JMIR Research Protocols

Perinatal substance use is a growing global health concern with significant risks for maternal health, child development, and parenting. Despite these risks, the perinatal period offers a “window of opportunity” for behavioral change and recovery initiation. However, research exploring how vulnerability and transformation interact in the context of perinatal substance use remains scarce. Existing studies are predominantly cross-sectional, deficit-oriented, and focused on relapse or the medical effects of prenatal exposure, leaving critical gaps in understanding maternal trajectories and psychosocial factors shaping the transition to parenthood.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are significant global health concerns, particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In China, a significant number of international migrants from LMICs reside, many of whom are at high risk of HBV and HCV infection, while this group tends to engage in low HBV and HCV test use due to some adverse factors. Pay-it-forward (PIF) is a social innovation strategy that is based on the theories of upstream reciprocity and mutual aid. Previous studies have shown that the PIF strategy has proven effective in promoting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing in various populations.

Cardiovascular health (CVH), defined as a composite of 8 health factors and behaviors ranging from body composition to sleep duration, is strongly associated with the risk for future cardiovascular events in adults. However, there is little data on CVH among contemporary, diverse cohorts of children and adolescents.

Although technology usage is steadily increasing among older adults, adoption and confidence greatly lag behind their younger counterparts. Sociocultural and health disparities intersect with aging to present distinct structural and psychosocial barriers to the adoption of newer technologies. Digital health literacy interventions can improve task-specific skills, technological self-efficacy, and use frequency, but most do not systematically incorporate older adults’ values and goals, which are key drivers of sustained behavior change.

Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease is highly prevalent in adults with type 2 diabetes, and advanced fibrosis is its strongest prognostic marker. However, existing noninvasive tools may underperform in diabetes care and are inconsistently used in practice.

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential amino acids for protein metabolism. Preclinical research in mice suggested that BCAA intake relative to other amino acids, in the context of a high-carbohydrate diet, was associated with hyperphagia, obesity, and reduced lifespan. These effects were not attributed to BCAAs alone, nor did they manifest through canonical mechanistic target of rapamycin–insulin-like growth factor 1 pathways; rather, they resulted from indirect effects of other amino acids, notably tryptophan, on appetite. As population aging and obesity-related chronic diseases present significant public health challenges, understanding appetite regulation is critical. To date, no clinical trial has examined the effects of BCAAs on appetite regulation in older adults. On the basis of our preclinical results, we hypothesized that, compared to the control diet, a diet supplemented either with BCAA or with BCAAs and methionine would increase appetite and energy intake, whereas supplementation with BCAA and tryptophan would not increase appetite.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Despite the prevalence of cigarette smoking in Lao PDR (51% in men and 7% in women), no national tobacco treatment programs are available. Therefore, the development and evaluation of sustainable tobacco cessation interventions suitable for widespread adoption in Lao PDR are pressing public health needs.

American Indian men are disproportionately impacted by prostate cancer (PC) compared to White men and experience the worst PC outcomes of any racial or ethnic group. To address these disparities, it is important to better understand American Indian men’s preferences regarding PC screening.

Holistic health care includes sexuality. For people with mental illness, sexuality is an essential element of recovery. However, sexuality is often overlooked in mental health settings in Japan and elsewhere. Therefore, practitioners need to recognize sexuality as a legitimate area of care and acquire the skills and attitude required to provide appropriate support. To address this gap, we developed a training program for practitioners through coproduction among peers with mental illness, researchers, and practitioners.

Post-thoracic surgery pain remains a major clinical challenge, with substantial impact on pulmonary function, postoperative recovery, and patient quality of life. Thoracic epidural analgesia is widely regarded as the standard of care; however, it is associated with potential complications, including hypotension, urinary retention, and inadequate analgesia in a subset of patients. Intercostal cryoanalgesia, a peripheral nerve block technique that induces temporary axonal degeneration through controlled freezing, has emerged as a potential alternative for prolonged postoperative pain control.

Neck pain poses a significant and growing public health challenge, with rising prevalence among younger populations and negative impacts on both quality of life and socioeconomic costs. Clinical manifestations are diverse, including restricted movement, muscle spasms, headaches, and upper limb numbness. Although drug therapy is widely used, its long-term use is limited by adverse effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exercises offer a promising alternative, but high-quality evidence directly comparing their efficacy and safety to oral medications is currently lacking.

Negative symptoms (NS) such as anhedonia (reduced pleasure), avolition (reduced motivation), asociality (social withdrawal), blunted affect (diminished emotional expression), and alogia (poverty of speech) are associated with poor functional outcomes in psychiatric and neurological disorders and are an unmet treatment need. Current medication primarily targets positive or affective symptoms, leaving NS neurobiology unaddressed. A critical research gap exists in understanding whether these symptoms share a common biological architecture across different diagnoses or whether they emerge from distinct pathological pathways.