To avoid detrimental interactions with intestinal microbes, the human epithelium is covered with a protective mucus layer that traps host defence molecules. Microbial properties such as adhesion to mucus further result in a unique mucosal microbiota with a great potential to interact with the host. As mucosal microbes are difficult to study in vivo, we incorporated mucin-covered microcosms in a...

BACKGROUND Lactobacilli are used in an attempt to maintain remission for Crohn disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and adverse events of Lactobacilli compared with placebo in maintenance therapy for Crohn disease. METHODS We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, OVID and BIOSIS. All randomized trials comparing Lactobacilli with placebo in m...

BACKGROUND Probiotic supplementation in early life may be effective for preventing eczema. Previous studies have suggested that prenatal administration may be particularly important for beneficial effects. OBJECTIVE We examined whether prenatal treatment with the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) can influence the risk of eczema during infancy. METHODS We recruited 250 pregnant wom...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of atopic diseases has increased rapidly in recent decades globally. The administration of probiotics to reduce gastrointestinal inflammation has been popular, but its role in the prevention or treatment of allergic disease remains controversial. This study evaluated the effectiveness of prenatal and postnatal probiotics in the prevention of early childhood and materna...

OBJECTIVE To systematically review the effectiveness of administering Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) for preventing respiratory infections in children. DESIGN Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES Electronic databases and trial registries. RESULTS Four RCTs involving 1805 participants met the inclusion criteria. Compared with placebo, LGG administration was associated with a...

The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has increased in Western countries during the course of the twentieth century, and is evolving to be a global disease. Recently we showed that a bacterial meal of a non-commensal, non-pathogenic methanotrophic soil bacterium, Methylococcus capsulatus Bath prevents experimentally induced colitis in a murine model of IBD. The mechanism behind the...

High-dose intravenous gammaglobulin (lVlgG) was given to 1 2 children and adults with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) to avoid splenectomy or because they either failed to respond to or required maintenance with high doses of steroids and/or immunosuppressives. The average platelet count increase to initial therapy was 239.5OO/ zl (range 23.000-790,000). A concomitant lgG Fc r...

The WHO defines probiotics as: ‘live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’, a definition which implies that a beneficial health effect must be demonstrated in human subjects. In October 2009, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) issued scientific opinions concerning more than 500 health claim applications; all those concerning probiot...

We describea turbidimetric assay forquantifyingtotal immunoglobulinG (IgG) in serum with use of a singlemonoclonal antibody. The reaction,monitoredby a centrifugalanalyzer, is technicallysimple, rapid, and precise. Bufferof low ionic strengthand polyethyleneglycolare requiredfor formationof detectableantibody-antigencomplexes.We measured lgG concentrationsin 49 polyclonalsera (Group 1) and 84 s...

Probiotic agents, live microorganisms with beneficial effects for the host, may offer an alternative to conventional antimicrobials in the treatment and prevention of enteric infections. The probiotic agents Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG quantitatively inhibited the adherence of an attaching and effacing pathogenic Escherichia coli to HT-29 intestinal epithelial ce...