These findings indicate that yoga interventions may reduce menstrual cramps and menstrual distress in female undergraduate students with primary dysmenorrhea.

This study was performed to investigate the effects of a relaxation breathing exercise on anxiety, depression, and leukocyte count in patients who underwent allogenic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation. Thirty-five patients were randomly selected, with 18 assigned to an exercise group and 17 assigned to a control group. The exercise intervention was applied to the exercise group for 30 minutes every day for 6 weeks. It consisted of physical exercises combined with relaxation breathing. Anxiety was measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. The total number of leukocytes was calculated from total and differential counts of peripheral white blood cells. The exercise group had a greater decrease in anxiety and depression than did the control group, but the total number of leukocytes did not significantly differ between the two groups. These findings indicate that a relaxation breathing exercise would improve anxiety and depression levels in patients who undergo allogenic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, but would not affect the number of leukocytes.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of evidence for the efficacy of tendon and nerve gliding exercises in the management of carpal tunnel syndrome. [Subjects and Methods] Four electronic databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of tendon and nerve gliding exercises for carpal tunnel syndrome. Quality assessment was conducted using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. [Results] Four trials were identified and included in the review. The results of critical appraisal of quality ranged between low and moderate risk of bias. The available data could only be included as a narrative description. Symptom severity decreased and functional status improved with combined treatment, involving a tendon or nerve gliding exercise group plus conventional treatments, compared with the use of conventional treatments alone. [Conclusion] Evidence from 4 randomized controlled trials suggests that tendon and nerve gliding exercises, when combined with conventional treatments, may have a favorable effect in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. However, further randomized controlled trials designed to assess the effect of tendon and nerve gliding exercises alone are required to investigate the hypothesis that such exercises alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome, and to confirm and further elucidate the efficacy of standardized physical exercise programs in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

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