1 1244 126 FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM AND ITS DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND WELLNESS PARAMETERS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: WE SOUGHT TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE, MOSTLY SELF-DIRECTED YOGA PROGRAM IN A HOSPITAL AND ITS DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) MEASURES OVER SIX MONTHS. METHODS: YOGA-BASED TECHNIQUES (ADVANCED YOGA PRACTICES; AYP; ADVANCEDYOGAPRACTICES.COM) WERE TAUGHT IN 12 BIWEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS AND SELF-DIRECTED PRACTICE AT HOME WAS EMPHASIZED. CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS WERE ELUCIDATED BY INTERVIEW AND REVIEW OF MEDICAL HISTORY. QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE SF-36, THE COHEN PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (CPSS), AND THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS). RISK FACTORS AND QOL MEASURES WERE COMPARED IN PARTICIPANTS AT BASELINE AND SIX MONTHS, AS WELL AS BETWEEN THOSE PRACTICING >/= 7 TIMES VERSUS < 7 TIMES PER WEEK. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 22 INDIVIDUALS (19 WOMEN, MEAN AGE 59 +/- 8.7 YEARS) COMPLETED THE STUDY. AT SIX MONTHS, CHANGES WERE NOTED IN THE MENTAL COMPONENT SCALE (MCS) OF THE SF-36 (P=0.0004) AND THE CPSS (P = 0.022). A GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN CPSS WAS NOTED IN THOSE PRACTICING >/= 7 TIMES VERSUS < 7 TIMES A WEEK (P=0.045). NO CHANGES WERE NOTED IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS. CONCLUSIONS: THE PRESCRIPTION OF A SELF-DIRECTED YOGA PROGRAM WAS FEASIBLE IN A HOSPITAL SETTING AND RESULTED IN IMPROVEMENT IN QOL MEASURES AT SIX MONTHS. PRACTICING MORE THAN SEVEN TIMES PER WEEK CORRELATED WITH GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN THE PERCEPTION OF STRESS. THUS, AT LEAST A ONCE-DAILY DOSE OF AYP TECHNIQUES FOR A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN PERCEIVED STRESS IS AN APPROPRIATE DOSE TO EMPLOY AND STUDY IN HOSPITAL SETTINGS. 2015 2 1852 40 RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL: YOGA VS A LOW-FODMAP DIET IN PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME IS THE MOST FREQUENT GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDER. IT IS ASSUMED THAT LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS MIGHT BE A RATIONAL TREATMENT APPROACH. AIM: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION VS A LOW-FODMAP DIET ON PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. METHODS: FIFTY-NINE PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME UNDERTOOK A SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVOLVING YOGA OR A LOW-FODMAP DIET FOR 12 WEEKS. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TWO SESSIONS WEEKLY, WHILE PATIENTS IN THE LOW-FODMAP GROUP RECEIVED A TOTAL OF THREE SESSIONS OF NUTRITIONAL COUNSELLING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS (IBS-SSS). SECONDARY OUTCOMES EXPLORED CHANGES IN QUALITY OF LIFE (IBS-QOL), HEALTH (SF-36), PERCEIVED STRESS (CPSS, PSQ), BODY AWARENESS (BAQ), BODY RESPONSIVENESS (BRS) AND SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTIONS. OUTCOMES WERE EXAMINED IN WEEKS 12 AND 24 BY ASSESSORS "BLINDED" TO PATIENTS' GROUP ALLOCATION. RESULTS: NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE INTERVENTION GROUPS, WITH REGARD TO IBS-SSS SCORE, AT EITHER 12 (DELTA = 31.80; 95%CI = -11.90, 75.50; P = .151) OR 24 WEEKS (DELTA = 33.41; 95%CI = -4.21, 71.04; P = .081). WITHIN-GROUP COMPARISONS SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS FOR YOGA AND LOW-FODMAP DIET AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS (ALL P < .001). COMPARABLE WITHIN-GROUP EFFECTS OCCURRED FOR THE OTHER OUTCOMES. ONE PATIENT IN EACH INTERVENTION GROUP EXPERIENCED SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 1.00) AND ANOTHER, ALSO IN EACH GROUP, EXPERIENCED NONSERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME MIGHT BENEFIT FROM YOGA AND A LOW-FODMAP DIET, AS BOTH GROUPS SHOWED A REDUCTION IN GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS. MORE RESEARCH ON THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF BOTH INTERVENTIONS IS WARRANTED, AS WELL AS EXPLORATION OF POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM THEIR COMBINED USE. 2018 3 1853 38 RANDOMISED CLINICAL TRIAL: YOGA VS WRITTEN SELF-CARE ADVICE FOR ULCERATIVE COLITIS. BACKGROUND: PERCEIVED STRESS SEEMS TO BE A RISK FACTOR FOR EXACERBATION OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE PERCEIVED STRESS. AIMS: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 77 PATIENTS (75% WOMEN; 45.5 +/- 11.9 YEARS) WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS IN CLINICAL REMISSION BUT IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (12 SUPERVISED WEEKLY SESSIONS OF 90 MIN; N = 39) OR WRITTEN SELF-CARE ADVICE (N = 38). PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE (INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE QUESTIONNAIRE). SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED DISEASE ACTIVITY (RACHMILEWITZ CLINICAL ACTIVITY INDEX) AND SAFETY. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEKS 12 AND 24 BY BLINDED OUTCOME ASSESSORS. RESULTS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED TO THE SELF-CARE GROUP AFTER 12 WEEKS (DELTA = 14.6; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL=2.6-26.7; P = 0.018) AND AFTER 24 WEEKS (DELTA = 16.4; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL=2.5-30.3; P = 0.022). TWENTY-ONE AND 12 PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND IN THE SELF-CARE GROUP, RESPECTIVELY, REACHED A CLINICAL RELEVANT INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE AT WEEK 12 (P = 0.048); AND 27 AND 17 PATIENTS AT WEEK 24 (P = 0.030). DISEASE ACTIVITY WAS LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO THE SELF-CARE GROUP AFTER 24 WEEKS (DELTA = -1.2; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL=-0.1-[-2.3]; P = 0.029). THREE AND ONE PATIENT IN THE YOGA GROUP AND IN THE SELF-CARE GROUP, RESPECTIVELY, EXPERIENCED SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 0.317); AND SEVEN AND EIGHT PATIENTS EXPERIENCED NONSERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (P = 0.731). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ANCILLARY INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS AND IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT02043600. 2017 4 1194 31 EXAMINING MEDIATORS AND MODERATORS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. HYPOTHESIS THIS STUDY EXAMINES MODERATORS AND MEDIATORS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TARGETING QUALITY-OF-LIFE (QOL) OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER RECEIVING RADIOTHERAPY.METHODS WOMEN UNDERGOING 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (YG; N = 53) OR STRETCHING (ST; N = 56) INTERVENTION OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (WL; N = 54). DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE. MEDIATOR (POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS, BENEFIT FINDING, AND CORTISOL SLOPE) AND OUTCOME (36-ITEM SHORT FORM [SF]-36 MENTAL AND PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCALES [MCS AND PCS]) VARIABLES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, END-OF-TREATMENT, AND 1-, 3-, AND 6-MONTHS POSTTREATMENT. RESULTS BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = .03) AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES (P < .01) MODERATED THE GROUP X TIME EFFECT ON MCS, BUT NOT PCS. WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN YG REPORTED MARGINALLY HIGHER 3-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P = .11). WOMEN WITH HIGH BASELINE SLEEP DISTURBANCES IN YG REPORTED HIGHER 3-MONTHS MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN WL (P < .01) AND HIGHER 6-MONTH MCS THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN ST (P = .01). YG LED TO GREATER BENEFIT FINDING THAN ST AND WL ACROSS THE FOLLOW-UP (P = .01). THREE-MONTH BENEFIT FINDING PARTIALLY MEDIATED THE EFFECT OF YG ON 6-MONTH PCS. POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS AND CORTISOL SLOPE DID NOT MEDIATE TREATMENT EFFECT ON QOL. CONCLUSION YOGA MAY PROVIDE THE GREATEST MENTAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BENEFITS FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING PRE-RADIOTHERAPY SLEEP DISTURBANCE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. YOGA MAY IMPROVE PHYSICAL-HEALTH-RELATED QOL BY INCREASING ABILITY TO FIND BENEFIT IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE. 2016 5 2857 39 YOGA-BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: GIVEN THE SHORTAGE OF CARDIAC REHABILITATION (CR) PROGRAMS IN INDIA AND POOR UPTAKE WORLDWIDE, THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO FIND ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF CR THAT ARE INEXPENSIVE AND MAY OFFER CHOICE TO SUBGROUPS WITH POOR UPTAKE (E.G., WOMEN AND ELDERLY). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA-BASED CR (YOGA-CARE) ON MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AND SELF-RATED HEALTH IN A MULTICENTER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. METHODS: THE TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN 24 MEDICAL CENTERS ACROSS INDIA. THIS STUDY RECRUITED 3,959 PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION WITH A MEDIAN AND MINIMUM FOLLOW-UP OF 22 AND 6 MONTHS. PATIENTS WERE INDIVIDUALLY RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE EITHER A YOGA-CARE PROGRAM (N = 1,970) OR ENHANCED STANDARD CARE INVOLVING EDUCATIONAL ADVICE (N = 1,989). THE CO-PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE: 1) FIRST OCCURRENCE OF MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS (MACE) (COMPOSITE OF ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, STROKE, OR EMERGENCY CARDIOVASCULAR HOSPITALIZATION); AND 2) SELF-RATED HEALTH ON THE EUROPEAN QUALITY OF