensing, decision-making, and actuation under severe constraints of size, power, and biosafety. Inspired by the autonomy of microorganisms that operate without neural processing, this work introduces physically intelligent capsule robots (PI Capbots) that enable homeostatic monitoring and targeted delivery within the GI tract, without relying on centralized electronic control. Through embodied stimuli-responsive memory and logic, PI Capbots effectively distill rich, detailed, and redundant physiological information into a small set of decoupled and event-triggered outputs suitable for operations in in vivo environments. In each PI Capbot, multistable metamaterials encode intraluminal pressure as mechanical memory, programmable hydrogels implement orthogonal sensing and logic operations, and helical fibers enable multimodal locomotion. Ex vivo and in vivo studies in large animal models demonstrate the efficacy, robustness, and reproducibility of PI Capbots, highlighting its potential for their translational medical applications.
Pregnancy and childbirth represent a major transition into motherhood, marked by psychosocial changes that may increase women's vulnerability to mental health difficulties such as prenatal depression, anxiety, or PTSD, in addition to physical pain. These difficulties can negatively impact maternal well-being, the mother-infant relationship, and child development. Prenatal mindfulness-based interventions have shown positive effects on emotion regulation and prenatal attachment, but few studies have simultaneously examined their effects on maternal mental health, infant well-being, and early mother-infant interactions. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a prenatal mindfulness program, compared to standard psychological care, on maternal positive and negative affect, infant well-being, and the quality of the mother-infant relationship. Seventy pregnant women between 12 and 30 weeks of amenorrhea will be recruited and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either a mindfulness program inspired by MBCP or standard psychological follow-up. Both groups will receive six individual sessions over six weeks. Self-report measures of maternal mental health, infant well-being, and attachment will be collected at T0, T1, T2, and T3. A filmed mother-infant interaction will be conducted at 12 months postpartum. Analyses will compare participant characteristics between the two groups. The expected results will help clarify the psychological and interactional mechanisms involved and may support the integration of prenatal interventions aimed at improving maternal well-being, infant well-being, and attachment. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07364032) and the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR: ACTRN12626000091303).