Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder characterised by recurrent seizures. Almost half of patients who have an unprovoked first seizure (UFS) have additional seizures and develop epilepsy. No current predictive models exist to determine who has a higher risk of recurrence to guide treatment. Emerging evidence suggests alterations in cognition, mood and brain connectivity exist in the population with UFS. Baseline evaluations of these factors following a UFS will enable the development of the first multimodal biomarker-based predictive model of seizure recurrence in adults with UFS.

200 patients and 75 matched healthy controls (aged 18–65) from the Kingston and Halifax First Seizure Clinics will undergo neuropsychological assessments, structural and functional MRI, and electroencephalography. Seizure recurrence will be assessed prospectively. Regular follow-ups will occur at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months to monitor recurrence. Comparisons will be made between patients with UFS and healthy control groups, as well as between patients with and without seizure recurrence at follow-up. A multimodal machine-learning model will be trained to predict seizure recurrence at 12 months.

This study was approved by the Health Sciences and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board at Queen’s University (DMED-2681-22) and the Nova Scotia Research Ethics Board (1028519). It is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PJT-183906). Findings will be presented at national and international conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals and presented to the public via patient support organisation newsletters and talks.

NCT05724719.

The abrupt transition of the mode of learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in complaints of musculoskeletal (MSK) discomfort among students in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Inadequate physical space and equipment are one major cause of these complaints. Among HEIs, physical therapy (PT) students have sufficient background in managing MSK discomforts. However, this does not prevent them from experiencing pain and discomfort during online classes. This analytical cross-sectional study aims to determine the correlation between ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort among first-year to fourth-year PT students.

The study will use two questionnaires, the Ergonomic Knowledge Questionnaire, and the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire, that determine the level of ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort, respectively. This will be disseminated to 144 students through google forms. Results will then be analysed using Pearson Correlation Test. The study anticipates a correlation between the level of ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort among the participants.

The study has been approved by the University of Santo Tomas-College of Rehabilitation Sciences Ethics Review Committee. The participants will receive the results prior to publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Philippine Health Research Registry with registry ID PHRR230216-005443.