PURPOSE Sacral nerve stimulation is a safe and effective procedure for fecal incontinence. We investigated whether its efficacy is maintained long term. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty patients with fecal incontinence underwent permanent sacral nerve stimulation. Patients' data were prospectively recorded in the national registry of the Italian Group of sacral nerve stimulation. The severity of fe...

We assessed the effect of multi-species probiotic mixture on the changes in fecal microbiota and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. Eighty-one IBS patients were randomly assigned to receive either probiotic mixture (n = 39; containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium breve, B. actis, B. longum, and Streptococcus thermophilus) or placebo (n = 42) for 4 weeks. A ques...

BACKGROUND Fecal incontinence is a common and severely disabling disorder. For patients with severe fecal incontinence, surgery may prove to be the only adequate treatment option. METHODS This study reports on 43 patients that were treated with a prosthetic sphincter system between 2005 and 2009 in three coloproctological centres. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES complications, anal pressures before a...

PURPOSE After total mesorectal excision (TME) with primary anastomosis for patients with rectal cancer, the quality of life (QoL) may be decreased due to fecal incontinence. This study aimed to identify predictors of fecal incontinence and related QoL. METHODS Patients who underwent TME with primary anastomosis for rectal cancer between December 2008 and June 2012 completed the fecal incontin...

Introduction. Knowledge of the mechanism of action of probiotics in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is imperfect. Objective. This trial aimed at discriminating between a direct effect on the gut wall and an indirect effect caused by modulation of the fecal microbiota. Design. Randomized, double-blind, crossover trial. Material and Methods. Patients with IBS were given one capsule o...

Genetic and phenotypic parameters were estimated for dagginess, breech, wool, and fiber traits from approximately 29,500 progeny born in 2009 and 2010 in New Zealand dual-purpose ram breeding sheep flocks. Dagginess is adherence of fecal matter to the wool, and this study investigates the genetic and phenotypic correlations between dagginess and breech and wool traits. Estimates for heritabilit...

A study evaluating the effects of metaphylaxis antibiotics and milk replacer additives on the health and development of Holstein bull calves (n = 52; mean body weight = 42.28 kg + 3 kg; starting age < 3 d) was conducted. The calves were placed into a completely random 3 × 4 factorial design with each group receiving either tilmicosin phosphate (TIL), ceftiofur crystalline free acid (CEF), or sa...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Several studies have found that the measurement of fecal calprotectin is useful for the early diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We compared the effectiveness of three different fecal calprotectin kits for initial diagnosis in patients with suspected IBD. METHODS We enrolled 31 patients with IBD (18 Crohn's disease [CD], 11 ulcerative colitis [UC], and two intestin...

OBJECTIVE Quantitative determination of fecal fat still is the gold standard for measuring malabsorption. We evaluated the importance of standardized food intake before and under the collection of feces. MATERIAL AND METHODS In a project, evaluating patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis (CP) and healthy volunteers (HC), stools were collected for 72 hours coupled to registration of nutr...