Development and Delivery of an Integrated Digital Health Care Approach for Children With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Usability Study.

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder with no cure. Most children are prescribed several medications aimed at controlling disease activity, managing symptoms, and reducing pain. Physical activity is also encouraged to retain musculoskeletal function.

Paediatric Rheumatology Fails to Meet Current Benchmarks, a Call for Health Equity for Children Living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Using Digital Health Technologies.

Purpose Of Review: This critical review begins by presenting the history of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) management. To move the conversation forward in addressing the current shortcomings that exist in the clinical management of children living with JIA, we argue that to date, the advancement of successful treatments for JIA has been historically slow. Factors implicated in this situation include a lack of rigorous research, JIA being considered a rare disease, and JIA's idiopathic and complex pathophysiology.

Using Digital Health Technologies to Monitor Pain, Medication Adherence and Physical Activity in Young People with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Feasibility Study.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis can be influenced by pain, medication adherence, and physical activity. A new digital health intervention, InteractiveClinics, aims to monitor these modifiable risk factors. Twelve children, aged 10 to 18 years, received daily notifications on a smartwatch to record their pain levels and take their medications, using a customised mobile app synchronised to a secure web-based platform.

The Clinical Impact of Flash Glucose Monitoring-a Digital Health App and Smartwatch Technology in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Scoping Review.

Background: Type 2 diabetes has a growing prevalence and confers significant cost burden to the health care system, raising the urgent need for cost-effective and easily accessible solutions. The management of type 2 diabetes requires significant commitment from the patient, caregivers, and the treating team to optimize clinical outcomes and prevent complications. Technology and its implications for the management of type 2 diabetes is a nascent area of research.

Emerging Tools to Capture Self-Reported Acute and Chronic Pain Outcome in Children and Adolescents: A Literature Review.

The advancement of digital health provides strategic and cost-effective opportunities for the progression of health care in children and adolescents. It is important for clinicians to be aware of the potential of emerging pain outcome measures and employ evidence-based tools capable of reliably tracking acute and chronic pain over time. The main emerging pain outcome measures for children and adolescents were examined.

Effectiveness of eHealth and mHealth Interventions Supporting Children and Young People Living With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) management aims to promote remission through timely, individualized, well-coordinated interdisciplinary care using a range of pharmacological, physical, psychological, and educational interventions. However, achieving this goal is workforce-intensive. Harnessing the burgeoning eHealth and mobile health (mHealth) interventions could be a resource-efficient way of supplementing JIA management.

The Effect of the Menstrual Cycle and Oral Contraceptive Cycle on Muscle Performance and Perceptual Measures.

Most reproductive-aged women are exposed to fluctuating female steroid hormones due to the menstrual cycle or oral contraceptive use. This study investigated the potential effect of the menstrual cycle and combined monophasic oral contraceptive cycle on various aspects of muscle performance. Thirty active females (12 with a natural menstrual cycle, 10 taking a high-androgenicity oral contraceptive and 8 taking a low-androgenicity oral contraceptive), aged 18 to 30 years, were tested three times throughout one menstrual or oral contraceptive cycle.

The acute effect of the menstrual cycle and oral contraceptive cycle on measures of body composition.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of fluctuating female hormones during the menstrual cycle (MC) and oral contraceptive (OC) cycle on different measures of body composition.

Methods: Twenty-two women with a natural MC and thirty women currently taking combined monophasic OC were assessed over three phases of the menstrual or oral contraceptive cycle. Body weight, skinfolds, bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA), ultrasound, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) measurements were performed to assess body composition.

Usability of eHealth and Mobile Health Interventions by Young People Living With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Systematic Review.

Background: Considering the changing landscape of internet use and rising ownership of digital technology by young people, new methods could be considered to improve the current model of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) management.

Objective: This systematic review aims to evaluate the usability of eHealth and mobile health (mHealth) interventions currently available for young people living with JIA.

Methods: The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were used to oversee this review.

Comparison of a Mobile Health Electronic Visual Analog Scale App With a Traditional Paper Visual Analog Scale for Pain Evaluation: Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

Background: Accurate quantification of pain in a clinical setting is vital. The use of an electronic pain scale enables data to be collected, analyzed, and utilized much faster compared with traditional paper-based scales. The advancement of smart technology in pediatric and adult pain evaluation may offer opportunities to introduce easy-to-use and reliable pain assessment methods within different clinical settings.

The Effect of the Menstrual Cycle and Oral Contraceptives on Acute Responses and Chronic Adaptations to Resistance Training: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Resistance training is well known to increase strength and lean body mass, and plays a key role in many female athletic and recreational training programs. Most females train throughout their reproductive years when they are exposed to continuously changing female steroid hormone profiles due to the menstrual cycle or contraceptive use. Therefore, it is important to focus on how female hormones may affect resistance training responses.

