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Our research
Our interdisciplinary research bridges neurovascular epidemiology, brain imaging, AI algorithm, and big data, to better understand the role of neurovascular / behavior / lifestyle exposures in the development of cardiovascular /cerebrovascular diseases. We also have interests in exploring novel complementary and alternative therapies in improving the progression of typical neurovascular disorders and cardiovascular conditions.
Our nursing and public health background prompt us with high enthusiasms to conduct health education and promotion programmes to transfer our academic knowledge for broad community peoples.
Selected research projects (Dr. Xie as PI)
Projects: Tai Chi for the prophylaxis of episodic migraine and the relationships with brain structure and neuroinflammation variations
Grant 1: General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grants Council; Grant number: 15100822
Grant 2: Chinese Medicine Development Fund - Industry Support Programme; Grant number: P0046601
Grant 3: Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation of PolyU; Grant number: P0041482
Grant 4: PolyU Department General Research Fund; Grant number: P0041482
Non-pharmacological treatments play an important role in migraine prophylaxis, given that these treatments are relatively safe and highly tolerable. As a mind-body aerobic exercise, Tai Chi's potential therapeutic efficacy on the migraine prophylaxis remains largely unknown. The proposed study aims to examine the clinical efficacy of 24-week Tai Chi training in the prophylaxis of episodic migraine comparing with standard prophylactic medication in Hong Kong Chinese women, and to explore the mechanism of Tai Chi's intervention effect by examining the associations of changes in migraine features with neurovascular and neuroinflammation variations.
Publication 1 Publication 2 Publication 3 Publication 4 Publication 5
Projects: Migraine features and cardiovascular risk profile during life course in Hong Kong Chinese women
Grant 1: Early Career Scheme (ECS), Research Grants Council, HK; Grant number: 25101418
Grant 2: PolyU Central Research Grant for GRF/ECS Proposals Ranked 3.5; Grant number: P0009671
Grant 3: CUHK SPHPC Research Grant
Epidemiologic studies have shown that migraine, particularly migraine with aura, was significantly associated with various cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The migraine features (subtype, duration, frequency, and intensity), however, have not been well examined in those previous studies due to the difficulty in recording the episodic headache attacks. These migraine features are relevant for locating the subgroup of migraineurs who have the highest CVD risk, which may enable treatment to be targeted at those most likely to benefit. We plan to establish a cohort of women living in Hong Kong for longitudinal evaluation of migraine features in relation to cardiovascular risk profile.
Publication 1 Publication 2 Publication 3 Publication 4 Publication 5 Publication 6
Publication 7 (new) Publication 8 (new)
Conference presentation 1 Conference presentation 2 Conference presentation 3
Project: AID (Assistance, Improvement, Development; 互助互進，齊心抗疫)): A community-based participatory research approach promoting the early detection of, and vaccination against, COVID-19 and enhancing the adoption of self-protective measures in HK
Grant: Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Health Bureau; Grant number: COVID1903006-01
HK society is highly developed, and there are a number of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and institutions that provide a diverse range of services and support to community members. Motivating local community stakeholders to participate in the research project will greatly improve its impact. Therefore, we plan to use the CBPR approach to establish an academic–community partnership involving several community stakeholders. Partnership members will work together to design and implement a series of educational programmes. We aimed at mitigating COVID-19 risk in HK communities.
Publication 1 Conference presentation 1 Conference presentation 2 Conference presentation 3
Project: A Machine Learning-Based Preclinical Osteoporosis Screening Tool (POST): Model Development and Validation Study
Grant: PolyU Departmental Earnings, HK; Grant number: P0001856
Identifying persons with a high risk of developing osteoporosis and preventing the occurrence of the first fracture is a clinical priority. However, most of the existing osteoporosis screening tools have high sensitivity but relatively low specificity and are not especially developed for Chinese population. We aimed to develop and validate more accurate osteoporosis preclinical screening models using the machine learning method among Chinese population.
Publication 1 Publication 2
Projects: Health Needs Assessment for Macau and Shenzhen Communities: ‘Healthy Living, Longer Lives’
Grant 1: Galaxy Foundation
Grant 2: Shenzhen Nanshan Sanming Project
Despite the benefits of healthy lifestyle on individuals’ and family well-beings, this belief has rarely been addressed in Macau communities. We thereby plan to conduct a project named “Healthy living, Longer Lives” in Macau, through understating the health concerns and needs of Macau population, implementing a series of community engagement intervention programs, to improve health for the citizens.
Publication 1 Publication 2 Publication 3 Publication 4 Publication 5 Publication 6
Conference presentation 1 Conference presentation 2
Project: The Effectiveness on Healthy Eating and Weight Management by Body Composition Assessment and Smart-phone Based Counselling Among Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese: A 6-month Randomized Controlled Trial
Grant: PolyU Start-up Fund for New Recruits; Grant number: P0013890
Despite the increasing trend of obesity and solid evidence demonstrating that obesity and body fat percentage are strong risk factors of many chronic diseases, a majority of middle-aged adults seldom pay attention to the monitoring of their bodyweight and fat status. The objectives of this study are: (1) To increase awareness of healthy eating and weight management through combined applications of body composition measurement and smartphone-based counselling among middle-aged Chinese adults in Hong Kong; (2) To evaluate the effectiveness of combined applications on behavioral changes in healthy diet adoption and weight management.
Conference presentation 1 Conference presentation 2 Conference presentation 3
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