Trial reportPediatric research2023
Functional response to a microbial synbiotic in the gastrointestinal system of children: a randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in Pediatric research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological treatments for paediatric functional constipation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Pooled it
- Clinical efficacy of non-pharmacological treatment of functional constipation: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Z6 Improves Functional Constipation in Infants.Biotechnology journal · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Early-Life β-Lactam Exposure and the Developing Microbiome: Clinical Relevance and Controversies.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Smart CaCOScientific reports · 2026Article
- Editorial: Strain-specific probiotics: enhancing children's health through targeted clinical research.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Probiotics and Prebiotics for the Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome-A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Multi-omics signatures in new-onset diabetes predict metabolic response to dietary inulin: findings from an observational study followed by an interventional trial.Nutrition & diabetes · 2023Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOral microbial therapy has been studied as an intervention for a range of gastrointestinal disorders. Though research suggests that microbial exposure may affect the gastrointestinal system, motility, and host immunity in a pediatric population, data have been inconsistent, with most prior studies being in neither a randomized nor placebo-controlled setting. The aim of this randomized, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of a synbiotic on increasing weekly bowel movements (WBMs) in constipated children.
methodsSixty-four children (3-17 years of age) were randomized to receive a synbiotic (n = 33) comprising mixed-chain length oligosaccharides and nine microbial strains, or placebo (n = 31) for 84 days. Stool microbiota was analyzed on samples collected at baseline and completion. The primary outcome was a change from baseline of WBMs in the treatment group compared to placebo.
resultsTreatment increased (p < 0.05) the number of WBMs in children with low baseline WBMs, despite broadly distinctive baseline microbiome signatures. Sequencing revealed that low baseline microbial richness in the treatment group significantly anticipated improvements in constipation (p = 0.00074).
conclusionsThese findings suggest the potential for (i) multi-species-synbiotic interventions to improve digestive health in a pediatric population and (ii) bioinformatics-based methods to predict response to microbial interventions in children. IMPACT: Synbiotic microbial treatment improved the number of spontaneous weekly bowel movements in children compared to placebo. Intervention induced an increased abundance of bifidobacteria in children, compared to placebo. All administered probiotic species were enriched in the gut microbiome of the intervention group compared to placebo. Baseline microbial richness demonstrated potential as a predictive biomarker for response to intervention.
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Registered trials
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.