1 1589 146 MEDITATION & YOGA: IMPACT ON OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE & DYSREGULATED SPERM TRANSCRIPTS IN MALE PARTNERS OF COUPLES WITH RECURRENT PREGNANCY LOSS. BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: RECURRENT PREGNANCY LOSS (RPL) IS ONE OF THE DEVASTATING COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND CURRENT FOCUS LIES IN ADDRESSING THE MANAGEMENT OF PATERNAL FACTORS. DYSREGULATION IN SELECTIVE TRANSCRIPTS DELIVERED TO OOCYTE AT FERTILIZATION CAN RESULT IN PREGNANCY LOSSES AND ADVERSELY AFFECT EMBRYOGENESIS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YBLI) ON SEMINAL OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS), DNA DAMAGE AND SPERMATOZOAL TRANSCRIPT LEVELS. METHODS: THE PRESENT STUDY WAS A PART OF A PROSPECTIVE ONGOING EXPLORATORY STUDY AND 30 MALE PARTNERS OF COUPLES WITH RPL WERE INCLUDED FROM AUGUST 2016 TO JUNE 2017. SEMEN SAMPLES WERE OBTAINED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF YBLI (21 DAYS). GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BY QUANTITATIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION ON SPERMATOZOAL FOXG1, SOX3, OGG1, PARP1, RPS6, RBM9, RPS17 AND RPL29. THE LEVELS OF SEMINAL OS AND SPERM DNA DAMAGE WAS ASSESSED BY MEASURING LEVELS OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) BY CHEMILUMINESCENCE AND DNA FRAGMENTATION INDEX (DFI) BY SPERM CHROMATIN STRUCTURE ASSAY. RESULTS: SOX3, OGG1 AND PARP1 WERE OBSERVED TO BE UPREGULATED, WHILE FOXG1, RPS6, RBM9, RPS17 AND RPL29 SHOWED DOWNREGULATION. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ROS LEVELS, AN INCREASE IN SPERM MOTILITY, SPERM COUNT (DONE TWICE) AND A DECREASE IN DFI WAS SEEN AFTER YBLI. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: ADOPTING YBLI MAY HELP IN A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND NORMALIZATION OF SPERM TRANSCRIPT LEVELS. THIS MAY NOT ONLY IMPROVE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES BUT ALSO IMPROVE THE HEALTH TRAJECTORY OF THE OFFSPRING. 2018 2 1690 60 OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCED DAMAGE TO PATERNAL GENOME AND IMPACT OF MEDITATION AND YOGA - CAN IT REDUCE INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCER? BACKGROUND: SPERM DNA DAMAGE IS UNDERLYING AETIOLOGY OF POOR IMPLANTATION AND PREGNANCY RATES BUT ALSO AFFECTS HEALTH OF OFFSPRING AND MAY ALSO RESULT IN DENOVO MUTATIONS IN GERM LINE AND POST FERTILIZATION. THIS MAY RESULT IN COMPLEX DISEASES, POLYGENIC DISORDERS AND CHILDHOOD CANCERS. CHILDHOOD CANCER LIKE RETINOBLASTOMA (RB) IS MORE PREVALENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE INCIDENCE OF RB HAS INCREASED MORE THAN THREE FOLD IN INDIA IN THE LAST DECADE. RECENT STUDIES HAVE DOCUMENTED INCREASED INCIDENCE OF CANCERS IN CHILDREN BORN TO FATHERS WHO CONSUME ALCOHOL IN EXCESS AND TOBACCO OR WHO WERE CONCEIVED BY ASSISTED CONCEPTION. THE AETIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD CANCER AND INCREASED DISEASE BURDEN IN THESE CHILDREN IS LIN KED TO OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS) AND OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE( ODD) IN SPERM OF THEIR FATHERS. THOUGH SEVERAL ANTIOXIDANTS ARE IN USE TO COMBAT OXIDATIVE STRESS, THE EFFECT OF MAJORITY OF THESE FORMULATIONS ON DNA IS NOT KNOWN. YOGA AND MEDITATION CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN OS AND ODD AND AID IN REGULATING OS LEVELS SUCH THAT REACTIVE OXYGEN SPEUES MEDITATED SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION, GENE EXPRESSION AND SEVERAL OTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS ARE NOT DISRUPTED. THUS, THIS STUDY AIMED TO ANALYZE SPERM ODD AS A POSSIBLE ETIOLOGICAL FACTOR IN CHILDHOOD CANCER AND ROLE OF SIMPLE LIFE STYLE INTERVENTIONS LIKE YOGA AND MEDITATION IN SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASING SEMINAL OXIDATIVE STRESS AND OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND THEREBY DECREASING INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 131 FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH RB (NON-FAMILIAL SPORADIC HERITABLE) AND 50 CONTROLS (FATHERS OF HEALTHY CHILDREN) WERE RECRUITED AT A TERTIARY CENTER IN INDIA. SPERM PARAMETERS AS PER WHO 2010 GUIDELINES AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS), DNA FRAGMENTATION INDEX (DFI), 8-HYDROXY-2'-DEOXY GUANOSINE (8-OHDG) AND TELOMERE LENGTH WERE ESTIMATED AT DAY 0, AND AFTER 3 AND 6 MONTHS OF INTERVENTION. WE ALSO EXAMINED THE COMPLIANCE WITH YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE AND SMOKING STATUS AT EACH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: THE SEMINAL MEAN ROS LEVELS (P<0.05), SPERM DFI (P<0.001), 8-OHDG (P<0.01) LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN FATHERS OF CHILDREN WITH RB, AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS AND THE RELATIVE MEAN TELOMERE LENGTH IN THE SPERM WAS SHORTER. LEVELS OF ROS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN TOBACCO USERS (P<0.05) AS WELL AS IN ALCOHOLICS (P<0.05) AFTER INTERVENTION. DFI REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.05) AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE IN ALL GROUPS. THE LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE MARKER 8-OHDG WERE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER 3 MONTHS (P<0.05) AND 6 MONTHS (P<0.05) OF PRACTICE. