1 1486 125 INTEGRATIVE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE ARTHRITIS: A PRISMA-COMPLIANT META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL. THIS STUDY PERFORMS A META-ANALYSIS TO QUANTIFY THE EFFICIENCY OF YOGA EXERCISE FOR PATIENTS PAIN REDUCTION, FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY, AND GENERAL WELLBEING. METHODS: A COMPUTERIZED SEARCH OF PUBMED AND EMBASE WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RELEVANT STUDIES. THE OUTCOME MEASURES WERE PAIN, STIFFNESS, AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION. TWO INVESTIGATORS IDENTIFIED ELIGIBLE STUDIES AND EXTRACTED DATA INDEPENDENTLY. THE QUALITY OF CITATIONS WAS MEASURED USING JADAD SCORE. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMDS) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED FOR PAIN, MUSCULOSKELETAL IMPAIRMENT, QUALITY OF LIFE, GENERAL WELLBEING, AND MENTAL WELLBEING. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 13 CLINICAL TRIALS INVOLVING 1557 PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WERE INCLUDED IN FINAL META-ANALYSIS WITH THE AVERAGE JADAD SCORE 2.8. THE SMD WAS -0.98 (95% CI -1.18, -0.78, P < .05) FOR PAIN, -1.83 (95% CI -2.09, -1.57, P < .05) FOR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, WAS 0.80 (95% CI 0.59, 1.01, P < .05) FOR SHORT FORM 36 HEALTH SURVEY (SF-36) GENERAL HEALTH, 0.49 (95% CI 0.14, 0.82, P < .05) FOR SF-36 MENTAL HEALTH, AND HAQ WAS -0.55 (95% CI -0.83, -0.26, P < .05) FOR HEALTH ASSOCIATED QUESTIONNAIRE (HAQ). ALL THE RESULTS FAVOR YOGA TRAINING GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA TRAINING IS HELPFUL IN REDUCING KNEE ARTHRITIC SYMPTOMS, PROMOTING PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND GENERAL WELLBEING IN ARTHRITIC PATIENTS. 2018 2 2599 39 YOGA FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: THIS STUDY AIMS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND SUMMARISE THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS. MEDLINE (THROUGH PUBMED), SCOPUS, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED THROUGH APRIL 2018 FOR RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE PAIN INTENSITY, FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE; SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE MENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL AND QUALITY OF EVIDENCE THROUGH GRADE. RECENT FINDINGS: NINE TRIALS INCLUDING 640 INDIVIDUALS WITH MAINLY LOWER EXTREMITY OSTEOARTHRITIS AGED 50-80 YEARS WERE IDENTIFIED, WITH 80.3% FEMALE PARTICIPANTS (MEDIAN). META-ANALYSES REVEALED VERY LOW-QUALITY EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PAIN (VS. EXERCISE: STANDARDISED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = - 1.07; 95%CI - 1.92, - 0.21; P = 0.01; VS. NON-EXERCISE: SMD = - 0.75; 95%CI - 1.18, - 0.31; P < 0.001), PHYSICAL FUNCTION (VS. EXERCISE: SMD = 0.80; 95%CI 0.36; 1.24; P < 0.001; VS. NON-EXERCISE: SMD = 0.60; 95%CI 0.30, 0.98; P < 0.001), AND STIFFNESS (VS. EXERCISE: SMD = - 0.92; 95%CI - 1.69, - 0.14; P = 0.008; VS. NON-EXERCISE: SMD = - 0.76; 95%CI - 1.26, - 0.26; P = 0.003) IN INDIVIDUALS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS. EFFECTS WERE NOT ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS. NO EFFECTS WERE FOUND FOR QUALITY OF LIFE, AND DEPRESSION, OR FOR HAND OSTEOARTHRITIS. SAFETY WAS RARELY REPORTED. THE FINDINGS OF THIS META-ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING PAIN, FUNCTION, AND STIFFNESS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE, COMPARED TO EXERCISE AND NON-EXERCISE CONTROL GROUPS. DUE TO THE LOW METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY AND POTENTIAL RISK OF BIAS, ONLY A WEAK RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE AT THIS TIME FOR THE USE OF YOGA IN ADULTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE. 2019 3 2518 55 YOGA COMPARED TO NON-EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS A COMMON AND OFTEN DISABLING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITION. YOGA HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL CONTROVERSIES ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AT DIFFERENT FOLLOW-UP PERIODS AND COMPARED WITH OTHER PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISES. OBJECTIVE: TO CRITICALLY COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION), PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE. METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS REGISTERED IN PROSPERO, AND THE REGISTRATION NUMBER WAS CRD42020159865. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF ONLINE DATABASES INCLUDED PUBMED, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, EMBASE WHICH EVALUATED EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ON PAIN, DISABILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE SEARCHED FROM INCEPTION TIME TO NOVEMBER 1, 2019. STUDIES WERE ELIGIBLE IF THEY ASSESSED AT LEAST ONE IMPORTANT OUTCOME, NAMELY PAIN, BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE. THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL WAS USED TO ASSESS THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. THE CONTINUOUS OUTCOMES WERE ANALYZED BY CALCULATING THE MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) OR STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) ACCORDING TO WHETHER COMBINING OUTCOMES MEASURED ON DIFFERENT SCALES OR NOT. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 18 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS META-ANALYSIS. YOGA COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE PAIN AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (MD = -0.83, 95% CI = -1.19 TO -0.48, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (MD = -0.43, 95% CI = -0.64 TO -0.23, P<0.0001, I2 = 0%), 6 TO 7 MONTHS (MD = -0.56, 95% CI = -1.02 TO -0.11, P = 0.02, I2 = 50%), AND WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN 12 MONTHS (MD = -0.52, 95% CI = -1.64 TO 0.59, P = 0.36, I2 = 87%) COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE. YOGA WAS BETTER THAN NON-EXERCISE ON DISABILITY AT 4 TO 8 WEEKS (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI = -0.51 TO -0.10, P = 0.003, I2 = 0%), 3 MONTHS (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI = -0.45 TO -0.18, P<0.00001, I2 = 30%), 6 MONTHS (SMD = -0.38, 95% CI = -0.53 TO -0.23, P<0.00001, I2 = 0%), 12 MONTHS (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI = -0.54 TO -0.12, P = 0.002, I2 = 9%). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PAIN, DISABILITY COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY EXERCISE GROUP. FURTHERMORE, IT SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS A NON-SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BETWEEN YOGA AND ANY OTHER INTERVENTIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS META-ANALYSIS PROVIDED EVIDENCE FROM VERY LOW TO MODERATE INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS. YOGA MIGHT DECREASE PAIN FROM SHORT TERM TO INTERMEDIATE TERM AND IMPROVE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY STATUS FROM SHORT TERM TO LONG TERM COMPARED WITH NON-EXERCISE (E.G. USUAL CARE, EDUCATION). YOGA HAD THE SAME EFFECT ON PAIN AND DISABILITY AS ANY OTHER EXERCISE OR PHYSICAL THERAPY. YOGA MIGHT NOT IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE BASED ON THE RESULT OF A MERGING. 2020 4 2330 30 TWELVE WEEKS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN: A META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO INVESTIGATE THE OVERALL EFFECTS OF 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE ON CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN. METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FROM INCEPTION TO FEBRUARY 9, 2019, AND SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE SELECTED FOR THIS META-ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THE POOLED FIXED-EFFECT SIZE OF SIX TRIALS SHOWED THAT 12 WEEKS OF YOGA PROGRAMS COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN BY 0.41 WITHIN THE TRIALS (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: -0.58 TO -0.23; P < .0001). SUBGROUP ANALYSES ALSO SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANT PAIN REDUCTION WAS RELATED TO TYPE OF YOGA, LENGTH OF SESSION, STUDY QUALITY, AND TIMING OF PAIN ASSESSMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS REVEAL THAT 12 WEEKS OF YOGA CAN HELP ALLEVIATE PAIN, AND YOGA PROGRAMS SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SUBGROUP FACTORS TO INCREASE INDIVIDUALS' RELIEF FROM CHRONIC NONSPECIFIC LOWER BACK PAIN. 2020 5 2079 39 THE EFFECT OF EXERCISE, YOGA AND PHYSIOTHERAPY ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. INTRODUCTION: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AFFECTING THE MYELINATED AXONS OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING NEUROLOGICAL DETERIORATION. PEOPLE LIVING WITH MS HAVE A POOR QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) BECAUSE OF THE SYMPTOMS CAUSED BY THE DISEASE AND THERE ARE VARIOUS TYPES OF TREATMENTS TO MANAGE THE SYMPTOMS ASIDE FROM MEDICATION. OBJECTIVE: THIS META-ANALYSIS EXAMINES THE EFFECT OF EXERCISE, YOGA AND PHYSIOTHERAPY ON THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL QOL AMONG INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH MS. SETTING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH META-ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED USING PUBMED, MEDLINE, AND SCOPUS FROM 1990 TO 2017. THE STANDARD MEAN DIFFERENCE SCORES WERE COMPUTED IN EACH STUDY FOR THE DOMAINS OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. RESULTS: EIGHTEEN STUDIES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR THIS META-ANALYSIS. AEROBIC EXERCISE WAS EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING SATISFACTION WITH PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING,D = 0.35 (95% CI = 0.08 TO 0.62), MENTAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.42 (95% CI = 0.11 TO 0.72), AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.42 (95% CI = 0.15 TO 0.69). PHYSIOTHERAPY WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.50 (95% CI 0.19 TO 0.80), MENTAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.44 (95% CI 0.14 TO 0.75) AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING D = 0.60 (95% CI 0.21 TO 0.90). HOWEVER YOGA AND COMBINATION OF EXERCISES DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON ANY OF THE QOL DOMAINS. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT AEROBIC EXERCISE AND PHYSIOTHERAPY IMPROVES THE SATISFACTION OF MS PATIENTS WITH THEIR PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AND MAY BE INCLUDED AS NORMAL PRACTICE IN THE TREATMENT OF MS. 2019 6 2110 45 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND INSOMNIA IN WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA OF WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS BY PERFORMING A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, CLINICALKEY, SCIENCEDIRECT, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF JUNE, 2019. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA GROUPS WITH CONTROL GROUPS IN WOMEN WITH SLEEP PROBLEMS WERE INCLUDED. