1  185 111 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON CARDIAC FUNCTION AND N TERMINAL PRO BNP IN HEART FAILURE. AIMS: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE WHETHER YOGA TRAINING IN ADDITION TO STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY CAN IMPROVE CARDIAC FUNCTION AND REDUCE N TERMINAL PRO B-TYPE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE (NT PRO BNP) IN HEART FAILURE (HF). METHODS: 130 PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: CONTROL GROUP (CG) (N = 65), YOGA GROUP (YG). IN YG, 44 PATIENTS AND IN CG, 48 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. CARDIAC FUNCTION USING LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF), MYOCARDIAL PERFORMANCE INDEX (TEI INDEX), AND NT PRO BNP, A BIOMARKER OF HF, WAS ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. RESULT: IMPROVEMENT IN LVEF, TEI INDEX, AND NT PRO BNP WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN BOTH THE GROUPS. FURTHERMORE, WHEN THE CHANGES IN BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS WERE IN PERCENTAGE, LVEF INCREASED 36.88% IN THE YG AND 16.9% IN THE CG, TEI INDEX WAS REDUCED 27.87% IN THE YG AND 2.79% IN THE CG, NT PRO BNP WAS REDUCED 63.75% IN THE YG AND 10.77% IN THE CG. THE BETWEEN GROUP COMPARISONS FROM PRE TO POST 12 WEEKS WERE SIGNIFICANT FOR YG IMPROVEMENTS (LVEF, P < 0.01, TEI INDEX, P < 0.01, NT PRO BNP, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE ADDITION OF YOGA THERAPY TO STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY FOR HF PATIENTS HAS A MARKEDLY BETTER EFFECT ON CARDIAC FUNCTION AND REDUCED MYOCARDIAL STRESS MEASURED USING NT PRO BNP IN PATIENTS WITH STABLE HF.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
2 1966  41 SERUM AND GENE EXPRESSION PROFILE OF CYTOKINES FOLLOWING COMBINATION OF YOGA TRAINING AND VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF THE COMBINATION OF YOGA TRAINING WITH HIGH VITAMIN D DOSE SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE EXPRESSION AND SYSTEMIC LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND PSYCHOPHYSICAL STATUS OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: THIRTY VOLUNTEERED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (48 +/- 8 YEARS) WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO A HIGH DOSE (4000 IU) OF VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION (HD) GROUP (N = 10), YOGA WITH A HIGH DOSE OF VITAMIN D (YHD) GROUP (N = 10), AND YOGA WITH A LOW DOSE (2000 IU) OF VITAMIN D (YLD) GROUP (N = 10). PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED THE HATHA YOGA STYLE FOR 12 WEEKS, TWICE A WEEK. BLOOD SAMPLES, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) QUESTIONNAIRE, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE TESTS WERE TAKEN BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: BODY FAT PERCENTAGE (ETAP(2) = 0.36), HANDGRIP STRENGTH (ETAP(2) = 0.41) AND QOL INDICATORS INCLUDE GLOBAL HEALTH (ETAP(2) = 0.54), FUNCTIONAL SCALES (ETAP(2) = 0.49), AND SYMPTOMS SCALES (ETAP(2) = 0.50) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN THE BOTH YHD AND YLD GROUPS COMPARED TO THE HD GROUP (P < 0.05). ALSO, INTERLEUKIN-10 (IL-10) LEVELS WERE MARKEDLY INCREASED IN THE Y-HVD GROUP COMPARED TO THE Y-LVD AND HVD GROUPS. MOREOVER, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA) AND INTERLEUKIN-6 LEVELS IN THE Y-HVD GROUP AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY INDEX (IL-10/TNF-ALPHA) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN BOTH THE YOGA GROUPS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA PROMOTES PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FITNESS AND, IN COMBINATION WITH A HIGH DOSE OF VITAMIN D, IMPROVES THE CYTOKINE PROFILE, WHICH CAN EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THE SIDE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH CANCER. TRIAL REGISTRATION IRCT20210726051993N2. REGISTRATION DATE: 2022/02/27. URL: HTTPS://WWW.IRCT.IR/TRIAL/62079.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