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT OS AND ODD DNA MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDHOOD CANCER. THIS MAY BE DUE TO ACCUMULATION OF OXIDIZED MUTAGENIC BASE 8OHDG , AND ELEVATED MDA LEVELS WHICH RESULTS IN MDA DIMERS WHICH ARE ALSO MUTAGENIC, ABERRANT METHYLATION PATTERN, ALTERED GENE EXPRESSION WHICH AFFECT CELL PROLIFERATION AND SURVIVAL THROUGH ACTIVATION OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS. INCREASED MT DNA MUTATIONS AND ABERRANT REPAIR OF MT AND NUCLEAR DNA DUE TO HIGHLY TRUNCATRED DNA REPAIR MECHANISMS ALL CONTRIBUTE TO SPERM GENOME HYPERMUTABILITY AND PERSISTANT OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE. OXIDATIVE STRESS IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH GENOME WIDE HYPOMETHYLATION, TELOMERE SHORTENING AND MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION LEADING TO GENOME HYPERMUTABILITY AND INSTABILITY. TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO REPORT DECLINE IN OS AND ODD AND IMPROVEMENT IN SPERM DNA INTEGRITY FOLLOWING ADOPTION OF MEDITATION AND YOGA BASED LIFE STYLE MODIFICATION.THIS MAY REDUCE DISEASE BURDEN IN NEXT GENERATION AND REDUCE INCIDENCE OF CHILDHOOD CANCERS. 2016 3 1917 42 ROLE OF YOGA AND ITS PLAUSIBLE MECHANISM IN THE MITIGATION OF DNA DAMAGE IN TYPE-2 DIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH YOGA IS FOUND TO BE BENEFICIAL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D), ITS MECHANISM OF ACTION IS POORLY UNDERSTOOD. T2D IS ALSO KNOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS) AND DNA DAMAGE. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES HOW YOGA MODULATES OS-INDUCED DNA DAMAGE AND THE EFFICIENCY OF DNA REPAIR IN T2D CONDITIONS. METHODS: IN THIS ASSESSOR-MASKED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL, T2D SUBJECTS (N = 61), AGED (MEAN +/- SD, 50.3 +/- 4.2) WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED INTO YOGA GROUP (31) THAT RECEIVED 10 WEEKS OF YOGA INTERVENTION AND CONTROL (30) WITH ROUTINE EXERCISES. MOLECULAR AND BIOCHEMICAL ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD. STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING USING "R" WAS USED FOR MEDIATION ANALYSIS. RESULTS: AT THE END OF THE 10TH WEEK, YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DNA DAMAGE INDICATORS LIKE TAIL MOMENT (-5.88[95%CI: -10.47 TO -1.30]; P = .013) AND OLIVE TAIL MOMENT (-2.93[95%CI: -4.87 TO -1.00]; P < .01), OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE MARKER 8-OHDG (-60.39[95%CI: -92.55 TO -28.23]; P < .001) AND FASTING BLOOD SUGAR (-22.58[95%CI: -44.33 TO -0.83]; P = .042) COMPARED TO CONTROL. OGG1 PROTEIN EXPRESSION INDICATING DNA REPAIR, IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY (17.55[95%CI:1.37 TO 33.73]; P = .034) WHEREAS TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY DID NOT (5.80[95%CI: -0.86 TO 12.47]; P = 0.086). MEDIATION ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT IMPROVEMENTS IN OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND DNA REPAIR TOGETHER PLAYED A MAJOR MEDIATORY ROLE (97.4%) IN CARRYING THE EFFECT OF YOGA. CONCLUSION: THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON DNA DAMAGE IN T2D SUBJECTS WAS FOUND TO BE MEDIATED BY MITIGATION OF OXIDATIVE DNA DAMAGE AND ENHANCEMENT OF DNA REPAIR. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: (WWW.CTRI.NIC.IN) CTRI/2018/07/014825. 2022 4 1989 29 SPERM METHYLOME ALTERATIONS FOLLOWING YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS OF PRIMARY MALE INFERTILITY: A PILOT STUDY. A MAJORITY OF THE CASES OF PRIMARY MALE INFERTILITY ARE IDIOPATHIC WITH THE UNDERLYING MOLECULAR MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTING TO THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AS YET UNKNOWN. EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ALTER THE SPERM EPIGENOME THEREBY IMPACTING MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTANDING HEALTH AND DISEASE, AND METHYLOME ALTERATIONS ARE NOW KNOWN TO HAVE FAR-REACHING CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS. HERE, WE REPORT THE RESULTS FROM OUR PILOT STUDY, A FIRST OF ITS KIND ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICE OF YOGA ON HUMAN SPERM QUALITY. WE FIND MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN SPERM CHARACTERISTICS IN PATIENTS OF IDIOPATHIC MALE INFERTILITY FOLLOWING A SUPERVISED 21-DAY YOGA REGIMEN. FURTHERMORE, NEXT-GENERATION SEQUENCING-BASED METHYLOME ANALYSIS REVEALS ALTERATIONS IN THE SPERM EPIGENOME OF THESE PATIENTS. WE FIND THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH DNA METHYLATION CHANGES AT NEARLY 400 GENES, 147 OF WHICH WERE HYPERMETHYLATED WHILE 229 WERE HYPOMETHYLATED. THESE INCLUDED PROMOTERS OF SEVERAL GENES LINKED TO MAINTENANCE OF FERTILITY AND GENOMIC INTEGRITY. THIS NOVEL PIECE OF WORK DRAWS A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN POSITIVE LIFESTYLE PRACTICES AND MALE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. 