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED RISK OF BIAS BY USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL SUGGESTED BY THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION FOR PROGRAMMING AND CONDUCTING SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE WAS SLEEP QUALITY OR THE SEVERITY OF INSOMNIA, WHICH WAS MEASURED USING SUBJECTIVE INSTRUMENTS, SUCH AS THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI), INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI), OR OBJECTIVE INSTRUMENTS SUCH AS POLYSOMNOGRAPHY, ACTIGRAPHY, AND SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTION. FOR EACH OUTCOME, A STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) AND CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) OF 95% WERE DETERMINED. RESULTS: NINETEEN STUDIES IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW INCLUDED 1832 PARTICIPANTS. THE META-ANALYSIS OF THE COMBINED DATA CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO COMPREHENSIVE META-ANALYSIS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP (SMD = - 0.327, 95% CI = - 0.506 TO - 0.148, P < 0.001). META-ANALYSES REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA USING PSQI SCORES IN 16 RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS), COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG WOMEN USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.54; 95% CI = - 0.89 TO - 0.19; P = 0.003). HOWEVER, THREE RCTS REVEALED NO EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP IN REDUCING INSOMNIA AMONG WOMEN USING ISI (SMD = - 0.13; 95% CI = - 0.74 TO 0.48; P = 0.69). SEVEN RCTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.15; 95% CI = - 0.31 TO 0.01; P = 0.5). FOUR RCTS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN IMPROVING THE SLEEP QUALITY FOR PERI/POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN USING PSQI (SMD = - 0.31; 95% CI = - 0.95 TO 0.33; P = 0.34). YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. DISCUSSION: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA INTERVENTION IN WOMEN CAN BE BENEFICIAL WHEN COMPARED TO NON-ACTIVE CONTROL CONDITIONS IN TERM OF MANAGING SLEEP PROBLEMS. THE MODERATOR ANALYSES SUGGEST THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE NON-BREAST CANCER SUBGROUP AND PARTICIPANTS IN THE NON-PERI/POSTMENOPAUSAL SUBGROUP WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER BENEFITS, WITH A DIRECT CORRELATION OF TOTAL CLASS TIME WITH QUALITY OF SLEEP AMONG OTHER RELATED BENEFITS. 2020 7 2597 38 YOGA FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. WHILE YOGA SEEMS TO BE EFFECTIVE IN A NUMBER OF NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, THE EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS REMAINS UNCLEAR. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE AVAILABLE DATA ON EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, PSYCINFO, CAM-QUEST, CAMBASE, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH MARCH 2014. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, FATIGUE, AND/OR MOBILITY. MOOD, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND SAFETY WERE DEFINED AS SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. SEVEN RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 670 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE WERE FOUND FOR FATIGUE (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE [SMD] = -0.52; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) = -1.02 TO -0.02; P = 0.04; HETEROGENEITY: I2 = 60%; CHI2 = 7.43; P = 0.06) AND MOOD (SMD = -0.55; 95%CI = -0.96 TO -0.13; P = 0.01; HETEROGENEITY: I2 = 0%; CHI2 = 1.25; P = 0.53), BUT NOT FOR HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, MUSCLE FUNCTION, OR COGNITIVE FUNCTION. THE EFFECTS ON FATIGUE AND MOOD WERE NOT ROBUST AGAINST BIAS. NO SHORT-TERM OR LONGER TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO EXERCISE WERE FOUND. YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. IN CONCLUSION, SINCE NO METHODOLOGICAL SOUND EVIDENCE WAS FOUND, NO RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE REGARDING YOGA AS A ROUTINE INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. YOGA MIGHT BE CONSIDERED A TREATMENT OPTION FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE NOT ADHERENT TO RECOMMENDED EXERCISE REGIMENS. 2014 8 2546 39 YOGA FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: MANY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS USE YOGA TO COPE WITH THEIR DISEASE. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. METHODS: MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, EMBASE, CAMBASE, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SCREENED THROUGH FEBRUARY 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA TO CONTROLS WERE ANALYZED WHEN THEY ASSESSED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OR PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS OR SURVIVORS. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: TWELVE RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 742 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. SEVEN RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO NO TREATMENT; 3 RCTS COMPARED YOGA TO SUPPORTIVE THERAPY; 1 RCT COMPARED YOGA TO HEALTH EDUCATION; AND 1 RCT COMPARED A COMBINATION OF PHYSIOTHERAPY AND YOGA TO PHYSIOTHERAPY ALONE. EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON GLOBAL HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.62 [95% CI: 0.04 TO 1.21]; P = 0.04), FUNCTIONAL (SMD = 0.30 [95% CI: 0.03 TO 0.57), SOCIAL (SMD = 0.29 [95% CI: 0.08 TO 0.50]; P < 0.01), AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (SMD = 0.41 [95% CI: 0.08; 0.74]; P = 0.01). THESE EFFECTS WERE, HOWEVER, ONLY PRESENT IN STUDIES WITH UNCLEAR OR HIGH RISK OF SELECTION BIAS. SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH ALSO WERE FOUND: ANXIETY (SMD = -1.51 [95% CI: -2.47; -0.55]; P < 0.01), DEPRESSION (SMD = -1.59 [95% CI: -2.68 TO -0.51]; P < 0.01), PERCEIVED STRESS (SMD = -1.14 [95% CI:-2.16; -0.12]; P = 0.03), AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (SMD = -0.86 [95% CI:-1.50; -0.22]; P < 0.01). SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY ONLY FOR YOGA DURING ACTIVE CANCER TREATMENT BUT NOT AFTER COMPLETION OF ACTIVE TREATMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA IN IMPROVING PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE COULD NOT BE CLEARLY DISTINGUISHED FROM BIAS. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH DURING BREAST CANCER TREATMENT. 2012 9 2540 34 YOGA FOR ANXIETY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. YOGA HAS BECOME A POPULAR APPROACH TO IMPROVE EMOTIONAL HEALTH. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA FOR ANXIETY. MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, PSYCINFO, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH OCTOBER 2016 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS OR ELEVATED LEVELS OF ANXIETY. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY AND REMISSION RATES, AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE DEPRESSION, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. EIGHT RCTS WITH 319 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE: 30.0-38.5 YEARS) WERE INCLUDED. RISK OF SELECTION BIAS WAS UNCLEAR FOR MOST RCTS. META-ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR SMALL SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE [SMD] = -0.43; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -0.74, -0.11; P = .008), AND LARGE EFFECTS COMPARED TO ACTIVE COMPARATORS (SMD = -0.86; 95% CI = -1.56, -0.15; P = .02). SMALL EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION WERE FOUND COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT (SMD = -0.35; 95% CI = -0.66, -0.04; P = .03). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS. NO EFFECTS WERE FOUND FOR PATIENTS WITH ANXIETY DISORDERS DIAGNOSED BY DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL CRITERIA, ONLY FOR PATIENTS DIAGNOSED BY OTHER METHODS, AND FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF ANXIETY WITHOUT A FORMAL DIAGNOSIS. ONLY THREE RCTS REPORTED SAFETY-RELATED DATA BUT THESE INDICATED THAT YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INJURIES. IN CONCLUSION, YOGA MIGHT BE AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF ANXIETY. THERE WAS INCONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA IN ANXIETY DISORDERS. MORE HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES ARE NEEDED AND ARE WARRANTED GIVEN THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND PLAUSIBLE MECHANISMS OF ACTION. 2018 10 2568 37 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: MIND-BODY MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS ARE COMMONLY USED TO COPE WITH DEPRESSION AND YOGA IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY USED MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, PSYCINFO, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JANUARY 2013. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION WERE INCLUDED. MAIN OUTCOMES WERE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION AND REMISSION RATES, SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SAFETY. RESULTS: TWELVE RCTS WITH 619 PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED. THREE RCTS HAD LOW RISK OF BIAS. REGARDING SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION, THERE WAS MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = -0.69; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) -0.99, -0.39; P < .001), AND LIMITED EVIDENCE COMPARED TO RELAXATION (SMD = -0.62; 95%CI -1.03, -0.22; P = .003), AND AEROBIC EXERCISE (SMD = -0.59; 95% CI -0.99, -0.18; P = .004). LIMITED EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY COMPARED TO RELAXATION (SMD = -0.79; 95% CI -1.3, -0.26; P = .004). SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION. DUE TO THE PAUCITY AND HETEROGENEITY OF THE RCTS, NO META-ANALYSES ON LONG-TERM EFFECTS WERE POSSIBLE. NO RCT REPORTED SAFETY DATA. CONCLUSIONS: DESPITE METHODOLOGICAL DRAWBACKS OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES, YOGA COULD BE CONSIDERED AN ANCILLARY TREATMENT OPTION FOR PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH ELEVATED LEVELS OF DEPRESSION. 2013 11 2634 45 YOGA FOR TREATING LOW BACK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. ABSTRACT: YOGA IS FREQUENTLY USED FOR BACK PAIN RELIEF. HOWEVER, THE EVIDENCE WAS JUDGED TO BE OF ONLY LOW TO MODERATE CERTAINTY. TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN, A META-ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. THEREFORE, MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, AND THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED TO MAY 26, 2020. ONLY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA WITH PASSIVE CONTROL (USUAL CARE OR WAIT LIST), OR AN ACTIVE COMPARATOR, FOR PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN AND THAT ASSESSED PAIN INTENSITY OR PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY AS A PRIMARY OUTCOME WERE CONSIDERED TO BE ELIGIBLE. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EXTRACTED DATA ON STUDY CHARACTERISTICS, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS AT SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. THIRTY ARTICLES ON 27 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (2702 PARTICIPANTS IN TOTAL) PROVED ELIGIBLE FOR REVIEW. COMPARED WITH PASSIVE CONTROL, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN PAIN INTENSITY (15 RCTS; MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = -0.74 POINTS ON A NUMERIC RATING SCALE; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -1.04 TO -0.44; STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE [SMD] = -0.37 95% CI = -0.52 TO -0.22), PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY (15 RCTS; MD = -2.28; 95% CI = -3.30 TO -1.26; SMD = -0.38 95% CI = -0.55 TO -0.21), MENTAL HEALTH (7 RCTS; MD = 1.70; 95% CI = 0.20-3.20; SMD = 0.17 95% CI = 0.02-0.32), AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING (9 RCTS; MD = 2.80; 95% CI = 1.00-4.70; SMD = 0.28 95% CI = 0.10-0.47). EXCEPT FOR MENTAL HEALTH, ALL EFFECTS WERE SUSTAINED LONG-TERM. COMPARED WITH AN ACTIVE COMPARATOR, YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. 2022 12 1054 39 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN RELIEVING CHRONIC NECK PAIN. METHODS: PUBMED/MEDLINE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, SCOPUS, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH JANUARY 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ASSESSING NECK PAIN INTENSITY AND/OR NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN PATIENTS. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, MOOD, AND SAFETY. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: THREE STUDIES ON 188 PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC NON-SPECIFIC NECK PAIN COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE WERE INCLUDED. TWO STUDIES HAD OVERALL LOW RISK OF BIAS; AND ONE HAD HIGH OR UNCLEAR RISK OF BIAS FOR SEVERAL DOMAINS. EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS WAS FOUND FOR NECK PAIN INTENSITY (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) = -1.28; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) = -1.18, -0.75; P < 0.001), NECK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY (SMD = -0.97; 95% CI = -1.44, -0.50; P < 0.001), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.197; P = 0.005), AND MOOD (SMD = -1.02; 95% CI = -1.38, -0.65; P < 0.001). EFFECTS WERE ROBUST AGAINST POTENTIAL METHODOLOGICAL BIAS AND DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN DIFFERENT INTERVENTION SUBGROUPS. IN THE TWO STUDIES THAT INCLUDED SAFETY DATA, NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSION: YOGA HAS SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON CHRONIC NECK PAIN, ITS RELATED DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND MOOD SUGGESTING THAT YOGA MIGHT BE A GOOD TREATMENT OPTION. 2017 13 222 44 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND META-ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: MEDLINE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, CAMBASE, AND PSYCINFO, WERE SCREENED THROUGH JANUARY 2012. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS COMPARING YOGA TO CONTROL CONDITIONS IN PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN WERE INCLUDED. TWO AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED RISK OF BIAS USING THE RISK OF BIAS TOOL RECOMMENDED BY THE COCHRANE BACK REVIEW GROUP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE PAIN, BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY, GENERIC DISABILITY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: TEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A TOTAL OF 967 CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. EIGHT STUDIES HAD LOW RISK OF BIAS. THERE WAS STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTS ON PAIN (SMD=-0.48; 95% CI, -0.65 TO -0.31; P<0.01), BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY (SMD=-0.59; 95% CI, -0.87 TO -0.30; P<0.01), AND GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT (RISK RATIO=3.27; 95% CI, 1.89-5.66; P<0.01). THERE WAS STRONG EVIDENCE FOR A LONG-TERM EFFECT ON PAIN (SMD=-0.33; 95% CI, -0.59 TO -0.07; P=0.01) AND MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR A LONG-TERM EFFECT ON BACK-SPECIFIC DISABILITY (SMD=-0.35; 95% CI, -0.55 TO -0.15; P<0.01). THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE FOR EITHER SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. DISCUSSION: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW FOUND STRONG EVIDENCE FOR SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS AND MODERATE EVIDENCE FOR LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN THE MOST IMPORTANT PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADDITIONAL THERAPY TO CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN PATIENTS. 2013 14 2635 43 YOGA FOR TREATING RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. PURPOSE: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS A PERVASIVE INFLAMMATORY AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE THAT SERIOUSLY IMPAIRS HUMAN HEALTH AND REQUIRES MORE EFFECTIVE NON-PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT APPROACHES. THIS STUDY AIMS TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW AND EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH RA. METHODS: MEDLINE (THROUGH PUBMED), COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE (THROUGH SCOPUS), AND WEB OF SCIENCE DATABASE WERE SCREENED THROUGH FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED UNTIL 20 JULY 2020. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH RA WERE INCLUDED. OUTCOMES MEASURES WERE PAIN, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, AND GRIP STRENGTH. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE CALCULATED. RESULT: TEN TRIALS INCLUDING 840 PATIENTS WITH RA AGED 30-70 YEARS WERE IDENTIFIED, WITH 86% FEMALE PARTICIPANTS. META-ANALYSIS REVEALED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT OVERALL EFFECT IN FAVOR OF YOGA FOR PHYSICAL FUNCTION (HAQ-DI) (5 RCTS; SMD = -0.32, 95% CI -0.58 TO -0.05, I (2) = 15%, P = 0.02), DISEASE ACTIVITY (DAS-28) (4 RCTS; SMD = -0.38, 95% CI -0.71 TO -0.06, I (2) = 41%, P = 0.02) AND GRIP STRENGTH (2 RCTS; SMD = 1.30, 95% CI 0.47-2.13, I (2) = 63%, P = 0.002). NO EFFECTS WERE FOUND FOR PAIN, TENDER JOINTS, SWOLLEN JOINTS COUNT OR INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES (I.E., CRP, ESR, IL-6, AND TNF-ALPHA). SUMMARY: THE FINDINGS OF THIS META-ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION, DISEASE ACTIVITY, AND GRIP STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH RA. HOWEVER, THE BALANCE OF EVIDENCE SHOWED THAT YOGA HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT IN IMPROVING PAIN, TENDER JOINTS, SWOLLEN JOINTS COUNT, AND INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM RA. CONSIDERING METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS, SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, AND LOW-QUALITY, WE DRAW A VERY CAUTIOUS CONCLUSION IN THE RESULTS OF THE ESTIMATE OF THE EFFECT. HIGH-QUALITY AND LARGE-SCALE RCTS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED IN THE FUTURE, AND THE REAL RESULT MAY BE SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT. 2020 15 2607 46 YOGA FOR PRENATAL DEPRESSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: PRENATAL DEPRESSION CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF BOTH MOTHER AND FETUS. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PRENATAL DEPRESSION. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WAS CONDUCTED BY SEARCHING PUBMED, EMBASE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY AND PSYCINFO FROM ALL RETRIEVED ARTICLES DESCRIBING SUCH TRIALS UP TO JULY 2014. RESULTS: SIX RCTS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE SYSTEMATIC SEARCH. THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 375 PREGNANT WOMEN, MOST OF WHOM WERE BETWEEN 20 AND 40 YEARS OF AGE. THE DIAGNOSES OF DEPRESSION WERE DETERMINED BY THEIR SCORES ON STRUCTURED CLINICAL INTERVIEW FOR DSM-IV AND THE CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE. WHEN COMPARED WITH COMPARISON GROUPS (E.G., STANDARD PRENATAL CARE, STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, SOCIAL SUPPORT, ETC.), THE LEVEL OF DEPRESSION STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN YOGA GROUPS (STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE [SMD], -0.59; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], -0.94 TO -0.25; P = 0.0007). ONE SUBGROUP ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT BOTH THE LEVELS OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PRENATALLY DEPRESSED WOMEN (SMD, -0.46; CI, -0.90 TO -0.03; P = 0.04) AND NON-DEPRESSED WOMEN (SMD, -0.87; CI, -1.22 TO -0.52; P < 0.00001) WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA GROUP THAN THAT IN CONTROL GROUP. THERE WERE TWO KINDS OF YOGA: THE PHYSICAL-EXERCISE-BASED YOGA AND INTEGRATED YOGA, WHICH, BESIDES PHYSICAL EXERCISES, INCLUDED PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION OR DEEP RELAXATION. THEREFORE, THE OTHER SUBGROUP ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED TO ESTIMATE EFFECTS OF THE TWO KINDS OF YOGA ON PRENATAL DEPRESSION. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE LEVEL OF DEPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN THE INTEGRATED YOGA GROUP (SMD, -0.79; CI, -1.07 TO -0.51; P < 0.00001) BUT NOT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN PHYSICAL-EXERCISE-BASED YOGA GROUP (SMD, -0.41; CI, -1.01 TO -0.18; P = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS: PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTION IN PREGNANT WOMEN MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN PARTLY REDUCING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. 2015 16 1044 31 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON PAIN AND PAIN-ASSOCIATED DISABILITY: A META-ANALYSIS. UNLABELLED: WE SEARCHED DATABASES FOR CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDIES, AND PERFORMED A META-ANALYSIS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON PAIN AND ASSOCIATED DISABILITY. FIVE RANDOMIZED STUDIES REPORTED SINGLE-BLINDING AND HAD A HIGHER METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY; 7 STUDIES WERE RANDOMIZED BUT NOT BLINDED AND HAD MODERATE QUALITY; AND 4 NONRANDOMIZED STUDIES HAD LOW QUALITY. IN 6 STUDIES, YOGA WAS USED TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH BACK PAIN; IN 2 STUDIES TO TREAT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS; IN 2 STUDIES TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH HEADACHE/MIGRAINE; AND 6 STUDIES ENROLLED INDIVIDUALS FOR OTHER INDICATIONS. ALL STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS IN FAVOR OF THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS. WITH RESPECT TO PAIN, A RANDOM EFFECT META-ANALYSIS ESTIMATED THE OVERALL TREATMENT EFFECT AT SMD = -.74 (CI: -.97; -.52, P < .0001), AND AN OVERALL TREATMENT EFFECT AT SMD = -.79 (CI: -1.02; -.56, P < .0001) FOR PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY. DESPITE SOME LIMITATIONS, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY BE USEFUL FOR SEVERAL PAIN-ASSOCIATED DISORDERS. MOREOVER, THERE ARE HINTS THAT EVEN SHORT-TERM INTERVENTIONS MIGHT BE EFFECTIVE. NEVERTHELESS, LARGE-SCALE FURTHER STUDIES HAVE TO IDENTIFY WHICH PATIENTS MAY BENEFIT FROM THE RESPECTIVE INTERVENTIONS. PERSPECTIVE: THIS META-ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS A USEFUL SUPPLEMENTARY APPROACH WITH MODERATE EFFECT SIZES ON PAIN AND ASSOCIATED DISABILITY. 