[The Effect of High Humidity Environments on Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review].

BACKGROUND: The scholarly evidence on the timing and practice of interventional care administered to preterm infants in high-humidity environments is unclear. This makes evaluating the prognosis of preterm infants with comorbidities difficult and means that clinical medical staff lack clear guidelines for care. PURPOSE: This systematic review was designed to explore the prognostic effects of interventions for comorbidities performed on very low birthweight preterm infants in high humidity environments to provide an empirical basis for developing related clinical-care guidelines. METHODS: An electronic database was searched for all relevant documents published between 1930 and September 2021. The keywords used were "premature infants" OR "very low weight premature infants" OR "very low weight premature infants" AND "humidity", and the target groups were premature infants weighing ≤ 1,500 grams or delivered at ≤ 34 weeks of gestation. The timing and practice of interventions in high humidity environments and the occurrence and prognosis of related comorbidities were explored. The main findings cover the issues of body weight, total water intake, electrolytes, urine output, insensitivity water loss, infection, common complications, and mortality in preterm infants. After reviewing the methods, quality, and efficacy of the research in the identified studies, 9 articles were selected for integrated synthesis. RESULTS: Recommendations for the use of high humidity with infants delivered at ≤ 30 weeks of gestation or at birth weights ≤ 1,000 grams were integrated. An environment with a relative humidity of 70%-80% should be used during the first postpartum week and 50%-60% during the second postpartum week. The recommended total duration of use of a high-humidity environment is two weeks to avoid delaying the development of the stratum corneum. Physiological indicators shown to exhibit significant improvement under this regimen include reduced total water intake, increased urine output, and a lower incidence of hypernatremia. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The appropriate timing and practice of high humidity intervention were integrated in this study. It is hoped that this review provides an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for preterm infant care.

[The effect of tai chi for blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipid control for patients with chronic diseases: a systematic review].

BACKGROUND: Tai chi emphasizes gentle, balanced, slow, deep-breathing activity and is widely applied in healthcare and health promotion in elderly populations. Researchers have applied tai chi as an intervention to reduce hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia with unclear results. This article conducts a systematic review of tai chi intervention research with regard to its effectiveness in addressing three risk factors. PURPOSE: This study conducted a systematic review of reports discussing the blood pressure, blood sugar and blood lipid effects of tai chi in chronic diseases clients. METHOD: Researchers searched six electronic databases for relevant articles published between 1990 and May 2011. Data were collected using inclusion and exclusion criteria. A modified Jadad Scale was used to evaluate the quality of the identified articles. RESULTS: Seven studies met our inclusion criteria of targeting middle-aged subjects with chronic diseases. There was a total of 947 participants, with studies ranging from 38-207 participants. The majority of participants were women (six studies with a female ratio of > 50%); participant ages ranged from 51 ± 9.8 to 81.2 ± 6.1; four studies reported that tai chi reduced blood pressure and blood lipid levels; three studies reported that tai chi did not improve blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, or HbA1C. CONCLUSION: Systematic review results indicate that tai chi interventions have a significant and positive effect on blood pressure and lipid levels but not for blood sugar levels. Larger scale studies with more subjects and longer time periods are necessary to further confirm and illuminate the effects of tai chi and guide the design of effective, empirical-based intervention programs.