2020 5 2290 40 THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION WITH REFERENCE TO GST GENE POLYMORPHISM. BACKGROUND: HYPERTENSION, A CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION OF INCREASED BLOOD PRESSURE, IS A SERIOUS PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC RISK FACTORS ARE KNOWN TO PREDISPOSE TO HYPERTENSION. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE ASSOCIATION OF GLUTATHIONE S-TRANSFERASE (GST) GENE POLYMORPHISM WITH OXIDATIVE STRESS IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS AND THE POSSIBLE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON THEM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SIXTY (60) HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS, BETWEEN 30 AND 60 YEARS OF AGE, WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS OF 30 EACH. THE YOGA GROUP WAS SUBJECTED TO 50-60 MINUTES OF YOGIC PRACTICES DAILY FOR 42 DAYS, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP INCLUDED THE REMAINING 30 AGE- AND SEX-MATCHED HYPERTENSIVE INDIVIDUALS. GST GENE POLYMORPHISM WAS ANALYZED USING MULTIPLE ALLELE SPECIFIC POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS PARAMETERS WERE ASSESSED BIOCHEMICALLY. RESULTS: ASSESSMENT OF BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT THOUGH MODEST REDUCTION (P<0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. MALONDIALDEHYDE WAS OBSERVED TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LOW (P<0.05), WHILE ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY IN THE FORM OF GST SHOWED AN INCREASING TREND AND FERRIC-REDUCING ABILITY OF PLASMA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (P<0.05) IN THE SUBJECTS WHO PRACTICED YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: IN CONCLUSION, YOGA HAS BEEN FOUND TO DECREASE BLOOD PRESSURE AS WELL AS THE LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. 2013 6 359 28 ASSOCIATION OF LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE LENGTH WITH OXIDATIVE STRESS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVE: YOGA IS A MIND-BODY MODULATION TECHNIQUE THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON VARIOUS DISEASES RELATED TO VARIOUS SYSTEMS IN THE BODY. HOWEVER, THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF MECHANISM OF ACTION IS NOT CLEAR. HENCE, THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO STUDY THE LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE BIOLOGY AND ITS RELATION WITH HOMOCYSTEINE AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE CASE-CONTROL STUDY INVOLVING YOGA PRACTITIONERS AGED 30-40 Y WITH MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS YOGA PRACTICE (YOGA GROUP) AND AGE, GENDER AND BODY MASS INDEX MATCHED SEDENTARY HEALTHY GENERAL POPULATION WITH NO MEDICAL PROBLEMS (CONTROL GROUP). LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE LENGTH (LTL) WAS MEASURED BY USING QUANTITATIVE PCR (QPCR), FASTING PLASMA HOMOCYSTEINE WAS MEASURED BY A RAPID HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY ASSAY AND THE OXIDATIVE STRESS WAS ASSESSED WITH TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT STATUS (TAOS), MALONDIALDEHYDE (MDA) MEASURED BY CALORIMETRY. RESULTS: THE LTL WAS SHORTER IN CONTROL GROUP THAN IN YOGA GROUP (P<0.001). THE TAOS WAS MORE IN YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP (P=0.008), MDA AND HOMOCYSTEINE WAS HIGH IN CONTROL GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO YOGA GROUP (P<0.001). FURTHER, THE LTL WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH TAOS (R=0.841, P<0.001) AND NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH MDA (R=-0.931, P<0.001) AND HOMOCYSTEINE (R=-0.756, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: THE LTL IS WELL-PRESERVED IN PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE YOGA REGULARLY WITH LOWER SYSTEMIC OXIDATIVE STRESS COMPARED TO THOSE WHO HAVE A RELATIVELY SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE DESPITE LACK OF ANY MEDICAL DISORDERS. THE HABITUAL YOGA PRACTICE SEEMS TO INHIBIT REPLICATIVE CELLULAR SENESCENCE. 