3 2212  34 THE HIGH DOSE OF VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION COMBINED WITH YOGA TRAINING IMPROVE THE LEUKOCYTES CELL SURVIVAL-RELATED GENE EXPRESSION IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING COMBINED WITH VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE EXPRESSION OF SURVIVAL-RELATED GENES IN LEUKOCYTES AND PSYCHO-PHYSICAL STATUS IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: THIRTY BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR WOMEN (AGE, 48 +/- 8 YRS) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO THREE GROUPS: HIGH DOSE (4000 IU) OF VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION (HD) (N = 10); YOGA TRAINING WITH A HIGH DOSE OF VITAMIN D (Y + HD); (N = 10); YOGA TRAINING WITH A LOW DOSE (2000 IU) OF VITAMIN D (Y + LD) (N = 10). PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED THE HATHA YOGA STYLE TWICE A WEEK. BLOOD SAMPLES AND A BATTERY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL TESTS WERE TAKEN BEFORE AND AFTER THE COMPLETION OF INTERVENTIONS. EXPRESSION OF P53, NF-KAPPAB, BCL2, AND BAX GENES WAS MEASURED IN LEUKOCYTES. RESULTS: BODY FAT PERCENTAGE (ETAP2 = 0.36), SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY (ETAP2 = 0.38), ROCKPORT WALK TESTS (ETAP2 = 0.49), AND ANXIETY (ETAP2 = 0.52) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN BOTH THE Y + HD AND Y + LD GROUPS COMPARED TO THE HD GROUP (P < 0.05). P53 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY OVER-EXPRESSED IN THE Y + HD GROUP WHILE BCL2 UPREGULATED IN BOTH THE Y + HD AND Y + LD GROUPS. NF-KAPPAB AND BAX EXPRESSION DOWNREGULATED IN ALL GROUPS BUT WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. CONCLUSION: YOGA TRAINING COMBINED WITH LOW AND HIGH DOSES OF VD IMPROVED PHYSICAL FITNESS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES WHILE ONLY IN COMBINATION WITH A HIGH DOSE OF VD POSITIVELY MODIFIED THE LEUKOCYTES CELL SURVIVAL-RELATED GENE EXPRESSION.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
4  798  54 EFFECT OF YOGA LIFESTYLE IN PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: IN SPITE OF SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEART FAILURE (HF), MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY REMAIN HIGH. THEREFORE, THERE IS A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES. WE DID A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL TO STUDY EFFECT OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH HF IN TERMS OF QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), LEFT VENTRICLE EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF), C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP), AND NTPROBNP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 60 PATIENTS WITH STABLE HF NEW YORK HEART ASSOCIATION CLASS II WITH LVEF 30%-40% WERE RANDOMIZED INTO CONTROL GROUP (CG) AND YOGA GROUP (YG). CG RECEIVED THE GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY AND YG IN ADDITION PRACTICED THE YOGA, ONE HOUR DAILY FOR 3 MONTHS. ALL PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED FOR QOL, CRP, NTPROBNP, AND LVEF AT BASELINE AND AFTER 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS OBSERVED IN ALL FOUR PARAMETERS IN THE YG AS COMPARED TO THE CG (P < 0.01) AFTER 12 WEEKS. QOL AS ASSESSED BY MINNESOTA LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE QUESTIONNAIRE SCORE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN YG AS COMPARED TO CG (10 V/S 14, P < 0.001). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WITHIN YG IN TERMS OF LVEF (33.4-36.8, P = 0.001), AND THE PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN LVEF WAS SIGNIFICANT BETWEEN THE GROUPS (10% V/S 5%, P = 0.001). NTPROBNP ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY 69.8% FROM 755 TO 220 PMOL/L IN YG AS COMPARED TO 39.3% IN CG (679-406 PMOL/L). CRP DECREASED BY 49.3% (5.36-2.73 MG/L) IN YG AND 35.8% (5.39-3.45 MG/L) IN CG. CONCLUSION: THE RESULT OF THIS PILOT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT ADDITION OF YOGA TO GUIDELINE-BASED THERAPY FOR HF PATIENTS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES QOL, LVEF, AND NTPROBNP AND REDUCES CRP LEVEL. LARGER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE FINDINGS.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
