S. boulardii improved IBS-QOL better than placebo but was not superior for individual symptoms in patients with diarrhea-predominant IBS or mixed-type IBS.

The probiotic mixture was effective in providing AR of overall IBS symptoms and improvement of stool consistency in D-IBS patients, although it had no significant effect on individual symptoms. The therapeutic effect of probiotics is associated with the stabilization of intestinal microbiota.

No abstract

Patients with D-IBS had significantly higher colonic mucosal immune-cell counts than healthy controls but had similar counts to patients with UC in remission. The symptoms in both conditions may originate from low-grade inflammation in the colonic mucosa.

Article: Change of fecal flora and effectiveness of the short-term VSL#3 probiotic treatment in patients with functional constipation Kim SE, Choi CS, Park KS, et al Functional constipation (FC) is a common symptom-based gastrointestinal (GI) disorder without organic abnormality, the prevalence of which is between 5% and 20% of the general population.1,2 The symptoms of constipation can be severe; thus, this disorder has a significant impact on patient's quality of life. 3The cause of FC remains unclear, especially for slow transit constipation. Alterations of the gut microbiota have been suggested as one possible pathophysiologic mechanism of FC. 4,5 However, the quantitative and/or qualitative changes of the gut microbiota in FC are poorly understood, and many discrepancies exist in the literature.In the current issue of the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Kim et al 6 have published a prospective study in which they investigated the characteristics of gut microbiota in patients with FC using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The authors found that Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides species were significantly less abundant in feces from patients with FC compared with healthy controls. However, no significant differences were observed regarding the proportion of Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli and Clostridium species. These results are partially consistent with previous studies that have analyzed the fecal microbiota in patients with FC. 7,8Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus have been shown to be significantly less abundant in adult patients with constipation. 8 One study found that patients with constipation predominant-irritable bowel syndrome exhibited significantly less lactate-producing (bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) and lactate-utilizing bacteria in their feces compared with controls; moreover, the abundances of H 2 -consuming populations, methanogens and reductive acetogens were also significantly lower in these patients compared with controls. 7 In contrast, a study of children with constipation found that the levels of bifidobacteria and clostridia were increased in