Bran had a greater effect on transit time than psyllium. Psyllium had a greater effect on the amount of water found in the stools and the total stool weight. On the days that stools were passed, 50% of the daily stool ratings were scored as "hard" when subjects received the control supplement. Less than 10% of the ratings were scored as "hard" when subjects received the high-fiber supplements. The type of marker used did not significantly affect the transit time measured.

In contrast with other viscous fibers that are fermented completely in the colon, a component of psyllium is not fermented. This gel provided lubrication that facilitated propulsion of colon contents and produced a stool that was bulkier and more moist than were stools resulting with use of comparable amounts of other bowel-regulating fiber sources.

Isogel was degraded preferentially to the food-derived fibre; in particular, cellulose in the faeces was increased during the experimental period. 6. Only one subject showed distinct decreases in the apparent digestibility of energy, N and fat in the diet. The results do not therefore agree with the generally held view that increased fibre in the diet decreases the apparent digestibility of the other nutrients.

Consumption of a high fibre diet retards intestinal gas transit by decreasing bolus propulsion to the rectum. Thus, in addition to increasing gas production by colonic flora, fibre ingestion may elicit gaseous symptoms by promoting gas retention.

Plantago ovata seeds (dietary fiber) might be as effective as mesalamine to maintain remission in ulcerative colitis.

A combination of stimulant and softening laxatives was most likely to maintain normal bowel function at the lowest dose and least adverse effects. The mean final dose of lactulose was excessive for use in ill patients. Senna was associated with significantly more adverse effects than the other laxatives, mainly abdominal pain (P < 0.001). This model of constipation may provide a standardized means of assaying the clinical effectiveness of oral laxatives.

Bulk laxative plus senna (daily doses 14.8 g) produced more frequent (p < 0.05) bowel habits (4.5 vs. 2.2-1.9/week) than lactulose (daily doses 20.1 g). Both laxatives proved to be safe to use. Our study indicated bulk laxative plus senna to be more efficient in treating constipation in geriatric long-stay patients.

Gut transit time was assessed by dye and radio-opaque marker methods. 2 It was possible to demonstrate the effect of the anthracenes but not oxyphenisatin on gut transit time. 3 More sophisticated statistical techniques were required to demonstrate the retarding effect of the sympathomimetic amine and its reversal by senna. 4 Statistical analysis shows that assessment of intestinal transit time by dye or pellet methods gives identical information.

Laxative efficacy was analyzed through t test and analysis of variance. No difference was found between the laxatives in defecation-free intervals or in days with defecation. The final scores for general health status were similar in both groups. Given that the two treatments have similar efficacy and adverse effects, a recommendation is made for the use of senna because its cost is lower than lactulose.

Mechanical preparation before colonic or rectal resection with senna is better and easier than with polyethylene glycol and should be proposed in patients undergoing colonic or rectal resection, especially patients with stenosis.

Sodium Phosphate solution gave better bowel preparation, with the same compliance, than either senna or Polyethylene solution. In constipated patients Sodium Phosphate showed good efficacy resulting in good cleansing rates similar to that of non-constipated patients. The poor results obtained by Polyethylene were related to the little amount of solution taken even if associated to Bisacodyl.

The efficacy of senna is not equivalent to sodium phosphate solution in bowel preparation for colonoscopy, but senna may be considered an alternative laxative.

The regimen combining half doses of PEG-ES and senna provides high-quality bowel preparation and acceptable patient tolerance, with less abdominal pain compared with high-dose senna.

The use of senna with docusate decreases time to first BM in those undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery compared with placebo. Subjects using senna with docusate are also significantly less likely to use magnesium citrate.

This is significantly better than the success rates of 51% and 59% achieved in White and Coloured controls treated with a placebo. Minor abdominal cramps occurred in some 13% of the patients treated with standardized senna, and in 4% of the controls given the placebo. There is no evidence to suggest that standardized senna has any effect whatsoever on a breast-fed baby if taken by the mother.

HMPL-004 may be an efficacious alternative to mesalazine in ulcerative colitis.

Patients with mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis treated with A. paniculata extract (HMPL-004) at a dose of 1,800 mg daily were more likely to achieve clinical response than those receiving placebo.

Active tablet formulations were significantly more effective than placebo in protecting volunteers against the development of diarrhea caused by ETEC. These results suggest that administration of a tablet formulation of hyperimmune bovine colostrum containing antibodies against ETEC strains may reduce the risk of travelers' diarrhea.

