A prospective randomized comparative study of the efficacy and safety of a two-week bismuth-based quadrotherapy of Helicobacter pylori infection with the inclusion of the probiotic containing Bifidobacterium longum BB-46 and Enterococcus faecium ENCfa-68

Methodological Guidelines of the Scientific Community for Human Microbiome Research (CHMR) and the Russian Gastroenterology Association (RGA) on the Use of Probiotics, Prebiotics, Synbiotics, Metabiotics and Functional Foods Enriched with Them for the Treatment and Prevention of Gastrointestinal Diseases in Adults and Children

   Aim: to optimize outcomes of the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases in adults and children.

   Key points. The Methodological Guidelines contain sections on the terminology, classification, mechanisms of action, requirements for sale in the Russian Federation, requirements for proving the efficacy and safety of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and metabiotics, as well as functional foods enriched with them. An overview of relevant data allowing to include these drugs and products in the treatment an d prevention of gastrointestinal diseases in adults and children is presented.

   Conclusion. The clinical efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and metabiotics depends on the specificity and quantity of their components, the dosage form, the regimen and duration of treatment. Products and functional foods with proven efficacy and safety are recommended for the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal diseases in adults and children.

The Role of Probiotics in the Eradication of Helicobacter pylori and Overall Impact on Management of Peptic Ulcer: A Study Involving Patients Undergoing Triple Therapy in Bangladesh

Background Helicobacter pylori infection has been identified to cause constantly recurring inflammation, leading to gastrointestinal tract disorders, including carcinoma. The standard triple therapy (STT), used to eradicate H. pylori, includes two antimicrobials and a proton pump inhibitor for two weeks. Other drug regimens have also been developed since H. pylori exhibits antimicrobial resistance. These regimens, including probiotics, have been shown to lower adverse drug reactions (ADR), improve drug adherence, exert bacteriostatic effect, and reduce inflammation. Objective This study intended to explore probiotic intervention for improving eradication rates and mitigating adverse effects while administrating STT.  Methods This prospective study was conducted from May to December, 2021, in the Department of Gastroenterology of Ship International Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh, to observe the effects of probiotics inclusion along with STT on H. pylori eradication. A total of 100 patients aged ≥18 years who tested positive for H. pylori were included. The experimental group (n=50) was given STT and probiotics, and the control group (n=50) was given only STT without probiotics for 14 days. Necessary follow-up was done six weeks after treatment. An independent sample t-test, chi-square test, and multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. Result The odds of getting rapid urease test (RUT) negative results from positive were 2.06 times higher (95%CI= 0.95, 3.22, p=0.054) in the experimental group. ADRs were crucially towering in the control group (p=0.045) compared to the probiotics group. The probiotics group had a lower risk of having adverse effects by 0.54 times (95%CI=0.19, 0.84, p=0.032) than the control group. Conclusion Using probiotics and STT together to eradicate H. pylori may lower ADR and improve treatment adherence. It may also help terminate H. pylori infection more effectively. More research is required as H. pylori is very contagious and can ultimately cause life-threatening gastric cancer.

Gastrointestinal disorders in post-COVID syndrome. Clinical guidelines

Summary Post- COVID syndrome refers to the long-term consequences of a new coronavirus infection COVID-19, which includes a set of symptoms that develop or persist after COVID-19. Symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders in post- COVID syndrome, due to chronic infl ammation, the consequences of organ damage, prolonged hospitalization, social isolation, and other causes, can be persistent and require a multidisciplinary approach. The presented clinical practice guidelines consider the main preventive and therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to the management of patients with gastroenterological manifestations of postCOVID syndrome. The Guidelines were approved by the 17th National Congress of Internal Medicine and the 25th Congress of Gastroenterological Scientifi c Society of Russia.

The effectiveness of a probiotic containing Bifidobacterium longum BB-46 and Enterococcus faecium ENCfa-68 in the treatment of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. Prospective randomized comparative study

Background. In the treatment of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS), the leading role belongs to the normalization of the composition of the intestinal microbiome, the disturbances of which are associated with previous intestinal infections. Aim. To study the effectiveness of the drug Bifiform in the treatment of PI-IBS. Materials and methods. An open, prospective, comparative, randomized study included 62 patients with PI-IBS. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of clinical, laboratory and endoscopic examination of the intestine and met the diagnostic criteria for IBS of the Rome Consensus IV. The patients were randomized into 2 groups depending on the therapy. The patients of the main group received an antispasmodic drug (mebeverin 200 mg 2 times a day or trimebutin 200 mg 3 times a day for 4 weeks), an antibiotic (rifaximin 400 mg 3 times a day or nifuroxazide 400 mg 2 once a day for 1 week), a drug that normalizes the consistency of feces (dioctahedral smectite or macrogol 4000) and Bifiform 2 capsules 2 times a day for 2 weeks. For patients of control group similar therapy was performed without the Bifiform. Evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment was carried out at the end of the course of therapy and 6 months after its termination. Results. All included patients with PI-IBS had abdominal pain, flatulence and tenderness to palpation along the bowel, most of them had diarrhea. Disorders of the intestinal microbiota were detected in 77.4% of patients, while excessive bacterial growth in the small intestine occurred in 72.6%, disorders of the colon microbiocenosis with the presence of opportunistic bacteria in 62.9% of patients. A significant part of the patients had a combination of small and large intestinal dysbiosis. Histological examination of the colon mucosa showed signs of low degree of inflammation activity in all patients. The moderate increase in the level of fecal calprotectin was found in 62.2% of patients with colonic dysbiosis. The majority of patients in the main group showed a pronounced positive dynamics of clinical manifestations of the disease, restoration of the normal composition of the intestinal microbiota and normalization of the content of fecal calprotectin at the end of the course therapy. The good result was observed much more often in the main group at the end of the course of treatment and 6 months after its termination. Conclusion. The inclusion of Bifiform in the complex therapy of PI-IBS significantly increases its effectiveness both in arresting the clinical manifestations of the disease, and in restoring the normal composition of the intestinal microbiome and reducing the inflammatory process in the intestinal mucosa. In the majority of patients receiving Bifiform, the remission of the disease achieved at the end of the course of treatment and persisted even 6 months after its termination.