1 2058 106 THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) OFTEN EXPERIENCE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE MANAGEMENT. THIS META-ANALYSIS EXAMINES THE BENEFITS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG PLWHA. METHODS: INCLUDED WERE STUDIES THAT (A) EVALUATED A YOGA INTERVENTION IN PLWHA; (B) PROVIDED BETWEEN-GROUP OR WITHIN-GROUP CHANGES; AND (C) ASSESSED A PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, OR BIOMEDICAL OUTCOME. RESULTS: SEVEN STUDIES SAMPLING 396 PLWHA (M AGE=42 YEARS, SD=5 YEARS; 40% WOMEN) MET INCLUSION CRITERIA. PLWHA WHO RECEIVED YOGA INTERVENTIONS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS (D+ = 0.80, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = 0.53, 1.07), POSITIVE AFFECT (D + = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.49, 0.98), AND ANXIETY (D+ = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.27, 1.14) COMPARED TO CONTROLS. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS A PROMISING INTERVENTION FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT. HOWEVER, THE LITERATURE IS LIMITED BY THE SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF HIV-RELATED OUTCOMES ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER EVALUATE THE BENEFITS OF YOGA. 2019 2 2566 43 YOGA FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH CANCER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT CAN LEAD TO A VARIETY OF PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL CONCERNS IMPACTING ON THOSE AFFECTED, INCLUDING SUBCLINICAL OR CLINICAL DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, WHICH IN TURN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON WELLBEING, QUALITY OF LIFE AND SURVIVAL. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON SELF-REPORTED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH CANCER IN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. METHOD: SIX DATABASES WERE SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY RELEVANT STUDIES. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROCEDURES WERE FOLLOWED INCLUDING A QUALITY ASSESSMENT. META-ANALYSIS OF SUITABLE STUDIES WAS CONDUCTED. RESULTS: 26 STUDIES FROM OUR SEARCH CRITERIA WERE ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION FOR DEPRESSIVE AND 16 FOR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. META-ANALYSES REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR SIGNIFICANT MEDIUM EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS (N = 1,486, G = -0.419, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = -0.558 TO -0.281, P < 0.001) AND ANXIETY (N = 977, G = -0.347, 95% CI = -0.473 TO -0.221, P < 0.001) COMPARED TO CONTROLS. SUBGROUP ANALYSES FOR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS REVEALED SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS FOR ALL ANALYSES PERFORMED (TYPE OF CANCER, TYPE OF CONTROL, TREATMENT STATUS, DURATION OF INTERVENTION OR FREQUENCY OF YOGA SESSIONS), WITH EFFECT SIZES BEING COMPARABLE BETWEEN SUBGROUPS. SIMILAR FINDINGS WERE FOUND FOR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS EXCEPT FOR TREATMENT STATUS, WHERE THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND WHEN YOGA WAS DELIVERED DURING ACTIVE TREATMENT. CONCLUSIONS: THIS REVIEW PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT IN PEOPLE WITH CANCER, YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AMELIORATION OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND THEREFORE A PROMISING THERAPEUTIC MODALITY FOR THEIR MANAGEMENT. HOWEVER, THE POTENTIAL FOR RISK OF BIAS TOGETHER WITH CONTROL GROUP DESIGN CHALLENGES MEANS THE RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. 