Effectiveness of Tai chi exercise on overall quality of life and its physical and psychological components among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

With the aging of the world's population, the quality of life of older adults is becoming more important. There are many studies on the use of Tai chi exercise, a popular form of mind-body exercise practiced by older adults. However, the effectiveness of Tai chi exercise on the quality of life of older adults is unclear. For this systematic review and meta-analysis, six databases (PubMed, CENTRAL, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, CNKI) were searched in English and Chinese languages to screen for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCT), and their risk of bias was assessed by two independent reviewers. The results of quality of life, physical component, and psychological component among older adults were meta-analyzed using RevMan5.3 software. The search retrieved 2577 records. After screening, a total of 10 RCTs were included in this evaluation, with a total of 1170 participants. The meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, Tai chi exercise had a significant impact on the overall quality of life (SMD=1.23; 95%CI: 0.56-1.98; P<0.0001), and on the physical component of quality of life (MD=5.90; 95%CI: 1.05-10.75; P=0.02), but no significant impact on the psychological component of quality of life. This study had high heterogeneity. The results of this study suggest the potential use of Tai chi exercise as an activity for increased quality of life in older adults. Future research may enhance experimental rigor and explore the rationale behind Tai chi exercise.

Expressions of plasma cystatin C, D-dimer and hypersensitive C-reactive protein in patients with intracranial progressive hemorrhagic injury after craniocerebral injury, and their clinical significance / Expressões da cistatina C plasmática, dímero D e proteína C reativa hipersensível em pacientes com lesão hemorrágica progressiva intracraniana após trauma crânio-encefálico e seus significados clínicos

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the expressions of plasma cystatin C (Cys-C), D-dimer (D-D) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with intracranial progressive hemorrhagic injury (IPHI) after craniocerebral injury, and their clinical significance. Methods Forty-two IPHI patients and 20 healthy participants (control) were enrolled. The severity and outcome of IPHI were determined according to the Glasgow Coma Scale and Glasgow Outcome Scale, and the plasma Cys-C, hs-CRP and D-D levels were measured. Results The plasma Cys-C, D-D and hs-CRP levels in the IPHI group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.01). There were significant differences of plasma Cys-C, D-D and hs-CRP levels among different IPHI patients according to the Glasgow Coma Scale and according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (all p < 0.05). In the IPHI patients, the plasma Cys-C, D-D and hs-CRP levels were positively correlated with each other (p < 0.001). Conclusion The increase of plasma Cys-C, D-D and hs-CRP levels may be involved in IPHI after craniocerebral injury. The early detection of these indexes may help to understand the severity and outcome of IPHI.

RESUMO Objetivo Investigar as expressões da cistatina C plasmática (Cys-C), dímero-D (D-D) e proteína C-reativa hipersensível (hs-CRP) em pacientes com lesão hemorrágica progressiva intracraniana (IPHI) após lesão craniocerebral e seus significados clínicos. Métodos Quarenta e dois pacientes com IPHI e 20 indivíduos saudáveis (controle) foram incluídos. A gravidade e o resultado do IPHI foram determinados de acordo com a Escala de Coma de Glasgow (GCS) e Escala de Resultados de Glasgow (GOS), e os níveis plasmáticos Cys-C, hs-CRP e D-D foram detectados. Resultados Os níveis plasmáticos de Cys-C, D-D e hs-CRP no grupo IPHI foram significativamente maiores do que no grupo controle (P <0,01). Houve diferença significativa entre os níveis plasmáticos de Cys-C, D-D e hs-CRP entre os diferentes pacientes com IPHI de acordo com a GCS e entre os diferentes pacientes com IPHI de acordo com o GOS, respectivamente (todos P <0,05). Em pacientes com IPHI, os níveis plasmáticos de Cys-C, D-D e hs-CRP foram positivamente correlacionados entre si (P <0,001). Conclusão O aumento dos níveis plasmáticos de Cys-C, D-D e hs-CRP pode estar envolvido no IPHI após trauma crânio-encefálico. A detecção precoce desses índices pode ajudar a entender a gravidade e o resultado do IPHI.

A retrospective study evaluating the correlation between the severity of intervertebral disc injury and the anteroposterior type of thoracolumbar vertebral fractures

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between the severity of intervertebral disc injury and the anteroposterior type of thoracolumbar vertebral fractures. METHODS: Fifty-six cases of thoracolumbar vertebral fractures treated in our trauma center from October 2012 to October 2013 were included in this study. The fractures were classified by the anteroposterior classification, whereas the severity of intervertebral disc injury was evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging. The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between the severity of intervertebral disc injury and the anteroposterior type of thoracolumbar fractures, whereas a χ2 test was adopted to measure the variability between different fracture types and upper and lower adjacent disc injuries. RESULTS: The Spearman correlation coefficients between fracture types and the severity of the upper and lower adjacent disc injuries were 0.739 (PU<0.001) and 0.368 (PL=0.005), respectively. It means that the more complex Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) classifications are the disc injury is more severe. There was also a significant difference in the severity of injury between the upper and lower adjacent discs near the fractured vertebrae (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In thoracolumbar spinal fractures, the severity of the adjacent intervertebral disc injury is positively correlated with the anteroposterior fracture type. The injury primarily involves intervertebral discs near the fractured end plate, with more frequent and severe injuries observed in the upper than in the lower discs. The presence of intervertebral disc injury, along with its severity, may provide useful information during the clinical decision-making process.