Medicines

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Medicines, Volume 7, Issue 7 (July 2020) – 2 articles

Cover Story (view full-size image): The current evidence suggests that Tai Chi and Qigong can improve immune function. Promoting Tai Chi and Qigong to the general population as a preventative health measure could reduce the overall risk of infection from bacterial and viral pathogens by buffering immune system functioning. However, robust studies are needed in order to develop clinical practice guidelines for people with medical conditions. View this paper

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20 pages, 2231 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Effects of Tai Chi and Qigong on Immune Responses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

by Byeongsang Oh, Kyeore Bae, Gillian Lamoury, Thomas Eade, Frances Boyle, Brian Corless, Stephen Clarke, Albert Yeung, David Rosenthal, Lidia Schapira and Michael Back

Medicines 2020, 7(7), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines7070039 - 30 Jun 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 9997

Abstract

Background: Effective preventative health interventions are essential to maintain well-being among healthcare professionals and the public, especially during times of health crises. Several studies have suggested that Tai Chi and Qigong (TQ) have positive impacts on the immune system and its response to inflammation. The aim of this review is to evaluate the current evidence of the effects of TQ on these parameters. Methods: Electronic searches were conducted on databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase and ScienceDirect). Searches were performed using the following keywords: “Tai Chi or Qigong” and “immune system, immune function, immunity, Immun*, inflammation and cytokines”. Studies published as full-text randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in English were included. Estimates of change in the levels of immune cells and inflammatory biomarkers were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis where randomised comparisons were available for TQ versus active controls and TQ versus non-active controls. Results: Nineteen RCTs were selected for review with a total of 1686 participants and a range of 32 to 252 participants within the studies. Overall, a random-effects meta-analysis found that, compared with control conditions, TQ has a significant small effect of increasing the levels of immune cells (SMD, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.43, p = 0.00), I² = 45%, but not a significant effect on reducing the levels of inflammation (SMD, −0.15; 95% CI, −0.39 to 0.09, p = 0.21), I² = 85%, as measured by the systemic inflammation biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) and cell mediated biomarker cytokines. This difference in results is due to the bidirectional regulation of cytokines. An overall risk of bias assessment found three RCTs with a low risk of bias, six RCTs with some concerns of bias, and ten RCTs with a high risk of bias. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that practising TQ has a physiologic impact on immune system functioning and inflammatory responses. Rigorous studies are needed to guide clinical guidelines and harness the power of TQ to promote health and wellbeing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Topics in Medicines and How Our Board Members Are Engaged in Them)

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8 pages, 265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hospital-Acquired Serum Chloride Derangements and Associated In-Hospital Mortality

by Charat Thongprayoon, Wisit Cheungpasitporn, Tananchai Petnak, Michael A. Mao, Api Chewcharat, Fawad Qureshi, Juan Medaura, Tarun Bathini, Saraschandra Vallabhajosyula and Kianoush B. Kashani

Medicines 2020, 7(7), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines7070038 - 29 Jun 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3014

Abstract

Background: We aimed to describe the incidence of hospital-acquired dyschloremia and its association with in-hospital mortality in general hospitalized patients. Methods: All hospitalized patients from 2009 to 2013 who had normal admission serum chloride and at least two serum chloride measurements in the hospital were studied. The normal range of serum chloride was defined as 100–108 mmol/L. Hospital serum chloride levels were grouped based on the occurrence of hospital-acquired hypochloremia and hyperchloremia. The association of hospital-acquired hypochloremia and hyperchloremia with in-hospital mortality was analyzed using logistic regression. Results: Among the total of 39,298 hospitalized patients, 59% had persistently normal hospital serum chloride levels, 21% had hospital-acquired hypochloremia only, 15% had hospital-acquired hyperchloremia only, and 5% had both hypochloremia and hyperchloremia. Compared with patients with persistently normal hospital serum chloride levels, hospital-acquired hyperchloremia only (odds ratio or OR 2.84; p < 0.001) and both hospital-acquired hypochloremia and hyperchloremia (OR 1.72; p = 0.004) were associated with increased in-hospital mortality, whereas hospital-acquired hypochloremia only was not (OR 0.91; p = 0.54). Conclusions: Approximately 40% of hospitalized patients developed serum chloride derangements. Hospital-acquired hyperchloremia, but not hypochloremia, was associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Full article

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Medicines, Volume 7, Issue 7 (July 2020) – 2 articles

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