5  799  37 EFFECT OF YOGA MODULE ON PRO-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF LONAVLA: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: INFLAMMATORY MARKERS PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN BODY'S DEFENSE MECHANISM. PRO-INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MARKERS COUNTERBALANCE EACH OTHER. IT IS EXTREMELY ESSENTIAL FOR THE BODY TO MAINTAIN THEIR BALANCE FOR A GOOD IMMUNE RESPONSE. OBJECTIVES: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON SELECTED PRO-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE AMONG INDUSTRIAL WORKERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FORTY EIGHT MALE STUDY PARTICIPANTS, AGED 30-58 YEARS, WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO EXPERIMENTAL (N=24) & CONTROL (N=24) GROUPS. PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE IL-1BETA AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE IL-10 WERE EVALUATED AT THE BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 12 WK OF YOGA TRAINING IN BOTH THE GROUPS. DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY, ALL THE STUDY PARTICIPANTS CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY LIFESTYLE AND DIET. DATA WERE ANALYSED USING PAIRED T-TEST AND INDEPENDENT T-TEST. RESULTS: THE RESULT OF WITHIN GROUP COMPARISON REVEALED THAT THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN IL-1 BETA WHILE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN IL-10 (P < 0.05), WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP REVEALED NO CHANGE IN IL-1 BETA (P > 0.05) AND IL-10 (P > 0.05). FURTHER, THE RESULTS BETWEEN THE GROUPS CONFIRMED THAT THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER LEVEL OF IL-1 BETA AND INCREASE IN IL-10 AS COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY HAS DEMONSTRATED THAT YOGA PRACTICES COULD REDUCE PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE AND INCREASE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE IN INDUSTRIAL WORKERS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
6  791  37 EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISE THERAPY ON OXIDATIVE STRESS INDICATORS WITH END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE ON HEMODIALYSIS. BACKGROUND: OXIDATIVE STRESS PROMOTES ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN CHRONIC RENAL DISEASE. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE IMPACT OF HATHA YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS INDICATORS AND OXIDANT STATUS, IN PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE (ESRD) ON HEMODIALYSIS. DESIGN: THIS PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED STUDY CONSISTED OF 33 ESRD PATIENTS IN THE HATHA YOGA EXERCISE GROUP WHO WERE MATCHED WITH 35 ESRD PATIENTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE OXIDATIVE STRESS INDICATORS (MALONDIALDEHYDE - MDA, PROTEIN OXIDATION - POX, PHOSPHOLIPASE A2 - PLA2 ACTIVITY) AND THE OXIDATIVE STATUS (SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (SOD) AND CATALASE ACTIVITIES) WERE DETERMINED IN THE BLOOD SAMPLES TAKEN AT THE PRE-HEMODIALYSIS TREATMENT, AT BASELINE (0 MONTHS) AND AFTER FOUR MONTHS. RESULTS: IN PATIENTS IN THE HATHA YOGA EXERCISE GROUP, LIPID PEROXIDATION, AS INDICATED BY MDA DECREASED BY 4.0% AFTER FOUR MONTHS (P = 0.096). THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE ACTIVITY OF PLA FROM 2.68 +/- 0.02 IU / L TO 2.34 IU / L (- 12.7%; P = 0.010) AND POX FROM 2.28 +/- 0.02 NMOL / MG TO 2.22 +/- 0.01 NMOL / MG (- 22.6%; P = 0.0001). THE ACTIVITY OF SOD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FROM 12.91 +/- 0.17 U / L TO 13.54 +/- 0.15 U / L (4.65%; P = 0.0001) AND CATALASE FROM 79.83 +/- 0.63 U / L TO 80.54 +/- 0.80 U / L (0.90%; P = 0.0001). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION BETWEEN THE PRE-HEMODIALYSIS OXIDATIVE STRESS PARAMETERS AT THE ZERO MONTH AND AFTER FOUR MONTHS FOR THE ACTIVITIES OF PLA (R = 0.440), CATALASE (R = 0.872), AND SOD (R = 0.775). CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE HATHA YOGA EXERCISE HAS THERAPEUTIC, PREVENTATIVE, AND PROTECTIVE EFFECTS IN ESRD SUBJECTS, BY DECREASING OXIDATIVE STRESS.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
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	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