2021 3 2144 35 THE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION, YOGA, AND MINDFULNESS ON DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION STUDENTS: A META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: MEDITATION, YOGA, AND MINDFULNESS ARE POPULAR INTERVENTIONS AT UNIVERSITIES AND TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTES TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. HOWEVER, THE EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS ARE UNCLEAR. THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MEDITATION, YOGA, AND MINDFULNESS ON SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND STRESS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION STUDENTS. METHODS: WE SEARCHED COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL), PUBMED, PSYCINFO AND IDENTIFIED 11,936 ARTICLES. AFTER RETRIEVING 181 PAPERS FOR FULL-TEXT SCREENING, 24 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE INCLUDED IN THE QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOM-EFFECTS META-ANALYSIS AMONGST 23 STUDIES WITH 1,373 PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: AT POST-TEST, AFTER EXCLUSION OF OUTLIERS, EFFECT SIZES FOR DEPRESSION, G = 0.42 (95% CI: 0.16-0.69), ANXIETY G = 0.46 (95% CI: 0.34-0.59), STRESS G = 0.42 (95% CI: 0.27-0.57) WERE MODERATE. HETEROGENEITY WAS LOW (I (2) = 6%). WHEN COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL, THE EFFECT DECREASED TO G = 0.13 (95% CI: -0.18-0.43). NO RCT REPORTED ON SAFETY, ONLY TWO STUDIES REPORTED ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, MOST STUDIES HAD A HIGH RISK OF BIAS. CONCLUSIONS: MOST STUDIES WERE OF POOR QUALITY AND RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. OVERALL MODERATE EFFECTS WERE FOUND WHICH DECREASED SUBSTANTIALLY WHEN INTERVENTIONS WERE COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL. IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER MEDITATION, YOGA OR MINDFULNESS AFFECT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OR AFFECT HAVE ANY NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS. 2019 4 220 33 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF YOGA AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION IN PRISON. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS RESULTS FROM A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND TWO META-ANALYSES THAT EXAMINE WHETHER PRISON YOGA AND MEDITATION PROGRAMS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO INCREASED PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BEHAVIOURAL FUNCTIONING OF PRISONERS. COMPREHENSIVE SEARCHES OF THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE WERE CONDUCTED UP TO DECEMBER 2014. PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED YOGA OR MEDITATION PROGRAM IN PRISON EXPERIENCED A SMALL INCREASE IN THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING (COHEN'S D = 0.46, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] = [0.39, 0.54]) AND A SMALL IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR BEHAVIOURAL FUNCTIONING (COHEN'S D = 0.30, 95% CI = [0.20, 0.40]). MODERATOR ANALYSES SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN EFFECT SIZES FOR PROGRAMS OF LONGER DURATION AND LESS INTENSITY, COMPARED WITH THOSE THAT WERE SHORTER AND MORE INTENSIVE, FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. PROGRAMS OF LONGER DURATION HAD A SLIGHTLY LARGER POSITIVE EFFECT ON BEHAVIOURAL FUNCTIONING ( D = 0.424), COMPARED WITH MORE INTENSIVE PROGRAMS ( D = 0.418). OVERALL, THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA AND MEDITATION HAVE FAVOURABLE EFFECTS ON PRISONERS. 2017 5 2559 35 YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVES: TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) USING A META-ANALYTICAL APPROACH. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT EXAMINED PAIN ANDOR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AS TREATMENT OUTCOMES WERE INCLUDED. POST-TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED. METHODS: A COMPREHENSIVE SEARCH OF RELEVANT ELECTRONIC DATABASES, FROM THE TIME OF THEIR INCEPTION UNTIL NOVEMBER 2011, WAS CONDUCTED. COHEN'S D EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED AND ENTERED IN A RANDOM-EFFECTS MODEL. RESULTS: EIGHT RCTS MET THE CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION (EIGHT ASSESSING FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND FIVE ASSESSING PAIN) AND INVOLVED A TOTAL OF 743 PATIENTS. AT POST-TREATMENT, YOGA HAD A MEDIUM TO LARGE EFFECT ON FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (D=0.645) AND PAIN (D=0.623). DESPITE A WIDE RANGE OF YOGA STYLES AND TREATMENT DURATIONS, HETEROGENEITY IN POST-TREATMENT EFFECT SIZES WAS LOW. FOLLOW-UP EFFECT SIZES FOR FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN WERE SMALLER, BUT REMAINED SIGNIFICANT (D=0.397 AND