2015 7 527 37 COMPARISON OF LYMPHOCYTE APOPTOTIC INDEX AND QUALITATIVE DNA DAMAGE IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS AND RADIATION-INDUCED DNA DAMAGE, AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE, IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED AT COMPARING THE APOPTOTIC INDEX (AI) AND DNA DAMAGE OF ADVANCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS WITH THOSE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL PILOT STUDY COMPARED THREE GROUPS (N = 9 EACH) OF AGE-MATCHED SUBJECTS VIZ. (1) CARCINOMA BREAST PATIENTS IN STAGE II OR III UNDERGOING RADIATION THERAPY AFTER COMPLETING THREE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY; (2) SENIOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO WERE PRACTICING ASANAS, PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION DAILY FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS; AND (3) NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES WERE ISOLATED, AND QUALITATIVE DNA DAMAGE (QDD) AND AI WERE EVALUATED BY SINGLE-CELL GEL ELECTROPHORESIS ASSAY. APPROXIMATELY 500 CELLS WERE COUNTED IN EACH CASE. NUMBER OF CELLS THAT WERE NORMAL, UNDERGOING APOPTOSIS, AND WITH DNA DAMAGE WERE CATEGORIZED AND PERCENTAGES WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: DATA BEING NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED, ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE (ANOVA) SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN GROUPS IN AI (P = 0.016) AND QDD (P = 0.045). ON POST-HOC ANALYSIS USING SCHEFFE TEST, AI WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN NON-YOGA VOLUNTEERS AS COMPARED WITH THE BREAST CANCER GROUP (P = 0.019) AND QDD WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHEN COMPARED WITH NON-YOGA VOLUNTEERS (P = 0.047). CONCLUSION: CELLULAR DYSFUNCTION (QDD) REQUIRES RESTORATIVE MECHANISMS (AI) TO RESTORE THE SYSTEM TO A BALANCE. THE RESULTS OF THIS PILOT STUDY SHOW TRENDS, WHICH INDICATE THAT IN ILL-HEALTH, THERE IS INADEQUATE RESTORATIVE MECHANISMS (AI) ALTHOUGH DYSFUNCTION (QDD) IS HIGH. THROUGH REGULAR PRACTICE OF YOGA, CELLULAR DYSFUNCTION CAN BE LOWERED, THUS NECESSITATING REDUCED RESTORATIVE MECHANISMS. AI AND QDD COULD ALSO BE USEFUL INDICATORS FOR PREDICTING THE THREE ZONES OF HEALTH VIZ. DISEASE, HEALTH, AND POSITIVE HEALTH. 2013 8 1468 39 INNER ENGINEERING PRACTICES AND ADVANCED 4-DAY ISHA YOGA RETREAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH CANNABIMIMETIC EFFECTS WITH INCREASED ENDOCANNABINOIDS AND SHORT-TERM AND SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT IN MENTAL HEALTH: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF MEDITATORS. BACKGROUND: ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ARE COMMON IN THE MODERN WORLD, AND THERE IS GROWING DEMAND FOR ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS MEDITATION. MEDITATION CAN DECREASE PERCEIVED STRESS AND INCREASE GENERAL WELL-BEING, ALTHOUGH THE PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM IS NOT WELL-CHARACTERIZED. ENDOCANNABINOIDS (ECBS), LIPID MEDIATORS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED MOOD AND REDUCED ANXIETY/DEPRESSION, HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY STUDIED AS BIOMARKERS OF MEDITATION EFFECTS. OUR AIM WAS TO ASSESS BIOMARKERS (ECBS AND BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR [BDNF]) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AFTER A MEDITATION RETREAT. METHODS: THIS WAS AN OBSERVATIONAL PILOT STUDY OF ADULTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 4-DAY ISHA YOGA BHAVA SPANDANA PROGRAM RETREAT. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ONLINE SURVEYS (BEFORE AND AFTER RETREAT, AND 1 MONTH LATER) TO ASSESS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, FOCUS, WELL-BEING, AND HAPPINESS THROUGH VALIDATED PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. VOLUNTARY BLOOD SAMPLING FOR BIOMARKER STUDIES WAS DONE BEFORE AND WITHIN A DAY AFTER THE RETREAT. THE BIOMARKERS ANANDAMIDE, 2-ARACHIDONOYLGLYCEROL (2-AG), 1-ARACHIDONOYLGLYCEROL (1-AG), DOCOSATETRAENOYLETHANOLAMIDE (DEA), OLEOYLETHANOLAMIDE (OLA), AND BDNF WERE EVALUATED. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, AS WELL AS CHANGES IN ECBS AND BDNF. RESULTS: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED WHILE FOCUS, HAPPINESS, AND POSITIVE WELL-BEING SCORES INCREASED IMMEDIATELY AFTER RETREAT FROM THEIR BASELINE VALUES (P < 0.001). ALL IMPROVEMENTS WERE SUSTAINED 1 MONTH AFTER BSP. ALL MAJOR ECBS INCLUDING ANANDAMIDE, 2-AG, 1-AG, DEA, AND BDNF INCREASED AFTER MEDITATION BY > 70% (P < 0.001). INCREASES OF >/=20% IN ANANDAMIDE, 2-AG, 1-AG, AND TOTAL AG LEVELS AFTER MEDITATION FROM THE BASELINE HAD WEAK CORRELATIONS WITH CHANGES IN HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING. CONCLUSIONS: A SHORT MEDITATION EXPERIENCE IMPROVED FOCUS, HAPPINESS, AND POSITIVE WELL-BEING AND REDUCED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PARTICIPANTS FOR AT LEAST 1 MONTH. PARTICIPANTS HAD INCREASED BLOOD ECBS AND BDNF, SUGGESTING A ROLE FOR THESE BIOMARKERS IN THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM OF MEDITATION. MEDITATION IS A SIMPLE, ORGANIC, AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING AND REDUCE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. 