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PubMed2004

Effects of Qi-training (Qigong) on forearm blood gas concentrations.

Using an ABA' design, the authors investigated the effects of Qi-training on blood gas concentrations with a 20 min control rest period (A), 1 h of Qi-training (B), and a 20-min rest period (A'). The blood partial pressures of oxygen (PO2) and carbon dioxide (PCO2), and oxygen content, oxygen saturation, and pH were significantly altered. The mean PO2 value increased significantly during Qi-training by 14 mmHg (about 24%, p < .01) compared with control A. During Qi-training, the mean decrease in PCO2 was 3 mmHg (about 10%). These results suggest that the practical application of Qi-training may exert a positive regulatory function on physiological status.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[The application of qi-gong therapy to health care].

A great number of clinical studies merging traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine have proved the complementary healing effects of qi-gong in medical science. Traditional Chinese respiration exercises help to regulate our mind, body and breathing and coordinate our internal organs, remove toxins and enhance immunity. Domestic and foreign studies indicate that qi-gong can relieve chronic pain, reduce tension, increase activities of phagocytes in coenocytes, improve cardiopulmonary function, improve eyesight, influence the index of blood biochemistry, etc. Due to the obvious healing effects of qi-qong therapy, through introducing qi-gone concepts and related medical research, this paper aims to inspire health care workers to integrate qi-qong therapy into medical treatments and nursing care, or to carry out further studies in order to make good the shortfall in provision of holistic medicine and nursing in the interests of the quality of patient care.

Breathing Exercises↗
PubMed1990

[Prevention of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension with "qi-xue" injection].

Effects of "Qi-Xue" injection (Panax ginseng, Astragalus monogholicus, Angelica sinensis), verapamil (Vp, calcium antagonist) and their combination on pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and heart function were studied in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia. Male Wistar rats were divided into sea level (n = 9), hypoxic (n = 8). Chinese herbs (n = 15), Vp (n = 20) and herbs + Vp (n = 18) groups. All the rats, except the SL group, were placed in a hypobaric chamber simulating an altitude of 5000 m above sea level for 15 days. During this time, the aforementioned drugs were given i.p. bid every day. It was found that apparent increase of PAP and decrease of IC-R (index of contractility of right ventricle) were induced by hypoxia without significant change of CAP, HR or left ventricular function. Both "Qi-Xue" injection and Vp minimized the increase in PAP due to hypoxia, with the former being more effective than the latter. "Qi-Xue" injection also attenuated IC-R decrease and kept it in the normal range. No appreciable differences were observed between the effect of "Qi-Xue" and its combination with Vp. It is suggested that "Qi-Xue" injection might prevent the development of severe hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by improving heart function.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

[A hemodynamics model describing cardiac deficiency of qi(vital energy)].

Cardiac deficiency of qi(vital energy) is one of the main syndromes in terms of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Based on our analysis of blood-tissue fluid circulation, we set up a hemodynamics model describing cardiac deficiency of qi. The model's theoretical results can reflect the manifestations of cardiac deficiency of qi, and are identical to those of clinical experimental discoveries, therefore it has substantiated our theory-cell's abnormal physiological function caused by undernourishment of tissue fluid is the reason of qi-deficiency.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Efficacy of Qi-therapy (external Qigong) for elderly people with chronic pain.

To test the efficacy of Qi-therapy (external Qigong) in improving symptoms of pain and mood states in elderly peoples with chronic pain. Forty-three elderly people with chronic pain were randomly assigned either to an intervention or a general care group. The intervention group was given four weeks of Qi-therapy whereas the control group was given standard care. Compared with the control group, Qi-therapy participants experienced improvements in positive mood and psychological variables over the four-week program. Compared with baseline values, pain and psychological benefits remained significantly improved after two weeks of follow-up. These findings suggest that Qi-therapy may help the elderly cope with pain and associated mood disturbances.

Affect↗
PubMed2004

External Qi therapy to treat symptoms of Agent Orange Sequelae in Korean combat veterans of the Vietnam War.