8 1744  23 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HATHA-YOGA EXERCISE IN HEALTHY WOMEN. HATHA-YOGA HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AS A METHOD FOR COPING WITH STRESS. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WE MEASURED HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, THE HORMONES CORTISOL, PROLACTIN AND GROWTH HORMONE AND CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN A YOGA PRACTICING GROUP AND A CONTROL GROUP OF YOUNG FEMALE VOLUNTEERS READING IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION DURING THE EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. THERE WERE NO SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS CONCERNING ENDOCRINE PARAMETERS AND BLOOD PRESSURE. THE COURSE OF HEART RATE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A DECREASE DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH GROUPS WERE FOUND IN PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. IN THE PERSONALITY INVENTORY THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED MARKEDLY HIGHER SCORES IN LIFE SATISFACTION AND LOWER SCORES IN EXCITABILITY, AGGRESSIVENESS, OPENNESS, EMOTIONALITY AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COULD ALSO BE OBSERVED CONCERNING COPING WITH STRESS AND THE MOOD AT THE END OF THE EXPERIMENT. THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT HIGHER SCORES IN HIGH SPIRITS AND EXTRAVERTEDNESS.	1994	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
9  821  22 EFFECT OF YOGA ON EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS. TWELVE NORMAL HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (6 MALES AND 6 FEMALES) UNDERGOING YOGA TRAINING FOR 90 DAYS WERE STUDIED FOR THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON EXERCISE TOLERANCE. THEIR AGES RANGED FROM 18 TO 28 YEARS. THE VOLUNTEERS WERE TAUGHT ONLY PRANAYAMA FOR THE FIRST 20 DAYS AND LATER ON YOGIC ASANAS WERE ADDED. SUB-MAXIMAL EXERCISE TOLERANCE TEST WAS DONE ON A MOTORIZED TREADMILL BY USING BALKE'S MODIFIED PROTOCOL, INITIALLY, AFTER 20 DAYS (PHASE-I) AND AFTER 90 DAYS OF YOGA TRAINING (PHASE-II). PYRUVATE AND LACTATE IN VENOUS BLOOD AND BLOOD GASES IN CAPILLARY BLOOD WERE ESTIMATED IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISE. MINUTE VENTILATION AND OXYGEN CONSUMPTION WERE ESTIMATED BEFORE AND DURING THE TEST. POST EXERCISE BLOOD LACTATE WAS ELEVATED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING INITIAL AND PHASE-I, BUT NOT IN PHASE-II. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF MINUTE VENTILATION AND OXYGEN CONSUMPTION ONLY IN MALES IN PHASE-I AND II AT THE TIME WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS REACHED THEIR 80% OF THE PREDICTED HEART RATE. FEMALE VOLUNTEERS WERE ABLE TO GO TO HIGHER LOADS OF EXERCISE IN PHASE-I AND II.	1986	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
10 1643  25 MOOD CHANGE AND PERCEPTIONS OF VITALITY: A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGA. THE EFFECTS OF THREE DIFFERENT PROCEDURES, RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGIC BREATHING AND STRETCH (PRANAYAMA) ON PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENERGY AND ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MOOD STATES HAVE BEEN ASSESSED IN A GROUP OF NORMAL VOLUNTEERS (N = 71, AGE RANGE 21-76). PRANAYAMA PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND FEELINGS OF ALERTNESS AND ENTHUSIASM THAN THE OTHER TWO PROCEDURES (P < 0.5). RELAXATION MADE SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SLEEPY AND SLUGGISH IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SESSION THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05). VISUALIZATION MADE THEM MORE SLUGGISH BUT LESS CONTENT THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05) AND MORE UPSET THAN RELAXATION AFTER THE SECOND SESSION (P < 0.05). THUS, A 30 MIN PROGRAMME OF YOGIC STRETCH AND BREATHING EXERCISES WHICH IS SIMPLE TO LEARN AND WHICH CAN BE PRACTISED EVEN BY THE ELDERLY HAD A MARKEDLY 'INVIGORATING' EFFECT ON PERCEPTIONS OF BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND INCREASED HIGH POSITIVE MOOD. A MORE EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION IS PLANNED TO ESTABLISH WHETHER SUCH A PROGRAMME CAN READILY BE INCORPORATED INTO EVERYDAY LIFE, AND WITH WHAT LONG-TERM RESULTS.	1993	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
