1 2652 140 YOGA IMPROVES MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH AND REDUCES SEVERITY OF AUTOIMMUNE INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: OXIDATIVE STRESS (OS) AND MITOCHONDRIAL ALTERATIONS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS LIKE AIR POLLUTANTS, SMOKING, UNHEALTHY SOCIAL HABITS AND SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE INDUCE OS, WHICH MAY COMPROMISE MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY. THIS TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF 8-WEEKS YOGA PRACTICE ON MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH AND DISEASE SEVERITY IN AN ACTIVE RA GROUP COMPARED WITH A USUAL-CARE CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 70 SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA GROUP AND NON-YOGA GROUP. MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH WAS ASSESSED BY CALCULATION OF MITOCHONDRIAL DNA COPY NUMBER (MTDNA-CN), OS MARKERS, MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITY, MITOCHONDRIAL MEMBRANE POTENTIAL (DELTAPSIM), CIRCADIAN RHYTHM MARKERS AND TRANSCRIPTS ASSOCIATED WITH MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY: AMPK, TIMP-1, KLOTHO, SIRT-1, AND TFAM. PARAMETERS OF DISEASE ACTIVITY AND DISABILITY QUOTIENT WERE ALSO ASSESSED BY DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE - ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (DAS28-ESR) AND HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE-DISABILITY INDEX (HAQ-DI), RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: IN YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT UPREGULATION OF MTDNA-CN, MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITY MARKERS, DELTAPSIM, AND TRANSCRIPTS THAT MAINTAIN MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY AFTER 8-WEEKS OF YOGA. THERE WAS OPTIMIZATION OF OS MARKERS, AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM MARKERS POST 8-WEEKS PRACTICE OF YOGA. YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN DAS28-ESR (P < 0.05) AND HAQ-DI (P < 0.05) OVER THE NON-YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: ADOPTION OF YOGA BY RA PATIENTS HOLDS THE KEY TO ENHANCE MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH, IMPROVE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM MARKERS, OS MARKER REGULATION, UPREGULATION OF TRANSCRIPTS THAT MAINTAIN MITOCHONDRIAL INTEGRITY, REDUCE DISEASE ACTIVITY AND ITS ASSOCIATED CONSEQUENCES ON HEALTH OUTCOME AND HENCE CAN BE BENEFICIAL AS AN ADJUNCT THERAPY.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
2 2008  32 STUDY PROTOCOL FOR YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION FOR HEALTHY AGEING PHENOTYPE IN THE OLDER ADULTS (YHAP): A TWO-ARMED, WAITLIST RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH MULTIPLE PRIMARY OUTCOMES. INTRODUCTION: THE CONCEPTUALISATION OF HEALTHY AGEING PHENOTYPE (HAP) AND THE AVAILABILITY OF A TENTATIVE PANEL FOR HAP BIOMARKERS RAISE THE NEED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF POTENTIAL INTERVENTIONS TO PROMOTE HEALTH IN OLDER ADULTS. THIS STUDY PROTOCOL REPORTS THE METHODOLOGY FOR A 24-WEEK PROGRAMME TO EXPLORE THE HOLISTIC INFLUENCE OF THE YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION ON THE (BIO)MARKERS OF HAP. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: THE STUDY IS A TWO-ARMED, RANDOMISED WAITLIST CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH BLINDED OUTCOME ASSESSORS AND MULTIPLE PRIMARY OUTCOMES. WE AIM TO RECRUIT 250 SUBJECTS, AGED 60-80 YEARS FROM THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES AND OLD AGE CLUBS IN BANGALORE CITY, INDIA, WHO WILL UNDERGO RANDOMISATION INTO INTERVENTION OR CONTROL ARMS (1:1). THE INTERVENTION WILL INCLUDE A YOGA-BASED PROGRAMME TAILORED FOR THE OLDER ADULTS, 1 HOUR PER DAY FOR 6 DAYS A WEEK, SPREAD FOR 24 WEEKS. DATA WOULD BE COLLECTED AT THE BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION, THE 24TH WEEK. THE MULTIPLE PRIMARY OUTCOMES OF THE STUDY ARE THE (BIO)MARKERS OF HAP: GLYCATED HAEMOGLOBIN, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C), SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, AND FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 S FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL AND METABOLIC HEALTH; DIGIT SYMBOL SUBSTITUTION TEST, TRAIL MAKING TESTS A AND B FOR COGNITION; HAND GRIP STRENGTH AND GAIT SPEED FOR PHYSICAL CAPABILITY; LONELINESS FOR SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND WHO QUALITY OF LIFE INSTRUMENT-SHORT FORM FOR QUALITY OF LIFE. THE SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA RECEPTOR II, C REACTIVE PROTEIN, INTERLEUKIN 6 AND SERUM KLOTHO LEVELS. ANALYSES WILL BE BY INTENTION-TO-TREAT AND THE HOLISTIC IMPACT OF YOGA ON HAP WILL BE ASSESSED USING GLOBAL STATISTICAL TEST. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: THE STUDY IS APPROVED BY THE INSTITUTIONAL ETHICS COMMITTEE OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA YOGA ANUSANDHANA SAMSTHANA UNIVERSITY, BANGALORE (ID: RES/IEC-SVYASA/143/2019). WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT WILL BE OBTAINED FROM EACH PARTICIPANT PRIOR TO INCLUSION. RESULTS WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH RESEARCH ARTICLES AND CONFERENCES. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2021/02/031373.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
