1 2471 145 YOGA AS A TREATMENT FOR VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY IS BEING USED FOR VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (VVS). HOWEVER, THERE IS NO SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE. WE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO THE STANDARD THERAPY ON PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. METHODS: ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHED TO COLLECT STUDIES ASSESSING THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ALONG WITH GUIDELINE-DIRECTED TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. THE OUTCOMES WERE THE NUMBER OF VVS ATTACKS AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) ASSESSMENT BY SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE (SFSQ) SCORES AT 12 MONTHS. WE USED THE MANTEL- HAENSZEL RANDOM-EFFECTS MODEL TO CALCULATE THE MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI). WE USED THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION RISK OF BIAS TOOL AND NEWCASTLE-OTTAWA SCALE FOR RISK OF BIAS ASSESSMENT. RESULTS: FOUR STUDIES WERE INCLUDED, TWO RCTS AND TWO OBSERVATIONAL STUDIES. THE TOTAL OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 309, WITH A MEAN AGE OF 36.4 +/- 13.5 YEARS. THE MALE PARTICIPANTS REPRESENTED 141 (45.6%) BEING MALES. THE BASELINE SYNCOPE BURDEN WAS 3.5 +/- 2.38 EPISODES OVER 15.6 +/- 12.8 MONTHS. YOGA THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF EPISODES OF SYNCOPE AND PRESYNCOPE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (MD -1.86; 95% CI -3.30, -0.43; P = 0.01). NEVERTHELESS, YOGA THERAPY DID NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE QOL ASSESSED BY SFSQ SCORES (MD -30.69; 95% CI -62.22,0.83; P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY IS A USEFUL LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION THAT CAN REDUCE THE FREQUENCY OF SYNCOPE AND PRESYNCOPE AMONG PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. HOWEVER, HIGHER-QUALITY RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM OUR RESULTS. 2022 2 816 58 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (LIVE-YOGA). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY AIMS TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD THERAPY VERSUS STANDARD THERAPY ALONE ON THE SYMPTOMATIC BURDEN IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (VVS). BACKGROUND: THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. EXISTING MANAGEMENT THERAPIES HAVE BEEN LARGELY INEFFECTIVE. RECENT TRIALS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA IN DISEASES WITH AUTONOMIC IMBALANCE, SUGGESTING ITS POSSIBLE UTILITY IN VVS. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE EITHER A SPECIALIZED YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM IN ADDITION TO CURRENT GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY (INTERVENTION ARM, GROUP 1) OR CURRENT GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY ALONE (CONTROL ARM, GROUP 2). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A COMPOSITE OF THE NUMBER OF EPISODES OF SYNCOPE AND PRESYNCOPE AT 12 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED QOL ASSESSMENT BY WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE BRIEF FIELD QUESTIONNAIRE (WHOQOL-BREF) SCORES AND SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AT 12 MONTHS, HEAD UP TILT TEST, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY AT 6 WEEKS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 55 PATIENTS UNDERWENT RANDOMIZATION. THE MEAN NUMBER OF SYNCOPAL OR PRESYNCOPAL EVENTS AT 12 MONTHS WAS 0.7 +/- 0.7 IN THE INTERVENTION ARM COMPARED TO 2.52 +/- 1.93 IN THE CONTROL ARM (P < 0.01). IN THE INTERVENTION ARM, 13 (43.3%) PATIENTS REMAINED FREE OF EVENTS VERSUS 4 (16.0%) PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL ARM (P = 0.02). QOL AT 12 MONTHS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF ALL SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AND 2 DOMAINS OF WHOQOL-BREF SCORES (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA AS ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY IS SUPERIOR TO STANDARD THERAPY ALONE IN REDUCING THE SYMPTOMATIC BURDEN AND IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS. 2022 3 1923 46 ROLE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH NEUROCARDIOGENIC SYNCOPE: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: NEUROCARDIOGENIC SYNCOPE (NCS) IS A COMMON CLINICAL CONDITION CHARACTERIZED BY ABRUPT CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC CHANGES RESULTING IN SYNCOPE. THIS IS A RECURRING CONDITION WITH MIXED RESULTS FROM CURRENT STRATEGIES OF TREATMENT. METHODS: SUBJECTS WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF NCS WERE SCREENED AND ENROLLED. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE GIVEN A DVD CONTAINING YOGA VIDEOS AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE YOGA THERAPY FOR 60 MIN, THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE MONTHS. SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL STATUS QUESTIONNAIRE SCORE (SFSQS) WAS ADMINISTERED AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF THE STUDY. THE SUBJECTS WERE FOLLOWED FOR 3 MONTHS AND UNDERWENT REPEAT TILT TABLE TESTING AT THE END OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: OF THE 60 PATIENTS SCREENED, 44 SUBJECTS WERE ENROLLED, 21 IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP AND 23 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. MOST OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALES, AND THE MEAN AGE WAS 21 +/- 3 YEARS. IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP, WHO FINISHED THE YOGA REGIMEN, THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT FROM CONTROL PHASE TO THE INTERVENTION PHASE, IN NUMBER OF EPISODES OF SYNCOPE (4 +/- 1 VS 1.3 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001) AND PRESYNCOPE (4.7 +/- 1.5 VS 1.5 +/- 0.5, P < 0.001). THE MEAN SFSQS ALSO DECREASED FROM 67 +/- 7.8 TO 29.8 +/- 4.6 (P < 0.001). ALL SUBJECTS HAD POSITIVE HEAD UP TILT TABLE (HUTT) STUDY AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT COMPARED TO ONLY SIX PATIENTS AT THE COMPLETION OF INTERVENTION PHASE (10/100 VS 6/28 %, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY CAN POTENTIALLY IMPROVE THE SYMPTOMS OF PRESYNCOPE AND SYNCOPE IN YOUNG FEMALE PATIENTS WITH NCS. 2015 4 190 47 A RANDOMIZED STUDY OF YOGA THERAPY FOR THE PREVENTION OF RECURRENT REFLEX VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE. AIMS: VASOVAGAL SYNCOPE (VVS) IS A COMMON CARDIOVASCULAR DYSAUTONOMIC DISORDER THAT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMICS. THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA THERAPY ON THE RECURRENCE OF VVS AND QOL. METHODS AND RESULTS: WE RANDOMIZED SUBJECTS WITH RECURRENT REFLEX VVS (>3 EPISODES IN THE PAST 1 YEAR) AND POSITIVE HEAD-UP TILT TEST TO GUIDELINE-DIRECTED THERAPY (GROUP 1) OR YOGA THERAPY (GROUP 2). PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 WERE ADVISED GUIDELINE-DIRECTED TREATMENT AND GROUP 2 WAS TAUGHT YOGA BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS VVS RECURRENCES AND QOL. BETWEEN JUNE 2015 AND FEBRUARY 2017, 97 HIGHLY SYMPTOMATIC VVS PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED (GROUP 1: 47 AND GROUP 2: 50). THE MEAN AGE WAS 33.1 +/- 16.6 YEARS, MALE:FEMALE OF 40:57, SYMPTOM DURATION OF 17.1 +/- 20.7 MONTHS, WITH A MEAN OF 6.4 +/- 6.1 SYNCOPE EPISODES. OVER A FOLLOW-UP OF 14.3 +/- 2.1 MONTHS GROUP 2 HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER SYNCOPE BURDEN COMPARED WITH GROUP 1 AT 3 (0.8 +/- 0.9 VS. 1.8 +/- 1.4, P < 0.001), 6 (1.0 +/- 1.2 VS. 3.4 +/- 3.0, P < 0.001), AND AT 12 MONTHS (1.1 +/- 0.8 VS. 3.8 +/- 3.2, P < 0.001). THE SYNCOPE FUNCTIONAL SCORE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN GROUP 2 COMPARED WITH GROUP 1 AT 3 (31.4 +/- 7.2 VS. 64.1 +/- 11.5, P < 0.001), 6 (26.4 +/- 6.3 VS. 61.4 +/- 10.7, P < 0.001), AND 12 MONTHS (22.2 +/- 4.7 VS. 68.3 +/- 11.4, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: FOR PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT VVS, GUIDED YOGA THERAPY IS SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY IN REDUCING SYMPTOM BURDEN AND IMPROVING QOL. 2021 5 221 54 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS WAS TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE AND THE STRENGTH OF RECOMMENDATION FOR YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC MEANS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PREHYPERTENSION AND HYPERTENSION. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH FEBRUARY 2014 FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS (>/=8 WEEKS) COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE OR ANY ACTIVE CONTROL INTERVENTION ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH PREHYPERTENSION (120-139/80-89 MM HG) OR HYPERTENSION (>/=140/>/=90 MM HG). RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL; QUALITY OF EVIDENCE WAS ASSESSED ACCORDING TO THE GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 452 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE, VERY LOW-QUALITY EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYSTOLIC (6 RCTS, N = 278; MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) = -9.65 MM HG, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) = -17.23 TO -2.06, P = 0.01; HETEROGENEITY: I (2) = 90%, CHI(2) = 48.21, P < 0.01) AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE (6 RCTS, N = 278; MD = -7.22 MM HG, 95% CI = -12.83 TO -1.62, P = 0.01; HETEROGENEITY: I (2) = 92%, CHI(2) = 64.84, P < 0.01). SUBGROUP ANALYSES REVEALED EFFECTS FOR RCTS THAT INCLUDED HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS BUT NOT FOR RCTS THAT INCLUDED BOTH HYPERTENSIVE AND PREHYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS, AS WELL AS FOR RCTS THAT ALLOWED ANTIHYPERTENSIVE COMEDICATION BUT NOT FOR THOSE THAT DID NOT. MORE ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED DURING YOGA THAN DURING USUAL CARE. COMPARED WITH EXERCISE, NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYSTOLIC OR DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. CONCLUSIONS: LARGER STUDIES ARE REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THE EMERGING BUT LOW-QUALITY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL ADJUNCT INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION. 2014 6 1065 54 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: COMPLICATIONS OF BREAST CANCER TREATMENT CAN CAUSE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL DISTRESS IN PATIENTS. YOGA DEMONSTRATES SUBSTANTIAL POTENTIAL AS A SUPPORTIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. OUR AIM IS TO CONDUCT A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA IN ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OF PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: WE SEARCHED FOR STUDIES PUBLISHED BEFORE MARCH 2020 IN THE PUBMED, EMBASE, AND COCHRANE LIBRARY DATABASES. INDIVIDUAL EFFECT SIZES WERE STANDARDIZED, AND THE POOLED EFFECT SIZE WAS CALCULATED USING A RANDOM EFFECT MODEL. MEASURED OUTCOMES INCLUDED QOL, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, STRESS, FATIGUE, PAIN SEVERITY, AND SLEEP QUALITY. RESULTS: IN TOTAL, 26 TRIALS INVOLVING 2069 PATIENTS WERE REVIEWED. SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT IN QOL WAS OBSERVED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION. THE POOLED MEAN DIFFERENCES IN SOCIAL (WEIGHTED MEAN DIFFERENCE [WMD]: 1.36, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] 0.12-2.61), EMOTIONAL (WMD: 1.46, 95% CI 0.26-2.66), AND FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING (WMD: 2.04, 95% CI 0.21-3.87) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. PATIENTS PRACTICING YOGA EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, MENTAL WELL-BEING, AND SLEEP QUALITY AS WELL AS REDUCTIONS IN ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS, FATIGUE, AND PAIN SEVERITY AFTER THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY ENHANCE QOL IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER EXPERIENCING POST-TREATMENT COMPLICATIONS. THEREFORE, WE RECOMMEND YOGA AS A SUPPORTIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER TO RELIEVE POST-TREATMENT DISTRESS. 