We investigated the efficacy of Qi therapy as a non-pharmacological treatment for various symptoms presented by Korean combat veterans of the Vietnam War with Agent Orange Sequelae. Nine subjects volunteered to receive 30 minutes of Qi therapy, twice per day for 7 days. There was marked improvement in 89% of the patients with impaired physical activity, 86% of those with psychological disorder, 78% of those with heavy drug use, and 67% of those with fatigue, indigestion and high blood glucose levels. This data suggests that Qi therapy combined with conventional treatment has positive effects in reducing and managing the pain, psychosomatic disorders, and substance abuse in patients with Agent Orange Sequelae. We cannot completely discount the possible influence of the placebo effect, and more objective, clinical measures are needed to study the long-term effects of Qi therapy.

2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗
PubMed1998

The correlation between skin electrical conductance and the score of qi vacuity.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the syndrome of qi vacuity means that the patient's body has a low level of energy to react to stress. Recently, we used a score, the QV score, by scaling the severity of symptoms and signs of qi vacuity in patients with tiredness. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between QV score and skin electrical conductance in patients with tiredness. One hundred and forty-three healthy controls and 103 patients with tiredness were involved. Each subject received a weak electrical stimulation with constant voltage (1.75 volt), and conductance was measured between two different limbs. The mean value of skin conductance among four limbs was calculated and expressed by a special unit, namely Chin. The correlation between the skin conductance and QV score was analyzed by a linear regression analysis. The results showed that skin electrical conductance of healthy controls was negatively correlated with age (r-coefficient = -0.51, P = 0.000). The skin conductance of patients with tiredness was significantly lower than that of healthy controls with matching age (P = 0.000 by Student's t-test). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the decrease of skin conductance and the QV score in patients with tiredness (r-coefficient = +0.68, P = 0.000). These results suggest that a decrease in skin electrical conductance may be closely related to the severity of qi vacuity. The skin conductance test is a simple, reliable, and quantitative method for detection of syndrome of qi vacuity.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Qi as a materialist concept on the level of medical philosophy].

This paper has made a distinction between the materialist concept of qi on the medical philosophical level and its substantial existence, and illustrated the materiality and multiplicity of qi. Materiality refers to the objective reality, a summation of various things or phenomena related to human beings; while multiplicity refers to diversity of specific substances, each holding its individual essence. Based on two essential conceptions "xiang" and "xiangji", and combining the theories of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, this paper has also made a preliminary study on the substantial existence of qi at macro- and micro-levels, and on physiological (normal) and pathological (abnormal) aspects. It is the author's argument that studies of the substantial existence of qi from different aspects, micro-dimension in particular, will push the syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine to a more subtle sphere.

Humans↗
PubMed1999

Plasma L-ENK, AVP, ANP and serum gastrin in patients with syndrome of Liver-Qi-stagnation.

AIM:To investigate the pathophysiologic basis of syndrome of Liver-Qi stagnation and parameters for clinical differentiation.METHODS:Plasma L-ENK, AVP, ANP and serum gastrin were determined by RIA in 84 patients with neurasthenia, mastodynia,chronic gastritis, and chronic cholecystitis presenting the same syndrome of Liver-Qi stagnation in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Healthy subjects served as controls in comparison with patients having the same syndrome but with different diseases.RESULTS:Among the patients with Liver-Qi stagnation, the plasma L-ENK, ANP and gastrin levels were 38.83ng/L ± 6.32ng/L, 104.11ng/L ± 29.01ng/L and 32.20ng/L ± 6.68ng/L, being significantly lower than those in the healthy controls (P < 0.01, t = 3.34, 6.17, 4.48). The plasma AVP of the patient group (52.82ng/L ± 19.09ng/L) was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls (P <0.01, t = 5.79 =. The above changes in patients having the same symptom complex but different diseases entities showed no significant differences, P >0.05.CONCLUSION:The syndrome of Liver-Qi stagnation is closely related to the emotional modulatory abnormality of the brain, with decrease of plasma L-ENK, ANP and gastrin, and increase of plasma AVP as the important pathophysiologic basis.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