11 2364  33 VOLUNTARY HEART RATE REDUCTION FOLLOWING YOGA USING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES. BACKGROUND/AIMS: ONE MONTH OF YOGA TRAINING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE THE PULSE RATE VOLUNTARILY WITHOUT USING EXTERNAL CUES. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO UNDERSTAND THE STRATEGIES USED BY YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND AUTONOMIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH VOLUNTARY HEART RATE REDUCTION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FIFTY VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE +/- S.D., 25.4 +/- 4.8 YEARS; 25 MALES) WERE ASSESSED IN TWO TRIALS ON SEPARATE DAYS. EACH TRIAL WAS FOR 12 MINUTES, WITH A 'PRE' STATE AND 'DURING' STATE OF 6 MINUTES EACH. FOR BOTH TRIALS THE 'PRE' STATE WAS RELAXATION WITH EYES CLOSED. IN THE 'DURING' STATE OF TRIAL I, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE USING A STRATEGY OF THEIR CHOICE. FROM THEIR RESPONSES TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IT WAS DETERMINED THAT 22 OUT OF 50 PERSONS USED BREATH REGULATION AS A STRATEGY. HENCE, IN THE 'DURING' STATE OF TRIAL II, SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO VOLUNTARILY REDUCE THEIR HEART RATE BY BREATH REGULATION. RESULTS: IN THE FIRST TRIAL, THE HEART RATE WAS REDUCED BY AN AVERAGE OF 19.6 BEATS PER MINUTE AND IN THE SECOND TRIAL (WITH BREATH REGULATION EXCLUSIVELY) AN AVERAGE DECREASE OF 22.2 BEATS PER MINUTE WAS ACHIEVED. CONCLUSIONS: HENCE, THE STRATEGY USED DID NOT MARKEDLY ALTER THE OUTCOME.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
12  989  42 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON CARDIAC HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY IN CARDIAC REHABILITATION PATIENTS. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF HATHA YOGA TRAINING THAT WAS ADDED TO THE STANDARD CARDIAC REHABILITATION (CR) PROGRAM ON THE CARDIAC HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY OF PATIENTS WITH ST-ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (STEMI). METHODS: THE STUDY INCLUDED 70 MALE PATIENTS AGED 45-65 YR WITH STEMI WHO WERE TREATED BY ANGIOPLASTY. PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO STANDARD CR (CONTROL GROUP) VERSUS STANDARD CR PLUS HATHA YOGA (EXPERIMENTAL GROUP). THE TRAINING PROGRAM LASTED FOR A TOTAL OF 24 D FOR EACH PATIENT, WITH DAY 1 AND DAY 24 USED FOR MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS (ELECTROCARDIOGRAM, SPIROERGOMETRIC SUBMAXIMAL TREADMILL TEST, AND ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY). THE REMAINING 22 D CONSISTED OF THE ACTUAL TRAINING. RESULTS: AFTER THE CR PROGRAM THE SPIROERGOMETRIC STRESS TEST PARAMETERS AND LEFT VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION (LVEF) IMPROVED IN BOTH THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE MOST NOTABLE CHANGES IN ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY PARAMETERS AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY WERE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT OVER TIME, A TIME-VERSUS-GROUP INTERACTION IN LVEF, THE DURATION OF THE TEST, AND PEAK OXYGEN UPTAKE, AND A TIME-VERSUS-GROUP INTERACTION IN METABOLIC EQUIVALENTS (METS). WE ALSO NOTED THE IMPROVEMENT OF LEFT VENTRICULAR END-DIASTOLIC DIAMETER, LEFT VENTRICULAR END-SYSTOLIC DIAMETER, AND HEART RATE OVER TIME. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS REVEALED BETTER EFFECTIVENESS IN THE CR PROGRAM WITH A MODIFIED HATHA YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM. HATHA YOGA TRAINING COULD BE RECOMMENDED AS AN ADJUNCT TO STANDARD CR.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
13  873  45 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION IN HEART FAILURE. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT A HALL MARK OF HEART FAILURE IS ADVERSE CHANGES IN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION. ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE IS A POWERFUL PREDICTOR OF CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) OUTCOMES. IN THIS STUDY, WE PLANNED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF A 12 WEEK YOGA THERAPY ON BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, HEART RATE VARIABILITY, AND RATE PRESSURE PRODUCT (RPP). METHODS: OUT OF 130 HEART FAILURE PATIENTS RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY, 65 PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED TO RECEIVE 12 WEEK YOGA THERAPY ALONG WITH STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (YOGA GROUP). OTHER PATIENTS (N=65) RECEIVED ONLY STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (CONTROL GROUP). HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE, CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTION (BY SHORT-TERM HEART-RATE VARIABILITY ANALYSIS) AND MYOCARDIAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (BY RPP) WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, 44 PATIENTS AND IN THE CONTROL GROUP, 48 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN HEART RATE, BLOOD PRESSURE AND RPP IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. ALSO, LFNU AND LF-HF RATIO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND HFNU INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: TWELVE-WEEK YOGA THERAPY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS (NYHA I&II).	