2021 7 2365 36 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 8 231 47 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF YOGA FOR HEART DISEASE. BACKGROUND: THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AIMED TO EVALUATE THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE AND THE STRENGTH OF RECOMMENDATION FOR YOGA AS AN ANCILLARY INTERVENTION FOR HEART DISEASE. METHODS: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND INDMED WERE SEARCHED UP TO OCTOBER 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE MORTALITY, NONFATAL CARDIAC EVENTS, EXERCISE CAPACITY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND MODIFIABLE CARDIAC RISK FACTORS. RISK OF BIAS, QUALITY OF EVIDENCE, AND THE STRENGTH OF THE RECOMMENDATION FOR OR AGAINST YOGA WERE ASSESSED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION AND GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS WITH 624 PATIENTS COMPARING YOGA TO USUAL CARE WERE INCLUDED. FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE (FOUR RCTS), THERE WAS VERY LOW EVIDENCE FOR NO EFFECT ON MORTALITY, FOR A REDUCED NUMBER OF ANGINA EPISODES, AND FOR INCREASED EXERCISE CAPACITY, AND LOW EVIDENCE FOR REDUCED MODIFIABLE CARDIAC RISK FACTORS. FOR HEART FAILURE (TWO RCTS), THERE WAS VERY LOW EVIDENCE FOR NO EFFECT ON MORTALITY, AND LOW EVIDENCE FOR INCREASED EXERCISE CAPACITY, AND FOR NO EFFECT ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. FOR CARDIAC DYSRHYTHMIAS TREATED WITH IMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER-DEFIBRILLATOR (ONE RCT), THERE WAS VERY LOW EVIDENCE FOR NO EFFECT ON MORTALITY, AND FOR IMPROVED QUALITY, AND LOW EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS ON NONFATAL DEVICE-TREATED VENTRICULAR EVENTS. THREE RCTS REPORTED SAFETY DATA AND REPORTED THAT NO ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED. CONCLUSIONS: BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THIS REVIEW, WEAK RECOMMENDATIONS CAN BE MADE FOR THE ANCILLARY USE OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE, HEART FAILURE, AND CARDIAC DYSRHYTHMIA AT THIS POINT. 2015 9 2271 54 THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS ON DISEASE SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND FUNCTION IN PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, AND CENTRAL (COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS) WERE SEARCHED THROUGH 6 JUNE 2019. REVIEW METHODS: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE, DYSPNEA, EXERCISE CAPACITY, AND PULMONARY FUNCTION (FEV1) IN PATIENTS WITH COPD WERE INCLUDED. SAFETY WAS DEFINED AS SECONDARY OUTCOME. MEAN DIFFERENCES (MD) AND STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES (SMD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) WERE COMPUTED. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE COCHRANE TOOL. RESULTS: ELEVEN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A TOTAL OF 586 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. META-ANALYSIS REVEALED EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT ON QUALITY OF LIFE ON THE COPD ASSESSMENT TEST (MD = 3.81; 95% CI = 0.97 TO 6.65; P = 0.009, I(2) = 70%), EXERCISE CAPACITY ASSESSED BY THE 6-MINUTE WALK TEST (MD = 25.53 M; 95% CI = 12.16 M TO 38.90 M; P = 0.001, I(2) = 0%), AND PULMONARY FUNCTION ASSESSED BY FEV1 PREDICTED (MD = 3.95%; 95% CI = 2.74% TO 5.17%; P < 0.001, I(2) = 0%). ONLY THE EFFECTS ON EXERCISE CAPACITY AND PULMONARY FUNCTION WERE ROBUST AGAINST METHODOLOGICAL BIAS. EFFECTS WERE ONLY PRESENT IN BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA INTERVENTIONS BUT NOT IN INTERVENTIONS INCLUDING YOGA POSTURES. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED INFREQUENTLY. CONCLUSION: THIS META-ANALYSIS FOUND ROBUST EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXERCISE CAPACITY AND PULMONARY FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH COPD. YOGA, SPECIFICALLY YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES, CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCT INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH COPD. YOGA'S SAFETY NEEDS TO BE ASSESSED IN MORE DEPTH IN FUTURE STUDIES. 2019 10 2144 41 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 11 2098 46 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 12 2566 49 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 13 1043 44 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 14 1077 52 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGIC FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS META-ANALYSIS WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGIC FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. DESIGN: A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF PUBMED, EMBASE, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, THE CHINESE BIOMEDICAL LITERATURE DATABASE, AND THE CHINESE DIGITAL JOURNALS FULL-TEXT DATABASE WAS