3  683  67 EFFECT OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON PSYCHO-NEURO-IMMUNE AXIS, DISEASE ACTIVITY, AND PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. VARIOUS EXTERNAL STRESSORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES LEAD TO THE PROVOCATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES LIKE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). THE INAPPROPRIATE IMMUNE RESPONSE FURTHER TRIGGERS THE CASCADE OF INFLAMMATORY CHANGES RESULTING IN PRECIPITATION OF SYMPTOMS AND HAMPERS QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). THE UNDERLYING PSYCHO-SOMATIC COMPONENT OF THE DISEASE REQUIRES A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ITS TREATMENT DIMENSION RATHER THAN THE USE OF PHARMACOTHERAPY. THE APPLICABILITY OF MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS HAS BECOME ESSENTIAL IN TODAY'S FAST-PACED LIFE. YOGA, A MIND-BODY TECHNIQUE, ALTERS THE MIND'S CAPACITY TO FACILITATE SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONING AT MULTIPLE ORGAN SYSTEM LEVELS. HENCE, WE CONDUCTED THIS STUDY TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF 8 WEEKS OF A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YBLI) ON PSYCHO-NEURO-IMMUNE MARKERS, GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS, AND QOL IN RA PATIENTS ON ROUTINE MEDICAL THERAPY. A TOTAL OF 66 PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: YOGA GROUP OR NON-YOGA GROUP AND WERE ASSESSED FOR A PANEL OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES (IL-6, IL-17A, TNF-ALPHA, AND TGF-BETA), MIND-BODY COMMUNICATIVE MARKERS (BDNF, DHEAS, BETA-ENDORPHIN, AND SIRTUIN) AND TRANSCRIPT LEVELS OF VARIOUS GENES (IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, NFKB1, TGF-BETA, AND CTLA4). WE ASSESSED DISEASE ACTIVITY AND QOL USING THE DAS28-ESR AND WHOQOL-BREF QUESTIONNAIRE, RESPECTIVELY. YOGA GROUP OBSERVED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LEVELS OF MARKERS, WHICH INFLUENCED THE PSYCHO-NEURO-IMMUNE AXIS (P < 0.001) WITH AN ESTIMATED EFFECT SIZE FROM SMALL TO MEDIUM RANGE. IN THE YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DAS28-ESR (P < 0.001) AND IMPROVEMENT SEEN IN THE PHYSICAL HEALTH, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS DOMAINS (P < 0.001) OF QOL, EXCEPT ENVIRONMENTAL (P > 0.05). THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED DOWNREGULATION OF IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND CTLA4 AND UPREGULATION OF TGF-BETA. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT A DECREASE IN DISEASE ACTIVITY AFTER YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, THE ELEVATION OF MIND-BODY COMMUNICATIVE MARKERS, AND NORMALIZATION OF VARIOUS TRANSCRIPT LEVELS, WHICH IMPROVED QOL. THUS THE ADOPTION OF YBLI IMPROVES CLINICAL OUTCOME IN RA, AND DECREASES SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION BY ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PSYCHO-NEURO-IMMUNE AXIS AND NORMALIZATION OF DYSREGULATED TRANSCRIPTS. THUS YBLI MAY BE USED FOR RA PATIENTS AS AN ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                       
4  508  26 COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF A 12 WEEK YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION AND DIETARY INTERVENTION ON ADIPOKINES, INFLAMMATION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) EVALUATED THE COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF 12 WEEK YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YBLI) AND DIETARY INTERVENTION (DI) ALONE ON ADIPOKINES, INFLAMMATION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN INDIAN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME (MET S). A PARALLEL, TWO ARM, RCT WAS CONDUCTED IN INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC (IHC), ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, INDIA FROM 2012 TO 2014. IHC IS AN OUTPATIENT FACILITY CONDUCTING YBLI PROGRAMS FOR PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. TWO HUNDRED SIXTY MEN AND WOMEN (20-45 YEARS) VISITING THE OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL WERE DIAGNOSED WITH MET S AND RANDOMIZED 1:1 TO RECEIVE 12 WEEK YBLI (N = 130) OR DI (N = 130). PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGE IN PLASMA LEVELS OF ADIPOKINES (LEPTIN, ADIPONECTIN, AND LEPTIN:ADIPONECTIN RATIO), MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION (TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR [TNF]-ALPHA, INTERLEUKIN [IL]-6), MARKERS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS (THIOBARBITURIC ACID REACTIVE SUBSTANCES [TBARS], 8-HYDROXY-2'-DEOXYGUANOSINE [8-OHDG], AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE [SOD]) MEASURED AT BASELINE, 2 WEEKS, AND 12 WEEKS. YBLI GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN LEPTIN, LEPTIN:ADIPONECTIN RATIO, IL-6, 8-OHDG, AND TBARS LEVELS, WHEREAS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ADIPONECTIN AND SOD LEVELS. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE NOTICED IN DI ALONE GROUP. YBLI SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN TBARS LEVELS THAN IN DI GROUP, SUGGESTIVE OF REDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ADULTS WITH MET S. A 12 WEEK YBLI HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON OXIDATIVE STRESS VERSUS DI ALONE IN ADULTS WITH MET S.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
