1 2620 357 YOGA FOR STROKE REHABILITATION. BACKGROUND: STROKE IS A MAJOR HEALTH ISSUE AND CAUSE OF LONG-TERM DISABILITY AND HAS A MAJOR EMOTIONAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACT. THERE IS A NEED TO EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR LONG-TERM SUSTAINABLE INTERVENTIONS THAT SUPPORT STROKE SURVIVORS TO ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES TO ADDRESS LIFE CHALLENGES AFTER STROKE. REHABILITATION FOCUSES ON RECOVERY OF FUNCTION AND COGNITION TO THE MAXIMUM LEVEL ACHIEVABLE, AND MAY INCLUDE A WIDE RANGE OF COMPLEMENTARY STRATEGIES INCLUDING YOGA.YOGA IS A MIND-BODY PRACTICE THAT ORIGINATED IN INDIA, AND WHICH HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY WIDESPREAD IN THE WESTERN WORLD. RECENT EVIDENCE HIGHLIGHTS THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR PEOPLE WITH A RANGE OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. A RECENT NON-COCHRANE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW CONCLUDED THAT YOGA CAN BE USED AS SELF-ADMINISTERED PRACTICE IN STROKE REHABILITATION. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, AS A STROKE REHABILITATION INTERVENTION, ON RECOVERY OF FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). SEARCH METHODS: WE SEARCHED THE COCHRANE STROKE GROUP TRIALS REGISTER (LAST SEARCHED JULY 2017), COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL) (LAST SEARCHED JULY 2017), MEDLINE (TO JULY 2017), EMBASE (TO JULY 2017), CINAHL (TO JULY 2017), AMED (TO JULY 2017), PSYCINFO (TO JULY 2017), LILACS (TO JULY 2017), SCIELO (TO JULY 2017), INDMED (TO JULY 2017), OTSEEKER (TO JULY 2017) AND PEDRO (TO JULY 2017). WE ALSO SEARCHED FOUR TRIALS REGISTERS, AND ONE CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS DATABASE. WE SCREENED REFERENCE LISTS OF RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS AND CONTACTED AUTHORS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. SELECTION CRITERIA: WE INCLUDED RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT COMPARED YOGA WITH A WAITING-LIST CONTROL OR NO INTERVENTION CONTROL IN STROKE SURVIVORS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: TWO REVIEW AUTHORS INDEPENDENTLY EXTRACTED DATA FROM THE INCLUDED STUDIES. WE PERFORMED ALL ANALYSES USING REVIEW MANAGER (REVMAN). ONE REVIEW AUTHOR ENTERED THE DATA INTO REVMAN; ANOTHER CHECKED THE ENTRIES. WE DISCUSSED DISAGREEMENTS WITH A THIRD REVIEW AUTHOR UNTIL CONSENSUS WAS REACHED. WE USED THE COCHRANE 'RISK OF BIAS' TOOL. WHERE WE CONSIDERED STUDIES TO BE SUFFICIENTLY SIMILAR, WE CONDUCTED A META-ANALYSIS BY POOLING THE APPROPRIATE DATA. FOR OUTCOMES FOR WHICH IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE OR IMPOSSIBLE TO POOL QUANTITATIVELY, WE CONDUCTED A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS AND PROVIDED A NARRATIVE SUMMARY. MAIN RESULTS: WE INCLUDED TWO RCTS INVOLVING 72 PARTICIPANTS. SIXTY-NINE PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN ONE META-ANALYSIS (BALANCE). BOTH TRIALS ASSESSED QOL, ALONG WITH SECONDARY OUTCOMES MEASURES RELATING TO MOVEMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES; ONE ALSO MEASURED DISABILITY.IN ONE STUDY THE STROKE IMPACT SCALE WAS USED TO MEASURE QOL ACROSS SIX DOMAINS, AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FIVE DOMAINS (PHYSICAL, EMOTION, COMMUNICATION, SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, STROKE RECOVERY) WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT; HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE MEMORY DOMAIN WAS SIGNIFICANT (MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) 15.30, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) 1.29 TO 29.31, P = 0.03), THE EVIDENCE FOR THIS FINDING WAS VERY LOW GRADE. IN THE SECOND STUDY, QOL WAS ASSESSED USING THE STROKE-SPECIFC QOL SCALE; NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND.SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED MOVEMENT, STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES, PAIN, AND DISABILITY.BALANCE WAS MEASURED IN BOTH STUDIES USING THE BERG BALANCE SCALE; THE EFFECT OF INTERVENTION WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT (MD 2.38, 95% CI -1.41 TO 6.17, P = 0.22). SENSITITIVY ANALYSIS DID NOT ALTER THE DIRECTION OF EFFECT. ONE STUDY MEASURED BALANCE SELF-EFFICACY, USING THE ACTIVITIES-SPECIFIC BALANCE CONFIDENCE SCALE (MD 10.60, 95% CI -7.08,= TO 28.28, P = 0.24); THE EFFECT OF INTERVENTION WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT; THE EVIDENCE FOR THIS FINDING WAS VERY LOW GRADE.ONE STUDY MEASURED GAIT USING THE COMFORTABLE SPEED GAIT TEST (MD 1.32, 95% CI -1.35 TO 3.99, P = 0.33), AND MOTOR FUNCTION USING THE MOTOR ASSESSMENT SCALE (MD -4.00, 95% CI -12.42 TO 4.42, P = 0.35); NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND BASED ON VERY LOW-GRADE EVIDENCE.ONE STUDY MEASURED DISABILITY USING THE MODIFIED RANKIN SCALE (MRS) BUT REPORTED ONLY WHETHER PARTICIPANTS WERE INDEPENDENT OR DEPENDENT. NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND: (ODDS RATIO (OR) 2.08, 95% CI 0.50 TO 8.60, P = 0.31); THE EVIDENCE FOR THIS FINDING WAS VERY LOW GRADE.ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION WERE MEASURED IN ONE STUDY. THREE MEASURES WERE USED: THE GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE-SHORT FORM (GCDS15), AND TWO FORMS OF STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI, FORM Y) TO MEASURE STATE ANXIETY (I.E. ANXIETY EXPERIENCED IN RESPONSE TO STRESSFUL SITUATIONS) AND TRAIT ANXIETY (I.E. ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS). NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND FOR DEPRESSION (GDS15, MD -2.10, 95% CI -4.70 TO 0.50, P = 0.11) OR FOR TRAIT ANXIETY (STAI-Y2, MD -6.70, 95% CI -15.35 TO 1.95, P = 0.13), BASED ON VERY LOW-GRADE EVIDENCE. HOWEVER, A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WAS FOUND FOR STATE ANXIETY: STAI-Y1 (MD -8.40, 95% CI -16.74 TO -0.06, P = 0.05); THE EVIDENCE FOR THIS FINDING WAS VERY LOW GRADE.NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED.QUALITY OF THE EVIDENCEWE ASSESSED THE QUALITY OF THE EVIDENCE USING GRADE. OVERALL, THE QUALITY OF THE EVIDENCE WAS VERY LOW, DUE TO THE SMALL NUMBER OF TRIALS INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW BOTH OF WHICH WERE JUDGED TO BE AT HIGH RISK OF BIAS, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO INCOMPLETENESS OF DATA AND SELECTIVE REPORTING, AND ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE REPRESENTATIVE NATURE OF THE SAMPLE IN ONE STUDY. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR BEING INCLUDED AS PART OF PATIENT-CENTRED STROKE REHABILITATION. HOWEVER, THIS REVIEW HAS IDENTIFIED INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO CONFIRM OR REFUTE THE EFFECTIVENESS OR SAFETY OF YOGA AS A STROKE REHABILITATION TREATMENT. FURTHER LARGE-SCALE METHODOLOGICALLY ROBUST TRIALS ARE REQUIRED TO ESTABLISH THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A STROKE REHABILITATION TREATMENT. 2017 2 2144 69 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 3 590 96 DETERMINING THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA IN CHRONIC STROKE CARE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: SURVIVORS OF STROKE HAVE LONG-TERM PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES THAT IMPACT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. FEW INTERVENTIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS. YOGA, A TYPE OF MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTION, IS SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PEOPLE WITH OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO ADDRESS MANY OF THE PROBLEMS REPORTED BY SURVIVORS OF STROKE. OBJECTIVES: TO DATE ONLY NARRATIVE REVIEWS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED. WE SOUGHT TO PERFORM, THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH META-ANALYSES OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT INVESTIGATED YOGA FOR ITS POTENTIAL BENEFIT FOR CHRONIC SURVIVORS OF STROKE. METHODS: OVID MEDLINE, CINHAL PLUS, AMED, PUBMED, PSYCHINFO, PEDRO, COCHRANE DATABASE, SPORT DISCUSS, AND GOOGLE SCHOLAR WERE SEARCHED FOR PAPERS PUBLISHED BETWEEN JANUARY 1950 AND AUGUST 2016. REFERENCE LISTS OF INCLUDED PAPERS, REVIEW ARTICLES AND OPENGREY FOR GREY LITERATURE WERE ALSO SEARCHED. WE USED A MODIFIED COCHRANE TOOL TO EVALUATE RISK OF BIAS. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF RCTS WAS ASSESSED USING THE GRADE APPROACH, RESULTS WERE COLLATED, AND RANDOM EFFECTS META-ANALYSES PERFORMED WHERE APPROPRIATE. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED FIVE ELIGIBLE PAPERS FROM FOUR RCTS WITH SMALL SAMPLE SIZES (N = 17-47). QUALITY OF RCTS WAS RATED AS LOW TO MODERATE. YOGA IS BENEFICIAL IN REDUCING STATE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND DEPRESSION IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCES FOR STATE ANXIETY 6.05, 95% CI:-0.02 TO 12.12; P = 0.05 AND STANDARDIZED MEAN DIFFERENCES FOR DEPRESSION: 0.50, 95% CI:-0.01 TO 1.02; P = 0.05). CONSISTENT BUT NONSIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE DEMONSTRATED FOR BALANCE, TRAIT ANXIETY, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR AMELIORATING SOME OF THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES OF STROKE. LARGE WELL-DESIGNED RCTS ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. 