A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mindfulness-Based (Baduanjin) Exercise for the Rehabilitation of Stroke Patients

Background: Baduanjin is a fitness routine that has been developed in accordance with the appeal of the General Administration of Sport of China and promoted both in China and abroad. This paper aims to systematically evaluate the effect of Baduanjin on the rehabilitation of stroke patients.Methods: We searched the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang Database, Pubmed, Embase, CNKI, and VIP Chinese Journal Database for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the rehabilitation effect of Baduanjin exercise on stroke patients. All manuscripts published before October 30, 2021 were considered. Results: A total of 1332 stroke patients were included in the 14 selected RCTs. Results of the meta-analysis showed that Baduanjin effectively improved the lower extremity balance function [MD = 9.74, 95% CI (5.32, 14.15), P < 0.0001], sensory-motor function [MD = 5.37, 95% CI (1.59, 9.16), P = 0.005], neurological function [MD = -2.41, 95% CI (-3.07, -1.75), P < 0.00001], the ability to perform daily activities [MD = 14.00, 95% CI (6.17, 21.83), P = 0.0005], sleep quality [MD = -3.08, 95% CI (-3.90, -2.25), P < 0.00001], and quality of life [MD = 31.71, 95% CI (13.68, 49.73), P = 0.06]. Compared to conventional treatment, the rehabilitation effect was greater with Baduanjin combined with conventional treatment. Conclusions: Baduanjin is an effective method to treat stroke patients and improve their functional performance. However, due to the small sample size and low data quality, further multicenter RCTs with large sample sizes are required to verify the results.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in Yaks (Bos grunniens) in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cryptosporidium spp., the causative agent of cryptosporidiosis, can infect a variety of hosts. So far, there has been limited information regarding Cryptosporidium spp. infection in yaks (Bos grunniens). Here, we performed the first systematic review and meta-analysis for Cryptosporidium spp. infection in yaks in China. To perform the meta-analysis, five databases (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Chinese journal database, WanFang Data, PubMed, and ScienceDirect) were employed to search for studies related to the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in yaks in China. The total number of samples was 8,212, and the pooled Cryptosporidium spp. prevalence in yaks was estimated to be 10.52% (1192/8012). The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in yaks was 13.54% (1029/5277) and 4.49% (148/2132) in northwestern and southwestern China, respectively. In the sampling year subgroups, the prevalence before 2012 (19.79%; 650/2662) was significantly higher than that after 2012 (6.07%; 437/4476). The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in cold seasons (20.55%; 188/794) was higher than that in warm seasons (4.83%; 41/1228). In the age subgroup, the yaks with age &lt; 12 months had a higher prevalence (19.47%; 231/1761) than that in yaks with age ≥12 months (16.63%; 365/2268). Among 12 Cryptosporidium spp. species/genotypes, the C. bovis had the highest prevalence. Moreover, the effects of geography (latitude, longitude, precipitation, temperature, and altitude) and climate on Cryptosporidium spp. infection in yaks were evaluated. Through analyzing the risk factors correlated with the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp., we recommend that effective management measures should be formulated according to the differences of different geographical factors, in order to prevent cryptosporidiosis and reduce economic losses in yaks in China.

Confirmation of species independence and affinity of Musa huangbaioa (Musaceae) – rare endemic banana of China – according to the molecular phylogenetic data

In this article, we research the phylogenetic position of the rare endemic banana, Musa huangbaioa, which was described only in Chinese journal in 1987. This banana was found at the foot of the Mount Emei in Sichuan Province and has remarkable morphological features, e. g., undulated petiole margins, ribbed fruits and irregular form of the seeds, which are rather unusual in the genus and distinguish it from all other species. In addition, due to its uncertain affinity, we researched the position of M. huangbaioa in the Musaceae family with the aid of molecular phylogenetic analysis of two marker sequences, nrITS and trnL–trnF. We found that this species belongs to the large and rather complicated group of Chinese bananas, M. basjoo–M. itinerans clade. According to the ITS data, M. huangbaioa is monophyletic with one M. basjoo specimen that was cultivated in Central America. Probably, this fact represents that this species can be modern hybrid with one of the genomes inherited from M. basjoo s. l. The whole group M. basjoo–M. itinerans, which M. huangbaioa belongs to, is well separated within the sect. Musa and could be prone to frequent hybridizations in the natural environment; it requires an additional research for more precise differentiation of the group.

Sino-Christian Theology and the Bible

This essay offers an analysis of the relationship of Sino-Christian theology, a cultural qua theological movement flourishing in contemporary China, with the Bible. Based on a survey of the articles published in Logos & Pneuma: Chinese Journal of Theology (Dao Feng), the organ journal of Sino-Christian theology, and some other relevant publications, it argues that due to the political atmosphere, the institutional restriction, and the intellectual as well as religious orientations of the relevant scholars, Sino-Christian theology had made very limited efforts in developing biblical studies as an academic discipline in mainland China until the mid-2000s or so. Since then, the publications related to biblical studies proliferated dramatically in mainland China, and some approaches to biblical studies with certain Chinese characteristics have been developed. It is expected that some innovative approaches to the Bible as well as biblical studies will be further developed in the Chinese-speaking world.