D=0.486, RESPECTIVELY); HOWEVER, THERE WAS A MODERATE TO HIGH LEVEL OF VARIABILITY IN THESE EFFECT SIZES. DISCUSSION: THE RESULTS OF THE PRESENT STUDY INDICATE THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFICACIOUS ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR CLBP. THE STRONGEST AND MOST CONSISTENT EVIDENCE EMERGED FOR THE SHORT-TERM BENEFITS OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. HOWEVER, BEFORE ANY DEFINITIVE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF METHODOLOGICAL CONCERNS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. IN PARTICULAR, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT FUTURE RCTS INCLUDE AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA HAS SPECIFIC TREATMENT EFFECTS AND WHETHER YOGA OFFERS ANY ADVANTAGES OVER TRADITIONAL EXERCISE PROGRAMS AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR CLBP. 2013 6 2098 40 THE EFFECT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER (BC) ARE LIVING LONGER WITH DEBILITATING SIDE EFFECTS SUCH AS CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE (CRF) THAT AFFECT OVERALL WELL-BEING. YOGA PROMOTES HEALTH, WELL-BEING AND MAY BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING CRF. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN PREVIOUS SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES, THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CRF AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) REMAIN UNCLEAR, PARTICULARLY IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER TYPES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA). OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO CARRY OUT A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CRF AND QOL IN WOMEN WITH BC. METHODS: ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED (MEDLINE, EMBASE CLASSIC+EMBASE AND EMB REVIEWS, COCHRANE CENTRAL CT) FROM INCEPTION TO MAY 2018. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WERE INCLUDED IF THEY WERE FULL TEXT, IN ENGLISH, INCLUDED A YOGA INTERVENTION, A COMPARATOR (INCLUDING NON-PA USUAL CARE OR ALTERNATE PA INTERVENTION), AND REPORTED ON CRF OR QOL. EFFECTS OF YOGA WERE POOLED USING STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) VIA A RANDOM EFFECTS MODEL. RESULTS: OF THE 2468 RECORDS RETRIEVED, 24 TRIALS WERE INCLUDED; 18 STUDIES COMPARED YOGA TO A NON-PA COMPARATOR AND 6 TO A PA COMPARATOR. YOGA DEMONSTRATED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN CRF OVER NON-PA (SMD -0.30 [-0.51; -0.08]) BUT NOT PA (SMD -0.17 [-0.50; 0.17]) COMPARATORS. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA DEMONSTRATED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QOL OVER NON-PA (SMD -0.27 [-0.46; -0.07]) BUT NOT PA (SMD 0.04 [-0.22; +0.31]) COMPARATORS. DISCUSSION: THIS META-ANALYSIS FOUND THAT YOGA PROVIDES SMALL TO MEDIUM IMPROVEMENTS IN CRF AND QOL COMPARED TO NON-PA, BUT NOT IN COMPARISON TO OTHER PA INTERVENTIONS. 2020 7 1592 38 MEDITATION AND YOGA FOR POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A META-ANALYTIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) IS A CHRONIC AND DEBILITATING DISORDER THAT AFFECTS THE LIVES OF 7-8% OF ADULTS IN THE U.S. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL INTERVENTIONS DEMONSTRATE CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS FOR TREATING PTSD, MANY PATIENTS CONTINUE TO HAVE RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS AND ASK FOR A VARIETY OF TREATMENT OPTIONS. COMPLEMENTARY HEALTH APPROACHES, SUCH AS MEDITATION AND YOGA, HOLD PROMISE FOR TREATING SYMPTOMS OF PTSD. THIS META-ANALYSIS EVALUATES THE EFFECT SIZE (ES) OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ON PTSD OUTCOMES IN ADULT PATIENTS. WE ALSO EXAMINED WHETHER THE INTERVENTION TYPE, PTSD OUTCOME MEASURE, STUDY POPULATION, SAMPLE SIZE, OR CONTROL CONDITION MODERATED THE EFFECTS OF COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES ON PTSD OUTCOMES. THE STUDIES INCLUDED WERE 19 RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WITH DATA ON 1173 PARTICIPANTS. A RANDOM EFFECTS MODEL YIELDED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ES IN THE SMALL TO MEDIUM RANGE (ES=-0.39, P<0.001, 95% CI [-0.57, -0.22]). THERE WERE NO APPRECIABLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTERVENTION TYPES, STUDY POPULATION, OUTCOME MEASURES, OR CONTROL CONDITION. THERE WAS, HOWEVER, A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT HIGHER ES FOR SAMPLE SIZE0.05). FATIGUE SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESENT DATA PROVIDED LITTLE INDICATION OF HOW EFFECTIVE YOGA MIGHT BE WHEN THEY WERE APPLIED BY WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER EXCEPT FOR MILDLY EFFECTIVE IN QOL IMPROVEMENT. THE FINDINGS WERE BASED ON A SMALL BODY OF EVIDENCE IN WHICH METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY WAS NOT HIGH. FURTHER WELL-DESIGNED RCTS WITH LARGE SAMPLE SIZE ARE NEEDED TO CLARIFY THE UTILITY OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR THIS POPULATION. 2012 12 1043 33 EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE: A META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND. RESEARCHERS AIMED AT SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWING AND META-ANALYZING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR FATIGUE. METHODS. PUBMED/MEDLINE WAS SEARCHED UNTIL JANUARY 2012 FOR CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDIES. TWO REVIEWERS INDEPENDENTLY EXTRACTED THE DATA. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE STUDIES WAS ASSESSED. A META-ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED. RESULTS. NINETEEN CLINICAL STUDIES (TOTAL N = 948) WERE INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. INVESTIGATED YOGA STYLES INCLUDED HATHA, IYENGAR, ASANAS, PATANJALI, SAHAJA, AND TIBETAN YOGA. PARTICIPANTS WERE SUFFERING FROM CANCER, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, DIALYSIS, CHRONIC PANCREATITIS, FIBROMYALGIA, ASTHMA, OR WERE HEALTHY. YOGA HAD A SMALL POSITIVE EFFECT ON FATIGUE (SMD = 0.27, 59% CI = 0.23-0.31). SEVEN STUDIES RECEIVED 4 POINTS ON THE JADAD SCORE. THERE WERE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN AT LEAST 5 STUDIES. CONCLUSION. OVERALL, THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON FATIGUE WERE ONLY SMALL, PARTICULARLY IN CANCER PATIENTS. ALTHOUGH YOGA IS GENERALLY A SAFE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION AND EFFECTIVE TO ATTENUATE OTHER HEALTH-RELATED SYMPTOMS, THIS META-ANALYSIS WAS NOT ABLE TO DEFINE THE POWERFUL EFFECT OF YOGA ON PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM FATIGUE. TREATMENT EFFECTS OF YOGA COULD BE IMPROVED IN WELL-DESIGNED FUTURE STUDIES. ACCORDING TO THE GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS ASSESSING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF EVIDENCE, THERE IS A MODERATE EFFECT OF THE CONFIDENCE PLACED IN THE ESTIMATES OF THE EFFECTS DISCUSSED HERE. 2012 13 2683 37 YOGA IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. ALTHOUGH INDIVIDUALS WITH THESE CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO BENEFIT FROM YOGA, ITS EFFECTIVENESS REMAINS UNCLEAR. OBJECTIVE: TO PERFORM A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE CAPACITY, HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL), AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE AND DESCRIBE THE STRUCTURE AND DELIVERY OF PROGRAMS. RESEARCH DESIGN: WE PERFORMED A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS EXAMINING YOGA PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEART DISEASE, STROKE, AND COPD COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. QUALITY WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. META-ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED USING REVIEW MANAGER 5.3. THE PROTOCOL WAS REGISTERED ON PROSPERO (CRD42014014589). RESULTS: TEN STUDIES (431 INDIVIDUALS, MEAN AGE 56+/-8 Y) WERE INCLUDED AND WERE COMPARABLE IN THEIR DESIGN AND COMPONENTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE CHRONIC DISEASE. THE STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE FOR THE MEAN CHANGE IN EXERCISE CAPACITY WAS 2.69 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, 1.39-3.99) AND FOR HRQL IT WAS 1.24 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, -0.37 TO 2.85). SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY WERE REDUCED AFTER YOGA IN INDIVIDUALS WITH STROKE, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS NOT OBSERVED IN INDIVIDUALS WITH COPD. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION VARIED ACROSS STUDIES WITH NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PROGRAMS HAVE SIMILAR DESIGNS AND COMPONENTS ACROSS CHRONIC DISEASE POPULATIONS. COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE, YOGA RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN EXERCISE CAPACITY AND A MEAN IMPROVEMENT IN HRQL. YOGA PROGRAMS MAY BE A USEFUL ADJUNCT TO FORMAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. 2015 14 2539 37 YOGA FOR ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CONTROLLED TRIALS. A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS YOGIC PRACTICES MAY BENEFIT ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES (DM2). IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, WE EVALUATE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE FROM PROSPECTIVE CONTROLLED TRIALS REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED PROGRAMS ON SPECIFIC HEALTH OUTCOMES PERTINENT TO DM2 MANAGEMENT. TO IDENTIFY QUALIFYING STUDIES, WE SEARCHED NINE DATABASES AND SCANNED BIBLIOGRAPHIES OF RELEVANT REVIEW PAPERS AND ALL IDENTIFIED ARTICLES. CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT DID NOT TARGET ADULTS WITH DIABETES, INCLUDED ONLY ADULTS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES, WERE UNDER TWO-WEEK DURATION, OR DID NOT INCLUDE QUANTITATIVE OUTCOME DATA WERE EXCLUDED. STUDY QUALITY WAS EVALUATED USING THE PEDRO SCALE. THIRTY-THREE PAPERS REPORTING FINDINGS FROM 25 CONTROLLED TRIALS (13 NONRANDOMIZED, 12 RANDOMIZED) MET OUR INCLUSION CRITERIA (N = 2170 PARTICIPANTS). COLLECTIVELY, FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGIC PRACTICES MAY PROMOTE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SEVERAL INDICES OF IMPORTANCE IN DM2 MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING GLYCEMIC CONTROL, LIPID LEVELS, AND BODY COMPOSITION. MORE LIMITED DATA SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY ALSO LOWER OXIDATIVE STRESS AND BLOOD PRESSURE; ENHANCE PULMONARY AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, MOOD, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE; AND REDUCE MEDICATION USE IN ADULTS WITH DM2. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING STUDIES, ADDITIONAL HIGH-QUALITY INVESTIGATIONS ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM AND FURTHER ELUCIDATE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA PROGRAMS IN POPULATIONS WITH DM2. 2016 15 2187 37 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FACING AN EPIDEMIC OF MENTAL DISTRESS AMONG THEIR STUDENTS. THE PROBLEM IS TRULY A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AFFECTING MANY AND WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE-AGENDA CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS WITH LASTING EFFECTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG ADULTS. IN THIS STUDY WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA, A POPULAR AND WIDELY AVAILABLE MIND-BODY PRACTICE, CAN IMPROVE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH 202 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE OSLO AREA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP IN A 1:1 RATIO BY A SIMPLE ONLINE RANDOMISATION PROGRAM. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED 24 YOGA SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE), WEEK 12 (POST-INTERVENTION), AND WEEK 24 (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ASSESSED BY THE HSCL-25 QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BASED ON THE INTENTION TO TREAT-PRINCIPLE. RESULTS: BETWEEN 24 JANUARY 2017, AND 27 AUGUST 2017, WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 202 STUDENTS TO A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 100), OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 102). COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DISTRESS SYMPTOMS BOTH AT POST-INTERVENTION (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.15, 95% CI -0.26 TO -0.03, P = 0.0110) AND FOLLOW-UP (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.18, 95% CI -0.29 TO -0.06, P = 0.0025). SLEEP QUALITY ALSO IMPROVED AT POST-INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A MODERATELY LARGE AND LASTING EFFECT, AT LEAST FOR SOME MONTHS, REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AND IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG STUDENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD SEEK WAYS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECT, ASSESS AN EVEN LONGER FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, INCLUDE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, AND CONSIDER PERFORMING SIMILAR STUDIES IN OTHER CULTURAL SETTINGS.TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04258540. 