2017 4 1299 78 HATHA YOGA FOR ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. BACKGROUND: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO SYSTEMATICALLY INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HATHA YOGA IN TREATING ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. METHODS: MEDLINE, COCHRANE LIBRARY, CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS, CLINICAL TRIALS.GOV, NHR CENTRE FOR REVIEWS AND DISSEMINATION, PSYCINFO AND CINAHL WERE SEARCHED THROUGH JUNE 2018. RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH PATIENTS WITH MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS WERE INCLUDED. MAIN OUTCOMES WERE CONTINUOUS MEASURES OF SEVERITY OF MOOD AND ANXIETY SYMPTOMS. COHEN'S D WAS CALCULATED AS A MEASURE OF EFFECT SIZE. META-ANALYSES USING A RANDOM EFFECTS MODEL WAS APPLIED TO ESTIMATE DIRECT COMPARISONS BETWEEN YOGA AND CONTROL CONDITIONS FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OUTCOMES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED USING FUNNEL PLOTS. RESULTS: EIGHTEEN STUDIES WERE FOUND, FOURTEEN IN ACUTE PATIENTS AND FOUR IN CHRONIC PATIENTS. MOST STUDIES WERE OF LOW QUALITY. FOR DEPRESSION OUTCOMES, HATHA YOGA DID NOT SHOW A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WHEN COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL, AN OVERALL EFFECT SIZE OF COHEN'S D -0.64 (95% CI = -1.41, 0.13) OR TO ALL ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.13 (95% CI = -0.49, 0.22). A SUB-ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA HAD A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION COMPARED TO PSYCHOEDUCATION CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.52 (95% CI = -0.96, -0.08) BUT NOT TO OTHER ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D 0.28 (95% CI = -0.07, 0.63) FOR STUDIES USING A FOLLOW-UP OF SIX MONTHS OR MORE, HATHA YOGA HAD NO EFFECT ON THE REDUCTION OF DEPRESSION COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.14 (95% CI = -0.60, 0.33). REGARDING ANXIETY, HATHA YOGA HAD NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT WHEN COMPARED TO ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, COHEN'S D -0.09 (95% CI = -0.47, 0.30). THE I2 AND Q-STATISTIC REVEALED HETEROGENEITY AMONGST COMPARISONS. QUALITATIVE ANALYSES SUGGEST SOME PROMISE OF HATHA YOGA FOR CHRONIC POPULATIONS. CONCLUSIONS: THE ABILITY TO DRAW FIRM CONCLUSIONS IS LIMITED BY THE NOTABLE HETEROGENEITY AND LOW QUALITY OF MOST OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. WITH THIS CAVEAT IN MIND, THE RESULTS OF THE CURRENT META-ANALYSIS SUGGEST THAT HATHA YOGA DOES NOT HAVE EFFECTS ON ACUTE, CHRONIC AND/OR TREATMENT-RESISTANT MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS COMPARED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL OR ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. HOWEVER, WHEN COMPARED TO PSYCHOEDUCATION, HATHA YOGA SHOWED MORE REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSION. IT IS CLEAR THAT MORE HIGH-QUALITY STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO ADVANCE THE FIELD. 2018 5 2683 69 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 6 1057 61 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH MENTAL DISORDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS WHETHER PHYSICALLY ACTIVE YOGA IS SUPERIOR TO WAITLIST CONTROL, TREATMENT AS USUAL AND ATTENTION CONTROL IN ALLEVIATING DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH A DIAGNOSED MENTAL DISORDER RECOGNISED BY THE DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS (DSM). DESIGN: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS FOLLOWING THE PREFERRED REPORTING ITEMS FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS AND META-ANALYSES (PRISMA) GUIDELINES. DATA SOURCES: DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM ONLINE DATABASES (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PSYCHINFO, CENTRAL, EMCARE, PEDRO). THE SEARCH AND COLLECTION OF ELIGIBLE STUDIES WAS CONDUCTED UP TO 14 MAY 2019 (PROSPERO REGISTRATION NO CRD42018090441). ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: WE INCLUDED RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS WITH A YOGA INTERVENTION COMPRISING >/=50% PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN ADULTS WITH A RECOGNISED DIAGNOSED MENTAL DISORDER ACCORDING TO DSM-3, 4 OR 5. RESULTS: 19 STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW (1080 PARTICIPANTS) AND 13 STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IN THE META-ANALYSIS (632 PARTICIPANTS). DISORDERS OF DEPRESSION, POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS, SCHIZOPHRENIA, ANXIETY, ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND BIPOLAR WERE INCLUDED. YOGA SHOWED GREATER REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS THAN WAITLIST, TREATMENT AS USUAL AND ATTENTION CONTROL (STANDARDISED MEAN DIFFERENCE=0.41; 95% CI -0.65 TO -0.17; P<0.001). GREATER REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER FREQUENCY OF YOGA SESSIONS PER WEEK (BETA=-0.44, P<0.01). 2021 7 1109 81 EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: THE WORLD'S ELDERLY POPULATION IS GROWING. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON HEALTH AND COGNITION, BUT IS DECREASING AMONG THE ELDERLY. INTEREST IN YOGA-BASED EXERCISES HAS INCREASED IN THIS POPULATION, ESPECIALLY AS AN INTERVENTION TARGETING BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND WELL-BEING. RECENT INTEREST HAS ARISEN REGARDING YOGA'S POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR COGNITION. OBJECTIVE: TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN HEALTHY ADULTS AGED >/=60. A SECONDARY AIM WAS TO DESCRIBE INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS AND, WHERE POSSIBLE, THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE INFLUENCED STUDY OUTCOMES. METHOD: THE REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH PRISMA GUIDELINES. SEARCHES WERE PERFORMED FROM INCEPTION TO JUNE 2020 USING THE FOLLOWING ELECTRONIC DATABASES: (1) PUBMED (NLM); (2) EMBASE (ELSEVIER); (3) COCHRANE CENTRAL (WILEY); (4) PSYCINFO (EBSCOHOST); AND (5) CINAHL (EBSCOHOST). INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ASSESSING COGNITION IN HEALTHY ADULTS >/=60 YEARS. RISK OF BIAS WAS ASSESSED USING THE REVISED COCHRANE RISK OF BIAS TOOL. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 1466 RECORDS WERE INITIALLY IDENTIFIED; SIX STUDIES (5 UNIQUE TRIALS) WERE INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW. FOUR OF THE SIX ARTICLES REPORTED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ON COGNITION, INCLUDING GROSS MEMORY FUNCTIONING AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS. INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS AND ASSESSMENT METHODS VARIED BETWEEN STUDIES, WITH A HIGH OVERALL RISK OF BIAS IN ALL STUDIES. CONCLUSION: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITION IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS. ADEQUATELY POWERED RCTS WITH ROBUST STUDY DESIGNS AND LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UPS ARE REQUIRED. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EXPLICITLY REPORT THE INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION. 2021 8 1043 58 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 9 2566 77 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 10 1077 75 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 11 2742 74 YOGA PRACTICE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS IN ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THE EFFECT OF PRACTICING YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TYPE II DIABETES WAS ASSESSED IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW THROUGH SEARCHING RELATED ELECTRONIC DATABASES AND THE GREY LITERATURE TO THE END OF MAY 2007 USING OVID. ALL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIALS (RCTS) COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE WITH OTHER TYPE OF INTERVENTION OR WITH REGULAR PRACTICE OR BOTH, WERE INCLUDED REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE OR TYPE OF PUBLICATION. EACH STUDY WAS ASSESSED FOR QUALITY BY TWO INDEPENDENT REVIEWERS. MEAN DIFFERENCE WAS USED FOR SUMMARIZING THE EFFECT OF EACH STUDY OUTCOMES WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. POOLING OF THE STUDIES DID NOT TAKE PLACE DUE TO THE WIDE CLINICAL VARIATION BETWEEN THE STUDIES. PUBLICATION BIAS WAS ASSESSED BY STATISTICAL METHODS. FIVE TRIALS WITH 363 PARTICIPANTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA WITH MEDIUM TO HIGH RISK OF BIAS AND DIFFERENT INTERVENTION CHARACTERISTICS. THE STUDIES' RESULTS SHOW IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOMES AMONG PATIENTS WITH DIABETES TYPE II. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WERE MAINLY AMONG SHORT TERM OR IMMEDIATE DIABETES OUTCOMES AND NOT ALL WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND NOT SIGNIFICANT FOR THE LONG-TERM OUTCOMES. NO ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE INCLUDED STUDIES. SHORT-TERM BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MAY BE ACHIEVED FROM PRACTICING YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED IN THIS AREA. FACTORS LIKE QUALITY OF THE TRIALS AND OTHER METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES SHOULD BE IMPROVED BY LARGE RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS WITH ALLOCATION CONCEALMENT TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON DIABETES TYPE II. A DEFINITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR PHYSICIANS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR PATIENTS TO PRACTICE YOGA CANNOT BE REACHED AT PRESENT. 2010 12 2181 75 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AND HEALTH RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. OBJECTIVE: THE GOAL WAS TO REVIEW SYSTEMATICALLY THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA, COMPARED WITH OTHER EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS, FOR OLDER ADULTS AS SHOWN ON MEASURES OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING. DESIGN: THIS WAS A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH BOTH NARRATIVE SYNTHESIS AND META-ANALYSIS. DATA SOURCES: SEARCHES WERE CONDUCTED IN MEDLINE(R)/PUBMED, PSYCINFO, CINAHL, WEB OF SCIENCE, AND SCOPUS; BIBLIOGRAPHIES OF SELECTED ARTICLES; AND ONE SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. METHODS: ORIGINAL STUDIES FROM 1950 TO NOVEMBER 2010 WERE SOUGHT, EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OLDER ADULTS. THE SEARCH WAS RESTRICTED TO RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA IN SUBJECTS >/=AGE 60, AND PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH. DATA WERE EXTRACTED AND EVALUATED REGARDING SETTING, POPULATION SIZE AND CHARACTERISTICS, INTERVENTION TYPE AND DURATION, COMPARISON GROUP, OUTCOME ASSESSMENT, DATA ANALYSIS, FOLLOW-UP, KEY RESULTS, AND THE QUALITY OF EACH STUDY ACCORDING TO SPECIFIC PREDETERMINED CRITERIA. RESULTS: THE SEARCH YIELDED 18 ELIGIBLE STUDIES (N=649). THE STUDIES REPORTED ON OLDER ADULTS ACROSS A RANGE OF SETTINGS, INTERVENTION INTENSITY, AND OUTCOME MEASURES. THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDIES HAD<35 PARTICIPANTS (RANGE 9-77). QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS OF THE STUDIES SUGGESTED THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA MAY EXCEED THOSE OF CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS FOR SELF-RATED HEALTH STATUS, AEROBIC FITNESS, AND STRENGTH. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT SIZES WERE MODEST, AND THE EVIDENCE WAS MIXED FOR YOGA'S EFFECT ON DEPRESSION, SLEEP, AND BONE-MINERAL DENSITY. STUDIES DID NOT FIND AN EFFECT ON COGNITION. CONCLUSIONS: SMALL STUDIES WITH MIXED METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY SUGGESTED THAT YOGA MAY BE SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE. THE PRECISION OF THE ESTIMATES REMAINS LOW. LARGER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO DEFINE BETTER THE INTERSECTION OF POPULATIONS, SETTINGS, AND INTERVENTIONS IN WHICH YOGA IS MOST BENEFICIAL. 2012 13 1740 71 PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS, A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY AIMED TO SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEW THE EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND TO CONDUCT A META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS. METHODS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE SEARCH IN TEN DATABASES WAS CONDUCTED IN NOVEMBER 2011. STUDIES WERE INCLUDED IF THEY HAD AN RCT DESIGN, FOCUSED ON CANCER PATIENTS OR SURVIVORS, INCLUDED PHYSICAL POSTURES IN THE YOGA PROGRAM, COMPARED YOGA WITH A NON-EXERCISE OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP, AND EVALUATED PHYSICAL AND/OR PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. TWO RESEARCHERS INDEPENDENTLY RATED THE QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED RCTS, AND HIGH QUALITY WAS DEFINED AS >50% OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE. EFFECT SIZES (COHEN'S D) WERE CALCULATED FOR OUTCOMES STUDIED IN MORE THAN THREE STUDIES AMONG PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER USING MEANS AND STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF POST-TEST SCORES OF THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUPS. RESULTS: SIXTEEN PUBLICATIONS OF 13 RCTS MET THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, OF