Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29445178›Full record

Trial reportScientific reports2018

The effect of Clostridium butyricum on symptoms and fecal microbiota in diarrhea-dominant irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Yi-Yuan Sun, Ming Li, Yue-Yue Li, Li-Xiang Li, Wen-Zhe Zhai, Peng Wang, Xiao-Xiao Yang, Xiang Gu, Li-Jin Song, Zhen Li and 2 more

Abstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
68citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

68 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Guideline
  6. Pooled it
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  8. Trial
  9. Clinical analysis of 16 patients withNew microbes and new infections · 2026
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Placebo response variability on health-related quality of life outcomes in irritable bowel syndrome: an arm-based network meta-analysis.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
    Review
  16. Article
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  18. Article
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8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Yi-Yuan SunDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Ming LiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Yue-Yue LiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Li-Xiang LiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Wen-Zhe ZhaiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Peng WangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Xiao-Xiao YangDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Xiang GuDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Li-Jin SongDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Zhen LiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Xiu-Li ZuoDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China.
Yan-Qing LiDepartment of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, China. liyanqing@sdu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder in gastrointestinal system and impairs the quality of life of the patients. Clostridium butyricum (CB) is a probiotics that has been used in several gastrointestinal diseases. The efficacy of CB in treating IBS is still unknown. This prospective, multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of CB in treating diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) and analyze the fecal microbiota after treatment. Two hundred patients with IBS-D were recruited and were given CB or placebo for 4 weeks. End points included change from baseline in IBS symptoms, quality of life, stool consistency and frequency. Compared with placebo, CB is effective in improving the overall IBS-D symptoms (-62.12 ± 74.00 vs. -40.74 ± 63.67, P = 0.038) as well as quality of life (7.232 ± 14.06 vs. 3.159 ± 11.73, P = 0.032) and stool frequency (-1.602 ± 1.416 vs. -1.086 ± 1.644, P = 0.035). The responder rates are found higher in CB compared with the placebo (44.76% vs. 30.53%, P = 0.042). The change in fecal microbiota was analyzed and function pathways of CB in treating IBS-D were predicted. In conclusion, CB improves overall symptoms, quality of life and stool frequency in IBS-D patients and is considered to be used as a probiotics in treating IBS-D clinically.

Indexed as

Fecal Microbiota TransplantationAdultClostridium butyricumDiarrheaDouble-Blind MethodFecesFemaleHumansIrritable Bowel SyndromeMaleMiddle AgedPlacebosProbioticsProspective StudiesQuality of LifeTreatment OutcomePlacebos

Identifiers

PMID29445178
PMCPMC5813237

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.