2020 16 2647 33 YOGA HAS A SOLID EFFECT ON CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER: A META-ANALYSIS. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: EIGHT DATABASES (COCHRANE LIBRARY, PUBMED, OVID-MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE, CBM, WANFANG, VIP, AND CNKI) WERE SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWED FROM INCEPTION TO JANUARY 2019 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS). TWO REVIEWERS CRITICALLY AND INDEPENDENTLY ASSESSED THE RISK OF BIAS USING COCHRANE COLLABORATION CRITERIA AND EXTRACTED CORRELATED DATA USING THE DESIGNED FORM. ALL ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED WITH REVIEW MANAGER 5.3. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 17 QUALIFIED STUDIES THAT INCLUDED 2183 PATIENTS (YOGA: 1112, CONTROL: 1071) WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS. YOGA HAD A LARGE EFFECT ON FATIGUE IN POST-TREATMENT BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AND HAD A SMALL EFFECT ON INTRA-TREATMENT PATIENTS. THE META-ANALYSIS ALSO INDICATED THAT SUPERVISED YOGA CLASS HAD A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON CRF; THE SIX-WEEK PROGRAM HAD A MODERATE BENEFICIAL EFFECT WHILE THE 60/90 MIN/SESSION SUPERVISED YOGA CLASS AND THE EIGHT-WEEK PROGRAM DEMONSTRATED A LARGE EFFECT ON FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. YOGA COULD MARKEDLY MITIGATE THE PHYSICAL FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS, HAD A MEDIUM IMPACT ON COGNITIVE FATIGUE, AND MANIFESTED A SMALL EFFECT ON MENTAL FATIGUE. EIGHT STUDIES REPORTED THE ADVERSE EVENTS, WHEREAS TEN STUDIES DID NOT. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY FOR RELIEVING FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED TREATMENT OR ARE UNDERGOING ANTI-CANCER TREATMENT. 2019 17 1108 29 EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED COGNITIVE DECLINE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: TO SUMMARIZE AND EVALUATE EVIDENCE AVAILABLE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED COGNITIVE DECLINE (CACD). RECENT FINDINGS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED USING FOUR DATABASES OF ARTICLES PUBLISHED BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2020. TEN ARTICLES MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA (SIX RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS, TWO SINGLE-ARM STUDIES, ONE NON-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, AND ONE CASE SERIES STUDY). STUDIES WERE PREDOMINANTLY CONDUCTED WITH BREAST CANCER PATIENTS USING LOW-INTENSITY HATHA YOGA PROGRAMS. OF THE 10 ARTICLES, FIVE REPORTED SOME POSITIVE EFFECTS ON CACD, BUT SIGNIFICANT BIASES WERE POSSIBLE DUE TO DESIGN SHORTCOMINGS. COHEN'S D EFFECT SIZES RANGED FROM |0.03| TO |0.74|. THE EVIDENCE TO DATE IS INSUFFICIENT TO SUGGEST THAT YOGA IS BENEFICIAL FOR ATTENUATING CACD. MORE RIGOROUS TRIALS CONTROLLING FOR NON-SPECIFIC FACTORS ARE WARRANTED. THE FIELD WOULD ALSO BENEFIT FROM EXAMINING SELF-DELIVERED MODES OF YOGA FOR TREATING CACD IN VARIOUS CANCER POPULATIONS TO ENHANCE PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY AND GENERALIZABILITY. 2020 18 919 37 EFFECTIVENESS OF WORKPLACE YOGA INTERVENTIONS TO REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS IN EMPLOYEES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. WORK-RELATED STRESS REPRESENTS A RELEVANT PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AND SOLUTION STRATEGIES ARE MANDATORY. YOGA IS A COMMON APPROACH TO MANAGE STRESS AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY CONFIRMED. THEREFORE, THIS STUDY AIMS SYSTEMATICALLY TO REVIEW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS CARRIED OUT AT WORKPLACE ON WORK-RELATED STRESS AMONG EMPLOYEES AND TO ASSESS THEIR IMPACT QUANTITATIVELY. SPRINGERLINK, MEDLINE, PUBMED, CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE CENTRAL AND PEDRO DATABASES WERE SEARCHED. CLINICAL TRIALS COMPARING WORKPLACE YOGA INTERVENTIONS TO CONTROL GROUPS, AND EVALUATING PERCEIVED STRESS AS OUTCOME MEASURE, WERE ASSESSED FOR ELIGIBILITY. ALL FORMS AND STYLES OF YOGA WERE CONSIDERED FOR THE ANALYSIS. OUT OF 3392 INITIALLY IDENTIFIED, 6 STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS; 266 PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING YOGA INTERVENTIONS AT WORKSITE WERE COMPARED TO 221 SUBJECTS IN CONTROL GROUP. INCLUDED STUDIES SHOWED "SOME CONCERNS" ABOUT DIFFERENT DOMAINS OF SOURCE OF BIAS. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS SHOWED AN OVERALL EFFECT SIZE OF -0.67 [95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI): -0.86, -0.49] IN FAVOR OF YOGA INTERVENTION IN REDUCING STRESS OUTCOME MEASURES. HENCE, WORKPLACE YOGA INTERVENTIONS WERE MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT IN WORK-RELATED STRESS MANAGEMENT. FURTHER HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO IMPROVE THE VALIDITY OF THESE RESULTS AND TO SPECIFY MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION, SUCH AS STYLE, VOLUME, AND FREQUENCY. 2020 19 2365 26 WALKING IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN YOGA AT REDUCING SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN CANCER PATIENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. THIS REVIEW AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER WALKING IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN YOGA AT IMPROVING SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN CANCER PATIENTS. A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WAS PERFORMED IN THE PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, COCHRANE LIBRARY, CNKI, AIRITI LIBRARY, AND OTHER HEALTH-RELATED DATABASES. TWENTY-FIVE STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED WITH A TOTAL OF 1918 PARTICIPANTS. THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX WAS THE MOST COMMONLY USED OUTCOME MEASUREMENT TOOL, AND MODERATE-INTENSITY WALKING WAS THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED INTERVENTION. THE MAJORITY OF THE INCLUDED SUBJECTS WERE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. OVERALL, WALKING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED SLEEP DISTURBANCE COMPARED TO YOGA (P = 0.01). STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT MODERATORS INCLUDED ADHERENCE RATE FOR WALKING (P < 0.001) AND ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT AND OUTCOME MEASUREMENT TOOL FOR YOGA (P = 0.04; P = 0.03). WE CONCLUDED THAT WALKING IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN YOGA IN IMPROVING SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN CANCER PATIENTS. THUS, MODERATE-INTENSITY WALKING IS RECOMMENDED FOR CANCER PATIENTS WITH SLEEP DISTURBANCE. 2019 20 1084 37 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THIS ARTICLE REPORTS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED TO IDENTIFY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND CLINICAL CONTROLLED TRIALS (CCTS) THAT ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MANAGEMENT IN HEALTHY ADULTS. SELECTED STUDIES WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THE TYPES OF INTERVENTION, DURATION, OUTCOME MEASURES, AND RESULTS. THEY WERE ALSO QUALITATIVELY ASSESSED BASED ON PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. RESULTS: THE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WAS BASED ON EIGHT RCTS AND CCTS THAT INDICATED A POSITIVE EFFECT OF YOGA IN REDUCING STRESS LEVELS OR STRESS SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE STUDIES HAD METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THAT THE INTERVENTION DURATION WAS SHORT AND LIMITED FOLLOW-UP DATA WAS AVAILABLE. CONCLUSION: THIS REVIEW REVEALED POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS REDUCTION IN HEALTHY ADULT POPULATIONS. HOWEVER, THE RESULT SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF STUDIES AND THE ASSOCIATED METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS. FURTHER STUDIES TO ASCERTAIN YOGA'S LONG-TERM EFFECTS AND THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS LEADING TO ITS STRESS REDUCTION EFFECT SHOULD BE CONDUCTED. 2011