[Analysis in pulmonary ventilatory function from 100 patients with ano-rectal diseases caused by deficiency of qi].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pathogenesis of ano-rectal diseases caused by deficiency of Qi, which is correlated with obstruction of pulmonary ventilation. METHODS: The pulmonary ventilatory function was measured in 100 patients with the internal piles, the interno-external hemorrhoid and prolapse of rectum, the prolapse of anus was the principal symptom of them. RESULTS: Data from the 100 patients showed that 67% of them were diagnosed with the obstruction of pulmonary ventilation, the ratio was far less in the health control group. FEV 1.0 (mean +/- s) (2011.65 +/- 875) ml, MMF (1.84 +/- 1.24) L/s and PEF (2.34 +/- 1.51) L/s in male patients, (1551.54 +/- 514) ml, (1.57 +/- 0.62) L/s and (1.85 +/- 0.92) L/s in female patients, but those values were higher in the control than in the patients. The statistical analysis was performed and the difference was significant between patients and the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The patients with ano-rectal diseases caused by deficiency of Qi accompanied with obstruction of pulmonary ventilation in different degree and varied sorts, it confirmed that the pathogenesis of ano-rectal diseases caused by deficiency of Qi is related with "sinking of pectoral Qi".

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Clinical observation in 102 cases of chronic pelvic inflammation treated with qi jie granules.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effects of Qi Jie Granule [see: symbol text] on chronic pelvic inflammation. METHOD: The therapeutic effect, T-lymphocytic subgroups and indexes of blood rheology were observed when 102 cases of chronic pelvic inflammation in the treatment group were treated with Qi Jie Granule, and another 70 cases were treated with Qian Jin Pian as the controls. RESULTS: The total effective rate was 96.08% in the treatment group, but 84.29% in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). Qi Jie Granule was also found effective in improving blood viscosity and regulating T-lymphocytic subgroups, and the difference before and after the treatment was also very significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The nature of chronic pelvic inflammation is qi deficiency and blood stasis in accordance with the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As a drug that is indicated for chronic pelvic inflammation, its mechanism may be related to the improved blood circulation, accelerated inflammatory absorption and regulated immune function.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Inhibition of Qi site of mitochondrial complex III with antimycin A decreases persistent and transient sodium currents via reactive oxygen species and protein kinase C in rat hippocampal CA1 cells.

Hypoxia-induced inhibition of Qi site of mitochondrial complex III under hypoxia has received attention, but its downstream pathways remain unclear. In this paper, we used Qi site inhibitor antimycin A to mimic the inhibition of the Qi site of mitochondrial complex III and studied the effects of the inhibition of this site on persistent sodium currents, transient sodium currents, and neuronal excitability in rat hippocampal CA1 cells with whole cell patch-clamp methods. The results showed that antimycin A decreased the amplitude of both persistent and transient sodium currents; antioxidant 2-mercaptopropionylglycine or 1,10 phenanthroline abolished the effect of antimycin A; the complex III Qo site inhibitor stigmatellin, the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine, but not the protein kinase A inhibitor H89, canceled the effect of antimycin A; antimycin A decreased the amplitude of both persistent and transient sodium currents only at more depolarized membrane potentials and the decrease percentage of both persistent and transient sodium currents after antimycin A at potentials above -50 mV increased with the change in potentials toward more depolarized direction; exogenous application of H2O2 inhibited the amplitude of both persistent and transient sodium currents; the amount of current required to trigger spikes was increased and the number of spikes produced by varying levels of currents was decreased by antimycin A. These results suggest that the inhibition of Qi site of mitochondrial complex III decreases both persistent and transient sodium currents via reactive oxygen species and protein kinase C in rat hippocampal CA1 cells.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1993

Relating outcomes to processes of care: the Maryland Hospital Association's Quality Indicator Project (QI Project).

