***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Stress plays an important role in the development of symptoms contributing to disease . Stress induces various disorders with gastrointestinal , physical , and psychological symptoms . Probiotics can help regulate or modulate gastrointestinal functions . The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a probiotic preparation ( Probio-Stick ) on stress-induced symptoms in volunteers . A double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized study was conducted on volunteers with symptoms of stress . Subjects received a probiotic ( Probio-Stick ; Lallem and SAS , Saint-Simon , France ) containing Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell-52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-175 ( 3 x 10(9 ) colony-forming units per sachet stick ) or a sensorially identical placebo without probiotics during a 3-week period . The consumption of probiotics  significantly reduced 2 stress-induced gastrointestinal symptoms ( abdominal pain and nausea/vomiting ) for intention-to-treat or per- protocol population s. In contrast , the probiotics did not significantly modify the other physical and psychological symptoms and sleep problems induced by stressful life events for intention-to-treat or per- protocol population s. The results indicate that Probio-Stick can provide a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal symptoms experienced by individuals affected by chronic stress Objective : The impact on mood and memory of consuming a probiotic containing milk drink , or a placebo , was examined as , previously , a poor mood has been found to correlate with the frequency of constipation . Design : A double-blind placebo-controlled trial with r and om allocation of subjects . Setting : Subjects went about their normal life in the community apart from three visits to the laboratory . Subjects : One hundred and thirty-two healthy members of general population , mean age 61.8 years , volunteered in response to local media coverage . One hundred and twenty-four finished the trial . Intervention : For a 3-week period , either a probiotic containing milk drink , or a placebo , were consumed daily . Mood and cognition were measured at baseline , and after 10 and 20 days of consumption . Results : At baseline those who reported themselves to be less frequently constipated were more clearheaded , confident and elated . Although the taking of the probiotic did not generally change the mood , this appeared to be a reflection of the generally good mood in this sample . When those in the bottom third of the depressed/elated dimension at baseline were considered , they selectively responded by reporting themselves as happy rather than depressed after taking the probiotic . The intervention did not , however , influence the reported frequency of defaecation , probably a reflection of the initially low incidence of constipation . An unexpected and possibly chance finding was that the consumption of probiotics result ed in a slightly-poorer performance on two measures of memory . Conclusions : The consumption of a probiotic-containing yoghurt improved the mood of those whose mood was initially poor . This improvement in mood was not , however , associated with an increased frequency of defaecation . Sponsorship : Funded by Yakult , Japan Oral intake of Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 ( b240 ) has been shown to enhance the secretion of salivary secretory IgA in elderly adults . However , its clinical benefits remain to be determined . We tested the hypothesis that b240 exerts a protective effect against the common cold  in elderly adults . The design of the present study was a r and omised , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial ( RCT ) with parallel three-group comparison . For this purpose , 300 eligible elderly adults were r and omly allocated to one of three groups , namely a placebo , low-dose or high-dose b240 group . Participants in the low-dose and high-dose b240 groups were given tablets containing 2 × 10(9 ) or 2 × 10(10 ) cells , respectively , of heat-killed b240 , while those in the placebo group were given tablets without b240 . Each group consumed their respective tablets once daily for 20 weeks . The common cold was assessed on the basis of a diary . Change in quality of life was evaluated using the SF-36 . Of the total participants , 280 completed the 20-week RCT . The accumulated incidence rate of the common cold was 47·3 , 34·8 and 29·0 % for the placebo , low-dose b240 and high-dose b240 groups , respectively ( P for trend = 0·012 ) . Lower incidence rates were consistently observed throughout the experimental period in the b240 groups ( log-rank test , P= 0·034 ) . General health perception , as determined by the SF-36 ® , dose-dependently increased in the b240 groups ( P < 0·025 ) . In conclusion , oral intake of b240 significantly reduced the incidence rate of the common cold in elderly adults , indicating that b240 might be useful in improving resistance against infection through mucosal immunity BACKGROUND : Probiotic bacteria exhibit a variety of properties , including immunomodulatory activity , which are unique to a particular strain . Thus , not all species will necessarily have the same therapeutic potential in a particular condition . We have preliminary evidence that Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 may have utility in irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS ) . OBJECTIVES : This study was design ed to confirm the efficacy of the probiotic bacteria B. infantis 35624 in a large-scale , multicenter , clinical trial of women with IBS . A second objective of the study was to determine the optimal dosage of probiotic for administration in an encapsulated formulation . METHODS : After a 2-wk baseline , 362 primary care IBS patients , with any bowel habit subtype , were r and omized to either placebo or freeze-dried , encapsulated B. infantis at a dose of 1 × 106 , 1 × 108 , or 1 × 1010 , cfu/mL for 4 wk . IBS symptoms were monitored daily and scored on to a 6-point Likert scale with the primary outcome variable being abdominal pain or discomfort . A composite symptom score , the subject 's global assessment of IBS symptom relief , and measures of quality of life ( using the IBS-QOL instrument ) were also recorded . RESULTS : B. infantis 35624 at a dose of 1 × 108 cfu was significantly superior to placebo and all other bifidobacterium doses for the primary efficacy variable of abdominal pain as well as the composite score and scores for bloating , bowel dysfunction , incomplete evacuation , straining , and the passage of gas at the end of the 4-wk study . The improvement in global symptom assessment  exceeded placebo by more than 20 % ( p < 0.02 ) . Two other doses of