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
14  295  38 AGE RELATED DIFFERENCES OF SELECTED HATHA YOGA PRACTICES ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. BACKGROUND: PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF YOGA ON VOLUNTEERS OF A PARTICULAR AGE GROUP ARE AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, REPORTS ON EFFICACY OF A SPECIFIC YOGA PACKAGE ON THE POPULACE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL BACKGROUND IS STILL VERY LIMITED. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO APPRAISE THE EFFECT OF A SPECIFIC HATHA YOGA PACKAGE ON ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, FLEXIBILITY AND MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS FROM SIMILAR OCCUPATIONAL TRADE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 71 PARTICIPANTS (GROUP ALL) FROM INDIAN AIR FORCE GROUND PERSONNEL VOLUNTEERED AND AGE WISE DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS - (I) GROUP I (GR. - I) (N1 = 27, 20-29 YEARS), (II) GROUP II (GR. - II) (N2 = 21, 30-39 YEARS) AND (III) GROUP III (GR. - III) (N3 = 23, 40-49 YEARS). ALL THE PARTICIPANTS UNDERGONE SELECTED HATHA YOGA TRAINING FOR 1 H DAILY FOR A PERIOD OF 12 WEEKS. PARAMETERS WERE RECORDED BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRAINING. PRE AND POST TRAINING DIFFERENCES WERE ASSESSED BY STUDENT'S T-TEST. RESULTS: BODY WEIGHT (ALL, GR. - II AND GR. - III [ALL P < 0.05]), BODY MASS INDEX (GR. - II AND GR. - III [BOTH P < 0.01]) AND FAT% (GR. - II AND III [BOTH P < 0.05]) WERE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. NECK CIRCUMFERENCE WAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - I (P < 0.05) BUT DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN GR. - III (P < 0.05). CHEST CIRCUMFERENCE (ALL (P < 0.001), IN GR. - I AND II [BOTH P < 0.05]), GRIP STRENGTH (ALL [LEFT: P < 0.01 AND RIGHT: P < 0.05], IN GR. - I [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01], IN GR. - II [RIGHT: P < 0.05] AND IN GR. - III [LEFT: P < 0.05 AND RIGHT: P < 0.01]), BACK LEG STRENGTH (GROUP WISE P < 0.001, P < 0.05, P < 0.01 AND P < 0.05 RESPECTIVELY) AND FLEXIBILITY (ALL P < 0.001) WERE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: HATHA YOGA CAN IMPROVE ANTHROPOMETRIC CHARACTERISTICS, MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY AMONG VOLUNTEERS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUP AND CAN ALSO BE HELPFUL IN PREVENTING AND ATTENUATING AGE RELATED DETERIORATION OF THESE PARAMETERS.	2015	

15  713  32 EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON ANXIETY, DEPRESSION & WELL BEING IN NORMAL PREGNANCY. OBJECTIVE: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF INTEGRATED YOGA ON PREGNANCY EXPERIENCE, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION IN NORMAL PREGNANCY. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED CONTROL STUDY RECRUITED 96 WOMEN IN 20TH WEEK OF NORMAL PREGNANCY. YOGA GROUP (N = 51) PRACTICED INTEGRATED YOGA AND CONTROL GROUP (N = 45) DID STANDARD ANTENATAL EXERCISES, ONE HOUR DAILY, FROM 20TH TO 36TH WEEK OF GESTATION. MANN-WHITNEY AND WILCOXON'S TESTS WERE USED FOR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS. RESULTS: THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS (MANN-WHITNEY P < 0.001) IN ALL VARIABLES. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITHIN GROUPS (WILCOXON'S P < 0.001) IN BOTH GROUPS. PREGNANCY RELATED EXPERIENCE (PEQ) REDUCED IN YOGA BY 26.86%, STATE (STAI I) ANXIETY (DECREASED 15.65% IN YOGA, INCREASED 13.76% IN CONTROL), TRAIT (STAI II) ANXIETY (DECREASED 8.97% IN YOGA, INCREASED 5.02% IN CONTROL) AND DEPRESSION (HADS) (DECREASED 30.67% IN YOGA, INCREASED 3.57% IN CONTROL). CONCLUSION: YOGA REDUCES ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND PREGNANCY RELATED UNCOMFORTABLE EXPERIENCES.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