BACKGROUND: The Maryland Hospital Association's Quality Indicator Project (QI Project) is a program of indicator development and application that has grown from 7 hospitals in 1987 to more than 700 hospitals today. METHODOLOGY: Expert panels help to create sets of indicators that describe events involved in a specific sequence of patient care. Each hospital collects data elements for the 21 indicators on a quarterly basis using specifically designed data-collection software. Indicator data are adjusted for case complexity, risk of adverse outcomes, and patient group characteristics. A report is developed that states the rate of occurrence of each indicator and how the hospital's indicator rate compares to other hospitals in the database. Hospitals then use this information to determine if specific processes in their delivery of care yield results that deviate from those of other hospitals. The QI Project promotes regional sharing of information about specific hospital initiatives that might benefit other participants. It also provides a model to use in interpreting what the indicator data reveal about hospital performance. OPERATIONAL ISSUES: QI Project is testing process indicators for patient-level and service-level data to supplement current aggregate-level trend and profile analysis. Indicator data are shared solely with participating systems, but changes in the confidentiality policy are being studied. Reliability assessment surveys are periodically conducted. EXAMPLES: Case studies portray improvement of processes prompted by indicator data for unscheduled admission following ambulatory surgery, for surgical wound infections, and for reducing emergency room waiting times. CONCLUSIONS: The chief contribution of the QI Project and similar projects may not be that they identify all issues of quality, but rather that they may help develop a generation of hospital professionals who will be better able to quantify, evaluate, and improve health care quality.

Confidentiality↗
PubMed1995

Reporting on QI efforts for internal and external customers.

BACKGROUND: In April 1993 the Methodist Hospital of St Louis Park, Minnesota, released its first internal quality report on outcomes and quality improvement (QI) initiatives. When a local television news reporter mentioned the report in a segment on health care quality, public interest led the hospital to launch an annual series of external quality reports in addition to its internal quality reports. When the eight-page external report was first released in 1994, consumer response was weak, but the report generated a strong response from the mass media, trade publications, the business community, and other health care organizations nationwide. DATA COLLECTION AND USE: Data on sentinel events and outcomes analysis of a variety of clinical and administrative functions have assisted in identifying opportunities for improvement. For example, the hospital monitors the five-year survival rate for patients with myocardial infarction. With the adoption of treatment with streptokinase, data indicated frequent hypotension. Increase of infusion from 30 to 60 minutes led to a decrease in hypotension. THE REPORTS: The external report included, in shorter and simpler form, almost all the sections in the internal report, such as QI activities (teams, training, critical paths), clinical outcome measures, community health, patient satisfaction, value, and accreditation. The indicators included in the external report were selected to minimize potential misinterpretation by public audiences. CONCLUSIONS: By increasing the visibility of QI within the hospital, the internal quality reports have helped generate further QI activity, and the external report augmented further positive publicity among the local health care press. The reports are proven effective tools for communicating the hospital's ability to sustain and improve the quality of its services over time.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1999

Improving the care of patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a multihospital collaborative QI project.

BACKGROUND: Performance of several processes of care was measured in eight acute care hospitals in Connecticut which provided inpatient treatment to 713 elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). BASELINE DATA ABSTRACTION AND FEEDBACK: Chart review feedback was provided, and the hospitals were requested to design their own quality improvement (QI) interventions, after which reexamination of process of care performance was conducted. HOSPITAL QI INTERVENTIONS: Six of the eight hospitals had submitted QI plans. The quality indicators dealing with timeliness of antibiotic delivery were specifically addressed by five hospitals. However, each hospital also picked one or two other processes of care for intervention. RESULTS: The mean time to antibiotic administration decreased from 5.5 hours (+/- 0.2) to 4.7 hours (+/- 0.3; p < 0.0001), and the percentage of patients who received antibiotics within four hours increased from 41.5% to 61.8% (p < 0.0001). DISCUSSION: This project called for obtaining buy-in from both the clinician and administrative representatives of each hospital early in the process. In this way, the targeted processes of care were likely to have relevance for each of the participating hospitals. Education of practicing physicians and other health professionals, as the method chosen by each hospital to address delays in antibiotic administration, appears to have been successful in this project as part of a multifaceted intervention. The project also helped establish a collegial environment that has served as the basis for more ambitious pneumonia QI projects. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS: Widespread improvements in process of care performance can result from hospitals' participation in Quality Improvement Organization collaboration.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Electrochemical and spectral analysis of the long-range interactions between the Qo and Qi sites and the heme prosthetic groups in ubiquinol-cytochrome c oxidoreductase.