LIFE-5 DIMENSIONS-5 LEVEL VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE AT 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: MACE OCCURRED IN 131 (6.7%) PATIENTS IN THE YOGA-CARE GROUP AND 146 (7.4%) PATIENTS IN THE ENHANCED STANDARD CARE GROUP (HAZARD RATIO WITH YOGA-CARE: 0.90; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI]: 0.71 TO 1.15; P = 0.41). SELF-RATED HEALTH WAS 77 IN YOGA-CARE AND 75.7 IN THE ENHANCED STANDARD CARE GROUP (BASELINE-ADJUSTED MEAN DIFFERENCE IN FAVOR OF YOGA-CARE: 1.5; 95% CI: 0.5 TO 2.5; P = 0.002). THE YOGA-CARE GROUP HAD GREATER RETURN TO PRE-INFARCT ACTIVITIES, BUT THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN TOBACCO CESSATION OR MEDICATION ADHERENCE BETWEEN THE TREATMENT GROUPS (SECONDARY OUTCOMES). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA-CARE IMPROVED SELF-RATED HEALTH AND RETURN TO PRE-INFARCT ACTIVITIES AFTER ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, BUT THE TRIAL LACKED STATISTICAL POWER TO SHOW A DIFFERENCE IN MACE. YOGA-CARE MAY BE AN OPTION WHEN CONVENTIONAL CR IS UNAVAILABLE OR UNACCEPTABLE TO INDIVIDUALS. (A STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAMME IN INDIA AND UNITED KINGDOM; CTRI/2012/02/002408). 2020 6 167 35 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED BICENTER TRIAL OF YOGA FOR PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS TRIAL WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH NON-METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (90 MIN ONCE WEEKLY) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS DISEASE-SPECIFIC QUALITY OF LIFE (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY - COLORECTAL [FACT-C]) AT WEEK 10. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED FACT-C SUBSCALES: SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (FACT - SPIRITUALITY); FATIGUE (FACT - FATIGUE); SLEEP DISTURBANCES (PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INVENTORY); DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY (HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE); BODY AWARENESS (SCALE OF BODY CONNECTION); AND BODY-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS (BODY-EFFICACY EXPECTATIONS SCALE). OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT WEEK 10 AND WEEK 22 AFTER RANDOMIZATION. RESULTS: FIFTY-FOUR PATIENTS (MEAN AGE 68.3 +/- 9.7 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 27; ATTRITION RATE 22.2%) AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 27; ATTRITION RATE 18.5%). PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED A MEAN OF 5.3 +/- 4.0 YOGA CLASSES. NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES FOR THE FACT-C TOTAL SCORE WERE FOUND. GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AT WEEK 22 ( = 1.59; 95% CI = 0.27,2.90; P = 0.019), SLEEP DISTURBANCES AT WEEK 22 ( = -1.08; 95% CI = -2.13, -0.03; P = 0.043), ANXIETY AT WEEK 10 ( = -1.14; 95% CI = -2.20, -0.09; P = 0.043), AND DEPRESSION AT WEEK 10 ( = -1.34; 95% CI = -2.61, -0.8; P = 0.038). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS OCCURRED IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHILE LIVER METASTASES WERE DIAGNOSED IN ONE PATIENT IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS RANDOMIZED TRIAL FOUND NO EFFECTS OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER. GIVEN THE HIGH ATTRITION RATE AND LOW INTERVENTION ADHERENCE, NO DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN FROM THIS TRIAL. 2016 7 2549 41 YOGA FOR CANCER SURVIVORS WITH CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY: HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MEDITATIVE MOVEMENT THERAPY FOCUSED ON MIND-BODY AWARENESS. THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY (CIPN) IS UNCLEAR. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A PILOT RANDOMIZED WAIT-LIST CONTROLLED TRIAL OF 8 WEEKS OF YOGA (N = 21) VERSUS WAIT-LIST CONTROL (N = 20) FOR CIPN IN 41 BREAST AND GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT MODERATE TO SEVERE CIPN. HRQOL ENDPOINTS WERE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS), BRIEF FATIGUE INVENTORY (BFI), AND INSOMNIA SEVERITY INDEX (ISI). THE TREATMENT EXPECTANCY SCALE (TES) WAS ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE. WE ESTIMATED MEAN CHANGES AND 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS (CIS) FROM BASELINE TO WEEKS 8 AND 12 AND COMPARED ARMS USING CONSTRAINED LINEAR MIXED MODELS. RESULTS: AT WEEK 8, HADS ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED -1.61 (-2.75, -0.46) IN THE YOGA ARM AND -0.32 (-1.38, 0.75) POINTS IN THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL ARM (P = 0.099). AT WEEK 12, HADS ANXIETY SCORES DECREASED -1.42 (-2.57, -0.28) IN YOGA COMPARED TO AN INCREASE OF 0.46 (-0.60, 1.53) IN WAIT-LIST CONTROL (P = 0.017). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN HADS DEPRESSION, BFI, OR ISI SCORES BETWEEN YOGA AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL. BASELINE TES WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN YOGA THAN IN WAIT-LIST CONTROL (14.9 VS. 12.7, P = 0.019). TES WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH HADS ANXIETY REDUCTION AND HADS ANXIETY REDUCTION WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH CIPN PAIN REDUCTION. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA MAY REDUCE ANXIETY IN PATIENTS WITH CIPN. FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03292328. 2021 8 1527 44 IYENGAR YOGA FOR DISTRESSED WOMEN: A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. DISTRESS IS AN INCREASING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN DISTRESSED WOMEN AND EVALUATED A POTENTIAL DOSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP. SEVENTY-TWO FEMALE DISTRESSED SUBJECTS WERE INCLUDED INTO A 3-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL AND ALLOCATED TO YOGA GROUP 1 (N = 24) WITH TWELVE 90 MIN SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, YOGA GROUP 2 (N = 24) WITH 24 SESSIONS OVER 3 MONTHS, OR A WAITING LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 24). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS STRESS PERCEPTION, MEASURED BY COHEN STRESS SCALE; SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED STATE TRAIT ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, WELL BEING, AND BODILY COMPLAINTS. AFTER THREE MONTHS, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.003), STATE TRAIT ANXIETY (P = 0.021 AND P = 0.003), DEPRESSION (P = 0.008), PSYCHOLOGICAL QOL (P = 0.012), MOOD STATES BEING (P = 0.007), AND BODILY COMPLAINTS WELL(P = 0.012) WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROLS. BOTH YOGA PROGRAMS WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR THESE OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, COMPLIANCE WAS BETTER IN THE GROUP WITH FEWER SESSIONS (YOGA GROUP 1). DOSE EFFECTS WERE SEEN ONLY IN THE ANALYSIS OF GROUP-INDEPENDENT EFFECTS FOR BACK PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT IYENGAR YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES DISTRESS AND IMPROVES RELATED PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES. FURTHERMORE, ATTENDING TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WAS NOT SUPERIOR TO ONCE-WEEKLY CLASSES, AS A RESULT OF LIMITED COMPLIANCE IN THE TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP. 2012 9 1748 46 PILOT RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL OF A DYADIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR GLIOMA PATIENTS UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY AND THEIR FAMILY CAREGIVERS. BACKGROUND: WHILE THE USE OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE IN MANAGING GLIOMA PATIENTS' SYMPTOMS IS NOT WELL STUDIED, THE HIGH SYMPTOM BURDEN IN PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILY CAREGIVERS IS WELL ESTABLISHED. WE CONDUCTED A PILOT RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A DYADIC YOGA (DY) INTERVENTION AS A SUPPORTIVE CARE STRATEGY. METHODS: GLIOMA PATIENTS UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY AND THEIR CAREGIVERS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-SESSION DY OR WAITLIST CONTROL (WLC) GROUP. PRIOR TO RADIOTHERAPY AND RANDOMIZATION, BOTH GROUPS COMPLETED MEASURES OF CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS (MD ANDERSON SYMPTOM INVENTORY-BRAIN TUMOR MODULE), DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES-DEPRESSION MEASURE), FATIGUE (BRIEF FATIGUE INVENTORY), AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL; MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY 36-ITEM SHORT-FORM SURVEY). DYADS WERE REASSESSED AT THE LAST DAY OF RADIOTHERAPY. RESULTS: TWENTY PATIENTS (MEAN AGE: 46 YEARS, 50% FEMALE, 80% WHO GRADE IV AND CAREGIVERS (MEAN AGE: 50 YEARS, 70% FEMALE, 50% SPOUSES) PARTICIPATED IN THE TRIAL. A PRIORI FEASIBILITY CRITERIA WERE MET REGARDING CONSENT (70%), ADHERENCE (88%), AND RETENTION (95%) RATES. CONTROLLING FOR RELEVANT COVARIATES, CHANGE SCORE ANALYSES REVEALED CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS FOR PATIENTS IN THE DY COMPARED WITH THE WLC GROUP FOR OVERALL CANCER SYMPTOM SEVERITY (D = 0.96) AND SYMPTOM INTERFERENCE (D = 0.74), DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (D = 0.71), AND MENTAL QOL (D = 0.69). CAREGIVERS IN THE DY GROUP REPORTED CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (D = 1.12), FATIGUE (D = 0.89), AND MENTAL QOL (D = 0.49) RELATIVE TO THOSE IN THE WLC GROUP. CONCLUSION: A DY INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE A FEASIBLE AND BENEFICIAL SYMPTOM AND QOL MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR GLIOMA PATIENTS UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY AND THEIR CAREGIVERS. AN EFFICACY TRIAL WITH A MORE STRINGENT CONTROL GROUP IS WARRANTED. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT02481349. 