5  881  36 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN EMPLOYEES OF SMALL-SCALE INDUSTRIES. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INTENDS TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON LIPID PROFILE, INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF)-ALPHA, AND HIGH-SENSITIVITY-C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HS-CRP) AMONG APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS EXPOSED TO OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THE PRESENT STUDY, 48 PARTICIPANTS AGED 30-58 YEARS (41.5 +/- 5.2) WHO WERE EXPOSED TO OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS, THAT IS, EXPERIMENTAL AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR LIPID PROFILE, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND HS-CRP AT THE BASELINE AND AFTER COMPLETION OF 3 MONTHS OF YOGA TRAINING INTERVENTION. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT YOGA TRAINING INTERVENTION FOR 1 H FOR 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 3 MONTHS, WHEREAS CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES EXCEPT YOGA TRAINING. DATA ANALYSIS WAS DONE USING STATISTICAL SOFTWARE SPSS VERSION 20.0. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING PAIRED T-TESTS AND INDEPENDENT T-TEST. RESULTS: THE RESULTS OF WITHIN GROUP COMPARISON REVEALED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.001), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (P < 0.001), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL)(P < 0.01), HS-CRP (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.001), AND TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.001) IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. COMPARISON BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP REVEALED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.01), LDL (P < 0.05), IL-6 (P < 0.01), TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.01), AND HS-CRP (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION SEEMS TO BE A HIGHLY PROMISING ALTERNATIVE THERAPY WHICH FAVORABLY ALTERS INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND METABOLIC RISK FACTORS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
6 1093  40 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON WELL-BEING AND HEALTHY AGEING: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL (FITFORAGE). INTRODUCTION: DUE TO AGEING POPULATIONS WORLDWIDE, THE BURDEN OF DISABILITY IS INCREASING. IT IS THEREFORE IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP INTERVENTIONS THAT IMPROVE HEALTHY AGEING, REDUCE DISABILITY ONSET AND ENHANCE LIFE QUALITY. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CAN PROMOTE HEALTHY AGEING AND HELP MAINTAIN INDEPENDENCE, YET MANY OLDER ADULTS ARE INACTIVE. YOGA IS A FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT AIMS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND MAY BE PARTICULARLY SUITABLE FOR OLDER ADULTS. RESEARCH INDICATES POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SEVERAL HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, EMPIRICAL STUDIES EXAMINING THE BENEFITS OF YOGA ON WELL-BEING AMONG THE ELDERLY REMAIN SCARCE. THIS STUDY PROTOCOL REPORTS THE METHODOLOGY FOR A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAMME AIMED TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AMONG PHYSICALLY INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: THREE GROUP PARALLEL, SINGLE-BLIND RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TWO COMPARISON GROUPS ARE INCLUDED: AEROBIC EXERCISE AND A NON-ACTIVE WAIT-LIST CONTROL. IN TOTAL, 180 PARTICIPANTS AGED 65-85 YEARS WILL BE RECRUITED. ASSESSMENTS WILL BE PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION (12-WEEK FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME IS SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY/SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR, MOBILITY/FALL RISK, COGNITION, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, MOOD, STRESS, PAIN, SLEEP QUALITY, SOCIAL SUPPORT AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS. DATA WILL BE ANALYSED USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES, WITH MIXED LINEAR MODELLING. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: THIS STUDY IS APPROVED BY THE ETHICAL REVIEW BOARD IN STOCKHOLM (2017/1862-31/2). ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST VOLUNTARILY AGREE TO PARTICIPATE AND ARE FREE TO WITHDRAW FROM THE STUDY AT ANY POINT. WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT WILL BE OBTAINED FROM EACH PARTICIPANT PRIOR TO INCLUSION. RESULTS WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH RESEARCH ARTICLES AND CONFERENCES. A SUMMARY OF KEY RESULTS WILL BE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE THROUGH NEWSPAPER ARTICLES. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00015093, U1111-1217-4248.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
7  944  31 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
