OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of probiotics and prebiotics on the health of children. SOURCES MEDLINE and LILACS were searched for relevant English and French-language articles. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS Human milk is rich in prebiotic oligosaccharides and may contain some probiotics. No data suggest that addition of probiotics to infant formula may be harmful, but evidence of its efficacy...

A personalized probiotic microfluidic chip system has been established and used to screen the probiotics which had the highest value of IFN-γ/IL-10 or IL-10/IFN-γ among six probiotics, including L. paracasei BRAP01, L. acidophilus AD300, B. longum BA100, E. faecium BR0085, L. rhamnosus AD500, and L. reuteri BR101. One hundred volunteers were included and their PBMCs were collected and stimulate...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the maintenance effect of probiotics versus that of aminosalicylates on ulcerative colitis. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and the Chinese Biomedical Database were searched in English or Chinese. Data extracted were selected with strict criteria. RESULTS In six randomized controlled trials (RCTs), a total of 721 participants were enro...

Probiotics are unique bacteria that offer several therapeutic benefits to human beings when administered in optimum amounts. Probiotics are able to produce antimicrobial substances, which stimulate the body's immune responses. Here, we review in detail the anti-infective peptides derived from probiotics and their potential immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities, including a major rol...

'Probiotics' and 'prebiotics' by definition should have health benefits. Health claims on microorganisms proposed as probiotics and probiotic stimulating agents (prebiotics) suggest that there is a relationship between the specific food and maintaining good health or that the food can reduce the risk of a disease. The Health Claim Regulation in European Union aims at a level consumer protection...

Science is providing us the tools to diagnose and treat the infection before it causes damage. For some decades now, bacteria known as probiotics have been added to various foods because of their beneficial effects for human health. It comprises knowledge of the relationship between diet and health and the effects of food ingredients on physiological functions and health. Probiotics are commonl...

I hypothesize here that the ability of probiotics to synthesize neuroactive compounds provides a unifying microbial endocrinology-based mechanism to explain the hitherto incompletely understood action of commensal microbiota that affect the host's gastrointestinal and psychological health. Once ingested, probiotics enter an interactive environment encompassing microbiological, immunological, an...

The triple treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection with two antibiotics and PPI has been shown to be the best way to eradicate this bactirium. In the last years the antibiotic resistance is increasing. Metaanalyses on the effects of probiotics on the gastrointestinal diseases have shown positive effects on the prevention and treatment of these disease. Various studies support thе hypothesis ...

Probiotics are defined as live micro-organisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits on the host. Scientists have isolated various strains of Lactobacilli from human milk (such as Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactobacillus salivarius), and the presence of these organisms is thought to be protective against breast infections, or mastitis. Trials of probiotics for tr...

At the beginning, probiotics were used exclusively for gastrointestinal conditions. However, over the years, evidence has shown that probiotics exert systemic effects. In this review article, we will summarize recent reports that postulate probiotic treatment as an efficient one against skin pathologies, such as cancer, allergy, photoaging and skin infections. The focus will be restricted to or...