Gastroenterology News & Articles

1 Evaluation of Efficacy of Probiotics in Prevention of Candida Colonization in a PICU—A Randomized Controlled Trial Critical Care Medicine, February 5, 2013
Kumar S et al. – The study aims to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in prevention of Candida colonization in a PICU. Supplementation with probiotics could be a potential strategy to reduce gastrointestinal Candida colonization and candiduria in critically ill children receiving broad spectrum antibiotics. Methods One hundred fifty children (106 boys, 44 girls), 3months to 12yrs old, on broad spectrum antibiotics for at least 48hrs were randomized using computer-generated random ...

2 The Effects of Multistrain Probiotic Compound on Bismuth-Containing Quadruple Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Triple-Blind Study Helicobacter, February 27, 2013
Shavakhi A et al. - The authors investigated the effects of adding a multistrain probiotic compound on bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for H. pylori infection. In overall, the studied multistrain probiotic compound has not beneficial effects in the treatment of H. pylori infection. It might be related to the low dosage of the probiotic regimen and/or high frequency of upper gastrointestinal adverse effects which in turn could decrease the eradication efficacy. Methods ...

3 Amelioration of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by probiotics mixture is mediated by a shift in T helper cell immune response Clinical Immunology, February 14, 2013
Kwon HK et al. - The immunomodulatory effect of probiotics has been shown mainly in gastro-intestinal immune disorders and little information is available on the inflammation of central nervous system. Recently the authors reported that IRT5 probiotics, a mixture of 5 probiotics, could suppress diverse experimental inflammatory disorders. In this study, they evaluated the prophylactic and therapeutic effects of IRT5 probiotics in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a T ...

4 A systematic review and meta-analysis of probiotics for the management of radiation induced bowel disease Clinical Nutrition, May 13, 2013
Hamad A et al. – A meta–analysis to estimate the efficacy of probiotics in prevention of radiation–induced bowel disease after pelvic radiotherapy has been performed. Previous attempts have arguably failed to provide a comprehensive analysis of clinical trials and their outcomes. Probiotic supplementation shows a probable beneficial effect in the prevention, and possible benefit in the treatment, of radiation–induced diarrhoea. Methods The authors searched for studies indexed in Medline, ...

5 Efficacy of orally applied probiotic capsules for bacterial vaginosis and other vaginal infections: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, February 4, 2013
Vujic G et al. - This study aimed to assess the efficacy of orally administered capsules containing the probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 (Lactogyn, JGL, Rijeka, Croatia) compared to placebo in otherwise healthy women diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis. Oral probiotics could be an alternative, side effect-free treatment for one of the most common indications in gynecology, combining the good aspects of both metronidazole and ...

6 Probiotics and the mechanism of necrotizing enterocolitis Seminars in Pediatric Surgery, May 6, 2013
Chen CC et al. - Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe intestinal inflammatory disorder in newborns. Although the pathogenesis of NEC is not completely understood, the authors reviewed the literature and the previous studies to explore the mechanism of NEC and to evaluate the role for probiotics in this disease. NEC may be associated with an inappropriate innate immune and excessive inflammatory response of the immature intestine. probiotics are widely used in promoting human ...

7 Probiotics and prebiotics in preventing food allergy and eczema Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, April 22, 2013
Kuitunen M et al. - The study aims to describe the current literature on clinical trials of probiotics for eczema and food allergy prevention in view of recent new approaches and long-term follow-ups. Prevention of eczema with probiotics seem to work until age 2 years and extended effects until 4 years have been shown in high-risk for allergy cohorts. Effects are strain-specific, with L. rhamnosus showing the most consistent effects especially when combining pre ...

8 Lactobacillus Bacteremia Associated With Probiotic Use in a Pediatric Patient With Ulcerative Colitis Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, May 1, 2013
Vahabnezhad E et al. - The authors describe a case of Lactobacillus bacteremia in a 17-year-old boy with ulcerative colitis managed with systemic corticosteroids and infliximab, who presented with fever to 102°F, flushing, and chills 1 week after starting Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG probiotics. Initial blood culture on day 2 of his fever was positive for Lactobacillus, however, subsequent blood cultures on day 3 and 5 were negative. He was treated empirically with antibiotics ...

9 Necrotizing enterocolitis: Pathophysiology, platelet-activating factor, and probiotics Seminars in Pediatric Surgery, May 6, 2013
Frost BL et al. - Although smaller and younger preterm neonates can now survive long term due to advances in neonatal medicine, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) continues to plague the clinicians caring for these tiny patients. Research studies have contributed to the understanding of this complex disease, including the role of platelet-activating factor (PAF), but preventative and treatment strategies remain limited. One promising preventative measure in recent years has been ...

10 Exploratory, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study on the Effects of Bifidobacterium infantis Natren Life Start Strain Super Strain in Active Celiac Disease Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, February 1, 2013
Smecuol E et al. - The aim of this exploratory trial was to establish if the probiotic Bifidobacterium natren life start (NLS) strain strain may affect the clinical course and pathophysiological features of patients with untreated celiac disease (CD). Positive findings would be helpful in directing future studies. The study suggests that B. infantis may alleviate symptoms in untreated CD. The probiotic produced some immunologic changes but did not modify abnormal intestinal permeability. ...