The results are presented of an electrochemical and high-resolution spectral analysis of the heme prosthetic groups in the bc1 complex from mouse cells. To study the long-range interactions between the Qo and Qi quinone redox sites and the b heme groups, we analyzed the effects on the proximal and distal b heme groups, and the c1 heme, of inhibitors that tightly and specifically bind to the Qi or Qo redox site. A number of results emerged from these studies. (1) There is inhomogeneous broadening of the b heme alpha band absorption spectra. Furthermore, contrary to the conclusion from low-resolution spectral analysis, the higher energy transition in the split-alpha band spectrum of the bL heme is more intense than the lower energy transition. (2) Inhibitors that bind at the Qi site have significant effects upon the electronic environment of the distal bL heme. Conversely, Qo site inhibitors induced changes in the electronic environment of the distal bH heme. (3) In contrast, inhibitor binding at either site has little effect upon the midpoint potential of the distal heme. (4) Experiments in which both a Qi and a Qo inhibitor are bound at the redox sites indicate that the long-range effects of one inhibitor are not blocked by the second inhibitor; enhanced effects are often observed. (5) In the double-inhibitor titrations involving the Qo inhibitor myxothiazol, there is evidence for two electrochemically and spectrally distinct species of the bL heme group, a phenomenon not observed previously. (6) The high-resolution deconvolutions of alpha band absorption spectra allow an interpretation of these inhibitor-induced changes in terms of homogeneous broadening, inhomogeneous broadening, and changes in x-y degeneracy. The general conclusion from these experiments is that when an inhibitor binds to a quinone redox site of the cytochrome b protein, it produces local conformational changes that, in turn, are transmitted to distal regions of the protein. The ligation of the bH and bL hemes between two parallel transmembrane helices provides a mechanism by which long-distance interactions can be propagated. The lack of long-range effects upon the midpoint potentials of the heme groups suggests, however, that protein conformational changes are unlikely to be a major control mechanism for the transmembrane electron- and proton-transfer steps of the Q cycle.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Endocrine and immune effects of Qi-training.

Psychoneuroimmunological approaches have shown that Qi-training influences the holistic health state in men. We found that Qi-training increased the plasma level of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I. In addition, the respiratory function and adhesion capacity of neutrophil was increased after Qi-training. In an in vitro analysis, GH primed and increased the respiratory function and adhesion of neutrophils through tyrosin kinase passway. Taken together, in vivo and in vitro data suggest that the beneficial effects of Qi-training on immunological functions are mediated via neuroendocrine responses.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effects of qi therapy (external qigong ) on premenstrual syndrome: a randomized placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of qi therapy on premenstrual symptoms in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). DESIGN: A randomized placebo-controlled trial. SUBJECTS: Thirty-six (36) college women with symptoms of PMS. INTERVENTION: After 2 months of screening, subjects with PMS were randomized to receive real qi therapy (18 subjects) or placebo (18 subjects). The subjects were informed that they would receive one of two types of treatment. They did not know which treatment they received. Each intervention was performed eight times during the second and third cycles with subjects completing a PMS diary. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in the symptoms of negative feeling, pain, water retention, and total PMS symptoms in subjects receiving qi therapy compared to placebo controls. CONCLUSION: Qi therapy may be an effective complementary therapy for managing the symptoms of PMS.

Adult↗