2019 10 389 39 BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: THE NUMBER OF AFRICAN AMERICAN (AA) PATIENTS LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE (HF) HAS BEEN INCREASING, ESPECIALLY AMONG THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN FOUND TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, BUT ITS EFFECT IN PATIENTS WITH HF REMAINS UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE (VO2PEAK), FLEXIBILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS ON MEDICALLY STABLE HF PATIENTS. METHODS: FORTY PATIENTS (38 AA, 1 ASIAN, AND 1 CAUCASIAN) WITH SYSTOLIC OR DIASTOLIC HF WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA GROUP (YG, N = 21) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (CG, N = 19). ALL PATIENTS WERE ASKED TO FOLLOW A HOME WALK PROGRAM. PREMEASUREMENT AND POSTMEASUREMENT INCLUDED A TREADMILL STRESS TEST TO PEAK EXERTION, FLEXIBILITY, INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP), AND EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (EC-SOD). QOL WAS ASSESSED BY THE MINNESOTA LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE QUESTIONNAIRE (MLWHFQ). RESULTS: THE STATISTICAL ANALYSES (ASSESSED BY ANOVA AND T-TESTS) WERE SIGNIFICANT FOR FAVORABLE CHANGES IN THE YG, COMPARED WITH THOSE IN THE CG, FOR FLEXIBILITY (P = 0.012), TREADMILL TIME (P = 0.002), VO2PEAK (P = 0.003), AND THE BIOMARKERS (IL-6, P = 0.004; CRP, P = 0.016; AND EC-SOD, P = 0.012). WITHIN THE YG, PRETEST TO POSTTEST SCORES FOR THE TOTAL (P = 0.02) AND PHYSICAL SUBSCALES (P < 0.001) OF THE MLWHFQ WERE IMPROVED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA THERAPY OFFERED ADDITIONAL BENEFITS TO THE STANDARD MEDICAL CARE OF PREDOMINANTLY AA HF PATIENTS BY IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE, QOL, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND FLEXIBILITY. 2010 11 2654 38 YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE AND BENEFIT FINDING IN WOMEN UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. SIXTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA OR A WAIT-LIST GROUP. YOGA CLASSES WERE TAUGHT BIWEEKLY DURING THE 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES OF QOL, FATIGUE, BENEFIT FINDING (FINDING MEANING IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE), INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND ANXIETY BEFORE RADIOTHERAPY AND THEN AGAIN 1 WEEK, 1 MONTH, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF RADIOTHERAPY. GENERAL LINEAR MODEL ANALYSES REVEALED THAT COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTION (P = .005) AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING SCORES (P = .04) 1 WEEK POSTRADIOTHERAPY; HIGHER LEVELS OF INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01); AND GREATER BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01). THERE WERE NO OTHER GROUP DIFFERENCES IN OTHER QOL SUBSCALES FOR FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, OR SLEEP SCORES. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES INDICATED THAT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH AFTER RADIOTHERAPY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS AFTER RADIOTHERAPY (R = .36, P = .011). OUR RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STATISTICALLY AND CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ASPECTS OF QOL. 2010 12 1117 37 EFFICACY OF ADD-ON AYURVEDA AND YOGA INTERVENTION IN HEALTH CARE WORKERS OF TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL DURING COVID-19: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE SAFETY AND PROPHYLACTIC EFFICACY OF ADD-ON COMPREHENSIVE AYURVEDA AND MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA (CAY) REGIMEN TO STANDARD CARE AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS (HCWS) AGAINST COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE SINGLE-BLIND (OUTCOME ASSESSOR-BLINDED) RCT WAS CONDUCTED IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN DELHI DURING JULY 2020-APRIL 2021. HCWS OF BOTH SEXES WERE RANDOMIZED TO ADD-ON CAY INTERVENTION OR CONTROL GROUP. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE THE INCIDENCE OF CONFIRMED COVID-19 POSITIVE CASES AND INFLUENZA-LIKE ILLNESS EVENTS (ILI). SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE ANXIETY (GAD-7), DEPRESSION (PHQ-9), AND QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36) AT THE END OF 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS (181 IN INTERVENTION AND 175 IN THE CONTROL GROUP) WERE RANDOMIZED. WITH THE MODIFIED INTENTION TO TREAT APPROACH, WE ANALYZED 309 PARTICIPANTS. THE MEAN AGE FOR THE INTERVENTION AND CONTROL GROUP WAS 39.3 +/- 10.1 AND 36.6 +/- 10 YEARS, RESPECTIVELY. INCIDENCE OF COVID-19 EVENT WAS HIGHER IN CONTROL GROUP COMPARED TO CAY GROUP (16 OF 164 [9.8%] VS. 11 OF 145 [7.6%]; P = 0.50). THE INCIDENCE OF ILI EVENTS WAS ALSO HIGHER IN THE CONTROL GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CAY GROUP (14 OF 164 [8.5%] VS 9 OF 145 [6.2%]). THE HEALTH CHANGE DOMAIN OF THE SF-36 QUESTIONNAIRE SHOWED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE CAY GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: INCIDENCE OF COVID-19 AND ILI EVENTS WAS LOWER IN THE CAY GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTR OL GROUP, THOUGH THE DIFFERENCE IS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. 