***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: OBJECTIVE To determine if Lactobacillus GG ( LGG ) is an effective adjunct to lactulose for treating constipation in children . STUDY DESIGN Eighty-four children ( 2 - 16 years of age ) with constipation ( <3 spontaneous bowel movements [ BMs ] per week for at least 12 weeks ) were enrolled in a double-blind , r and omized placebo-controlled trial in which they received 1 mL/kg/day of 70 % lactulose plus 10 9 colony-forming units ( CFU ) of LGG ( experimental group , n = 43 ) or a placebo ( control group , n = 41 ) orally twice daily for 12 weeks . The primary outcome measure was treatment success , and analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis . RESULTS Treatment success , defined as > or=3 spontaneous BMs per week with no fecal soiling , was similar in the control and experimental groups at 12 weeks ( 28/41 [ 68 % ] vs 31/43 [ 72 % ] , respectively ; P = .7 ) and at 24 weeks ( 27/41 [ 65 % ] vs 27/42 [ 64 % ] , respectively ; P = 1.0 ] . Groups also did not differ in their mean number of spontaneous BMs per week or episodes of fecal soiling per week at 4 , 8 , and 12 weeks . Adverse events and overall tolerance did not differ between groups . CONCLUSION LGG , as dosed in this study , was not an effective adjunct to lactulose in treating constipation in children Systematic review s ( SRs ) are an increasingly popular evidence -based tool and are often used to answer complex research questions across many different research domains . Early SR methodology was advanced by social scientists , and the term meta- analysis was coined by a social scientist who also conducted research in psychology . SRs have recently become popular in healthcare and are likely to be beneficial in any field . The aim of this report is to highlight issues in SR conduct with a focus on the field of nutrition and to make recommendations on improving SR conduct in this area . Development of the research question is probably the most important step in conducting an SR . The 4 main components of an answerable question are 1 ) the patient , population , or problem ; 2 ) the intervention , independent variable , or exposure ; 3 ) the comparators ; and 4 ) the dependent variables or outcomes of interest . The question will be used to determine the optimal methods for conducting the SR . SRs often include study design s beyond r and omized trials and do not always include a meta- analysis of the results . Other topics explored include underst and ing and interpreting discordant review s and the importance of reporting tools [ eg , QUality Of Reporting Of Meta-analyses ( QUOROM Statement ) or CONsoli date d St and ards Of Reporting of Trials ( CONSORT Statement ) ] . Recommendations are then provided , such as developing a capacity-building program , search ing the primary literature for research gaps , and extending reporting tools such as the QUOROM Statement to the field of nutrition CONTEXT Constipation is a very common symptom in the general population . One way of non-pharmacological treatment of constipation is through the addition of probiotics to food . OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate de effect of the consumption of a fresh cheese , enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 on the symptoms of constipated women . METHODS A r and omized controlled trial , carried out in the Basic Health Units of Guaporé 's City - RS/Brazil , between January and May 2012 , with 30 constipated women . The patients were r and omized into two groups whom received , for 30 days , 30 g of fresh cheese enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 ( n = 15 ) or regular fresh cheese ( n = 15 ) . Constipation symptoms were evaluated according to ROMA III Consensus , before and after the nutritional intervention . Also , data of clinical and anthropometric characteristics of the individuals were collected . Accepted level of significance 5 % ( P≤0,05 ) . RESULTS The medium age of the studied population was 37,5±14,4 years in the intervention group and 40,8±12,8 years in the control group . After 30 days we observed that the ingestion of fresh cheese enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07  promoted benefic effects on the symptoms of strength to evacuate . CONCLUSION The consumption of 30g/day of a fresh cheese enriched with Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 has beneficial effects on constipation symptoms BACKGROUND The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics ( Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus , Lcr35 ) for treating children with chronic constipation and to compare its effect with magnesium oxide ( MgO ) and placebo . METHODS This double-blind placebo-controlled , r and omized study enrolled 45 children under 10 years old with chronic constipation . They were r and omly assigned to receive Lcr35 ( 8 x 10(8 ) c.f.u./day ; n = 18 ) , MgO ( 50 mg/kg/day ; n = 18 ) , or placebo ( n = 9 ) orally twice daily for 4 weeks . Lactulose use ( 1 mL/kg per day ) was allowed when no stool passage for 3 days was noted . Glycerin enema was used only when no defecation was noted for > 5 days or abdominal pain was suffered due to stool impaction . Bacterial cultures of stool were performed before and after treatment to evaluate the change of intestinal flora . Comparisons of the frequency of defecation , consistency of stool and the use of lactulose or enema during the period of treatment were made among the three groups . RESULTS The patients who received MgO or probiotics had a higher defecation frequency ( P = 0.03 ) , higher percentage of treatment success ( P = 0.01 ) , less use of glycerin enema ( P = 0.04 ) and less hard stool ( P = 0.01 ) than the placebo group . There was no significant difference between MgO and probiotic groups in the aforementioned comparisons . The first effect of MgO ( second week ) on constipation was slightly earlier than that of probiotic ( second to third week ) . Abdominal pain occurred less frequently in the probiotic group than in both the MgO and the placebo groups ( P = 0.03 ) . There was no statistically significant difference among the three groups in the use of lactulose , episodes of fecal soiling , and change of appetite . No