8  734  34 EFFECT OF ONE WEEK OF YOGA ON FUNCTION AND SEVERITY IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVED THE HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). FINDINGS: SIXTY-FOUR PARTICIPANTS WITH RA (GROUP AVERAGE AGE +/- S.D., 46.5 +/- 9.6 YEARS; 47 FEMALES) WERE ASSESSED AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF A ONE WEEK YOGA PROGRAM. THE STANFORD HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (HAQ), HAND GRIP STRENGTH, RHEUMATOID FACTOR, AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVELS WERE ASSESSED ON THE FIRST AND LAST DAY AND COMPARED USING A T-TEST FOR PAIRED DATA. ALL PARTICIPANTS SHOWED REDUCED DISABILITY SCORES OF THE HAQ AND RHEUMATOID FACTOR LEVELS, WITH AN INCREASE IN BILATERAL HAND GRIP STRENGTH IN MALE PARTICIPANTS ALONE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS SINGLE GROUP STUDY INDICATED THAT A BRIEF INTENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM WAS BENEFICIAL IN RA, WITH DECREASED DISABILITY, BETTER FUNCTIONALITY AND CHANGES IN THE RHEUMATOID FACTOR LEVELS SUGGESTING IMPROVEMENT.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
9  938  33 EFFECTS OF 1-YEAR YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS) IS A CLUSTERING OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES MELLITUS AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS APPLIED TO PEOPLE WITH METS HAS CONSIDERABLE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON DISEASE PREVENTIVE OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF 1-YEAR OF YOGA EXERCISE ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS INCLUDING CENTRAL OBESITY, HYPERTENSION, DYSLIPIDEMIA AND HYPERGLYCEMIA IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER HONG KONG CHINESE ADULTS WITH METS. METHODS: ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH METS USING NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL EDUCATION PROGRAM CRITERIA (N = 182; MEAN +/- SD AGE = 56 +/- 9.1) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 1-YEAR YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR CONTROL GROUP. SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE, TRIGLYCERIDES, AND HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL WERE EXAMINED AT BASELINE, MIDWAY, AND ON COMPLETION OF THE STUDY. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL AND CALORIC INTAKE WERE ASSESSED AND INCLUDED IN THE COVARIATE ANALYSES. RESULTS: A REDUCTION OF THE NUMBER OF DIAGNOSTIC COMPONENTS FOR METS WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE YOGA INTERVENTION. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE 1-YEAR YOGA INTERVENTION. A TREND TOWARDS A DECREASE IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE WAS OBSERVED FOLLOWING YOGA INTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA EXERCISE IMPROVES THE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS INCLUDING CENTRAL OBESITY AND BLOOD PRESSURE IN MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER ADULTS WITH METS. THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT THE COMPLEMENTARY BENEFICIAL ROLE OF YOGA IN MANAGING METS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
10 1018  34 EFFECTS OF SIX MONTHS OF YOGA ON INFLAMMATORY SERUM MARKERS PROGNOSTIC OF RECURRENCE RISK IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA-BASED EXERCISE HAS PROVEN TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR PRACTITIONERS, INCLUDING CANCER SURVIVORS. THIS STUDY REPORTS ON THE EFFECT ON INFLAMMATORY BIOLOGICAL MARKERS FOR 20 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A SIX-MONTH YOGA-BASED (YE) EXERCISE PROGRAM. RESULTS ARE COMPARED TO A COMPREHENSIVE EXERCISE (CE) PROGRAM GROUP AND A COMPARISON (C) EXERCISE GROUP WHO CHOSE THEIR OWN EXERCISES. "PRE" AND "POST" ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED MEASURES OF ANTHROPOMETRICS, CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY, AND INFLAMMATORY MARKERS INTERLEUKIN 6 (IL-6), INTERLEUKIN 8 (IL-8), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNFALPHA) AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP). DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, EFFECT SIZE (D), AND DEPENDENT SAMPLE 'T' TESTS FOR ALL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CALCULATED FOR THE YE GROUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN IN DECREASED % BODY FAT, (-3.00%, D = -0.44, P = <.001) BUT NOT IN CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY OR IN INFLAMMATORY SERUM MARKERS. TO COMPARE YE OUTCOMES WITH THE OTHER TWO GROUPS, A ONE-WAY ANALYSIS OF CO-VARIANCE (ANCOVA) WAS USED, CONTROLLING FOR AGE, BMI, CARDIORESPIRATORY CAPACITY AND SERUM MARKER BASELINE VALUES. WE FOUND NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. MOREOVER, WE DID NOT SEE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ANY INFLAMMATORY MARKER FOR ANY GROUP. OUR RESULTS SUPPORT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA-BASED EXERCISE MODIFIED FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS FOR IMPROVING BODY COMPOSITION. LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN INFLAMMATORY SERUM MARKERS AS A RESULT OF SPECIFIC EXERCISE MODALITIES.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