2022 13 1034 39 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN DAILY LIFE PROGRAM IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN IMPROVING HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HQOL), PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) PATIENTS. DESIGN: SINGLE-CENTRE PARALLEL-ARMS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING YOGA (N = 30) AND EDUCATION CONTROL GROUP (N = 27). SETTING: TERTIARY CARE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. INTERVENTION: A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, BASED ON THE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE SYSTEM, INCLUDED 2X WEEKLY/90-MINUTE SESSIONS. THE CONTROL GROUP HAD 1XWEEKLY/60-MINUTE EDUCATIONAL LECTURES ON ARTHRITIS-RELATED TOPICS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE PERFORMED AT BASELINE, 12 (POST-INTERVENTION) AND 24 WEEKS (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN THE SHORT FORM-36 (SF-36) HQOL AT 12 WEEKS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE SCORES. RESULTS: NO SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR SF-36 (ALL P > 0.05). AT 12 WEEKS THE ADJUSTED MEAN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS FAVOURED YOGA FOR FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-FATIGUE (5.08 CI 1.29 TO 8.86; P = 0.009) AND HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS)-DEPRESSION (-1.37 CI -2.38 TO -0.36); P = 0.008) AND AT 24 WEEKS FOR HADS-ANXIETY (-1.79 CI -3.34 TO - 0.23; P = 0.025), WHILE THE IMPACT ON FATIGUE WAS SUSTAINED (5.43 CI 1.33 TO 9.54, P = 0.01). THE PROGRAM HAD NO IMPACT ON RA DISEASE ACTIVITY. FEASIBILITY OUTCOMES INCLUDED RECRUITMENT RATE 16 %, RETENTION 80.7 %, AND ADHERENCE TO YOGA 87.5 VS 82.7 % FOR CONTROL. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RECORDED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IN DAILY LIFE PROGRAM WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE IN HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF RA PATIENTS. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND MOOD WERE OBSERVED AT POSTINTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. THIS YOGA PROGRAM WAS FOUND FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PATIENTS AND MAY COMPLEMENT STANDARD RA TREAT-TO-TARGET STRATEGY. 2021 14 2529 35 YOGA EFFECTIVELY REDUCES FATIGUE AND SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. PURPOSE: EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 173 CANCER PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MILD TO SEVERE FATIGUE WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 84) (IG) VERSUS WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 88). YOGA THERAPY CONSISTED OF EIGHT WEEKLY SESSIONS WITH 60 MIN EACH. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). DATA WERE ASSESSED USING QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE (T0) AND AFTER YOGA THERAPY FOR IG VERSUS WAITING PERIOD FOR CG (T1). RESULTS: A STRONGER REDUCTION OF GENERAL FATIGUE (P = .033), PHYSICAL FATIGUE (P = .048), AND DEPRESSION (P < .001) AS WELL AS A STRONGER INCREASE IN QOL (P = .002) WAS FOUND FOR PATIENTS WHO ATTENDED 7 OR 8 SESSIONS COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. WITHIN THE YOGA GROUP, BOTH HIGHER ATTENDANCE RATE AND LOWER T0-FATIGUE WERE SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF LOWER T1-FATIGUE (P .05) BUT VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, FATIGUE WAS LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = .002), VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01), AND IL-6 (P = .027), TNF-ALPHA (P = .027), AND IL-1BETA (P = .037) WERE LOWER FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER ON DEPRESSION AT EITHER TIME (P > .2). PLANNED SECONDARY ANALYSES SHOWED THAT THE FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE HAD STRONGER ASSOCIATIONS WITH FATIGUE AT BOTH POST-TREATMENT VISITS (P = .019; P < .001), AS WELL AS VITALITY (P = .016; P = .0045), BUT NOT DEPRESSION (P > .05) THAN SIMPLE GROUP ASSIGNMENT; MORE FREQUENT PRACTICE PRODUCED LARGER CHANGES. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, INCREASING YOGA PRACTICE ALSO LED TO A DECREASE IN IL-6 (P = .01) AND IL-1BETA (P = .03) PRODUCTION BUT NOT IN TNF-ALPHA PRODUCTION (P > .05). CONCLUSION: CHRONIC INFLAMMATION MAY FUEL DECLINES IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION LEADING TO FRAILTY AND DISABILITY. IF YOGA DAMPENS OR LIMITS BOTH FATIGUE AND INFLAMMATION, THEN REGULAR PRACTICE COULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS. 2014 16 2279 25 THE SAFETY OF YOGA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS. AS YOGA HAS GAINED POPULARITY AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION, ITS SAFETY HAS BEEN QUESTIONED IN THE LAY PRESS. THUS, THIS REVIEW AIMED TO SYSTEMATICALLY ASSESS AND META-ANALYZE THE FREQUENCY OF ADVERSE EVENTS IN RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA. MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, THE COCHRANE LIBRARY, AND INDMED WERE SCREENED THROUGH FEBRUARY 2014. OF 301 IDENTIFIED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS OF YOGA, 94 (1975-2014; TOTAL OF 8,430 PARTICIPANTS) REPORTED ON ADVERSE EVENTS. LIFE-THREATENING, DISABLING ADVERSE EVENTS OR THOSE REQUIRING INTENSIVE TREATMENT WERE DEFINED AS SERIOUS AND ALL OTHER EVENTS AS NONSERIOUS. NO DIFFERENCES IN THE FREQUENCY OF INTERVENTION-RELATED, NONSERIOUS, OR SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS AND OF DROPOUTS DUE TO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE FOUND WHEN COMPARING YOGA WITH USUAL CARE OR EXERCISE. COMPARED WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL OR EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS (E.G., HEALTH EDUCATION), MORE INTERVENTION-RELATED ADVERSE EVENTS (ODDS RATIO = 4.21, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: 1.01, 17.67; P = 0.05) AND MORE NONSERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS (ODDS RATIO = 7.30, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL: 1.91, 27.92; P < 0.01) OCCURRED IN THE YOGA GROUP; SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS AND DROPOUTS DUE TO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE COMPARABLE BETWEEN GROUPS. FINDINGS FROM THIS REVIEW INDICATE THAT YOGA APPEARS AS SAFE AS USUAL CARE AND EXERCISE. THE ADEQUATE REPORTING OF SAFETY DATA IN FUTURE RANDOMIZED TRIALS OF YOGA IS CRUCIAL TO CONCLUSIVELY JUDGE ITS SAFETY. 2015 17 807 36 EFFECT OF YOGA ON ARRHYTHMIA BURDEN, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PAROXYSMAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: THE YOGA MY HEART STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF) BURDEN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY SCORES. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS KNOWN TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH. THE EFFECT OF YOGA IN REDUCING AF BURDEN IS UNKNOWN. METHODS: THIS SINGLE-CENTER, PRE-POST STUDY ENROLLED PATIENTS WITH SYMPTOMATIC PAROXYSMAL AF WITH AN INITIAL 3-MONTH NONINTERVENTIONAL OBSERVATION PERIOD FOLLOWED BY TWICE-WEEKLY 60-MIN YOGA TRAINING FOR NEXT 3 MONTHS. AF EPISODES DURING THE CONTROL AND STUDY PERIODS AS WELL AS SF-36, ZUNG SELF-RATED ANXIETY, AND ZUNG SELF-RATED DEPRESSION SCORES AT BASELINE, BEFORE, AND AFTER THE STUDY PHASE WERE ASSESSED. RESULTS: YOGA TRAINING REDUCED SYMPTOMATIC AF EPISODES (3.8 +/- 3 VS. 2.1 +/- 2.6, P < 0.001), SYMPTOMATIC NON-AF EPISODES (2.9 +/- 3.4 VS. 1.4 +/- 2.0; P < 0.001), ASYMPTOMATIC AF EPISODES (0.12 +/- 0.44 VS. 0.04 +/- 0.20; P < 0.001), AND DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY (P < 0.001), AND IMPROVED THE QOL PARAMETERS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, GENERAL HEALTH, VITALITY, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, AND MENTAL HEALTH DOMAINS ON SF-36 (P = 0.017, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.019, AND P < 0.001, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN HEART RATE, AND SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IN PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMAL AF, YOGA IMPROVES SYMPTOMS, ARRHYTHMIA BURDEN, HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES, AND SEVERAL DOMAINS OF QOL. 2013 18 199 29 A RESEARCH PROTOCOL FOR A PILOT, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A DYADIC VERSUS INDIVIDUAL YOGA PROGRAM FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF GLIOMA PATIENTS UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF A PRIMARY BRAIN TUMOR PRESENT UNIQUE CHALLENGES TO PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILY CAREGIVERS, EVIDENCE-BASED SUPPORTIVE CARE INTERVENTIONS ARE GENERALLY LACKING. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THIS RESEARCH PROTOCOL IS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A DYADIC YOGA (DY) VERSUS A CAREGIVER YOGA (CY) INTERVENTION OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL (WLC) GROUP USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN. METHODS: SEVENTY-FIVE GLIOMA PATIENTS UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY AND THEIR FAMILY CAREGIVERS ARE RANDOMIZED TO THE DY, CY, OR A WLC GROUP. PATIENT-CAREGIVER DYADS IN THE DY GROUP AND CAREGIVERS IN THE CY GROUP RECEIVE 15 SESSIONS (45 MIN EACH) OVER THE COURSE OF PATIENTS' STANDARD RADIOTHERAPY (6 WEEKS). PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS IN ALL GROUPS COMPLETE BASELINE ASSESSMENTS OF SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND HEALTH UTILIZATION OUTCOMES PRIOR TO RANDOMIZATION. FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS ARE PERFORMED 6 WEEKS AND THEN AGAIN 3 MONTHS LATER. