Background The objective of this study was to determine whether hatha yoga is an efficacious adjunctive intervention for individuals with continued depressive symptoms despite antidepressant treatment. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial of weekly yoga classes (n = 63) vs. health education classes (Healthy Living Workshop, or HLW; n = 59) in individuals with elevated depression symptoms and antidepressant medication use. HLW served as an attention-control group. The intervention period was 10 weeks, with follow-up assessments 3 and 6 months afterwards. The primary outcome was depression symptom severity assessed by blind rater at 10 weeks. Secondary outcomes included depression symptoms over the entire intervention and follow-up periods, social and role functioning, general health perceptions, pain, and physical functioning. Results At 10 weeks, we did not find a statistically significant difference between groups in depression symptoms (b=−0.82, SE=0.88, p=0.36). However, over the entire intervention and follow-up period, when controlling for baseline, yoga participants showed lower levels of depression than HLW participants (b = −1.38, SE = 0.57, p = 0.02). Fifty-one percent of yoga participants demonstrated a response (≥ 50% reduction in depression symptoms) at 6 month-follow-up, compared to 31% of HLW participants (OR = 2.31; p = 0.04). Yoga participants showed significantly better social and role functioning and general health perceptions over time. Conclusions Although we did not see a difference in depression symptoms at the end of the intervention period, yoga participants showed fewer depression symptoms over the entire follow-up period. Benefits of yoga may accumulate over time.

SummaryF18-positive enterotoxigenic and Shiga toxinproducing Escherichia coli are responsible for postweaning diarrhoea and oedema disease in pigs and lead to severe production losses in the farming industry. F18 fimbriae attach to the small intestine of young piglets by latching onto glycosphingolipids with A/H blood group determinants on type 1 core. We demonstrate the N-terminal domain of the F18 fimbrial subunit FedF to be responsible for ABH-mediated attachment and present its X-ray structure in ligandfree form and bound to A and B type 1 hexaoses. The FedF lectin domain comprises a 10-stranded immunoglobulin-like b-sandwich. Three linear motives, Q 47-N50, H88-S90 and R117-T119, form a shallow glycan binding pocket near the tip of the domain that is selective for type 1 core glycans in extended conformation. In addition to the glycan binding pocket, a polybasic loop on the membrane proximal surface of FedF lectin domain is shown to be required for binding to piglet enterocytes. Although dispensable for ABH glycan recognition, the polybasic surface adds binding affinity in the context of the host cell membrane, a mechanism that is proposed to direct ABH-glycan binding to cell-bound glycosphingolipids and could allow bacteria to avoid clearance by secreted glycoproteins.