11  674  28 EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE SUBJECTS. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION ON HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. DESIGN AND SETTING: NONRANDOMIZED, SINGLE-ARM INTERVENTIONAL STUDY CONDUCTED FROM AUGUST 2012 TO MARCH 2015 AT INTEGRAL HEALTH CLINIC, DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY, ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEW DELHI, INDIA. PARTICIPANTS: OVERWEIGHT (BODY-MASS INDEX [BMI], 23-24.9 KG/M(2)) AND OBESE (BMI, >/=25 KG/M(2)) PERSONS (N = 279) AGED 20-60 YEARS. INTERVENTION: PRETESTED YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, INCLUDING ASANAS (POSTURES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES), RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, LECTURES, GROUP SUPPORT, NUTRITION AWARENESS PROGRAM, AND INDIVIDUALIZED ADVICE. OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS HRQOL, MEASURED BY USING SHORT VERSION OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE (WHOQOL-BREF) QUESTIONNAIRE. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, PULSE RATE, LIPID PROFILE, AND FASTING GLUCOSE. A SUBGROUP ANALYSIS ACCORDING TO SEX WAS ALSO PERFORMED. RESULTS: THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH IMPROVED AFTER SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS. PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMAIN SCORES SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FROM BASELINE TO DAY 10, AND EFFICACY WAS NOTED IN BOTH MALE AND FEMALE SUBGROUPS. AFTER 10 DAYS OF INTERVENTION, THE FOLLOWING ALSO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY: BODY WEIGHT, BMI, TOTAL BODY FAT, WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, TOTAL CHOLESTEROL, LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN, TRIGLYCERIDES, AND FASTING GLUCOSE. CONCLUSION: A SHORT-TERM YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HRQOL IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE PERSONS.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
12 1898  30 RESTORATIVE YOGA AND METABOLIC RISK FACTORS: THE PRACTICING RESTORATIVE YOGA VS. STRETCHING FOR THE METABOLIC SYNDROME (PRYSMS) RANDOMIZED TRIAL. AIMS: INTENSIVE LIFESTYLE CHANGE PREVENTS TYPE 2 DIABETES BUT IS DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY IMPROVE METABOLIC FACTORS. WE TESTED A RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION VS. ACTIVE STRETCHING FOR METABOLIC OUTCOMES. METHODS: IN 2009-2012, WE CONDUCTED A 48-WEEK RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING RESTORATIVE YOGA VS. STRETCHING AMONG UNDERACTIVE ADULTS WITH THE METABOLIC SYNDROME AT THE UNIVERSITIES OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO AND SAN DIEGO. WE PROVIDED LIFESTYLE COUNSELING AND A TAPERING SERIES OF 90-MIN GROUP CLASSES IN THE 24-WEEK INTERVENTION PERIOD AND 24-WEEK MAINTENANCE PERIOD. FASTING AND 2-H GLUCOSE, HBA1C, TRIGLYCERIDES, HDL-CHOLESTEROL, INSULIN, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, VISCERAL FAT, AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6- AND 12-MONTHS. RESULTS: 180 PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED AND 135 (75%) COMPLETED THE TRIAL. AT 12 MONTHS, FASTING GLUCOSE DECREASED MORE IN THE YOGA GROUP THAN IN THE STRETCHING GROUP (-0.35 MMOL/L VS. -0.03 MMOL/L; P=0.002); THERE WERE NO OTHER SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. AT 6 MONTHS FAVORABLE CHANGES WITHIN THE YOGA GROUP INCLUDED REDUCTIONS IN FASTING GLUCOSE, INSULIN, AND HBA1C AND AN INCREASE IN HDL-CHOLESTEROL THAT WERE NOT SUSTAINED AT 1 YEAR EXCEPT CHANGES IN FASTING GLUCOSE. THE STRETCHING GROUP HAD A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN TRIGLYCERIDES AT 6 MONTHS WHICH WAS NOT SUSTAINED AT 1 YEAR BUT HAD IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE AT BOTH TIME-POINTS. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORATIVE YOGA WAS MARGINALLY BETTER THAN STRETCHING FOR IMPROVING FASTING GLUCOSE BUT NOT OTHER METABOLIC FACTORS.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
13 1789  29 PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS OF THE EFFECT OF A BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION ON MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION AND DNA METHYLATION IN CHRONICALLY STRESSED WOMEN. YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED STRESS AND INCREASED WELL-BEING, ALTHOUGH THE MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THESE BENEFITS IS NOT CLEAR. MOUNTING EVIDENCE IMPLICATES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE, WITH CURRENT STUDIES FOCUSED ON PROTEIN IMMUNE MARKERS (SUCH AS CYTOKINES) IN CLINICAL POPULATIONS. TO EXPLORE THE MOLECULAR IMPACT, THIS PILOT STUDY USES A SUBSAMPLE (N=28) FROM A RANDOMISED WAITLIST CONTROL TRIAL INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION IN A COMMUNITY POPULATION OF WOMEN REPORTING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (N=116). WE MEASURED INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF) AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP) PROTEIN LEVELS, AND THE DNA METHYLATION OF THESE GENES AND THE GLOBAL INDICATOR, LINE-1. CORRELATIONS BETWEEN THESE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES WERE EXPLORED, IDENTIFYING MODERATE CORRELATIONS WITH CRP PROTEIN LEVELS, AND METHYLATION OF IL-6, CRP AND LINE-1. MANY CYTOKINE SAMPLES WERE BELOW DETECTION, HOWEVER A MANN-WHITNEY U DEMONSTRATED A TREND OF MODERATE BETWEEN-GROUP EFFECT FOR ELEVATED IL-6 IN THE YOGA GROUP. METHYLATION ANALYSES APPLIED CROSS-SECTIONAL AND NON-CONTROLLED LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES. WAIST-TO-HEIGHT RATIO AND AGE WERE COVARIED. WE DEMONSTRATED REDUCED METHYLATION OF THE TNF REGION IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO THE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. NO OTHER GENES DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE. LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS FURTHER SUPPORTED THESE RESULTS. THIS STUDY IS ONE OF THE FIRST TO EXPLORE YOGA AND IMMUNOLOGICAL MARKERS IN A NON-CLINICAL POPULATION, AND IS THE FIRST STUDY TO EXPLORE DNA METHYLATION. