Objectives. Baduanjin exercise is a form of Qigong exercise therapy that has become increasingly popular worldwide. The aims of the current systematic review were to summarize reported adverse events potentially associated with Baduanjin exercise based on currently available literature and to evaluate the quality of the methods used to monitor adverse events in the trials assessed. Methods. The English databases PubMed, Cochrane library, and EMbase were searched from inception to October 2020 using the keywords Baduanjin or eight session brocade. Only studies that included Baduanjin exercise therapy were included. Results. Forty-seven trials with a total of 3877 participants were included in this systematic review. Twenty-two studies reported protocols for monitoring adverse events, and two studies reported the occurrence of adverse events during training. The adverse events reported included palpitation, giddiness, knee pain, backache, fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, shoulder pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and muscle ache. Conclusions. Only two studies reported adverse events that were potentially caused by Baduanjin exercise. Adverse events related to Baduanjin exercise in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome may include muscle ache, palpitation, giddiness, knee pain, backache, fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, shoulder pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Further studies conducted in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement guideline incorporating monitoring of adverse events are recommended. Additional clinical trials in which Baduanjin exercise is used as a main intervention are needed, and further meta-analysis may be required to assess its safety and reach more informed conclusions in this regard in the future.

Background. The postural stability is a major factor that helps prevent developing knee osteoarthritis with aging. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Baduanjin qigong on postural control and physical function in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Methods. Fifty‐six individuals over 60 years of age with knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 28) or a control group (n = 28). Participants in the experimental group received a 12‐week Baduanjin training, while those in the control group did not receive any additional physical exercise during the study period. The postural control was quantified by perimeter and ellipse area of center of pressure movement trajectory. The assessments were conducted three times (baseline, week 8, and week 12). Results. The perimeter and ellipse area with both open‐ and closed‐eyes conditions and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) function were significantly improved at week eight in the experimental group (p < 0.005). The ellipse area with open‐eyes condition, WOMAC index, and stiffness and physical function domains were significantly decreased after the 12 weeks of Baduanjin training compared to the control group (p < 0.005). Only the perimeter area with both open‐ and closed‐eyes conditions was not statistically significant at week 12 in the intervention group (p > 0.005). Conclusions. Baduanjin is an effective and adjuvant therapy for older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Regular Baduanjin training can improve postural control and WOMAC function of old individuals with knee osteoarthritis. More advanced techniques and biopsychological measurements are required for further understanding of Baduanjin exercise in this population. The trial was registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IOR-16010042).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi (TC) on arterial stiffness, physical function of lower-limb, and cognitive ability in adults aged over 60. Methods: This study was a prospective and randomized 12-week intervention trial with three repeated measurements (baseline, 6, and 12 weeks). Sixty healthy adults who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated into three training conditions (TC-24, TC-42, and TC-56) matched by gender, with 20 participants (10 males, 10 females) in each of the three groups. We measured the following health outcomes, including markers of atherosclerosis, physical function (leg power, and static and dynamic balance) of lower-limb, and cognitive ability. Results: When all three TC groups (p < 0.05) have showed significant improvements on these outcomes but overall cognitive ability at 6 or 12 weeks training period, TC-56 appears to have superior effects on arterial stiffness and static/dynamic balance in the present study. Conclusions: Study results of the present study add to growing body of evidence regarding therapeutic TC for health promotion and disease prevention in aging population. Future studies should further determine whether TC-42 and TC-56 are beneficial for other non-Chinese populations, with rigorous research design and follow-up assessment.