Bovine colostrum enema shows potential as a novel therapy for left-sided colitis with additional benefits over using mesalazine alone. Further studies appear to be warranted.

ColoPlus may be an important alternative or additional treatment in HIV-associated diarrhoea.

No serious side effects were observed, and the medication was well tolerated. Thus, bovine colostrum immunoglobulin concentrate, in powder form, appears promising in the treatment of severe diarrhea caused by C. parvum. The optimal dosage, duration of therapy, and overall efficacy need to be determined in placebo-controlled trials.

The mean daily stool frequency decreased from 7.4 to 2.2 at the end of the treatment. Eight HIV-infected patients showed no response. The diarrhoea recurred in 12 patients within 4 weeks (32.4%), while 19 patients were free of diarrhoea for at least 4 weeks (51.3%). In 5 patients intestinal cryptosporidiosis disappeared following oral LIG treatment. LIG treatment was also beneficial in 4 out of 5 GvHD patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

There was no difference in the incidence or severity of diarrhea among the 10 volunteers who received the bovine immunoglobulins and the 10 who received placebo. Either the specificity or titer of anti-colonization factor antibodies or the formulation of antibodies in this product was not adequate to provide passive protection against ETEC challenge.

This study shows that addition of colostrum-based supplement to standard therapy is effective in treatment of HIV-associated diarrhea.

We conclude from these preliminary results that milk immunoglobulin concentrate may be an effective prophylaxis against traveler's diarrhea.

For women looking for relief from their nausea, dry retching, and vomiting, the use of ginger in early pregnancy will reduce their symptoms to an equivalent extent as vitamin B6.

Ginger can be considered as a useful treatment option for women suffering from morning sickness.

Ginger has efficacy in prevention of nausea and vomiting after major gynecologic surgery.

Ginger has shown efficacy for prevention of nausea and borderline significance to prevention vomiting after gynecological laparoscopy at 6 hour post operation.

Ginger is effective for relieving the severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

Ginger may be an effective treatment for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. However, more observational studies, with a larger sample size, are needed to confirm the encouraging preliminary data on ginger safety.

Ginger root powder was effective in reducing severity of acute and delayed CINV as additional therapy to ondensetron and dexamethasone in patients receiving high emetogenic chemotherapy (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00940368).

No side effects were observed. The possible mutagenic and antimutagenic characters of ginger reported in a study of E. coli have not been evaluated with respect to any significance in humans. Powdered root of ginger in daily doses of 1 g during 4 days was better than placebo in diminishing or eliminating the symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum.

The ingestion of 1 g of ginger in syrup in a divided dose daily may be useful in some patients experiencing nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The pooled absolute risk reduction for the incidence of postoperative nausea, however, indicated a non-significant difference between the ginger and placebo groups for ginger 1 g taken before operation (absolute risk reduction 0.052 (95% confidence interval -0.082 to 0.186)). One study was found for each of the following conditions: seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy-induced nausea. These studies collectively favoured ginger over placebo.

This meta-analysis demonstrates that a fixed dose at least 1 g of ginger is more effective than placebo for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting and postoperative vomiting. Use of ginger is an effective means for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting.

There was no difference between the groups in terms of total adverse events P = 0.55). On the basis of these results, it seems that ginger has the potential to decrease eicosanoid levels, perhaps by inhibiting their synthesis from arachidonic acid. Ginger also seemed to be tolerable and safe. Further investigation in people at high risk for CRC seems warranted.

Ginger did not affect LES pressure at rest or esophageal contractile amplitude and duration when swallowing, but caused more relaxation of the LES and decreased the esophageal contraction velocity, which may cause more chance of gastric gas expel or antiflatulant effect.

In cancers of the lung, lip, oral cavity and pharynx, and liver, smokers with ginseng intake showed decreased odds ratios compared with smokers without ginseng intake. These findings support the view that ginseng intakers had a decreased risk for most cancers compared with nonintakers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

Subjects from the magnolia and xylitol groups showed both MS concentration (p = 0.01 and 0.06, respectively) and AUC(5.7) (p = 0.01 and 0.04, respectively) to be significantly lower compared to baseline. Thirty-day use of a chewing gum containing MBE showed beneficial effects on oral health, including reduction of salivary MS, plaque acidogenicity and bleeding on probing.

Plasma gastrin levels were raised in subjects given melatonin or tryptophan plus ASA, but not in those with ASA alone. We conclude that melatonin and its precursor tryptophan given orally significantly reduce gastric lesions induced by ASA possibly due to (a) direct gastroprotective action of exogenous melatonin or that generated from tryptophan and (b) gastrin released from the gastric mucosa by melatonin or tryptophan.