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT FURTHER RESEARCH INTO MOLECULAR IMPACT OF YOGA ON MARKERS OF IMMUNE FUNCTION IS WARRANTED, WITH LARGER STUDIES REQUIRED.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
14 2861  34 YOGA-BASED EXERCISE TO PREVENT FALLS IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE AGED 60 YEARS AND OVER: STUDY PROTOCOL FOR THE SUCCESSFUL AGEING (SAGE) YOGA RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: FALLS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE INDEPENDENCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER AGE. BALANCE-SPECIFIC EXERCISE PREVENTS FALLS IN PEOPLE AGED 60+ YEARS. YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY AND CAN PROVIDE A HIGH CHALLENGE TO BALANCE; HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON FALLS HAS NOT BEEN EVALUATED. THIS TRIAL AIMS TO ESTABLISH THE EFFECT ON FALLS OF A YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAMME COMPARED WITH A YOGA RELAXATION PROGRAMME IN COMMUNITY-DWELLERS AGED 60+ YEARS. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: THIS RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WILL INVOLVE 560 COMMUNITY-DWELLING PEOPLE AGED 60+ YEARS. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMISED TO EITHER: (1) THE SUCCESSFUL AGEING (SAGE) YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAMME OR (2) A YOGA RELAXATION PROGRAMME. PRIMARY OUTCOME IS RATE OF FALLS IN THE 12 MONTHS POST RANDOMISATION. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE MENTAL WELL-BEING, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, BALANCE SELF-CONFIDENCE, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, PAIN, GOAL ATTAINMENT AND SLEEP QUALITY AT 12 MONTHS AFTER RANDOMISATION. THE NUMBER OF FALLS PER PERSON-YEAR WILL BE ANALYSED USING NEGATIVE BINOMIAL REGRESSION MODELS TO ESTIMATE BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE IN FALL RATES. GENERALISED LINEAR MODELS WILL ASSESS THE EFFECT OF GROUP ALLOCATION ON THE CONTINUOUSLY SCORED SECONDARY OUTCOMES, ADJUSTING FOR BASELINE SCORES. AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS WILL COMPARE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS AND COST-UTILITY OF THE TWO YOGA PROGRAMMES. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: PROTOCOL WAS APPROVED BY THE HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (APPROVAL 2019/604). TRIAL RESULTS WILL BE DISSEMINATED VIA PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES, CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS, LAY SUMMARIES. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: THE PROTOCOL FOR THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH THE AUSTRALIAN NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY (ACTRN12619001183178).	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
15  692  36 EFFECT OF COMMUNITY-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND GLYCEMIC PARAMETERS IN PREDIABETES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: TO STUDY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, GLYCEMIC STATUS, BLOOD PRESSURE AND ANTHROPOMETRY IN PREDIABETES. DESIGN: RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY NINE PREDIABETES SUBJECTS AGED 30-75 YEARS. SETTING: YOGA WAS CONDUCTED AT 4 DIFFERENT COMMUNITY DIABETES CLINICS IN MANGALORE, INDIA. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER 3-MONTH YOGA OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUPS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: MALONDIALDEHYDE, GLUTATHIONE, VITAMIN C, VITAMIN E, SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE, PLASMA GLUCOSE, GLYCATED HAEMOGLOBIN, BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO AND BLOOD PRESSURE. RESULTS: YOGA INTERVENTION RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN MALONDIALDEHYDE (P<0.001), RELATIVE TO THE CONTROL GROUP. IN COMPARISON WITH THE CONTROL, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND FASTING GLUCOSE LEVELS AT FOLLOW-UP. NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN GLYCATED HAEMOGLOBIN, WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO OR ANY OF THE ANTIOXIDANTS WAS OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA INTERVENTION MAY BE HELPFUL IN CONTROL OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN PREDIABETES SUBJECTS. YOGA CAN ALSO BE BENEFICIAL IN REDUCTION IN BMI, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND FASTING GLUCOSE. EFFECT OF YOGA ON ANTIOXIDANT PARAMETERS WAS NOT EVIDENT IN THIS STUDY. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER TRIALS INVOLVING ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