Objectives: To evaluate pelvic floor muscle strength using surface electromyography and risk factors for pelvic floor muscle strength in the early postpartum period. Methods: This retrospective study included 21,302 participants who visited Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital from September 2019 to February 2022. All participants were assessed by medical professionals for general information and surface electromyography. Results: Univariate analysis indicated that age was inversely related to tonic and endurance contractions. In contrast, all the other variables, including education level, body mass index, neonatal weight, and number of fetuses, had a positive impact on rapid, tonic, and endurance contractions. Likewise, parity was also positively associated with rapid contractions. In addition, compared with vaginal delivery, cesarean section delivery had a protective effect on the amplitude of the three types of contractions. Stepwise regression analysis showed that both age and neonatal weight had a negative linear relationship with the amplitude of rapid, tonic and endurance contractions. In contrast, the amplitude of rapid, tonic and endurance contractions significantly increased as body mass index, parity (≤ 3), education level and gestational weight gain (endurance contractions only) increased. Participants with cesarean section delivery showed positive effects on rapid, tonic, and endurance contractions compared to participants with vaginal delivery. Conclusions: We found that age, neonatal weight, vaginal delivery, episiotomy, and forceps delivery were risk factors for pelvic floor muscle strength; in contrast, body mass index, parity (≤ 3) and gestational weight gain had a positive relationship with pelvic floor muscle strength.

Background.Depression is a common disease affecting a large number of people across the world. Many researchers have focused on treatment for depression based on Western scientific approaches, but research based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions, studying its clinical effectiveness and the underlying mechanisms involved, has been limited. The aim of this review is to conduct a pioneering systematic review with meta-analysis of existing studies that investigate the neuroscience basis of nonpharmacological traditional Chinese therapy (NTCT).Methods.Both English (Pubmed,Embase,Scopus,SPORTDiscus,PsycINFO) and Chinese (China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)) databases were searched from inception to October 2018. The effects of NTCT on major depressive disorder, brain activity, and neurophysiological biomarker related outcomes were extracted. Study quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. The effect size of each study was reported by the mean difference of change scores.Results.Six of twelve eligible studies showed that there was a significant improvement in favor of acupuncture in depressive symptoms (SMD -0.69, 95%CI-1.09 to -0.28,p=0.002,I2= 73%,p< 0.0008). Based on the available evidence, NTCT including acupuncture, Qigong, and Tai Chi was found to possibly improve brain metabolites, brain activity, and immune and endocrine systems in patients with major depressive disorder.Conclusions.Acupuncture could effectively relieve depressive syndromes. The clinical effects of acupuncture might be attributable to their influence on three proposed pathways, namely, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, the locus coeruleus (LC)-immunity pathway, and the negative feedback loop of the hippocampus. Nevertheless, conclusions are limited due to the small number of studies included and the low-quality of the study designs. In the future, a cross-sectional study is needed to test the proposed plausible pathways. PROSPERO registration number isCRD42017080937.

Objective: Major depressive disorder is a common psychiatric condition characterized by persistent sadness and a lack of interest in life. It is often associated with alterations in autonomic nervous system functioning. This study examined the impact of a 10-week Baduanjin exercise program on heart rate variability and depression severity in individuals with major depressive disorder. Methods: The present study was a two-arm, single-blind, pilot randomized controlled trial. Thirty-four participants were randomly assigned to either a Baduanjin group (n = 17) or a control group (standard care) (n = 17). The Baduanjin group participated in 60-minute sessions twice weekly while the control group were given the standard care appropriate for people with major depression disorder. Heart rate variability (HRV) and depression severity were assessed at baseline, Week 5, and Week 10. Results: Results showed no significant interaction effect between group and time. However, there was a group effect for ratio of low-frequency-to-high-frequency (LF/HF ratio) HRV (p=0.049) only. Between-group differences were observed with Baduanjin exercise (Mean±SD: 0.27± 0.33) group having higher scores than the control group (0.01± 0.40). Also, there were significant time effects for depression, high-frequency (HF) HRV, low-frequency (LF) HRV, LF norm HRV, and total power (ps< 0.05). Depression severity significantly decreased in both groups by Week 5 and Week 10 (ps< 0.05) while low-frequency HRV and total power HRV increased in both groups by Week 5 and Week 10 (ps< 0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggested that Baduanjin exercise may positively influence aspects of autonomic function. Future research with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods is needed to investigate its long-term effects and potential benefits for depressive symptoms in individuals with major depressive disorder. This study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900027222).