The present study showed that oral melatonin is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of GERD. It is an effective line of treatment in relieving epigastric pain and heartburn. However, further studies are required to confirm the efficacy and long-term safety of melatonin before being recommended for routine clinical use.

We conclude that MT or TRP added to omeprazole treatment, significantly accelerates healing rate of H. pylori infected chronic gastroduodenal ulcers over that obtained with omeprazole alone and this likely depends upon the significant rise in plasma MT and possibly also in leptin levels, both hormones involved in the mechanism of gastroprotection and ulcer healing.

After 6 weeks of supplementation with 600 mg emulsified oil of oregano daily, there was complete disappearance of Entamoeba hartmanni (four cases), Endolimax nana (one case), and Blastocystis hominis in eight cases. Also, Blastocystis hominis scores declined in three additional cases. Gastrointestinal symptoms improved in seven of the 11 patients who had tested positive for Blastocystis hominis.

A 4 weeks treatment with peppermint oil improves abdominal symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Furthermore, Colpermin significantly improved the quality of life. There was no significant adverse reaction. Colpermin is effective and safe as a therapeutic agent in patients with IBS suffering from abdominal pain or discomfort.

In a randomized, double-blind controlled trial, 42 children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were given pH-dependent, enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules or placebo. After 2 weeks, 75% of those receiving peppermint oil had reduced severity of pain associated with IBS. Peppermint oil may be used as a therapeutic agent during the symptomatic phase of IBS.

Our double-blind cross-overtrial shows that it reduces abdominal symptoms in the irritable bowel syndrome.

So the study result concludes that peppermint oil is effective in reliving only abdominal pain in diarrhea predominant IBS transiently.

Symptom improvements after Colpermin were significantly better than after placebo (P < 0.05; Mann-Whitney U-test). One patient on Colpermin experienced heartburn (because of chewing the capsules) and one developed a mild transient skin rash. There were no significant changes in liver function test results. Thus, in this trial, Colpermin was effective and well tolerated.

This data demonstrates that peppermint oil improves the manometric features of DES.

Overall satisfaction with postoperative nausea management was 86.9 +/- 4.1 mm and was independent of the treatment group. Aromatherapy effectively reduced the perceived severity of postoperative nausea. The fact that a saline "placebo" was as effective as alcohol or peppermint suggests that the beneficial effect may be related more to controlled breathing patterns than to the actual aroma inhaled.

Peppermint spirits may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of postoperative nausea. This study should be replicated with more participants, using a variety of aromatherapies to treat nausea in participants with different preoperative diagnoses.

Premedication with Colpermin was beneficial in terms of the time required for cecal intubation and total procedure time, reducing colonic spasm, increasing endoscopist satisfaction and decreasing pain in patients during colonoscopy.

They were found to be homogeneous for the purposes of the study. A statistically significant differences was demonstrated on the day of operation, using the Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 0.0487. Using the Mann-Whitney test the difference was shown to be between the placebo and experimental group (U = 3; P = 0.02). The experimental group also required less traditional antiemetics and received more opioid analgesia postoperatively. The total cost of the treatment was 48 pence per person.

This study represents a successful example of the integration of a complementary therapy into mainstream midwifery practice and forms a basis for future research.

Within one year of discontinuing supplements, 9 of 20 (45%) complete responders with SF developed recurrent lesions. Supplementation with SF did not result in increased serum concentration of retinol or beta-carotene, nor was it associated with toxicity. This is the first human study evaluating the chemopreventive potential of SF. More studies in different settings and different populations are needed for further evaluation.

The evidence to date suggests that daily intake of 1000-2000 IU/day of vitamin D(3) could reduce the incidence of colorectal with minimal risk.

After adjusting for vitamin D intake, calcium and retinol intakes were not associated with pancreatic cancer risk. In two U.S. cohorts, higher intakes of vitamin D were associated with lower risks for pancreatic cancer. Our results point to a potential role for vitamin D in the pathogenesis and prevention of pancreatic cancer.

This preliminary report suggests that rectal d-alpha tocopherol may represent a novel therapy for mild and moderately active UC. The observed results might be due to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties of vitamin E.

Yacon markedly accelerates colonic transit in healthy individuals. Further studies are needed in constipated patients to confirm these preliminary data. Due to the low caloric content of yacon, the root could be a useful treatment in constipated diabetics or obese patients.