16  814  26 EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YEARS. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION IN SUBJECTS ABOVE 40 YRS OF AGE. PULSE RATE, SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND VALSALVA RATIO WERE STUDIED IN 50 CONTROL SUBJECTS (NOT DOING ANY TYPE OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE) AND 50 STUDY SUBJECTS WHO HAD BEEN PRACTICING YOGA FOR 5 YEARS. FROM THE STUDY IT WAS OBSERVED THAT SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE PULSE RATE OCCURS IN SUBJECTS PRACTICING YOGA (P<0.001). THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN VALUES OF SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE BETWEEN STUDY GROUP AND CONTROL GROUP WAS ALSO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT (P<0.01 AND P<0.001 RESPECTIVELY). THE SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE SHOWED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION WITH AGE IN THE STUDY GROUP (R1 SYSTOLIC= 0.631 AND R1 DIASTOLIC = 0.610) AS WELL AS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (R2 SYSTOLIC = 0.981 AND R2 DIASTOLIC = 0.864). THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORRELATION COEFFICIENT OF BOTH THE GROUPS WAS ALSO TESTED WITH THE USE OF Z TRANSFORMATION AND THE DIFFERENCE WAS SIGNIFICANT (Z SYSTOLIC= 4.041 AND Z DIASTOLIC= 2.901). VALSALVA RATIO WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS THAN IN CONTROLS (P<0.001). OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT YOGA REDUCES THE AGE RELATED DETERIORATION IN CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTIONS.	2003	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
17  986  32 EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA EXERCISE ON PLASMA MALONDIALDEHYDE CONCENTRATION AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SHOULDER PAIN. [PURPOSE] THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA EXERCISE ON PLASMA MALONDIALDEHYDE (MDA) CONCENTRATION AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (SOD) ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SHOULDER PAIN. [SUBJECTS] SUBJECTS COMPRISED 20 FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SHOULDER PAIN. [METHODS] SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS: A HATHA YOGA EXERCISE GROUP (N = 10) AND A CONTROL GROUP THAT PERFORMED NO EXERCISE (N = 10). THE SUBJECTS' BODY COMPOSITION, PLASMA MALONDIALDEHYDE CONCENTRATIONS, AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE ACTIVITIES WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER A 16-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. [RESULTS] AFTER THE 16-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM, THE EXERCISE GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER PLASMA MDA CONCENTRATIONS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. IN ADDITION, THE EXERCISE GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PLASMA SOD ACTIVITY THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. [CONCLUSIONS] HATHA YOGA EXERCISE IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY, MUSCLE TONE AND STRENGTH, BALANCE, AND JOINT FUNCTION. OUR FINDINGS INDICATE THAT REGULAR AND CONTINUOUS YOGA EXERCISE EFFECTIVELY IMPROVED BODY COMPOSITION, DECREASE PLASMA MDA CONCENTRATION, AND INCREASE PLASMA SOD ACTIVITY IN FEMALE PATIENTS WITH SHOULDER PAIN.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
18  525  26 COMPARISON OF EFFECTS OF YOGA & PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN ATHLETES. THE EFFECT OF PRANAYAMA A CONTROLLED BREATHING PRACTICE, ON EXERCISE TESTS WAS STUDIED IN ATHLETES IN TWO PHASES; SUB-MAXIMAL AND MAXIMAL EXERCISE TESTS. AT THE END OF PHASE I (ONE YEAR) BOTH THE GROUPS (CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL) ACHIEVED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WORK RATE AND REDUCTION IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BLOOD LACTATE AND AN INCREASE IN P/L RATIO IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP, AT REST. AT THE END OF PHASE II (TWO YEARS), THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AND THE WORK RATE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. BLOOD LACTATE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AT REST IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP ONLY. PYRUVATE AND PYRUVATE-LACTATE RATIO INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH THE GROUPS AFTER EXERCISE AND AT REST IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE RESULTS IN BOTH PHASES SHOWED THAT THE SUBJECTS WHO PRACTISED PRANAYAMA COULD ACHIEVE HIGHER WORK RATES WITH REDUCED OXYGEN CONSUMPTION PER UNIT WORK AND WITHOUT INCREASE IN BLOOD LACTATE LEVELS. THE BLOOD LACTATE LEVELS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY LOW AT REST.	1994	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