CARRIED OUT. RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCTS) EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA, VERSUS A CONTROL GROUP RECEIVING NO INTERVENTION, ON PSYCHOLOGIC FUNCTIONING AND QOL IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER WERE INCLUDED. METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF INCLUDED RCTS WAS ASSESSED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE HANDBOOK FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS OF INTERVENTIONS 5.0.1, AND DATA WERE ANALYZED USING THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'S REVIEW MANAGER 5.1. RESULTS: SIX (6) STUDIES INVOLVING 382 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. THE META-ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE QOL FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT FAVORING YOGA FOR THE OUTCOME OF QOL WAS FOUND (STANDARD MEAN DIFFERENCE=0.27, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [0.02, 0.52], P=0.03). ALTHOUGH THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PSYCHOLOGIC FUNCTION OUTCOMES--SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, DISTRESS AND SLEEP--WERE IN THE EXPECTED DIRECTION, THESE EFFECTS WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P>0.05). 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 15 1124 46 EFFICACY OF PRENATAL YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DURING PREGNANCY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. WOMEN COMMONLY SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY. FOR REDUCING DEPRESSION, YOGA SEEMS TO BE MORE SUITABLE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN THAN OTHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES BECAUSE OF ITS LOW EXERCISE INTENSITY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF PRENATAL YOGA ON THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION DURING PREGNANCY. THREE ELECTRONIC DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR RELEVANT ARTICLES FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO MAY 2021, INCLUDING PUBMED, COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND SCIENCEDIRECT. PRE- AND POST-TEST OUTCOMES WERE ADOPTED TO ESTIMATE STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCE WITH A 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL FOR ASSESSING THE EFFICACY OF YOGA. HETEROGENEITY AMONG ARTICLES WAS DETECTED USING I(2) VALUE. A TOTAL OF 13 ARTICLES THAT CONTAINED 379 SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED FOR META-ANALYSIS. NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION SCORES AFTER PRACTICING YOGA WAS OBSERVED FOR WOMEN WITHOUT DEPRESSION (P = 0.09) BUT SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WAS OBSERVED FOR WOMEN WITH DEPRESSION (P = 0.001). ALTHOUGH SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ANXIETY SCORES AFTER YOGA WAS OBSERVED FOR WOMEN WITHOUT DEPRESSION (P = 0.02), THE RESULTS OF THE SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS WERE NOT CONSISTENT, WHILE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ANXIETY SCORES AFTER YOGA WAS ALSO OBSERVED FOR WOMEN WITH DEPRESSION (P < 0.00001). THE CURRENT EVIDENCE HAS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY SCORES IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, THE LEVEL OF EVIDENCE OF THIS STUDY WAS NOT HIGH. MORE ARTICLES WITH HIGH LEVELS OF EVIDENCE SHOULD BE CONDUCTED TO CONFIRM OUR CONCLUSION IN THE FUTURE. 2022 16 2104 59 THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS AMONG PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: THERE IS A NEED FOR A TYPE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT COULD ADDRESS THE CHALLENGING CYCLE OF PHYSICAL INACTIVITY, IMPAIRED HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS, AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM) CONDITIONS. YOGA COULD BE ONE TYPE OF EXERCISE TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS TO ADHERE TO REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS, INCLUDING CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, MUSCLE STRENGTH, BODY COMPOSITION, BALANCE, AND FLEXIBILITY, AMONG PATIENTS WITH T2DM. METHODS: WE SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHED FOUR DATABASES AND TWO REGISTRIES (PUBMED, SCOPUS, COCHRANE, EMBASE, WHO-ITCRP, AND