2020 9 1392 35 IMPACT OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ON CELLULAR AGING IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS: A PROSPECTIVE, OPEN-LABEL SINGLE-ARM EXPLORATORY STUDY. THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXPLORE THE IMPACT OF YOGA AND MEDITATION BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YMLI) ON CELLULAR AGING IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. DURING THIS 12-WEEK PROSPECTIVE, OPEN-LABEL, SINGLE ARM EXPLORATORY STUDY, 96 APPARENTLY HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WERE ENROLLED TO RECEIVE YMLI. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINTS WERE ASSESSMENT OF THE CHANGE IN LEVELS OF CARDINAL BIOMARKERS OF CELLULAR AGING IN BLOOD FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 12, WHICH INCLUDED DNA DAMAGE MARKER 8-HYDROXY-2'-DEOXYGUANOSINE (8-OH2DG), OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS), AND TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY (TAC), AND TELOMERE ATTRITION MARKERS TELOMERE LENGTH AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY. THE SECONDARY ENDPOINTS WERE ASSESSMENT OF METABOTROPHIC BLOOD BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH CELLULAR AGING, WHICH INCLUDED CORTISOL, BETA-ENDORPHIN, IL-6, BDNF, AND SIRTUIN-1. AFTER 12 WEEKS OF YMLI, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH THE CARDINAL BIOMARKERS OF CELLULAR AGING AND THE METABOTROPHIC BIOMARKERS INFLUENCING CELLULAR AGING COMPARED TO BASELINE VALUES. THE MEAN LEVELS OF 8-OH2DG, ROS, CORTISOL, AND IL-6 WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AND MEAN LEVELS OF TAC, TELOMERASE ACTIVITY, BETA-ENDORPHIN, BDNF, AND SIRTUIN-1 WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED (ALL VALUES P < 0.05) POST-YMLI. THE MEAN LEVEL OF TELOMERE LENGTH WAS INCREASED BUT THE FINDING WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.069). YMLI SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE RATE OF CELLULAR AGING IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY POPULATION. 2017 10 1603 15 MENTAL DEPRESSION AND KUNDALINI YOGA. IN CASES OF MENTAL DEPRESSION, THE PLASMA SEROTONIN, MELATONIN AND GLUTAMATE LEVELS ARE INCREASED ALONG WITH THE LOWERING OF URINARY - 5 - HYDROXYINDOLE ACETIC ACID, PLASMA MONOAMINE OXIDASE AND CORTISOL LEVELS FOLLOWING THREE AND SIX MONTHS PRACTICE OF KUNDALINI YOGA. THE PULSE RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN THESE PATIENTS ARE ALSO LOWERED AFTER KUNDALINI YOGA PRACTICE. THUS, THE PRACTICE OF KUNDALINI YOGA HELPS TO MAINTAIN A PERFECT HOMEOSTASIS BY BRINGING AN EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE SYMPATHETIC AND PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITIES AND IT CAN BE USED AS A NON - MEDICAL MEASURE IN TREATING PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DEPRESSION. 1986 11 2396 15 YOGA AND CHEMOREFLEX RESPONSE TO HYPOXIA AND HYPERCAPNIA. WE TESTED WHETHER CHEMOREFLEX SENSITIVITY COULD BE AFFECTED BY THE PRACTICE OF YOGA, AND WHETHER THIS IS SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF A SLOW BREATHING RATE OBTAINED DURING YOGA OR AS A GENERAL CONSEQUENCE OF YOGA. WE FOUND THAT SLOW BREATHING RATE PER SE SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED CHEMOREFLEX SENSITIVITY, BUT LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR A GENERALISED REDUCTION IN CHEMOREFLEX. 2000 12 918 28 EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION. BACKGROUND THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION ON THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF PEOPLE. METHODS NINETY-SEVEN SUBJECTS (32-83 YEARS OLD) WHO HAD FREE FROM PRIOR EXPERIENCES IN MEDITATION PROGRAMS OR CHAKRAYOGA TRAINING COURSES WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (EXP) (45 SUBJECTS; 13 MALE SUBJECTS AND 32 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 60.67 YEARS, SD=11.09 YEARS) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (CONT) OF REMAINING SUBJECTS (52 SUBJECTS; 14 MALE SUBJECTS AND 38 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 61.58 YEARS, SD=9.70 YEARS). SUBJECTS IN THE EXP PARTICIPATED IN THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM FOR TWICE A WEEK FOR 2 H DURING 6 WEEKS IN EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF 1 H OF CHAKRAYOGA AND 1 H OF MEDITATION. THE MEASUREMENTS IN THIS STUDY INCLUDED THE MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE, MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, DIFFICULTY IN EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND OBJECTIVE OF LIFE AND SENSE OF CONTROL. RESULTS RESULTS REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RELIEF OF MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST THAN THOSE IN THE CONT. CONCLUSIONS THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM CAN HELP RELIEVE THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS. 2019 13 1629 25 MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: WE EXPLORED THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA (MBY) FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION BY EXAMINING OCCUPATION-BASED AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. METHOD: IN THIS CASE SERIES DESIGN STUDY, 6 YOUTHS AGES 13-17 YR WITH CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS FOR >4 WK PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WK MBY INTERVENTION, 1X/WK FOR 45 MIN. PARTICIPATION, SELF-EFFICACY, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (24 HR) WERE COLLECTED BEFORE, AFTER, AND 3 MO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. HEART RATE VARIABILITY WAS ALSO MEASURED DURING EACH SESSION. RESULTS: TRENDS OF INCREASED SELF-EFFICACY IN ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL DOMAINS WERE FOUND AFTER MBY AND MAINTAINED AT 3-MO FOLLOW-UP. TRENDS OF INCREASING HEART RATE VARIABILITY WERE ALSO FOUND PRE- TO POSTINTERVENTION AND WITHIN THE EIGHT MBY SESSIONS. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY RESULTS REVEAL POSITIVE TRENDS AFTER A NOVEL, SAFE INTERVENTION FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS AND THE VALUE OF EXPLORING BOTH OCCUPATION-BASED AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES. FUTURE RESEARCH WITH A LARGER SAMPLE AND CONTROL GROUP IS WARRANTED. 2019 14 468 24 CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN WHO PRACTICE YOGA IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS DURING PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVES: YOGA PRACTICE DURING PREGNANCY IS GAINING INCREASING POPULARITY. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PREGNANT WOMEN WHO PRACTICED YOGA IN REGARD TO THE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS (AT HOME, IN YOGA CLASSES, OR BOTH). DESIGN: THE STUDY SAMPLE WAS DRAWN FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH (ALSWH), A NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF WOMEN TO INVESTIGATE MULTIPLE FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF WOMEN OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD. SETTING: POSTAL SURVEY. PARTICIPANTS: WOMEN BORN BETWEEN 1973 AND 1978, WHO WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE NATIONAL MEDICARE DATABASE AND IDENTIFIED AS BEING PREGNANT OR HAVING RECENTLY GIVEN BIRTH (N=2316). OUTCOME MEASURES: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOGA USE (ATTENDING YOGA CLASSES AND/OR PRACTISING YOGA AT HOME) AND WOMEN'S CHARACTERISTICS (DEMOGRAPHIC MEASURES, PREGNANCY-RELATED HEALTH CONCERNS, HEALTH SERVICE UTILISATION, ATTITUDES TO COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE). RESULTS: PRACTISING YOGA BOTH AT HOME AND IN CLASSES WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVING COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE (CAM) AS PREVENTATIVE (ODDS RATIO (OR)=1.62); PERCEIVING CAM AS AFFORDING HEALTH CONTROL (OR=1.50); EXPERIENCING SADNESS (OR=1.72); PREPARING FOR LABOUR (OR=2.31); BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=7.97); AND EXPERIENCING LESS VOMITING (OR=0.38). PRACTISING AT HOME ONLY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEIVING CAM AS AFFORDING HEALTH CONTROL (OR=1.76); PERCEIVING CAM AS PROMOTING A HOLISTIC HEALTH APPROACH (OR=1.65); AND BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=3.54). PRACTISING IN CLASSES ONLY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPERIENCING STRESS (OR=1.97); AND BIRTHING IN A BIRTH CENTRE (OR=4.85) (ALL P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE LOCATION IN WHICH A WOMAN PRACTICES YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTITUDINAL, HEALTH-RELATED AND BIRTH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. 2015 15 2771 21 YOGA REDUCES SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS IN TSUNAMI SURVIVORS IN THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS. A MONTH AFTER THE DECEMBER 2004 TSUNAMI THE EFFECT OF A 1 WEEK YOGA PROGRAM WAS EVALUATED ON SELF RATED FEAR, ANXIETY, SADNESS AND DISTURBED SLEEP IN 47 SURVIVORS IN THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS. POLYGRAPH RECORDINGS OF THE HEART RATE, BREATH RATE AND SKIN RESISTANCE WERE ALSO MADE. AMONG THE 47 PEOPLE, 31 WERE SETTLERS FROM THE MAINLAND (I.E. INDIA, ML GROUP) AND 16 WERE ENDOGENOUS PEOPLE (EP GROUP). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN SELF RATED FEAR, ANXIETY, SADNESS AND DISTURBED SLEEP IN BOTH GROUPS, AND IN THE HEART AND BREATH RATE IN THE ML GROUP, AND IN THE BREATH RATE ALONE IN THE EP GROUP, FOLLOWING YOGA (P < 0.05, T-TEST). THIS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA PRACTICE MAY BE USEFUL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF STRESS FOLLOWING A NATURAL DISASTER IN PEOPLE WITH WIDELY DIFFERING SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL BELIEFS. 