EPs 7630 proved to be an efficacious and well-tolerated option for the treatment of acute bronchitis in children and adolescents outside the strict indication for antibiotics.

EPs-7630 is effective in acute bronchitis outside the strict indication for antibiotics in 6-18 years old patients, with a dose of 60 mg or 90 mg daily offering the best benefit/risk ratio. EPs-7630 significantly reduces the severity of symptoms, leads to a more favourable course of the disease and a faster recovery from acute bronchitis compared with the placebo, and is well tolerated.

Acemannan can be used for the treatment of oral aphthous ulceration in patients who wish to avoid the use of steroid medication, although the effectiveness was not comparable to that of 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide.

It seems likely that A.V. 2% oral gel is not only effective in decreasing the recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients' pain score and wound size but also decreases the aphthous wound healing period.

Berberine gelatin may be a safe and effective treatment for MiRAS.

Although the primary endpoint was not reached, several signals suggest CBD-rich botanical extract may be beneficial for symptomatic treatment of UC.

A pure curcumin preparation was administered in an open label study to five patients with ulcerative proctitis and five with Crohn's disease. All proctitis patients improved, with reductions in concomitant medications in four, and four of five Crohn's disease patients had lowered CDAI scores and sedimentation rates. This encouraging pilot study suggests the need for double-blind placebo-controlled follow-up studies.

A significant 40% reduction in ACF number occurred with the 4-g dose (P < 0.005), whereas ACF were not reduced in the 2-g group. The ACF reduction in the 4-g group was associated with a significant, five-fold increase in posttreatment plasma curcumin/conjugate levels (versus pretreatment; P = 0.009). Curcumin was well tolerated at both 2 g and 4 g. Our data suggest that curcumin can decrease ACF number, and this is potentially mediated by curcumin conjugates delivered systemically.

Breath-hydrogen concentrations were analyzed every 15 min for 6 h by gas chromatography with a semiconductor detector. Curry with turmeric significantly increased the area under the curve of breath hydrogen and shortened small-bowel transit time, compared with curry not containing turmeric. These results suggested that dietary turmeric activated bowel motility and carbohydrate colonic fermentation.

Curcumin seems to be a promising and safe medication for maintaining remission in patients with quiescent UC. Further studies on curcumin should strengthen our findings.

Curcuminoids at doses of 6000 mg/d in 3 divided doses are well tolerated and may prove efficacious in controlling signs and symptoms of oral lichen planus.

The results showed that curcumin administration increased body weight, decreased serum TNF-alpha levels, increased apoptotic tumor cells, enhanced expression of p53 molecule in tumor tissue, and modulated tumor cell apoptotic pathway. We conclude that the curcumin treatment improves the general health of patients with colorectal cancer via the mechanism of increased p53 molecule expression in tumor cells and consequently speeds up tumor cell apoptosis.

Intestinal permeability and morphology improved significantly in both glutamine and ACG.

Oral glutamine supplements, in the dose administered, do not seem to restore impaired permeability in patients with Crohn's disease.

Oral glutamine supplements, in the dose administered, do not seem to restore impaired permeability in patients with Crohn's disease.

Z. jujuba extract is an effective and safe treatment for chronic constipation.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Although L reuteri may be effective as treatment for crying in exclusively breastfed infants with colic, there is still insufficient evidence to support probiotic use to manage colic, especially in formula-fed infants, or to prevent infant crying. Results from larger rigorously designed studies applicable to all crying infants will help draw more definitive conclusions.

Exclusively or predominantly breastfed infants with infantile colic benefit from the administration of L reuteri DSM 17938 compared with placebo.

In our cohort, L. reuteri improved colicky symptoms in breastfed infants within 1 week of treatment, compared with simethicone, which suggests that probiotics may have a role in the treatment of infantile colic.

L reuteri DSM 17938 did not benefit a community sample of breastfed infants and formula fed infants with colic. These findings differ from previous smaller trials of selected populations and do not support a general recommendation for the use of probiotics to treat colic in infants.

L. reuteri DSM 17 938 at a dose of 10(8) colony-forming units per day in early breastfed infants improved symptoms of infantile colic and was well tolerated and safe. Gut microbiota changes induced by the probiotic could be involved in the observed clinical improvement.

L. reuteri DSM 17938 did not affect the global composition of the microbiota. However, the increase of Bacteroidetes in the responder infants indicated that a decrease in colicky symptoms was linked to changes of the microbiota.