WHICH ONE INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMAS AND THE OTHERS FOCUSED ON PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. THE MEDIAN QUALITY SCORE WAS 67% (RANGE: 22-89%). THE INCLUDED STUDIES EVALUATED 23 PHYSICAL AND 20 PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. OF THE OUTCOMES STUDIED IN MORE THAN THREE STUDIES AMONG PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, WE FOUND LARGE REDUCTIONS IN DISTRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION (D = -0.69 TO -0.75), MODERATE REDUCTIONS IN FATIGUE (D = -0.51), MODERATE INCREASES IN GENERAL QUALITY OF LIFE, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND SOCIAL FUNCTION (D = 0.33 TO 0.49), AND A SMALL INCREASE IN FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING (D = 0.31). EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND SLEEP WERE SMALL AND NOT SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA APPEARED TO BE A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AND BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SEVERAL PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SYMPTOMS WERE REPORTED. IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER, EFFECT SIZE ON FUNCTIONAL WELL-BEING WAS SMALL, AND THEY WERE MODERATE TO LARGE FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES. 2012 14 919 65 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 15 2573 75 YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS THOUGHT TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE ARTICLE AIMS TO ASSESS THE CURRENT CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION (EH). STRATEGY: MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL) IN THE COCHRANE LIBRARY WERE SEARCHED UNTIL JUNE, 2013. WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS TESTING YOGA AGAINST CONVENTIONAL THERAPY, YOGA VERSUS NO TREATMENT, YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY OR CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. STUDY SELECTION, DATA EXTRACTION, QUALITY ASSESSMENT, AND DATA ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED ACCORDING TO THE COCHRANE STANDARDS. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 6 STUDIES (INVOLVING 386 PATIENTS) WERE INCLUDED. THE METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THE INCLUDED TRIALS WAS EVALUATED AS GENERALLY LOW. A TOTAL OF 6 RCTS MET ALL THE INCLUSION CRITERIA. 4 OF THEM COMPARED YOGA PLUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL THERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY COMBINED WITH BREATH AWARENESS. 2 RCT TESTED THE EFFECT OF YOGA VERSUS CONVENTIONAL THERAPY ALONE. 1 RCT DESCRIBED YOGA COMPARED TO NO TREATMENT. ONLY ONE TRIAL REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS WITHOUT DETAILS, THE SAFETY OF YOGA IS STILL UNCERTAIN. CONCLUSIONS: THERE IS SOME ENCOURAGING EVIDENCE OF YOGA FOR LOWERING SBP AND DBP. HOWEVER, DUE TO LOW METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY OF THESE IDENTIFIED TRIALS, A DEFINITE CONCLUSION ABOUT THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA ON EH CANNOT BE DRAWN FROM THIS REVIEW. THEREFORE, FURTHER THOROUGH INVESTIGATION, LARGE-SCALE, PROPER STUDY DESIGNED, RANDOMIZED TRIALS OF YOGA FOR HYPERTENSION WILL BE REQUIRED TO JUSTIFY THE EFFECTS REPORTED HERE. 2013 16 2397 64 YOGA AND COGNITION: A META-ANALYSIS OF CHRONIC AND ACUTE EFFECTS. OBJECTIVES: TO REVIEW AND SYNTHESIZE THE EXISTING LITERATURE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION BY DETERMINING EFFECT SIZES THAT COULD SERVE AS A PLATFORM TO DESIGN, CALCULATE STATISTICAL POWER, AND IMPLEMENT FUTURE STUDIES. METHODS: THROUGH ELECTRONIC DATABASES, WE IDENTIFIED ACUTE STUDIES AND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) OF YOGA THAT REPORTED COGNITIVE OUTCOMES. INCLUSION CRITERIA INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: USE OF AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF COGNITION AND SUFFICIENT DATA REPORTED TO ESTIMATE AN EFFECT SIZE. THE META-ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED USING COMPREHENSIVE META-ANALYSIS SOFTWARE. A RANDOM-EFFECTS MODEL WAS USED TO CALCULATE THE OVERALL WEIGHTED EFFECT SIZES, EXPRESSED AS HEDGE G. RESULTS: FIFTEEN RCTS AND 7 ACUTE EXPOSURE STUDIES EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITION. A MODERATE EFFECT (G = 0.33, STANDARD ERROR = 0.08, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL = 0.18-0.48, P < .001) OF YOGA ON COGNITION WAS OBSERVED FOR RCTS, WITH THE STRONGEST EFFECT FOR ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED (G = 0.29, P < .001), FOLLOWED BY EXECUTIVE FUNCTION (G = 0.27, P = .001) AND MEMORY (G = 0.18, P = .051). ACUTE STUDIES SHOWED A STRONGER OVERALL EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITION (G = 0.56, STANDARD ERROR = 0.11, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL = 0.33-0.78, P < .001). THE EFFECT WAS STRONGEST FOR MEMORY (G = 0.78, P < .001), FOLLOWED BY ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED MEASURES (G = 0.49, P < .001) AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS (G = 0.39, P < .003). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH MODERATE IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION. ALTHOUGH THE STUDIES ARE LIMITED BY SAMPLE SIZE, HETEROGENEOUS POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS, VARIED DOSES OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS, AND A MYRIAD OF COGNITIVE TESTS, THESE FINDINGS WARRANT RIGOROUS SYSTEMATIC RCTS AND WELL-DESIGNED COUNTERBALANCED ACUTE STUDIES TO COMPREHENSIVELY EXPLORE YOGA AS A MEANS TO IMPROVE OR SUSTAIN COGNITIVE ABILITIES ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN. 2015 17 2079 64 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 18 2559 72 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 19 2543 151 YOGA FOR ASTHMA. BACKGROUND: ASTHMA IS A COMMON CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISORDER AFFECTING ABOUT 300 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. AS A HOLISTIC THERAPY, YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RELIEVE BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUFFERING OF PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA, AND ITS POPULARITY HAS EXPANDED GLOBALLY. A NUMBER OF CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE, WITH INCONSISTENT RESULTS. OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA. SEARCH METHODS: WE SYSTEMATICALLY SEARCHED THE COCHRANE AIRWAYS GROUP REGISTER OF TRIALS, WHICH IS DERIVED FROM SYSTEMATIC SEARCHES OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASES INCLUDING THE COCHRANE CENTRAL REGISTER OF CONTROLLED TRIALS (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, AND PSYCINFO, AND HANDSEARCHING OF RESPIRATORY JOURNALS AND MEETING ABSTRACTS. WE ALSO SEARCHED PEDRO. WE SEARCHED CLINICALTRIALS.GOV AND THE WHO ICTRP SEARCH PORTAL. WE SEARCHED ALL DATABASES FROM THEIR INCEPTION TO 22 JULY 2015, AND USED NO RESTRICTION ON LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION. WE CHECKED THE REFERENCE LISTS OF ELIGIBLE STUDIES AND RELEVANT REVIEW ARTICLES FOR ADDITIONAL STUDIES. WE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT INVESTIGATORS OF ELIGIBLE STUDIES AND EXPERTS IN THE FIELD TO LEARN OF OTHER PUBLISHED AND UNPUBLISHED STUDIES. SELECTION CRITERIA: WE INCLUDED RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) THAT COMPARED YOGA WITH USUAL CARE (OR NO INTERVENTION) OR SHAM INTERVENTION IN PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA AND REPORTED AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES: QUALITY OF LIFE, ASTHMA SYMPTOM SCORE, ASTHMA CONTROL, LUNG FUNCTION MEASURES, ASTHMA MEDICATION USAGE, AND ADVERSE EVENTS. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: WE EXTRACTED BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, CHARACTERISTICS OF PARTICIPANTS, CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERVENTIONS AND CONTROLS, CHARACTERISTICS OF METHODOLOGY, AND RESULTS FOR THE OUTCOMES OF OUR INTEREST FROM ELIGIBLE STUDIES. FOR CONTINUOUS OUTCOMES, WE USED MEAN DIFFERENCE (MD) WITH 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL (CI) TO DENOTE THE TREATMENT EFFECTS, IF THE OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED BY THE SAME SCALE ACROSS STUDIES. ALTERNATIVELY, IF THE OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED BY DIFFERENT SCALES ACROSS STUDIES, WE USED STANDARDISED MEAN DIFFERENCE (SMD) WITH 95% CI. FOR DICHOTOMOUS OUTCOMES, WE USED RISK RATIO (RR) WITH 95% CI TO MEASURE THE TREATMENT EFFECTS. WE PERFORMED META-ANALYSIS WITH REVIEW MANAGER 5.3. WE USED THE FIXED-EFFECT MODEL TO POOL THE DATA, UNLESS THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL HETEROGENEITY AMONG STUDIES, IN WHICH CASE WE USED THE RANDOM-EFFECTS MODEL INSTEAD. FOR OUTCOMES INAPPROPRIATE OR IMPOSSIBLE TO POOL QUANTITATIVELY, WE CONDUCTED A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS AND SUMMARISED THE FINDINGS NARRATIVELY. MAIN RESULTS: WE INCLUDED 15 RCTS WITH A TOTAL OF 1048 PARTICIPANTS. MOST OF THE TRIALS WERE