2007 16 1932 31 ROLE OF YOGA IN MODIFYING ANXIETY LEVEL IN WOMEN. ANXIETY LEADS TO DERANGEMENT IN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH. ANXIETY LEVELS ARE MORE IN FULL TIME HOUSEWIVES THAN WORKING WOMEN. THERE IS A NEED FOR SIMPLE, EASY TREATMENT FOR ANXIETY TO ALLEVIATE THE BURDEN ON HEALTH CAUSED BY ANXIETY. YOGA IS AMONG THE TOP TEN COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE THERAPIES. OUR STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE ANXIETY LEVELS IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY FULL TIME HOUSEWIVES AND TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON ANXIETY LEVELS AMONG THEM. PRESENT STUDY IS A COMPARATIVE INTERVENTIONAL STUDY. STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 50 APPARENTLY HEALTHY FULL TIME HOUSEWIVES (20-50 YEARS) WHO ATTENDED ONE MONTH YOGA CAMP. HAMILTON ANXIETY (HAMA) SCALE WAS USED TO EVALUATE ANXIETY LEVELS BEFORE AND AT THE END OF THE YOGA CAMP. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS DONE BY PAIRED T TEST USING SPSS 9.0. THE BASELINE PULSE RATE, SBP, DBP WERE 82.90 +/- 4.25 BPM, 124.84 +/- 11.022 MM HG, 85.20 +/- 10.81 MM HG RESPECTIVELY. AFTER FOUR WEEKS YOGA CAMP THERE WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT LOWERING OF PULSE RATE (77.58 +/- 3.86 BPM), SBP (117.92 +/- 6.76 MM HG), DBP (78.68 +/- 6.62 MM HG). BEFORE YOGA TRAINING, PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTIONS OF SUBJECTS WITH MILD, MODERATE AND SEVERE ANXIETY WERE 6%, 18% AND 76% RESPECTIVELY. AT THE END OF FOUR WEEK YOGA TRAINING, PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTIONS OF SUBJECTS WITH MILD, MODERATE AND SEVERE ANXIETY WERE 44.23%, 19.23% AND 36.53% RESPECTIVELY. THERE WAS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.000) DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN VALUES OF TOTAL SCORE BEFORE (33.71 +/- 4.90) AND AFTER (26.93 +/- 4.53) YOGA. THESE RESULTS INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A REDUCTION IN THE SEVERITY OF ANXIETY FROM SEVERE TO MODERATE AND MILD INDICATING DECREASE IN ANXIETY FOLLOWING YOGA. BASED ON THE RESULTS OF OUR STUDY, WE CONCLUDE THAT REGULAR YOGIC PRACTICES AND ADAPTING AND IMPLEMENTING THE PRINCIPALS AND PHILOSOPHY OF YOGA IN DAY TO DAY LIFE MAY DECREASE THE ANXIETY LEVEL. 2014 17 712 31 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON ANTI-PSYCHOTIC INDUCED SIDE EFFECTS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM SCHIZOPHRENIA. BACKGROUND TWENTY ONE (12 FEMALES) SUBJECTS, DIAGNOSED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA BY A PSYCHIATRIST USING ICD-10, IN THE AGES 52.87 + 9.5YEARS AND SUFFERING SINCE 24.0 +/- 3.05YEARS WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY FROM A SCHIZOPHRENIA REHABILITATION CENTER IN BENGALURU. METHODS ALL SUBJECTS WERE TAKING ANTI-PSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS AND WERE IN STABLE STATE FOR MORE THAN A MONTH. PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATIONS WERE KEPT CONSTANT DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT THREE POINTS OF TIME: (1) BASELINE, (2) AFTER ONE MONTH OF USUAL ROUTINE (PRE) AND (3) AFTER FIVE MONTHS OF VALIDATED INTEGRATED YOGA (IY) INTERVENTION (POST). VALIDATED 1H YOGA MODULE (CONSISTING OF ASANAS, PRANAYAMA, RELAXATION TECHNIQUES AND CHANTINGS) WAS PRACTICED FOR 5MONTHS, FIVE SESSIONS PER WEEK. ANTIPSYCHOTIC-INDUCED SIDE EFFECTS WERE ASSESSED USING SIMPSON ANGUS SCALE (SAS) AND UDVALG FOR KLINISKE UNDERSOGELSER (UKU) SIDE EFFECT RATING SCALE. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS (USING TRAIL MAKING TEST A AND B), CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND ANTHROPOMETRY WERE ASSESSED AS SECONDARY VARIABLES. COMPARISONS BETWEEN "PRE" AND "POST" DATA WAS DONE USING PAIRED SAMPLES T-TESTS AFTER SUBTRACTING BASELINE SCORES FROM THEM RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS AT THE END OF FIVE MONTHS, SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DRUG-INDUCED PARKINSONIAN SYMPTOMS (SAS SCORE; P=0.001) AND 38 ITEMS OF UKU SCALE WAS OBSERVED ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSING SPEED, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. NO SIDE EFFECTS OF YOGA WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS THE PRESENT STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR USEFULNESS OF INTEGRATED YOGA INTERVENTION IN MANAGING ANTI-PSYCHOTIC-INDUCED SIDE EFFECTS. 2018 18 2115 25 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH HAEMOPHILIA. THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY HAEMOPHILIA LEAD TO IMPAIRMENTS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HAEMOPHILIA. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH HAEMOPHILIA IN SHIRAZ, IRAN. THIS SEMI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY WITH PRE- AND POST-TEST DESIGN WAS PERFORMED ON 27 BOYS BETWEEN 8 AND 16 YEARS OLD WHO SUFFERED FROM HAEMOPHILIA. THE PATIENTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. THE NUMBER OF BLEEDINGS, ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL, AND REFERRALS TO THE CLINIC WAS EVALUATED. THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA WERE COLLECTED THROUGH INTERVIEWS AND USING THE PATIENTS' RECORDS IN THE HAEMOPHILIA CENTER. BESIDES, THE QUALITY OF LIFE WAS ASSESSED THROUGH THE HAEMO-QOL QUESTIONNAIRE. THEN, THE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS PERFORMED FOR 14 WEEKS AND THE DATA WERE COLLECTED IN THREE