16 2854  46 YOGA- AND MEDITATION-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION INCREASES NEUROPLASTICITY AND REDUCES SEVERITY OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CURRENT INTERVENTIONS FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) ARE SUBOPTIMAL, AND ONLY ONE THIRD RESPOND TO THEM ON INITIAL TREATMENT. NEUROPLASTICITY THEORIES ARE THE BASIS FOR SEVERAL EMERGING TREATMENTS. EVIDENCE ON THE IMPACT OF YOGA, A WELL-KNOWN MIND-BODY INTERVENTION, ON NEUROPLASTICITY IN MDD IS LIMITED. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF 12-WEEK YOGA- AND MEDITATION-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YMLI) ON DEPRESSION SEVERITY AND SYSTEMIC BIOMARKERS OF NEUROPLASTICITY IN ADULT MDD PATIENTS ON ROUTINE DRUG TREATMENT. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 58 MDD PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. THE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION WAS ASSESSED WITH BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II SCALE (BDI-II). BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF THE BIOMARKERS THAT CHARACTERIZE NEUROPLASTICITY, INCLUDING MIND-BODY COMMUNICATIVE AND CELLULAR HEALTH BIOMARKERS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE [DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEANS, (95% CI)] IN BDI-II SCORE [-5.83 (-7.27, -4.39), P < 0.001] AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN BDNF (NG/ML) [5.48 (3.50, 7.46), P < 0.001] AFTER YMLI COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. YMLI SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED DHEAS, SIRTUIN 1, AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY LEVELS, AND DECREASED CORTISOL, AND IL-6 LEVELS, IN ADDITION TO DECREASING DNA DAMAGE AND BALANCING OXIDATIVE STRESS. MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO ASSOCIATE NEUROPLASTICITY BIOMARKERS WITH DEPRESSION SEVERITY. A 'POST-INTERVENTION CHANGE IN BDNF' X 'GROUP' INTERACTION INDICATED THAT YOGA GROUP HAD MORE BDNF IN ASSOCIATION WITH LESS BDI-II SCORES RELATIVE TO CONTROLS. INCREASED SIRTUIN 1 AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY AND DECREASED CORTISOL SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTED THIS ASSOCIATION (ALL P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DECREASE IN DEPRESSION SEVERITY AFTER YMLI IN MDD IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED SYSTEMIC BIOMARKERS OF NEUROPLASTICITY. THUS YMLI CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN MDD MANAGEMENT.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
17  871  51 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. BACKGROUND: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS AN IMMUNE-MEDIATED INFLAMMATORY DISEASE. ANTIRHEUMATOID TREATMENT REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND INFLAMMATION, BUT NOT ALL PATIENTS RESPOND TO TREATMENT. AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION IS COMMON IN RA LEADING TO FREQUENT CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS. YOGA THERAPY MAY BE USEFUL IN THESE PATIENTS, BUT THERE ARE LITTLE DATA ON THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV). OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF 12-WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON DISEASE ACTIVITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND HRV IN PATIENTS WITH RA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED ON NEWLY DIAGNOSED RA PATIENTS ATTENDING OUTPATIENT SERVICES AT THE DEPARTMENT OF CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, JIPMER. ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: THE CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 83) AND YOGA GROUP (YG) (N = 83). YOGA THERAPY WAS ADMINISTERED TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE YG FOR 12 WEEKS, ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE CG RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE 28, INTERLEUKIN-1ALPHA (IL-1ALPHA), IL-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), CORTISOL, AND HRV PARAMETERS. ALL PARAMETERS WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. RESULTS: DISEASE ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED IN BOTH GROUPS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IT WAS REDUCED MORE IN YG, WHICH WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05). IN BOTH YG AND CG, IL-1ALPHA, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND CORTISOL DECREASED AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT IL-1ALPHA AND CORTISOL DECREASED MORE SIGNIFICANTLY IN YG THAN IN CG. LOW-FREQUENCY COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (LFNU) AND THE LOW-FREQUENCY/HIGH-FREQUENCY (LF-HF) RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND TOTAL POWER AND HF COMPONENT EXPRESSED AS NORMALIZED UNIT (HFNU) INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE YG COMPARED WITH CG. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY, IF GIVEN ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND IMPROVES SYMPATHOVAGAL BALANCE IN RA PATIENTS.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