CONDUCTED IN INDIA, FOLLOWED BY EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES. THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE ADULTS OF BOTH SEXES WITH MILD TO MODERATE ASTHMA FOR SIX MONTHS TO MORE THAN 23 YEARS. FIVE STUDIES INCLUDED YOGA BREATHING ALONE, WHILE THE OTHER STUDIES ASSESSED YOGA INTERVENTIONS THAT INCLUDED BREATHING, POSTURE, AND MEDITATION. INTERVENTIONS LASTED FROM TWO WEEKS TO 54 MONTHS, FOR NO MORE THAN SIX MONTHS IN THE MAJORITY OF STUDIES. THE RISK OF BIAS WAS LOW ACROSS ALL DOMAINS IN ONE STUDY AND UNCLEAR OR HIGH IN AT LEAST ONE DOMAIN FOR THE REMAINDER.THERE WAS SOME EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE (MD IN ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE (AQLQ) SCORE PER ITEM 0.57 UNITS ON A 7-POINT SCALE, 95% CI 0.37 TO 0.77; 5 STUDIES; 375 PARTICIPANTS), IMPROVE SYMPTOMS (SMD 0.37, 95% CI 0.09 TO 0.65; 3 STUDIES; 243 PARTICIPANTS), AND REDUCE MEDICATION USAGE (RR 5.35, 95% CI 1.29 TO 22.11; 2 STUDIES) IN PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA. THE MD FOR AQLQ SCORE EXCEEDED THE MINIMAL CLINICALLY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE (MCID) OF 0.5, BUT WHETHER THE MEAN CHANGES EXCEEDED THE MCID FOR ASTHMA SYMPTOMS IS UNCERTAIN DUE TO THE LACK OF AN ESTABLISHED MCID IN THE SEVERITY SCORES USED IN THE INCLUDED STUDIES. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CHANGE FROM BASELINE FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN ONE SECOND (MD 0.04 LITRES, 95% CI -0.10 TO 0.19; 7 STUDIES; 340 PARTICIPANTS; I(2) = 68%) WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. TWO STUDIES INDICATED IMPROVED ASTHMA CONTROL, BUT DUE TO VERY SIGNIFICANT HETEROGENEITY (I(2) = 98%) WE DID NOT POOL DATA. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA WERE REPORTED, BUT THE DATA ON THIS OUTCOME WAS LIMITED. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: WE FOUND MODERATE-QUALITY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA PROBABLY LEADS TO SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE AND SYMPTOMS IN PEOPLE WITH ASTHMA. THERE IS MORE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT POTENTIAL ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND ITS IMPACT ON LUNG FUNCTION AND MEDICATION USAGE. RCTS WITH A LARGE SAMPLE SIZE AND HIGH METHODOLOGICAL AND REPORTING QUALITY ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THE EFFECTS OF YOGA FOR ASTHMA. 2016 20 1856 80 RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW. PURPOSE: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY TO MANAGE DISEASE AND TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER AND HAS RESULTED IN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDIES EXPLORING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EXAMINES WHETHER YOGA INTERVENTIONS PROVIDE ANY MEASURABLE BENEFIT, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY, FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. THE RESULTS WILL INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD AND ADVANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOGA PROGRAMMES. METHODS: WE PERFORMED ELECTRONIC SEARCHES OF MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, WEB OF SCIENCE AND SCOPUS FOR ARTICLES PUBLISHED UP TO JUNE 2012. ONLY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) WERE INCLUDED AND METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY RATING SCORES WERE DETERMINED USING THE PEDRO (PHYSIOTHERAPY EVIDENCE DATABASE) SCALE. RESULTS: ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO STUDIES WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC SEARCH OF EIGHT ELECTRONIC DATABASES. ONLY PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS THAT EMPLOYED A RCT DESIGN WERE INCLUDED (N = 18). THE SAMPLE SIZES FOR THESE STUDIES VARIED WIDELY FROM 18 TO 164 PARTICIPANTS AND THE ASSOCIATED PEDRO SCORES RANGED FROM 1 (POOR) TO 8 (GOOD). ALL 18 STUDIES REPORTED POSITIVE EFFECTS FOR TREATMENT-RELATED SIDE EFFECTS IN FAVOUR OF THE YOGA INTERVENTIONS, WITH THE GREATEST IMPACT ON GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) SCORES AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. CONCLUSION: RESULTS FROM THE FEW RCTS SUGGEST THERE IS MODERATE TO GOOD EVIDENCE THAT YOGA MAY BE A USEFUL PRACTICE FOR WOMEN RECOVERING FROM BREAST CANCER TREATMENTS. LARGE-SCALE RCTS USING OBJECTIVE MEASURES AND PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES WITH LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP ARE NEEDED TO SUBSTANTIATE WHETHER THE BENEFITS ARE TRUE AND SUSTAINABLE. 2012