STAGES. THE COLLECTED DATA WERE ENTERED INTO THE SPSS STATISTICAL SOFTWARE, VERSION 18 AND WERE ANALYZED USING NON-PARAMETRIC FRIEDMAN TEST. AFTER THE INTERVENTION, SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE MEAN SCORES OF QUALITY OF LIFE DIMENSIONS AND THE NUMBER OF BLEEDINGS, SCHOOL ABSENCES, AND REFERRALS TO THE HAEMOPHILIA CLINIC (P<0.001). THUS, YOGA MAY IMPROVE THE HAEMOPHILIA CHILDREN'S AND ADOLESCENTS' PERCEPTION OF QUALITY OF LIFE WITHOUT THE RISK OF INJURY. THIS INTERVENTION ALSO SEEMED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE NUMBER OF BLEEDINGS, REFERRALS TO THE HAEMOPHILIA CLINIC, AND ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL. 2015 19 1571 30 MANAGEMENT OF MYOFASCIAL PAIN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME WITH MEDITATION AND YOGA: HEALING THROUGH NATURAL THERAPY. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY WERE TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA IN PATIENTS WITH MYOFASCIAL PAIN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME (MPDS) AND COMPARED THE EFFECTS WITH ONGOING CONVENTIONAL NONINVASIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE STUDY COMPRISED 30 PATIENTS DIVIDED EQUALLY (10 EACH) INTO 3 GROUP, I.E., CONTROL GROUP (CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE TREATMENT), EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP (CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE TREATMENT WITH RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION THERAPY AND PRANAYAMA), AND EXPERIMENTAL B GROUP (RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION THERAPY AND PRANAYAMA ONLY). PARAMETERS SUCH AS PAIN, MOUTH OPENING, MANDIBULAR DEVIATION, INFLAMMATION, SWELLING, CLICKING, OCCLUSION, AND PSYCHOLOGIC EVALUATION SUCH AS ANXIETY, STRESS, AND DEPRESSION WERE ASSESSED BEFORE THE START OF THE STUDY AND AT WEEKLY INTERVALS FOR 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT PAIN AND INFLAMMATION IMPROVED BOTH IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP, BUT STATISTICALLY IT IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP. FURTHERMORE, IT IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AS WELL AS FOR A LONG PERIOD IN EXPERIMENTAL A GROUP. IMPROVEMENT IN MOUTH OPENING WAS STATISTICALLY HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN CONTROL GROUP BUT NOT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS. POSTTREATMENT ANXIETY AND STRESS STATUS WAS IMPROVED WITH STATISTICALLY HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT RESULT IN THE EXPERIMENTAL A AND B. THE POSTTREATMENT DEPRESSION STATUS ALONG WITH MANDIBULAR DEVIATION, SWELLING, CLICKING, AND OCCLUSION HAS NOT IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN ANY OF THE GROUPS. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: RAJ-YOGA MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA IN COMBINATION WITH CONVENTIONAL, NONINVASIVE, TREATMENT MODALITIES SHOWED PROMISING RESULTS IN MPDS PATIENTS AS COMPARED TO EITHER MODALITIES ALONE. 2018 20 2905 27 [LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF BREATHING EXERCISES AND YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA]. TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS OF BREATHING EXERCISES (BE) OR YOGA (Y) ON THE COURSE OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA WE STUDIED 36 SUBJECTS WITH A MILD DISEASE. THE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS. 2 OF THEM PARTICIPATED IN A 3 WEEKS TRAINING PROGRAM OF BE OR Y WHILE THE THIRD GROUP RESTED WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL TREATMENT (CONTROL GROUP, C). AT THE END OF THE TRAINING PERIOD THE PATIENTS WERE ASKED TO PRACTISE BE OR Y ON THEIR OWN. DRUG THERAPY AND LUNG FUNCTION PARAMETERS BEFORE AND AFTER A BETA 2-AGONIST METERED DOSE INHALER (ALBUTEROL, ALB) WERE RECORDED PRIOR TO THE TRAINING PROGRAM AND IN 4 WEEKS INTERVALS FOR 4 MONTHS THEREAFTER. THE RESPONSE TO THE BETA 2-AGONIST WAS DOCUMENTED CONTINUOUSLY IN 28 PATIENTS. THE MENTAL STATE OF THE PATIENTS WAS ELUCIDATED BY QUESTIONNAIRES.--PRIOR TO THE STUDY A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OF INHALED ALB ON THE FEV1 WAS SHOWN WITHOUT ANY SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN GROUP DIFFERENCES. BOTH, BE AND Y, CAUSED A SIGNIFICANT AMELIORATION OF THE MENTAL STATE BUT ONLY THE BE INDUCED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF LUNG FUNCTION PARAMETERS COMPARED TO THE INDIVIDUAL BASELINE VALUES. THE FEV1 INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BY 356.3 +/- 146.2 ML (P < 0.05) AND THE VC BY 225.0 +/- 65.5 ML (P < 0.01). THESE LONG-TERM CHANGES WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE ACTUAL RESPONSE TO ALB. BE DECREASED THE RV SIGNIFICANTLY BY 306.3 +/- 111.6 ML (P < 0.05), AN EFFECT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER COMPARED TO THE BETA 2-AGONIST (P < 0.01). BE IN COMBINATION WITH ALB CAUSED AN ADDITIVE EFFECT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) 1994