18 2764  41 YOGA PROGRAMME FOR TYPE-2 DIABETES PREVENTION (YOGA-DP) AMONG HIGH RISK PEOPLE IN INDIA: A MULTICENTRE FEASIBILITY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL PROTOCOL. INTRODUCTION: A HUGE POPULATION IN INDIA IS AT HIGH RISK OF TYPE-2 DIABETES (T2DM). PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND A HEALTHY DIET (HEALTHY LIFESTYLE) IMPROVE BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IN PEOPLE AT HIGH RISK OF T2DM. HOWEVER, AN UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE IS COMMON AMONG INDIANS. YOGA COVERS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND A HEALTHY DIET AND CAN HELP TO PREVENT T2DM. THE RESEARCH QUESTION TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE MAIN RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) IS WHETHER A YOGA PROGRAMME FOR T2DM PREVENTION (YOGA-DP) IS EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING T2DM AMONG HIGH RISK PEOPLE IN INDIA AS COMPARED WITH ENHANCED STANDARD CARE. IN THIS CURRENT STUDY, WE ARE DETERMINING THE FEASIBILITY OF UNDERTAKING THE MAIN RCT. INTERVENTION: YOGA-DP IS A STRUCTURED LIFESTYLE EDUCATION AND EXERCISE PROGRAMME. THE EXERCISE PART IS BASED ON YOGA AND INCLUDES SHITHILIKARANA VYAYAMA (LOOSENING EXERCISES), SURYA NAMASKAR (SUN SALUTATION EXERCISES), ASANA (YOGIC POSES), PRANAYAMA (BREATHING PRACTICES) AND DHYANA (MEDITATION) AND RELAXATION PRACTICES. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: THIS IS A MULTICENTRE, TWO-ARM, PARALLEL-GROUP, FEASIBILITY RCT WITH BLINDED OUTCOME ASSESSMENT AND INTEGRATED MIXED-METHODS PROCESS EVALUATION. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BE AGED 18-74 YEARS, AT HIGH RISK OF T2DM (FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE LEVEL 5.6-6.9 MMOL/L) AND SAFE TO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES. AT LEAST 64 PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMISED TO INTERVENTION OR CONTROL GROUP WITH FINAL FOLLOW-UP AT 6 MONTHS. IMPORTANT PARAMETERS, NEEDED TO DESIGN THE MAIN RCT, WILL BE ESTIMATED, SUCH AS SD OF THE OUTCOME MEASURE (FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE LEVEL AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP), RECRUITMENT, INTERVENTION ADHERENCE, FOLLOW-UP, POTENTIAL CONTAMINATION AND TIME NEEDED TO CONDUCT THE STUDY. SEMISTRUCTURED QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED WITH UP TO 20-30 PARTICIPANTS, A SAMPLE OF THOSE DECLINING TO PARTICIPATE, FOUR YOGA-DP INSTRUCTORS AND AROUND EIGHT STUDY STAFF TO EXPLORE THEIR PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF TAKING PART IN THE STUDY AND OF THE INTERVENTION, REASONS BEHIND NON-PARTICIPATION, EXPERIENCES OF DELIVERING THE INTERVENTION AND RUNNING THE STUDY, RESPECTIVELY. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: ETHICS APPROVAL HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEES: FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM (UK); CENTRE FOR CHRONIC DISEASE CONTROL (CCDC, INDIA); BAPU NATURE CURE HOSPITAL AND YOGASHRAM (BNCHY, INDIA) AND SWAMI VIVEKANANDA YOGA ANUSANDHANA SAMSTHANA (S-VYASA, INDIA). THE RESULTS WILL BE WIDELY DISSEMINATED AMONG KEY STAKEHOLDERS THROUGH VARIOUS AVENUES. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2019/05/018893.	2020	

19 2843  28 YOGA, COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY VERSUS EDUCATION TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCE HEALTHCARE COSTS IN PEOPLE WITH ENDOMETRIOSIS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: ENDOMETRIOSIS IS A DEBILITATING CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY CONDITION HIGHLY BURDENSOME TO THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. THE PRESENT TRIAL WILL ESTABLISH THE EFFICACY OF (1) YOGA AND (2) COGNITIVE-BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (CBT), ABOVE (3) EDUCATION, ON QUALITY OF LIFE, BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: THIS STUDY IS A PARALLEL RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO YOGA, CBT OR EDUCATION. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ENGLISH-SPEAKING ADULTS, HAVE A DIAGNOSIS OF ENDOMETRIOSIS BY A QUALIFIED PHYSICIAN, WITH PAIN FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS, AND ACCESS TO INTERNET. PARTICIPANTS WILL ATTEND 8 WEEKLY GROUP CBT SESSIONS OF 120 MIN; OR 8 WEEKLY GROUP YOGA SESSIONS OF 60 MIN; OR RECEIVE WEEKLY EDUCATIONAL HANDOUTS ON ENDOMETRIOSIS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE IS QUALITY OF LIFE. THE ANALYSIS WILL INCLUDE MIXED-EFFECTS ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE AND LINEAR MODELS, COST-UTILITY ANALYSIS FROM A SOCIETAL AND HEALTH SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE AND QUALITATIVE THEMATIC ANALYSIS. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: ENROLMENT IN THE STUDY IS VOLUNTARY AND PARTICIPANTS CAN WITHDRAW AT ANY TIME. PARTICIPANTS WILL BE GIVEN THE OPTION TO DISCUSS THE STUDY WITH THEIR NEXT OF KIN/TREATING PHYSICIAN. FINDINGS WILL BE DISSEMINATED VIA PUBLICATIONS, CONFERENCES AND BRIEFS TO PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS. THE UNIVERSITY'S MEDIA TEAM WILL ALSO BE USED TO FURTHER DISSEMINATE VIA LAY PERSON ARTICLES AND MEDIA RELEASES. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12620000756921P; PRE-RESULTS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
20  389  38 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