Quantitative Evidence of the effect of Baduanjin exercise on quality of life and cardiac function in adults with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the effects of Baduanjin exercise on the quality of life (QoL), cardiac function, and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: A systematic search of relevant literature published from inception until February 2023 was performed in the Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, SPORTDiscus, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the effects of Baduanjin exercise on QoL (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire [MLHFQ]), cardiac function (N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide [NT-Pro BNP] and left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF]), and VO2max in patients with CHF. RESULTS: Fifteen studies (1180 participants) were included in this analysis. The synthesized results suggested that Baduanjin exercise contributed to significant improvements in the MLHFQ scores (standard mean difference [SMD] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81 to 1.39, p < 0.001), NT-Pro BNP levels (SMD = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.93, p < 0.01), LVEF (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.88, p < 0.01), and VO2max (SMD = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.24 to 1.60, p < 0.001) compared with the results of the control groups. Subgroup analyses revealed that engaging in Baduanjin exercise 5-7 times per week was more effective in improving the MLHFQ score compared with 3-4 times per week (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Evidence from the meta-analysis support the beneficial effects of Baduanjin exercise on the QoL, cardiac function, and VO2max in patients with CHFin China. For optimal QoL improvements, it is recommended to engage in Baduanjin exercise 5-7 times per week for 30-60 min, over a duration of at least 8 weeks. In terms of NT-Pro BNP, Baduanjin exercise sessions of 30-60 min, 2-7 times per week, for a minimum of 8 weeks are recommended.

Mixed sulfur-iron particles packed reactor for simultaneous advanced removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from secondary effluent.

A mixed sulfur-iron particles packed reactor (SFe reactor) was developed to simultaneously remove total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) of the secondary effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants. Low effluent TN (<1.5 mg/L) and TP (<0.3 mg/L) concentrations were simultaneously obtained, and high TN removal rate [1.03 g N/(L·d)] and TP removal rate [0.29 g P/(L·d)] were achieved at the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.13 h. Kinetic models describing denitrification were experimentally obtained, which predicted a higher denitrification rate [1.98 g N/(L·d)] of SFe reactor than that [1.58 g N/(L·d)] of sulfur alone packed reactor due to the mutual enhancement between sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification and iron-based chemical denitrification. A high TP removal obtained in SFe reactor was attributed to chemical precipitation of iron particles. Microbial community analysis based on 16S rRNA revealed that autotrophic denitrifying bacteria Thiobacillus and Sulfuricella were the dominant genus, indicating that autotrophic denitrification played important role in nitrate removal. These results indicate that sulfur and iron particles can be packed together in a single reactor to effectively remove nitrate and phosphorus.