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME IS FEASIBILITY (I.E., >/= 50% OF ELIGIBLE DYADS CONSENT, >/= 70% OF ENROLLED DYADS COMPLETE ALL ASSESSMENTS, AND >/= 50% OF ALL PRACTICE SESSIONS ARE ATTENDED). WE WILL ALSO PERFORM PRIMARILY DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSES OF THE SELF-REPORTED OUTCOMES (E.G., FATIGUE, OVERALL QOL) AND EXPLORE POTENTIAL INTERVENTION MODERATORS (E.G., PERFORMANCE STATUS) TO INFORM A LARGER FUTURE TRIAL. CONCLUSION: THIS TRIAL WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE FEASIBILITY OF A DYADIC VERSUS A CAREGIVER YOGA INTERVENTION REGARDING SYMPTOM, QOL, AND HEALTH UTILIZATION OUTCOMES IN GLIOMA PATIENTS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02481349. 2019 19 944 40 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON METABOLIC RISK AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS). METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A CONTROLLED TRIAL WITHIN AN UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED HOSPITAL. 173 CHINESE MEN AND WOMEN AGED 18 OR ABOVE WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 87) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 86). PRIMARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED 12-WEEK CHANGE IN METABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND METS Z SCORE. SECONDARY OUTCOME WAS HRQOL (MEDICAL OUTCOMES SHORT FORM SURVEY AT 12 WEEKS). RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 52.0 (SD 7.4, RANGE 31-71) YEARS. ANALYSIS INVOLVING THE ENTIRE STUDY POPULATION REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP ACHIEVED GREATER DECLINE IN WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (P<0.001), FASTING GLUCOSE (P<0.01), TRIGLYCERIDES (P<0.05), AND METS Z SCORE (P<0.01). YOGA TRAINING ALSO IMPROVED GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTIONS (P<0.01), PHYSICAL COMPONENT SCORE (P<0.01), AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING (P<0.01) DOMAINS SCORE OF HRQOL. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS WERE OBSERVED IN THE MEAN CHANGE OF SYSTOLIC/DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURES OR HIGH-DENSITY LIPID PROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (ALL P>0.05). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE INTERVENTION EFFECTS ON WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND METS Z SCORE BETWEEN THE METS SUBGROUPS (BOTH P>0.05). CONCLUSION: A 12-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION IMPROVES METABOLIC RISK PROFILES AND HRQOL IN CHINESE ADULTS WITH AND WITHOUT METS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY ACTRN12613000816752. 2015 20 169 48 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY ASSESSING FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON QUALITY OF LIFE, MOOD, AND PERCEIVED STRESS IN WOMEN WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED BREAST CANCER. BACKGROUND: A BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS CAN ENTAIL NUMEROUS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CHALLENGES. YOGA PRACTICE (YP) MAY CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVED WELL-BEING FOR THESE PATIENTS. PRIMARY STUDY OBJECTIVE: INVESTIGATE FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF YP ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), MOOD, FATIGUE, AND PERCEIVED STRESS IMMEDIATELY AFTER BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS. METHODS: THIRTY WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP (YG) OR CONTROL GROUP (CG) IMMEDIATELY AFTER CANCER DIAGNOSIS. SETTING: PILOT STUDY CONDUCTED AT AN ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER BREAST CLINIC. PARTICIPANTS: FEMALES (N = 30) WHO RECEIVED A BIOPSY-PROVEN BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS WITHOUT METASTATIC DISEASE. INTERVENTION YG: ONE INDIVIDUAL YP SESSION AT BASELINE, THEN 2 INDIVIDUAL AND 8 WEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS FOLLOWED BY WEEKLY GENTLE YOGA AT HOME (DVD). QUESTIONNAIRES AND SALIVA SAMPLES (IE, CORTISOL) COMPLETED AT BASELINE AND 12 WEEKS POSTDIAGNOSIS. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN QOL POSTINTERVENTION BUT WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, MOOD-RELATED TENSION-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION-DEJECTION, AND CONFUSION-BEWILDERMENT SCORES IMPROVED FOR BOTH GROUPS, AND CORTISOL AND CORTISONE LEVELS DECREASED. LUMPECTOMIES WERE PREVALENT WITH YG (67%) AND CG (47%). YP WAS RATED AS "VERY EFFECTIVE," PROVIDING RELAXATION (85%), STRESS RELIEF (69%), AND REDUCED MUSCLE TENSION/GENERAL FEELING OF WELLNESS (EACH 62%). CONCLUSION: FEASIBILITY OF YP IMMEDIATELY AFTER BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS WAS GOOD. IMPROVEMENT IN EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND LEVELS OF CONFUSION WAS FOUND IN BOTH GROUPS. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF YP IMMEDIATELY AFTER BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS. FURTHER RESEARCH IN THIS AREA IS WARRANTED. 2012