19 1638  28 MODULATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO EXERCISE BY YOGA TRAINING. THIS STUDY REPORTS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA TRAINING ON CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO EXERCISE AND THE TIME COURSE OF RECOVERY AFTER THE EXERCISE. CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO EXERCISE WAS DETERMINED BY HARVARD STEP TEST USING A PLATFORM OF 45 CM HEIGHT. THE SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO STEP UP AND DOWN THE PLATFORM AT A RATE OF 30/MIN FOR A TOTAL DURATION OF 5 MIN OR UNTIL FATIGUE, WHICHEVER WAS EARLIER. HEART RATE (HR) AND BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSE TO EXERCISE WERE MEASURED IN SUPINE POSITION BEFORE EXERCISE AND AT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 AND 10 MINUTES AFTER THE EXERCISE. RATE-PRESSURE PRODUCT [RPP = (HR X SP)/100] AND DOUBLE PRODUCT (DO P = HR X MP), WHICH ARE INDICES OF WORK DONE BY THE HEART WERE ALSO CALCULATED. EXERCISE PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN HR, SYSTOLIC PRESSURE, RPP & DOP AND A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN DIASTOLIC PRESSURE. AFTER TWO MONTHS OF YOGA TRAINING, EXERCISE-INDUCED CHANGES IN THESE PARAMETERS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT AFTER YOGA TRAINING A GIVEN LEVEL OF EXERCISE LEADS TO A MILDER CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE, SUGGESTING BETTER EXERCISE TOLERANCE.	2004	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
20 2499  31 YOGA AS STEADINESS TRAINING: EFFECTS ON MOTOR VARIABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS. EXERCISE TRAINING PROGRAMS CAN INCREASE STRENGTH AND IMPROVE SUBMAXIMAL FORCE CONTROL, BUT THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF STEADINESS TRAINING ARE NOT WELL DESCRIBED. THE PURPOSE WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF A POPULAR TYPE OF YOGA (BIKRAM) ON STRENGTH, STEADINESS, AND BALANCE. YOUNG ADULTS PERFORMED YOGA TRAINING (N = 10, 29 +/- 6 YEARS, 24 YOGA SESSIONS IN 8 WEEKS) OR SERVED AS CONTROLS (N = 11, 26 +/- 7 YEARS). YOGA SESSIONS CONSISTED OF 1.5 HOURS OF SUPERVISED, STANDARDIZED POSTURES. MEASURES BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING INCLUDED MAXIMUM VOLUNTARY CONTRACTION (MVC) FORCE OF THE ELBOW FLEXORS (EF) AND KNEE EXTENSORS (KE), STEADINESS OF ISOMETRIC EF AND KE CONTRACTIONS, STEADINESS OF CONCENTRIC (CON) AND ECCENTRIC (ECC) KE CONTRACTIONS, AND TIMED BALANCE. THE STANDARD DEVIATION (SD) AND COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION (CV, SD/MEAN FORCE) OF ISOMETRIC FORCE AND THE SD OF ACCELERATION DURING CON AND ECC CONTRACTIONS WERE MEASURED. AFTER YOGA TRAINING, MVC FORCE INCREASED 14% FOR KE (479 +/- 175 TO 544 +/- 187 N, P < 0.05) AND WAS UNCHANGED FOR THE EF MUSCLES (219 +/- 85 TO 230 +/- 72 N, P > 0.05). THE CV OF FORCE WAS UNCHANGED FOR EF (1.68 TO 1.73%, P > 0.05) BUT WAS REDUCED IN THE KE MUSCLES SIMILARLY FOR YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS (2.04 TO 1.55%, P < 0.05). THE VARIABILITY OF CON AND ECC CONTRACTIONS WAS UNCHANGED. FOR THE YOGA GROUP, IMPROVEMENT IN KE STEADINESS WAS CORRELATED WITH PRETRAINING STEADINESS (R = -0.62 TO -0.84, P < 0.05); SUBJECTS WITH THE GREATEST KE FORCE FLUCTUATIONS BEFORE TRAINING EXPERIENCED THE GREATEST REDUCTIONS WITH TRAINING. PERCENT CHANGE IN BALANCE TIME FOR INDIVIDUAL YOGA SUBJECTS AVERAGED +228% (19.5 +/- 14 TO 34.3 +/- 18 SECONDS, P < 0.05), WITH NO CHANGE IN CONTROLS. FOR YOUNG ADULTS, A SHORT-TERM YOGA PROGRAM OF THIS TYPE CAN IMPROVE BALANCE SUBSTANTIALLY, PRODUCE MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN LEG STRENGTH, AND IMPROVE LEG MUSCLE CONTROL FOR LESS-STEADY SUBJECTS.	2008