By Jessica Rivinius, Miami University news and communications As businesses and schools around the world grapple with the return to “normal” plans, two recent Miami University studies shed light on the effectiveness of various interventions targeting COVID-19, finding that vaccines alone will not end the pandemic. Though vaccines are powerful, nonpharmaceutical interventions are still needed. The first study found that mask wearing—together with transitioning to remote work and school—had the largest effect on reducing the transmission of the virus, more so than contact tracing or other interventions. The second study showed that even if vaccine compliance is just 20%, vaccines can considerably lower the totalRead More →

Source: iStock.com / Vida Health Copyright: oatawa / Vida Health https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/online-news-on-a-smartphone-woman-reading-news-or-articles-in-a-mobile-phone-screen-gm1280103742-378505340 Licensed by the authors New research in the peer-reviewed journal JMIR Diabetes shows significant reduction in blood sugar levels San Francisco, June 2, 2021 – New research published in JMIR Diabetes shows clinically meaningful reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels for participants enrolled in Vida Health’s virtual diabetes management program. The study’s findings suggest that Vida’s program represents an accessible, scalable, and effective solution to type 2 diabetes management and improved HbA1c. The study, “Improved Glycemic Control With a Digital Health Intervention in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Retrospective Study,” examined the changes inRead More →

Source: iStock by Getty Images Copyright: mapodile URL: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/what-are-our-plans-for-today-royalty-free-image/892674188 License: Licensed by the authors Bond scores, reflecting patient/therapist rapport, were comparable to traditional human-delivered services across treatment modalities and were significantly higher than computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) programs. The findings challenge the notion that digital mental health interventions are, by definition, limited because they don’t involve a human touch. San Francisco, CA, May 11, 2021 – Woebot Health, a pioneer in the development of relational technologies and tools to support mental health, today announced that the results of its most recent study, titled “Evidence of Human-Level Bonds Established With a Digital Conversational Agent: Cross-sectional, RetrospectiveRead More →

Source: Image created by the Authors Copyright: Image created by the Authors URL: http://games.jmir.org/2021/1/e24652/ License: Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial + NoDerivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) Brisbane, March 25, 2021 – “A week in the life of a cancer cell” could be the title of a new VR gamified experience at World Science Week from skin cancer prevention expert Dr Elke Hacker. Put on the goggles and you’re inside a body fighting proliferating melanoma skin cancer cells through a VR game whose user-centred design aims to engage and educate young people on how cancer begins and methods of treatment in the fight against the deadly spread of melanomaRead More →

Source: The Authors Copyright: The Authors URL: http://www.jmir.org/2021/3/e22345/ License: CC-BY-NC-SA Geneva, February 21, 2021 – InZone, an academic and humanitarian program for higher education in refugee contexts at the University of Geneva, is happy to announce the publication of this study with the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The research concerns the delivery of the University of Geneva’s InZone-RAFT basic medical training course in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps between 2017 and 2019. The project was delivered via InZone’s collaborative blended learning ecosystem, which connects students in refugee camps, teachers, tutors, and facilitators to enable higher education in refugee contexts. The research finds that, by improving the mode of delivery, better contextualizing content, and promoting more interaction between the refugee students and their teachers, high levels of medicalRead More →

Source: iStock by Getty Images Copyright: vgajic URL: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/day-in-life-of-a-person-with-diabetes-gm1288968366-384773747 License: Licensed by the Authors   San Francisco – March 3, 2021 – Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the world, impacting over 422 million people. In the United States alone, more than 120 million Americans are living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes.   New research published today in the Journal of Medical Internet Research shows that continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) could modernize T2D clinical trials by using remote data collection. The study—“Medical Food Assessment Using a Smartphone App With Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sensors: Proof-of-Concept Study”—was conducted by scientists at PendulumRead More →

Source: iStock by Getty Images Copyright: kentoh URL: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/sports-abstract-background-gm1215253771-353891434 License: Licensed by the Authors From stress, burnout, career disruption and social isolation, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed similar challenges for many people including one special subgroup—that of elite athletes. “Athletes are unique in their mental health problems but also their resilience,’’ says Dr Luke Balcombe from the Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention, whose review of the most up-to-date mental health literature has been published in JMIR Formative Research. “Elite athletes are an at-risk population for mental health problems compared to the general population. And 2020 has posed significant challenges with worldwide disruptions toRead More →