probiotic ( 1 × 106 and 1 × 1010 ) were not significantly different from placebo ; of these , the 1 × 1010 dose was associated with significant formulation problems . No significant adverse events were recorded . CONCLUSIONS : B. infantis 35624 is a probiotic that specifically relieves many of the symptoms of IBS . At a dosage level of 1 × 108 cfu , it can be delivered by a capsule making it stable , convenient to administer , and amenable to widespread use . The lack of benefits observed with the other dosage levels of the probiotic highlight the need for clinical data in the final dosage form and dose of probiotic before these products should be used in practice BACKGROUND & AIMS Probiotics can reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS ) , but little is known about their effects on psychiatric comorbidities . We performed a prospect i ve study to evaluate the effects of Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 ( BL ) on anxiety and depression in patients with IBS . METHODS We performed a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study of 44 adults with IBS and diarrhea or a mixed-stool pattern ( based on Rome III criteria ) and mild to moderate anxiety and /or depression ( based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale ) at McMaster University in Canada , from March 2011 to May 2014 . At the screening visit , clinical history and symptoms were assessed and blood sample s were collected . Patients were then r and omly assigned to groups and given daily BL ( n = 22 ) or placebo ( n = 22 ) for 6 weeks . At weeks 0 , 6 , and 10 , we determined patients ' levels of anxiety and depression , IBS symptoms , quality of life , and somatization using vali date d question naires . At weeks 0 and 6 , stool , urine and blood sample s were collected , and functional magnetic resonance imaging ( fMRI ) test was performed . We assessed brain activation patterns , fecal microbiota , urine metabolome profiles , serum markers of inflammation , neurotransmitters , and neurotrophin levels . RESULTS At week 6 , 14 of 22 patients in the BL group had reduction in depression scores of 2 points or more on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale , vs 7 of 22 patients in the placebo group ( P = .04 ) . BL had no significant effect on anxiety or IBS symptoms . Patients in the BL group had a mean increase in quality of life score compared with the placebo group . The fMRI analysis showed that BL reduced responses to negative emotional stimuli in multiple brain areas , including amygdala and fronto-limbic regions , compared with placebo . The groups had similar fecal microbiota profiles , serum markers of inflammation , and levels of neurotrophins and neurotransmitters , but the BL group had reduced urine levels of methylamines and aromatic amino acids metabolites . At week 10 , depression scores were reduced in patients given BL vs placebo . CONCLUSION In a placebo-controlled trial , we found that the probiotic BL reduces depression but not anxiety scores and increases quality of life in patients with IBS . These improvements were associated with changes in brain activation patterns that indicate that this probiotic reduces limbic reactivity . Clinical Trials.gov no. NCT01276626 Objectives : This trial investigated whether probiotics improved mood , stress and anxiety in a sample selected for low mood . We also tested whether the presence or severity of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms , and levels of proinflammatory cytokines , brain-derived neurotrophic factor and other blood markers , would predict or impact treatment response . Method : Seventy-nine participants ( 10 dropouts ) not currently taking psychotropic medications with at least moderate scores on self-report mood measures were r and omly allocated to receive either a probiotic preparation ( containing Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum ) or a matched placebo , in a double-blind trial for 8 weeks . Data were analysed as intent-to-treat . Results : No significant difference was found between the probiotic and placebo groups on any psychological outcome measure ( Cohen ’s d range = 0.07–0.16 ) or any blood-based biomarker . At end-point , 9 ( 23 % ) of those in the probiotic group showed a ⩾60 % change on the Montgomery – Åsberg Depression Rating Scale ( responders ) , compared to 10 ( 26 % ) of those in the placebo group ( χ 1 2 = 0 . 107 , p = ns ) . Baseline vitamin D level was found to moderate treatment effect on several outcome measures . Dry mouth and sleep disruption were reported more frequently in the placebo group . Conclusions : This study found no evidence that the probiotic formulation is effective in treating low mood , or in moderating the levels of inflammatory and other biomarkers . The lack of observed effect on mood symptoms may be due to the severity , chronicity or treatment resistance of the sample ; recruiting an antidepressant-naive sample experiencing mild , acute symptoms of low mood , may well yield a different result . Future studies taking a preventative approach or using probiotics as an adjuvant treatment may also be more effective . Vitamin D levels should be monitored in future studies in the area . The results of this trial are preliminary ; future studies in the area should not be discouraged BACKGROUND & AIMS Changes in gut microbiota have been reported to alter signaling mechanisms , emotional behavior , and visceral nociceptive reflexes in rodents . However , alteration of the intestinal microbiota with antibiotics or probiotics has not been shown to produce these changes in humans . We investigated whether consumption of a fermented milk product with probiotic ( FMPP ) for 4 weeks by healthy women altered brain intrinsic connectivity or responses to emotional attention tasks . METHODS Healthy women with no gastrointestinal or psychiatric symptoms were r and omly assigned to groups given FMPP ( n = 12 ) , a nonfermented milk product ( n = 11 , controls ) , or no intervention ( n = 13 ) twice daily for 4 weeks . The FMPP contained Bifidobacterium animalis subsp Lactis , Streptococcus thermophiles , Lactobacillus bulgaricus , and Lactococcus lactis subsp Lactis . Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after the intervention to measure brain response to an emotional faces attention task and resting brain activity . Multivariate and region of interest analyses were performed . RESULTS FMPP intake was associated with reduced task-related response of a distributed functional network ( 49 % cross-block covariance ; P = .004 ) containing affective , viscerosensory , and somatosensory cortices . Alterations 
    Output:
    
Nonetheless , probiotics seem to potentially produce a significant therapeutic effect for subjects with pre-existing depressive symptoms .