CLINICALTRIALS.GOV) IN SEPTEMBER 2021, FOLLOWING A REGISTERED PROTOCOL ON PROSPERO (CRD42022276225). STUDY INCLUSION CRITERIA WERE T2DM PATIENTS WITH OR WITHOUT COMPLICATION, YOGA INTERVENTION AS A SINGLE COMPONENT OR AS A COMPLEMENT COMPARED TO OTHER KINDS OF EXERCISE OR AN INACTIVE CONTROL, HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS, AND A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL OR QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL WITH CONTROL GROUP DESIGN. THE ROBINS-I TOOL AND ROB 2.0 TOOL WERE USED TO ASSESS THE RISK OF BIAS IN THE INCLUDED STUDIES. A VOTE-COUNTING ANALYSIS AND META-ANALYSIS COMPUTED USING RANDOM EFFECTS' MODELS WERE CONDUCTED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 10 RECORDS FROM 3 QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL AND 7 RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH 815 PARTICIPANTS IN TOTAL WERE INCLUDED. THE META-ANALYSIS FAVORED YOGA GROUPS COMPARED TO INACTIVE CONTROLS IN IMPROVING MUSCLE STRENGTH BY 3.42 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 2.42 TO 4.43), REPETITIONS OF CHAIR STAND TEST, AND IMPROVING CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS BY 6.6% (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 0.4 TO 12.8) IMPROVEMENT OF BASELINE FORCED VITAL CAPACITY. THE QUALITY OF EVIDENCE FOR BOTH OUTCOMES WAS LOW. CONCLUSION: LOW-QUALITY EVIDENCE FAVORED YOGA IN IMPROVING HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS, PARTICULARLY MUSCLE STRENGTH AND CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, AMONG PATIENTS WITH T2DM. FUNDING: ALL AUTHORS IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW RECEIVED NO SPECIFIC GRANT FROM ANY FUNDING AGENCY IN THE PUBLIC, COMMERCIAL, OR NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTORS. 2022 17 2683 47 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 18 2154 48 THE EFFECTS OF THAI YOGA ON PHYSICAL FITNESS: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS. OBJECTIVES: THAI YOGA IS A TRADITIONAL THAI EXERCISE USED FOR IMPROVING HEALTH-RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS. MANY STUDIES HAVE EVALUATED THESE EFFECTS, BUT THEIR RESULTS REMAIN INCONCLUSIVE. THIS META-ANALYSIS AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THAI YOGA ON PHYSICAL FITNESS. DESIGN/METHODS: PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, COCHRANE LIBRARY, THAI LIBRARY INTEGRATED SYSTEM (THAILIS), PHYSIOTHERAPY EVIDENCE DATABASE (PEDRO), NATIONAL REHABILITATION INFORMATION CENTER (REHABDATA), SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE, THAI UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DATABASES/JOURNALS, AND THAI PHYSICAL THERAPY DATABASE UP TO MARCH 2016 WERE SEARCHED FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) EXAMINING THE EFFECT OF THAI YOGA EXERCISE COMPARED WITH NORMAL DAILY ACTIVITIES AS CONTROLS, IN ANY LANGUAGE. THE WEIGHTED MEAN DIFFERENCE (WMD) AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (95% CI) WERE PERFORMED USING THE RANDOM-EFFECTS MODEL. RESULTS: SEVEN RCTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. THAI YOGA TRAINING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED BODY FLEXIBILITY BY 3.9 CM AFTER 4 WEEKS [95% CI = 3.9-4.0; P < 0.001: NO HETEROGENEITY CHI(2) = 0.66, D.F.2, P = 0.7; I(2) 0.00%] AND 8.9 CM AFTER 8 WEEKS [95% CI = 7.4-10.5; P < 0.001: NO HETEROGENEITY CHI(2) = 0.16, D.F.2, P = 0.9; I(2) 0.00%] COMPARED TO CONTROLS. IT ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED RANGE OF MOTION (ROM) OF RIGHT SHOULDER EXTENSION BY 1.5 DEGREES AT WEEK 8, COMPARED TO CONTROLS [95% CI = 0.12-2.81; P = 0.03; LOW HETEROGENEITY CHI(2) = 1.61, D.F.1, P = 0.2; I(2) 37.9%]. GREATER ROM FOR RIGHT SHOULDER ABDUCTION WAS OBSERVED AFTER 12 WEEKS COMPARED TO CONTROLS [22.2 DEGREES (95% CI = 20-24; P < 0.001): NO HETEROGENEITY CHI(2) = 0.29, D.F.1, P = 0.6; I(2) 0.00%]. CONCLUSIONS: THAI YOGA EXERCISES APPEARED USEFUL, IN PARTICULAR, ON BODY AND RIGHT SHOULDER JOINT FLEXIBILITY. REGULAR STRETCHING EXERCISE OF THAI YOGA AND/OR IN COMBINATION WITH EXERCISES COULD PROMOTE HEALTH-RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS. 2018 19 2110 60 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 20 2079 44 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