JMIR Research Protocols

Myofascial pain remains an underdiagnosed contributor to musculoskeletal pain conditions, including plantar heel pain, which is the most common source of foot pain. The current standard for diagnosing myofascial pain is a clinical examination using manual palpation. However, this approach lacks quantitative thresholds for precise assessment of myofascial pain, highlighting the need for validated biomarkers.

Loneliness and social isolation are common among older adults and are associated with dire consequences. Studies using interactive communication technology (ICT) interventions with older adults have yielded mixed results. Advancements in collaborative head-mounted display augmented reality (HMD-AR) can provide older adults who are geographically distant from their families with a more diverse range of interactive activities, thus offering greater potential to enhance social connection.

Negative early-life exposures, particularly during the first 1000 days of life, may disrupt organ development and lead to lifelong negative health consequences.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a significant public health challenge characterized by persistent social communication deficits and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. Current interventions show limited efficacy, particularly for core symptoms. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and auditory integration training (AIT) have independently demonstrated promise in addressing neurophysiological abnormalities associated with ASD.

Immigrants experience significant health disparities, which are exacerbated by a heavy stress burden, which in turn affects the epigenetic profiles of the immune system, leading to chronic diseases. Cumulative stress burden for immigrants ranges from immigration-related stressors to unique psychosocial, environmental, and everyday challenges, all of which contribute to negative psychological and biological impacts on their health over the life-course. Although social and environmental conditions have been established as key factors driving disparities in health outcomes, the effects of stress and epigenetic change among immigrants remain poorly understood, impeding the development of novel and robust intervention approaches aimed at reducing health disparities. Epigenetic changes can act as surrogate markers for the stress effect. However, very few studies have examined epigenetic marks associated with stress among African immigrants. Ethiopians form one of the largest groups of African immigrants in the United States; yet, this is the first study of this kind among Ethiopian American immigrants.

Cognitive frailty, characterized by the coexistence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and physical frailty in the absence of dementia or other neurodegenerative diseases, is a significant risk factor for dementia and functional decline in older adults. Although Du-moxibustion has shown potential benefits in improving cognitive frailty, the effect of spine-pinching therapy remains underexplored.

Medical complications of pregnancy provide a window into a woman’s future health risk. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect one in ten pregnant women and elevate the risk for women of experiencing long-term health complications within five years of the affected pregnancy, continuing lifelong. These risks include a doubled to tripled risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), a doubled risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and five-to-ten-fold risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Early assessment and intervention following HDP are therefore crucial to improving women’s life-course health trajectory, as well as outcomes for any subsequent pregnancies. However, previous research has shown that Australian women and their primary healthcare providers are largely unaware of ongoing health risks and the necessary follow-up screening and assessments. Primary care providers also receive inadequate hospital-to-community handover and support to promote preventive health measures to women following pregnancy complications. Consequently, post-HDP care remains insufficient for optimising long-term health.

Intensive therapies based on motor skill learning have been widely used in stroke rehabilitation for improving upper extremity abilities, demonstrating significant improvements in arm function and daily life activities. Based on the same therapeutic principles of motor skill learning, Hand and Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremities (HABIT-ILE) was developed focusing on bimanual coordination and constant concomitant stimulation of trunk control and lower extremities. However, implementation of such high dosage interventions in stroke rehabilitation might face barriers due to limited accessibility, and high resource requirements. Delivering HABIT-ILE@home via telerehabilitation may reduce logistical barriers while maintaining efficacy. In addition, the added value of a 9-week specific follow-up program will be tested after high dosage interventions.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applies a low-intensity sinusoidal electrical current through electrodes placed on the scalp to boost the brain’s own oscillation by way of entrainment. When a single frequency is applied, this exogenous oscillation synchronizes with the brain’s endogenous frequency. Gamma frequency synchrony stands out as a binding mechanism for integrating disparate brain networks, mediating perception, cognition, and memory, typically disturbed in schizophrenia. The treatment of schizophrenia includes medication and cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp). We are adding tACS to these usual treatments, targeting gamma oscillation stimulation, to augment the CBTp efficacy in people living with schizophrenia.

The increasing prevalence of severe obesity among youth and the early onset of comorbidities highlight the urgent need for effective solutions to support behavior and lifestyle changes. Motivational interviewing (MI), a client-centered counseling technique, has shown promise in improving obesity-related outcomes and is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a key component of behavioral interventions for children with overweight and obesity.

Tuberculosis (TB) in children is one of the significant public health crises in Somalia. This issue is aggravated by the fact that only 36.7% of children aged 12-23 months received the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine in Somalia, which helps prevent TB-disseminated diseases. Among the major factors that contribute to the poor BCG uptake and TB prevention practices include the lack of maternal knowledge, negative attitude, and poor self-efficacy towards BCG vaccine and TB prevention practices. As such, pregnant women play a vital role in ensuring that their children receive routine BCG vaccine and accurate TB prevention practices.

Online child sexual abuse and exploitation have become a global issue affecting the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Unlike traditional forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, online sexual abuse presents unique challenges due to the complexity of the situations involved. Parents play a crucial role as the first line of defense in preventing these incidents, yet the barriers they encounter have not been thoroughly explored.