Relationship between maternal global nutrient restriction during pregnancy and offspring kidney structure and function: a systematic review of animal studies.

Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy is prevalent across the globe, and the origins of many chronic diseases can be traced back to in utero conditions. This systematic review considers the current evidence in animal models regarding the relationship between maternal global nutrient restriction during pregnancy and offspring kidney structure and function. CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Scopus were searched to November 2017.

Hypoxia During Resistance Exercise Does Not Affect Physical Performance, Perceptual Responses, or Neuromuscular Recovery.

Scott, BR, Slattery, KM, Sculley, DV, and Dascombe, BJ. Hypoxia during resistance exercise does not affect physical performance, perceptual responses, or neuromuscular recovery. J Strength Cond Res 32(8): 2174-2182, 2018-This study aimed to determine whether performing resistance exercise in hypoxia affects markers of physical performance, perceptual responses, and neuromuscular function.

Acute physiological and perceptual responses to high-load resistance exercise in hypoxia.

This study assessed whether hypoxia during high-load resistance exercise could enhance the acute physiological responses related to muscular development. Twelve trained men performed exercise in three conditions: normoxia (fraction of inspired oxygen [F O ] = 21%), moderate-level hypoxia (F O  = 16%) and high-level hypoxia (F O  = 13%). Exercise comprised high-load squats and deadlifts (5 × 5 using 80% of 1-repetition maximum with 180-s rest).

Exploring the Effectiveness of Smart Technologies in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The global epidemic of diabetes, with increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), is placing a huge burden on health care management and financial systems. Unless new strategic solutions are developed, the increasing prevalence of T2D will result in a significant rise in morbidity, health care costs, and complications associated with diabetes. The introduction of smart devices in diabetes management may provide meaningful improvements in clinical outcomes, patient engagement, as well as potential cost reductions for the health care system.

Harnessing interactive technologies to improve health outcomes in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Background: Children and adolescents with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) typically have reduced physical activity level and impaired aerobic and anaerobic exercise capacity when compared to their non-JIA counterparts. Low intensity exercise regimens appear to be safe in children with JIA and may results in improvements in overall physical function. Poor adherence to paediatric rheumatology treatment may lead to negative clinical outcomes and possibly increased disease activity.

Acute Physiological Responses to Moderate-Load Resistance Exercise in Hypoxia.

Scott, BR, Slattery, KM, Sculley, DV, Lockhart, C, and Dascombe, BJ. Acute physiological responses to moderate-load resistance exercise in hypoxia. J Strength Cond Res 31(7): 1973-1981, 2017-This study assessed whether hypoxia augments anabolic responses to moderate-load resistance exercise.

A Comparison of Mixed-Method Cooling Interventions on Preloaded Running Performance in the Heat.

Stevens, CJ, Bennett, KJM, Sculley, DV, Callister, R, Taylor, L, and Dascombe, BJ. A comparison of mixed-method cooling interventions on preloaded running performance in the heat. J Strength Cond Res 31(3): 620-629, 2017-The purpose of this investigation was to assess the effect of combining practical methods to cool the body on endurance running performance and physiology in the heat.

The validity of endurance running performance on the Curve 3(TM) non-motorised treadmill.

This study aimed to test the validity of a non-motorised treadmill (NMT) for the measurement of self-paced overground endurance running performance. Ten male runners performed randomised 5-km running time trials on a NMT and an outdoor athletics track. A range of physiological and perceptual responses was measured, and foot strike was classified subjectively.

Physical performance during high-intensity resistance exercise in normoxic and hypoxic conditions.

This study aimed to determine whether different levels of hypoxia affect physical performance during high-intensity resistance exercise or subsequent cardiovascular and perceptual responses. Twelve resistance-trained young men (age, 25.3 ± 4.

Reliability of telemetric electromyography and near-infrared spectroscopy during high-intensity resistance exercise.

This study quantified the inter- and intra-test reliability of telemetric surface electromyography (EMG) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during resistance exercise. Twelve well-trained young men performed high-intensity back squat exercise (12 sets at 70-90% 1-repetition maximum) on two occasions, during which EMG and NIRS continuously monitored muscle activation and oxygenation of the thigh muscles. Intra-test reliability for EMG and NIRS variables was generally higher than inter-test reliability.

Hypoxia and resistance exercise: a comparison of localized and systemic methods.

It is generally believed that optimal hypertrophic and strength gains are induced through moderate- or high-intensity resistance training, equivalent to at least 60% of an individual's 1-repetition maximum (1RM). However, recent evidence suggests that similar adaptations are facilitated when low-intensity resistance exercise (~20-50% 1RM) is combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) to the working muscles. Although the mechanisms underpinning these responses are not yet firmly established, it appears that localized hypoxia created by BFR may provide an anabolic stimulus by enhancing the metabolic and endocrine response, and increase cellular swelling and signalling function following resistance exercise.