Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39370908›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of immunopathology and pharmacology

The beneficial effect of probiotics as an adjuvant treatment in childhood drug resistant epilepsy: A prospective pilot study.

Ossama Salah El-Sharkawy, Omnia Fathy El-Rashidy, Iman Ali Abdelhamid Elagouza, Bassant A Nassar, Sara I Taha

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Exploring Gut Microbiota-Targeted Therapies for Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
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

5 authors.

Ossama Salah El-SharkawyDepartment of Pediatrics, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Omnia Fathy El-RashidyDepartment of Pediatrics, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Iman Ali Abdelhamid ElagouzaDepartment of Pediatrics, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Bassant A NassarDepartment of Pediatrics, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Sara I TahaDepartment of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.ORCID 0000-0001-8224-8701

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOne of the most common long-term neurological disorders affecting children is epilepsy. Even with effective antiseizure medications, one-third of epileptic patients develop drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Numerous treatments have been offered to these DRE patients, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.

objectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of probiotics in improving the quality of life (QoL) and lowering the severity and frequency of epileptic episodes in DRE patients. As well as to assess the anti-inflammatory effects of probiotics.

methodsDRE patients were daily supplemented with one probiotic for 4 months. During these 4 months, patients continued their routine anti-epileptics with no change in the doses. Before and following the 4-month trial, patients had their QoL evaluated using the validated Arabic version of QoL in epilepsy-31 inventory (QoLIE-31) questionnaire, an electroencephalogram (EEG) examination, and serum soluble CD14 (sCD14) evaluation by ELISA.

resultsOf the 21 DRE patients who completed the study, 42.9% achieved the therapeutic goal, which was a ≥50% reduction in seizures. After probiotic, there was a significant increase in time elapsed since the last seizure (

conclusionProbiotics may be used as a DRE adjuvant treatment. They can lessen the number and severity of seizures, alleviate the associated inflammation, and enhance the QoL for DRE patients.

Indexed as

Drug Resistant EpilepsyProbioticsQuality of LifeAdolescentAnticonvulsantsChildChild, PreschoolElectroencephalographyFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsProspective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAnticonvulsantsadjuvantdrug-resistantepilepsyprobioticsquality of lifesoluble CD14

Identifiers

PMID39370908
PMCPMC11459565

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.