adverse effect was noted in probiotic and placebo groups . Only one patient in the MgO group suffered from mild diarrhea . CONCLUSION Lcr35 was effective in treating children with chronic constipation . There is no statistically significant difference in efficacy between MgO and Lcr35 , but less abdominal pain occurred when using Lcr35 . Study with larger case number and longer follow up is needed in the future BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a probiotic beverage on gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with chronic constipation . METHODS A double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized study was conducted over a four-week period in patients with symptoms of chronic constipation ( n=70 ) . To all patients , 65 mL/day of a probiotic beverage containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota ( LcS ) or a sensorially identical placebo was administered . Patients completed a question naire on gastrointestinal symptoms , well-being and stool habits and underwent a medical examination weekly . Severity of constipation , flatulence and bloating was summarized into four categories ( severe , moderately severe , mild and no symptoms ) . RESULTS The consumption of LcS result ed in a significant improvement in self-reported severity of constipation and stool consistency , starting in the second week of the intervention phase ( P<0.0001 ) . Severe and moderately severe constipation was observed less in the LcS group . The occurrence and degree of flatulence or bloating sensation did not change . In the final examination , 89 % of the LcS group and 56 % of the placebo group showed a positive effect of their beverage on constipation ( P=0.003 ) . No adverse reactions were reported . CONCLUSIONS The results indicate a beneficial effect on gastrointestinal symptoms of patients with chronic constipation . The administration of probiotic foodstuffs may be recommended as an adjunctive therapy of chronic constipation BACKGROUND AND AIM Evidence suggests that probiotics reduce certain constipation-related symptoms .  Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota has never been tested as treatment for  functional constipation in otherwise-healthy subjects . To evaluate the efficacy of this probiotic among adults with functional constipation was aim ed . METHODS Subjects with functional constipation ( Rome II-defined ) were r and omized to intake L. casei strain Shirota fermented milk or placebo once daily for 4 weeks under double-blind condition . Primary outcomes were constipation severity and stool frequency ; secondary outcomes were stool consistency and quantity . RESULTS In intent-to-treat population , compared with baseline , constipation severity and stool frequency improved in both probiotic  ( n = 47 ) and control groups ( n = 43 ) , but improvements were comparable in both groups at week 4 ( α = 5 % level ) . In probiotic group , stool consistency and quantity at week 4 improved significantly versus baseline but not versus control . Considering that the study agent is non-pharmaceutical and the purpose of supplementation is for long-term effect , re-evaluation at α = 10 % was conducted , which showed significant improvement in constipation severity at week 4 ( P = 0.058 ) . Magnitude of the probiotic effect on stool consistency was small but grew over time , d = 0.19 , 95 % confidence interval 0.00 - 0.35 ( Week 4 ) , d = 0.29 , 95 % confidence interval 0.11 - 0.52 ( postintervention ) . Post-hoc exploratory analysis suggests incomplete evacuation may decrease with probiotic intake . CONCLUSIONS Four-week administration of L. casei strain Shirota did not alleviate constipation severity or stool frequency , consistency , and quantity when compared with control . With re-evaluation at α = 10 % level , improvement in constipation severity was significant at week 4 . To obtain conclusive results , further studies with longer intervention are warranted AIM To investigate the effect of a fermented milk containing Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173010 and yogurt strains ( BIO(R ) ) on adult women with constipation in Beijing . METHODS A total of 135 adult females with constipation were r and omly allocated to consume for 2 wk either 100 g of the test fermented milk or 100 g of an acidified milk containing non-living bacteria ( control ) .  Stool frequency , defecation condition scores , stool consistency and food intake were recorded at baseline and after 1 and 2 wk in an intention-to-treat population of 126 subjects . In parallel , safety evaluation parameters were performed . RESULTS At baseline , no differences were found between groups . Following consumption of test product , stool frequency was significantly increased after 1 wk ( 3.5 + /- 1.5 vs 2.4 + /- 0.6 , P < 0.01 ) and 2 wk ( 4.1 + /- 1.7 vs 2.4 + /- 0.6 , P < 0.01 ) , vs baseline . Similarly , after 1 and 2 wk , of test product consumption , defecation condition ( 1.1 + /- 0.9 vs 1.9 + /- 1.2 , P < 0.01 and 0.8 + /- 1.0 vs 1.9 + /- 1.2 , P < 0.01 , respectively ) and stool consistency ( 1.0 + /- 0.8 vs 1.5 + /- 1.1 , P < 0.01 and 0.6 + /- 0.8 vs 1.5 + /- 1.1 , P < 0.01 , respectively ) were significantly improved . Compared with the control group , stool frequency was also significantly increased ( 3.5 + /- 1.5 vs 2.5 + /- 0.9 , P < 0.01 and 4.1 + /- 1.7 vs 2.6 + /- 1.0 , P < 0.01 , respectively ) , and defecation condition ( 1.1 + /- 0.9 vs 1.6 + /- 1.1 , P < 0.01 and 0.8 + /- 1.0 vs 1.6 + /- 1.1 , P < 0.01 , respectively ) and stool consistency ( 1.0 + /- 0.8 vs 1.4 + /- 1.0 , P < 0.05 and 0.6 + /- 0.8 vs 1.3 + /- 1.0 , P < 0.01 , respectively ) significantly decreased after 1 and 2 wk of product consumption . During the same period , food intake did not change between the two groups , and safety parameters of the subjects were within normal ranges . CONCLUSION This study suggests a beneficial effect of a fermented milk containing B. lactis DN-173010 on stool frequency , defecation condition and stool consistency in adult women with constipation constipated women 
    Output:
    
Probiotics may improve whole gut transit time , stool frequency , and stool consistency , with subgroup analysis indicating beneficial effects of B. lactis in particular .