Prophylactic use of L reuteri DSM 17938 during the first 3 months of life reduced the onset of functional gastrointestinal disorders and reduced private and public costs for the management of this condition.

RAU patients treated with lavender oil showed a significant reduction in inflammation level, ulcer size, healing time, from 2-4 days [2 days (40%), 3 days (50%), 4 days (10%)], and pain relief mostly from the first dose, compared to baseline and placebo. No side effects were reported.

Their infants looked at them a greater percentage of the bath time and cried less and spent more time in deep sleep after bath. The cortisol levels of this group of mothers and infants significantly decreased, confirming the behavioral data showing increased relaxation of the mothers and their infants. These findings support a body of research showing the relaxing and sleep-inducing properties of lavender aroma.

A no-treatment group (n=23) also was recruited and assessed similarly. By the eighth day, the ulcer size for the active treatment group was significantly lower (p < 0.05), while the By the fourth day, the active treatment group lesions in the no-treatment group increased 13% from baseline.reported significantly less pre-stimulus pain (p < 0.01); at this point, 81% of this group reported no pre-stimulus pain, comp ared with 63% of the placebo patch group and 40% of the no-treatment group.

Pycnogenol® has shown a significant, protective and preventive activity on IBS symptoms, and thus it may represent a potential "soft" approach to IBS.

The changes in the number of adenomas up to 12 months increased to 0.66 +/- 0.10 (mean +/- SE) in the control group, while decreasing in the MAK group to -0.42 +/- 0.10 (p < 0.01). The total size of adenomas increased to 1.73 +/- 0.28 mm in the control group and decreased to -1.40 +/- 0.64 mm in the MAK group (p < 0.01). The resultssuggest that MAK suppresses the development of colorectal adenomas - precancerous lesions of the large bowel.

In conclusion, all the mildly flavoured toothpastes used in this study were well accepted by the xerostomic subjects. Thus, other toothpaste components may be more mucosa-irritating than just SLS, or else they enhance the effect of SLS. The detergent-free, BET-containing toothpaste appeared to be associated with relief of some symptoms of dry mouth.

No clinically significant adverse events were observed. These data suggest that the daily use of topical dry mouth products containing olive oil, betaine and xylitol is safe and effective in relieving symptoms of dry mouth in a population with polypharmacy-induced xerostomia.

No study-induced significant changes were observed in the microbiologic variables (plaque index, mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, Candida species) or in the appearance of the oral mucosa. The use of the betaine-containing toothpaste was, however, associated with a significant relief of several subjective symptoms of dry mouth. Betaine appears thus to be a promising ingredient of toothpastes in general and especially of toothpastes designed for patients with dry mouth.

The daily use of a night guard and BET-containing mouthwash was seen to improve dry mouth during the 4-week duration of the study.

Intestinal permeability and morphology improved significantly in both glutamine and ACG.

In conclusion, Zinc sulfate did not have any clinical benefits in prevention or reduction of severity, and duration of high-dose chemotherapy-induced mucositis in patients undergoing HSCT.

It can be concluded that zinc sulfate might decrease the intensity of mucositis.

It was concluded that zinc sulfate administered during head and neck radiation therapy produced no significant benefit in relieving radiation-induced oral mucositis and pharyngitis with acceptable side effects.

Oral zinc supplementation may contribute to the prevention of dental caries in low socioeconomic level primary school healthy children.

Zinc treatment is effective in patients in whom this trace metal increases synthesis/secretion of gustin/CAVI and ineffective in those in whom it does not.

Supplementation of ayurvedic zinc and zinc-rich foods are effective in improving cognitive performance and the recognition threshold for salt of adolescent girls.

The zinc dose was 220 mg orally twice daily (equivalent of 50 mg elemental zinc twice daily). There was no statistically significant improvement in loss or distortion of taste or smell with the addition of zinc. There was a trend toward improvement over time in all groups, except in the zinc group where there was a nonsignificant worsening in loss of smell over time. Zinc at standard doses did not provide significant benefit to taste or smell in patients receiving chemotherapy.

Zinc sulfate is beneficial in decreasing the severity of radiation-induced mucositis and oral discomfort. These results should be confirmed by additional evaluation in randomized studies with a larger number of patients.

Consistent with the concept that thermotolerance and heat acclimation are related through the heat shock response, repeated exercise/heat stress increases cytoprotective HSP70 and reduces circulating cytokines, contributing to reductions in cellular and systemic markers of heat strain. Exercising under a heat shock response-inhibitor prevents both cellular and systemic heat adaptations.