JMIR Publications released four feature News and Perspectives articles this week, covering developments in smart textiles, PMOS treatment in India, the FDA's TEMPO pilot for regulating AI-enabled devices, and the ethical quandaries of using online forums in research.
How Digital Tools May Improve Access to PMOS Treatment in India
In " Closing Treatment Gaps for Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome in India ", Bharath Thampi speaks with physicians and patients of PMOS—renamed from polycystic ovary syndrome earlier this year—on the condition's persisting stigma and barriers to care. Diagnosis and treatment is particularly inaccessible in rural regions of India, writes Thampi, but digital initiatives may help. Reproductive health awareness has improved with the adoption of smartphones and social media, and digital twin technology is beginning to be harnessed to develop individualized treatment plans for PMOS patients. According to expert source Dr. Paramesh Shamanna, app-delivered treatment plans may one day be accessible and affordable to girls and women in rural regions as well.
The Future of Fabric
Is it time to ask more of our fabrics? In " Smart Textiles Tackle Wound Healing, Climate Adaptation, and Reproductive Health ", Virginia Gewin covers developments in the nascent field of smart textiles—fabrics with technology literally woven in that can sense and track changes in health markers—and its applications in medical care, climate adaptability, and even military operations. Up next, writes Gewin, researchers are "moving from simply sensing skin conditions to taking actions, such as delivering antibiotics or adjusting pressure in response to real-time swelling".
What the FDA's TEMPO Pilot Means For Medical AI Regulation
Tejas S Athni reports on the Technology-Enabled Meaningful Patient Outcomes for the FDA's Digital Health Devices Pilot program in " The US Food and Drug Administration's TEMPO Pilot Signals a New Regulatory Approach for AI-Enabled Medical Devices ". This pilot "provisionally enables certain manufacturers to launch digital health devices for clinical use before obtaining traditional FDA marketing authorization, while the agency evaluates their performance in real-world settings," writes Athni, noting that AI-enabled devices can perform dynamically in real-world settings, meaning traditional evaluation pathways may not be adequate for these products. "TEMPO represents an important experiment on how the FDA may regulate AI-enabled medical devices, providing regulators an opportunity to learn from technologies in real time."
The Ethics of Mining Data from Public Forums
Public forums, and their wealth of accessible information, are useful to researchers—but can this data be collected ethically? Simon Spichak investigates in " How to Use—And How Not to Use—Public Forums in Research ", speaking with a moderator of the subreddit /r/ChangeMyView, which was unknowingly subjected to an experiment by the University of Zurich in 2025; as well as internet research ethicist Dr. Amy Bruckman. Spichak notes that "Social media sites…have been commonly mined for data by researchers even though most users are unaware," and that "a lack of explicit user consent…is common among research that uses Reddit posts." Data mining, increasingly common with AI web scraping, has prompted Reddit and other companies to take matters into their own hands by restricting access to forums, which will in turn require researchers to develop new strategies for ethical data collection.
About JMIR Publications News and Perspectives
JMIR Publications is a leading open access publisher of digital health research. The News and Perspectives section is the newest addition to its portfolio, established to bring the rigor and integrity of academic publishing to scientific journalism. The section features well-researched, expert-driven content from the Scientific News Editor, Kayleigh-Ann Clegg, PhD, and a network of specialist JMIR Publications Correspondents to keep the digital health community informed, inspired, and ahead of the curve.
About JMIR Publications
JMIR Publications is a leading open access publisher of digital health research and a champion of open science. With a focus on author advocacy and research amplification, JMIR Publications partners with researchers to advance their careers and maximize the impact of their work. As a technology organization with publishing at its core, we provide innovative tools and resources that go beyond traditional publishing, supporting researchers at every step of the dissemination process. Our portfolio features a range of peer-reviewed journals, including the renowned Journal of Medical Internet Research.
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