***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 : 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 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 in intrinsic activity of resting brain indicated that ingestion of FMPP was associated with changes in midbrain connectivity , which could explain the observed differences in activity during the task . CONCLUSIONS Four-week intake of an FMPP by healthy women affected activity of brain regions that control central processing of emotion and sensation In a previous clinical study , a probiotic formulation ( PF ) consisting of Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 ( PF ) decreased stress-induced gastrointestinal discomfort . Emerging evidence of a role for gut microbiota on central nervous system functions therefore suggests that oral intake of probiotics may have beneficial consequences on mood and psychological distress . The aim of the present study was to investigate the anxiolytic-like activity of PF in rats , and its possible effects on anxiety , depression , stress and coping strategies in healthy human volunteers . In the pre clinical study , rats were daily administered PF for 2 weeks and subsequently tested in the conditioned defensive burying test , a screening model for anti-anxiety agents . In the clinical trial , volunteers participated in a double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omised parallel group study with PF administered for 30 d and assessed with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist ( HSCL-90 ) , the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS ) , the Perceived Stress Scale , the Coping Checklist ( CCL ) and 24 h urinary free cortisol ( UFC ) . Daily subchronic administration of PF significantly reduced anxiety-like behaviour in rats ( P < 0·05 ) and alleviated psychological distress in volunteers , as measured particularly by the HSCL-90 scale ( global severity index , P < 0·05 ; somatisation , P < 0·05 ; depression , P < 0·05 ; and anger-hostility , P < 0·05 ) , the HADS ( HADS global score , P < 0·05 ; and HADS-anxiety , P < 0·06 ) , and by the CCL ( problem solving , P < 0·05 ) and the UFC level ( P < 0·05 ) . L. helveticus R0052 and B. longum R0175 taken in combination display anxiolytic-like activity in rats and beneficial psychological effects in healthy human volunteers Background : Early host-microbe interaction provides important maturational stimuli for the developing immune system . The role of prenatal microbial contact remains elusive . Objectives : Our aim was to investigate whether microbes in placenta or amniotic fluid affect fetal innate immune gene expression during late pregnancy and whether innate immune gene expression profiles in the placenta and the fetal gut may be modulated by dietary supplementation with specific probiotics . Methods : Altogether 43 pregnant women were r and omized to receive ( 1 ) Bifidobacterium lactis , ( 2 ) B. lactis in combination with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ( LGG ) or ( 3 ) placebo for 14 days before elective cesarian section at full term in a double-blind clinical trial . Bacteria in amniotic fluid and placenta were detected by quantitative (q)PCR . The expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-related genes in the placenta and meconium sample s was assessed by qPCR . Gene expression patterns in meconium were interpreted to reflect immune physiology in the fetal gut . Results : The study was completed by 29 mother-infant pairs . Bacterial DNA was detected in all placenta sample s. Microbial DNA in amniotic fluid and placenta was associated with changes in TLR-related gene expression in the fetal intestine . Maternal probiotic supplementation significantly modulated the expression of TLR-related genes both in the placenta and in the fetal gut . Conclusions : Microbial contact in utero is associated with changes in fetal intestinal innate immune gene expression profile . Fetal and placental immune physiology may be modulated by maternal dietary intervention using specific probiotics Flaws in the design , conduct , analysis , and reporting of r and omised trials can cause the effect of an intervention to be underestimated or overestimated . The Cochrane Collaboration ’s tool for assessing risk of bias aims to make the process clearer and more OBJECTIVES Rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the gut microbiota is altered . Probiotics are microorganisms that can normalize gut microbiota ; thus , they may help to alleviate RA symptoms . The objective of the present clinical trial was to assess the effects of probiotic supplementation on disease activity and inflammatory cytokines in patients with RA . METHODS Forty-six patients with RA were assigned into two groups in this r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled clinical trial . The patients in the probiotic group received a daily capsule that contained a minimum of 10(8 ) colony-forming units of Lactobacillus casei 01 for 8 wk . The placebo group took capsules filled with maltodextrin for the same time period . Question naires , anthropometric measurements , and fasting blood sample s were collected , and the participants were assessed by a rheumatologist at baseline and at the end of the trial . RESULTS Disease activity score was significantly decreased by the intervention , and there was a significant difference between the two groups at the end of the study ( P < 0.01 ) . Three of the assessed serum proinflammatory cytokines ( tumor necrosis factor-α , interleukin-6 , and interleukin-12 ) significantly decreased in the probiotic group ( P < 0.05 ) ; however , serum levels of interleukin-1 β were not significantly affected by the probiotic ( P = 0.22 ) . The serum level of regulatory cytokine ( interleukin-10 ) was increased by the supplementation ( P < 0.05 ) . The proportion of interleukin-10 to interleukin-12 was significantly increased in the probiotic group as well . CONCLUSIONS L. casei 01 supplementation improved the disease activity and inflammatory status of patients with RA . Further studies are warranted to confirm these results , and such confirmation may lead to the introduction of probiotics as adjunctive therapy for this population OBJECTIVE A range of immune system abnormalities have been associated with schizophrenia . Probiotic compounds modulate the immune response and offer a potential treatment strategy for schizophrenia . Probiotic compounds have also been observed to improve gastrointestinal dysfunction , which is a common problem in individuals with schizophrenia . We performed a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled trial to examine whether probiotic supplementation can reduce symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia receiving antipsychotic treatment and also whether probiotics are associated with bowel functioning . METHODS Out patients with schizophrenia ( N = 65 ) meeting DSM-IV criteria and with at least moderately severe psychotic symptoms were enrolled in the study from December 2010-August 2012 . Following a 2-week placebo run-in period , patients were r and omly assigned to 14 weeks of double-blind adjunctive probiotic ( combined Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp . lactis strain Bb12 ) or placebo therapy .  Psychiatric symptoms were assessed biweekly with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale ( PANSS ) , and patients were queried weekly about their gastrointestinal functioning . RESULTS Repeated- measures analysis of variance showed no significant differences in the PANSS total score between probiotic and placebo supplementation ( F = 1.28 , P = .25 ) . However , patients in the probiotic group were less likely to develop severe bowel difficulty over the course of the trial ( hazard ratio = 0.23 ; 95 % CI , 0.09 - 0.61 , P = .003 ) . CONCLUSIONS Probiotic supplementation may help prevent a common somatic symptom associated with schizophrenia . TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trials.gov identifier : NCT01242371 Chronic fatigue syndrome ( CFS ) is complex illness of unknown etiology . Among the broad range of symptoms , many patients report disturbances in the emotional realm , the most frequent of which is anxiety . Research shows that patients with CFS and other so-called functional somatic disorders have alterations in the intestinal microbial flora . Emerging studies have suggested that pathogenic and non-pathogenic gut bacteria might influence mood-related symptoms and even behavior in animals and humans . In this pilot study , 39 CFS patients were r and omized to receive either 24 billion colony forming units of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota ( LcS ) or a placebo daily for two months . Patients provided stool sample s and completed the Beck Depression and Beck Anxiety Inventories before and after the intervention . We found a significant rise in both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in those taking the LcS , and there was also a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms among those taking the probiotic vs controls ( p = 0.01 ) . These results lend further support to the presence of a gut-brain interface , one that may be mediated by microbes that reside or pass through the intestinal tract BACKGROUND Recent insights into the role of the human microbiota in cognitive and affective functioning have led to the hypothesis that probiotic supplementation may act as an adjuvant strategy to ameliorate or prevent depression . OBJECTIVE Heightened cognitive reactivity to normal , transient changes in sad mood is an established marker of vulnerability to depression and is considered an important target for interventions . The present study aim ed to test if a multispecies probiotic containing Bifidobacterium bifidum W23 , Bifidobacterium lactis W52 , Lactobacillus acidophilus W37 , Lactobacillus brevis W63 , Lactobacillus casei W56 , Lactobacillus salivarius W24 , and Lactococcus lactis ( W19 and W58 ) may reduce cognitive reactivity in non-depressed individuals . DESIGN In a triple-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized , pre- and post-intervention assessment design , 20 healthy participants without current mood disorder received a 4-week probiotic food-supplement intervention with the multispecies probiotics , while 20 control participants received an inert placebo for the same period . In the pre- and post-intervention assessment , cogn 
    Output:
    
Despite method ological limitations of the included trials and the complex nature of gut-brain interactions , results suggest the detection of apparent psychological benefits from probiotic supplementation .