Effects of a Tai Chi rehabilitation program implemented using a hybrid online and offline mode on oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in patients with coronary heart disease: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in both developed and many developing countries. Exercise training is a fundamental component of cardiac rehabilitation programs for patients with CHD. This study aims to investigate the effects of a Tai Chi rehabilitation program, which is provided through a hybrid online and offline mode, on oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in patients with CHD. Methods: A total of 34 patients with coronary heart disease were randomly assigned to two groups: an experiment group (n = 14, age 62.07 ± 9.076 years) and a control group (n = 20, age 61.90 ± 9.700 years). The experiment group underwent a 12-week Tai Chi cardiac rehabilitation program (TCCRP), while the control group followed a conventional exercise rehabilitation program (CERP) consisting of 1-h sessions, 3 times per week, for a total of 36 sessions. Participants were studied at baseline and post-intervention. The main assessments include the levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and Interleukin-10 (IL - 10) in blood samples. Pearson correlation analysis was used, and the differences between the two groups were subsequently tested using two-way repeated ANOVA. Statistical significance was defined as a two-sided p-value of <0.05. Results: The key finding of the study reveals that MDA was significantly reduced by 1.027 nmoL/mL. Additionally, the TCCRP showed significant improvements in SOD and IL-10, with values of 10.110 U/mL and 2.441 pg./mL, respectively. Notably, a significant positive correlation was found between SOD and IL-10 (r = 0.689, p = 0.006), while MDA showed a significant positive correlation with TNF-a (r = 0.542, p = 0.045). In contrast, the ECRP group only showed a significant improvement in SOD. Conclusion: The study conducted a 12-week program on TCCRP, which utilized a hybrid online and offline model for individuals with coronary heart disease. The program showed promising results in alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation, possibly by regulating the balance between oxidative and antioxidative factors, as well as pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors.

Effectiveness of an online/offline mixed-mode Tai Chi cardiac rehabilitation program on microcirculation in patients with coronary artery disease: A randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: We explored the effectiveness of an online/offline mixed-mode Tai Chi cardiac rehabilitation program on the microcirculation of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). DESIGN: Prospective, randomized controlled study. SETTING: It was conducted in a tertiary hospital. SUBJECTS: Twenty-six patients who met the diagnostic criteria for coronary artery disease were recruited. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized divided into a 12-week Tai Chi cardiac rehabilitation program(TCCRP) or a conventional exercise rehabilitation program(CERP) in a 1:1 fashion, 4 weeks of in-hospital rehabilitation and 8 weeks of online rehabilitation at home (a total of 12 weeks of intervention). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nailfold microcirculation (Morphological integrals, Blood flow integrals, Periphery capillary loop integrals, Overall integrals). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Twenty patients completed the study. The Morphological integrals (baseline: 2.875±1.171 vs 12weeks: 1.863±0.414, t = 2.432, P = 0.045 < 0.05) and Overall integrals (baseline: 5.563±2.001 vs 12weeks: 3.688±1.167, t = 3.358, P = 0.012 < 0.05) decreased significantly in the TCCRP, The nailfold microcirculation integra decreased not significantly in the CERP (P > 0.05). The nailfold microcirculation integra was not significantly different between the two groups after the intervention (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The TCCRP improved the microcirculation of patients with CAD.

The effect of Bafa Wubu of Tai Chi on college students' anxiety and depression: A randomized, controlled pilot study.

Objective: This pilot study aimed to explore the mechanism of the effects of Bafa Wubu of Tai Chi (BWTC) on anxiety and depression in college students using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). Methods: Eighteen college students (5 males and 13 females) with anxiety and depression met the study criteria and were randomly divided into an experimental group (aged 24.20 ± 4.07 years) and a control group (aged 22.50 ± 5.95). The experimental group received an eight-week BWTC intervention five times/week for 60 min/session. The control group maintained normal daily life without any exercise intervention. These students were assessed using RS-fMRI scans, the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and the self-rating depression scale (SDS). Spearman correlation analysis was used, and statistical significance was defined as a two-sided p-value of <0.05. Results: After the intervention, the SAS and SDS scores of the BWTC group significantly reduced (p = 0.002; p = 0.001). Compared with the control group, the fALFF values of the right middle frontal gyrus, orbital part (Frontal_Mid_Orb_R) (p = 0.043), right inferior occipital gyrus (Occipital_Inf_R) (p = 0.003), and right middle temporal gyrus of the temporal pole (Temporal_Pole_Mid_R) (p = 0.003) in the BWTC group increased significantly; the fALFF values of the left middle frontal gyrus (Frontal_Mid_L) (p = 0.001) and right supplementary motor area (Supp_Motor_Area_R) (p = 0.010) in BWTC group decreased significantly. The fALFF values of Frontal_Mid_Orb_R were significantly positively correlated with the SDS score (r = 0.852, p = 0.015) and the fALFF values of Frontal_Mid_L were significantly negatively correlated with the SAS score (r = -0.797, p = 0.032). Conclusion: In this pilot study with college students, BWTC alleviated anxiety and depression, potentially through modulating activity in the Frontal_Mid_L and Frontal_Mid_Orb_R, respectively.

Investigation of the quality of life of patients with coronary heart disease during COVID-19 and analysis of influencing factors.

At present, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global public health emergency, bringing a great threat to human health. This study aims to evaluate and analyze the factors that influence the quality of life (QOL) of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) during COVID-19 to provide a realistic basis for improving their QOL. A total of 70 patients with CHD were selected through convenience sampling from three heart rehabilitation centers. The cross-sectional survey of the study cases were carried out using an online survey platform. All of the participants completed a general situation questionnaire, and QOL was assessed through the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Results showed that the overall QOL of patients with CHD during COVID-19 was poor, having an average score of 65.99 ± 10.97. Moreover, multivariate linear regression analysis showed that worry about COVID-19 (P < 0.05) and different exercise intervention types (P < 0.05) were the main factors affecting the QOL of patients. On the one hand, positive measures should be taken to provide psychological counseling to ease their sense of concern. On the other hand, engaging in exercise is more important for these patients to improve physical function, particularly Tai Chi exercises.

[Gut microbiota and its metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO): a novel regulator in coronary artery disease].

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a chronic disease but causes the highest mortality and morbidity among the cardiovascular diseases worldwide. Correlations between CAD and gut microbiota have been observed. This suggests that the gut microbiota could become a vital diagnostic marker of CAD, and restoring the gut habitat may become a promising strategy for CAD therapy. The elevated level of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a gut microbiota-derived metabolite, was found to be associated with the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and the all-cause mortality. Preclinical studies have shown that it has pro-arteriosclerosis properties. It is likely that regulating the production of TMAO by gut microbiota may become a promising strategy for anti-atherosclerosis therapy. This review summarizes the clinical and preclinical researches on the intervention of CAD by regulating the gut microbiota and the microbiota-derived metabolite TMAO, with the aim to provide new target for the therapy of CAD.