2012 17 1299 37 HATHA YOGA FOR ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HATHA YOGA IN TREATING ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. METHODS: MEDLINE, COCHRANE LIBRARY, CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS, CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV, NHR CENTRE FOR REVIEWS AND DISSEMINATION, PSYCINFO AND CINAHL WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JUNE 2018. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH PATIENTS WITH MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS WERE INCLUDED. MAIN OUTCOMES WERE CONTINUOUS MEASURES OF SEVERITY OF MOOD AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. COHEN'S D WAS CALCULATED AS A MEASURE OF EFFECT SIZE. META-ANALYSES USING A RANDOM EFFECTS MODEL WAS APPLIED TO ESTIMATE DIRECT COMPARISONS BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL CONDITIONS FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OUTCOMES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED USING FUNNEL PLOTS. RESULTS: EIGHTEEN STUDIES WERE FOUND, FOURTEEN IN ACUTE PATIENTS AND FOUR IN CHRONIC PATIENTS. MOST STUDIES WERE OF LOW QUALITY. FOR DEPRESSION OUTCOMES, HATHA YOGA DID NOT SHOW A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WHEN COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL, AN OVERALL EFFECT SIZE OF COHEN'S D -0.64 (95% CI = -1.41, 0.13) OR TO ALL ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.13 (95% CI = -0.49, 0.22). A SUB-ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA HAD A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION COMPARED TO PSYCHOEDUCATION CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.52 (95% CI = -0.96, -0.08) BUT NOT TO OTHER ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D 0.28 (95% CI = -0.07, 0.63) FOR STUDIES USING A FOLLOW-UP OF SIX MONTHS OR MORE, HATHA YOGA HAD NO EFFECT ON THE REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.14 (95% CI = -0.60, 0.33). REGARDING ANXIETY, HATHA YOGA HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WHEN COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.09 (95% CI = -0.47, 0.30). THE I2 AND Q-STATISTIC REVEALED HETEROGENEITY AMONGST COMPARISONS. QUALITATIVE ANALYSES SUGGEST SOME PROMISE OF HATHA YOGA FOR CHRONIC POPULATIONS. CONCLUSIONS: THE ABILITY TO DRAW FIRM CONCLUSIONS IS LIMITED BY THE NOTABLE HETEROGENEITY AND LOW QUALITY OF MOST OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. WITH THIS CAVEAT IN MIND, THE RESULTS OF THE CURRENT META-ANALYSIS SUGGEST THAT HATHA YOGA DOES NOT HAVE EFFECTS ON ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL OR ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. HOWEVER, WHEN COMPARED TO PSYCHOEDUCATION, HATHA YOGA SHOWED MORE REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSION. IT IS CLEAR THAT MORE HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ADVANCE THE FIELD. 2018 18 2165 39 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO ACTIVE AND INACTIVE CONTROLS ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS- SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED AS A MUSCLE STRENGTHENING AND BALANCE ACTIVITY IN NATIONAL AND GLOBAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES. HOWEVER, THE EVIDENCE BASE ESTABLISHING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN IMPROVING PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN AN OLDER ADULT POPULATION NOT RECRUITED ON THE BASIS OF ANY SPECIFIC DISEASE OR CONDITION, HAS NOT BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO SYNTHESISE EXISTING EVIDENCE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HRQOL IN OLDER ADULTS NOT CHARACTERISED BY ANY SPECIFIC CLINICAL CONDITION. METHODS: THE FOLLOWING DATABASES WERE SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHED IN SEPTEMBER 2017: MEDLINE, PSYCINFO, CINAHL PLUS, SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE, COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, SPORTDISCUS, AMED AND PROQUEST DISSERTATIONS & THESES GLOBAL. STUDY INCLUSION CRITERIA: OLDER ADULT PARTICIPANTS WITH MEAN AGE OF 60 YEARS AND ABOVE, NOT RECRUITED ON THE BASIS OF ANY SPECIFIC DISEASE OR CONDITION; YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH INACTIVE CONTROLS (EXAMPLE: WAIT-LIST CONTROL, EDUCATION BOOKLETS) OR ACTIVE CONTROLS (EXAMPLE: WALKING, CHAIR AEROBICS); PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HRQOL OUTCOMES; AND RANDOMISED/CLUSTER RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH. A VOTE COUNTING ANALYSIS AND META-ANALYSIS WITH STANDARDISED EFFECT SIZES (HEDGES' G) COMPUTED USING RANDOM EFFECTS MODELS WERE CONDUCTED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 27 RECORDS FROM 22 RCTS WERE INCLUDED (17 RCTS ASSESSED PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND 20 ASSESSED HRQOL). THE META-ANALYSIS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS (5% LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE) FAVOURING THE YOGA GROUP FOR THE FOLLOWING PHYSICAL FUNCTION OUTCOMES COMPARED WITH INACTIVE CONTROLS: BALANCE (EFFECT SIZE (ES) = 0.7), LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY (ES = 0.5), LOWER LIMB STRENGTH (ES = 0.45); COMPARED WITH ACTIVE CONTROLS: LOWER LIMB STRENGTH (ES = 0.49), LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY (ES = 0.28). FOR HRQOL, SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS FAVOURING YOGA WERE FOUND COMPARED TO INACTIVE CONTROLS FOR: DEPRESSION (ES = 0.64), PERCEIVED MENTAL HEALTH (ES = 0.6), PERCEIVED PHYSICAL HEALTH (ES = 0.61), SLEEP QUALITY (ES = 0.65), AND VITALITY (ES = 0.31); COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROLS: DEPRESSION (ES = 0.54). CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW IS THE FIRST TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH ACTIVE AND INACTIVE CONTROLS IN OLDER ADULTS NOT CHARACTERISED BY A SPECIFIC CLINICAL CONDITION. RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS IMPROVE MULTIPLE PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HRQOL OUTCOMES IN THIS POPULATION COMPARED TO BOTH CONTROL CONDITIONS. THIS STUDY PROVIDES ROBUST EVIDENCE FOR PROMOTING YOGA IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES FOR OLDER ADULTS AS A MULTIMODAL ACTIVITY THAT IMPROVES ASPECTS OF FITNESS LIKE STRENGTH, BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY, AS WELL AS MENTAL WELLBEING. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016038052 . 2019 19 2606 36 YOGA FOR POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT AND SEEMS TO IMPROVE PSYCHIATRIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS ANXIETY DISORDERS AND DEPRESSION. THE AIM OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS TO ASSESS THE EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). METHODS: THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, MEDLINE/PUBMED, PSYCINFO, SCOPUS, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JULY 2017 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF PTSD. MEAN DIFFERENCES (MD) AND STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CI) WERE COMPUTED. THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE AND THE STRENGTH OF RECOMMENDATION WERE GRADED ACCORDING TO THE GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS (N = 284) WERE INCLUDED. META-ANALYSIS REVEALED LOW QUALITY EVIDENCE FOR CLINICALLY RELEVANT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PTSD SYMPTOMS COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT (SMD = - 1.10, 95% CI [- 1.72, - 0.47], P < .001, I(2) = 72%; MD = - 13.11, 95% CI [- 17.95, - 8.27]); AND VERY LOW EVIDENCE FOR COMPARABLE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND ATTENTION CONTROL INTERVENTIONS (SMD = - 0.31, 95%CI = [- 0.84, 0.22], P = .25; I(2) = 43%). VERY LOW EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR COMPARABLE RETENTION OF PATIENTS IN THE TRIAL FOR YOGA AND NO TREATMENT (OR = 0.68, 95%CI [0.06, 7.72]) OR ATTENTION CONTROL INTERVENTIONS (OR = 0.66, 95%CI [0.10, 4.46]). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. LIMITATIONS: FEW RCTS WITH ONLY LIMITED SAMPLE SIZE WERE AVAILABLE. CONCLUSIONS: ONLY A WEAK RECOMMENDATION FOR YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR PTSD CAN BE MADE. MORE HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM OR DISCONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2018 20 2544 47 YOGA FOR ASTHMA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH YOGA IS FREQUENTLY USED BY PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA, ITS EFFICACY IN ALLEVIATING ASTHMA REMAINS UNCLEAR. OBJECTIVE: TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE AVAILABLE DATA ON EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA IN ALLEVIATING ASTHMA. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS, PSYCINFO, CAM-QUEST, CAMBASE, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JANUARY 2014. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH ASTHMA WERE INCLUDED IF THEY ASSESSED ASTHMA CONTROL, SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND/OR PULMONARY FUNCTION. FOR EACH OUTCOME, STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMDS) OR RISK RATIOS (RRS) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE CALCULATED. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: FOURTEEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH 824 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE WAS FOUND FOR ASTHMA CONTROL (RR, 10.64; 95% CI, 1.98 TO 57.19; P = .006), ASTHMA SYMPTOMS (SMD, -0.37; 95% CI, -0.55 TO -0.19; P < .001), QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.39 TO 1.33; P < .001), PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (SMD, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.32 TO 0.67; P < .001), AND RATIO OF FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND TO FORCED VITAL CAPACITY (SMD, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.24 TO 0.75; P < .001); EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS WAS FOUND FOR QUALITY OF LIFE (SMD, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.22 TO 0.99; P = .002) AND PEAK EXPIRATORY FLOW RATE (SMD, 2.87; 95% CI, 0.14 TO 5.60; P = .04). NO EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH SHAM YOGA OR BREATHING EXERCISES WAS REVEALED. NO EFFECT WAS ROBUST AGAINST ALL POTENTIAL SOURCES OF BIAS. YOGA WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSION: YOGA CANNOT BE CONSIDERED A ROUTINE INTERVENTION FOR ASTHMATIC PATIENTS AT THIS POINT. IT CAN BE CONSIDERED AN ANCILLARY INTERVENTION OR AN ALTERNATIVE TO BREATHING EXERCISES FOR ASTHMA PATIENTS INTERESTED IN COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTIONS. 2014