Tag Archives: Probiotics

Probiotics in a Canadian NICU

Posted on 9 November 2012 by Keith Barrington

We occasionally have parents who request ‘alternative’ therapies for their babies in my unit, not many, as I think very often parents are rather overwhelmed by the efficacy and intensiveness of a modern NICU. On two occasions in my career I have … Continue reading →

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Probiotics: enough is enough

Posted on 9 October 2012 by Keith Barrington

At the EAPS meeting in Istanbul, the Proprems trial results were just presented. Now this has not yet been subject to full peer-review, but as a report of a large multicenter RCT it is not likely that their main findings … Continue reading →

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Saving Babies’ Lives, for Pennies a day.

Posted on 8 October 2012 by Keith Barrington

I am talking about Canada, not the third world! Probiotics are cheap and reduce mortality. Florababy(TM) costs about $25 per 60 gram tub. One tub is enough for 120 days of prophylaxis, that is enough for the entire hospitalization of … Continue reading →

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More on Probiotics

Posted on 16 July 2012 by Keith Barrington

All of the accumulated evidence regarding probiotics in preterm infants to prevent necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) clearly shows that probiotic bacteria (specifically bifidobacteria and lactobacilli) are effective in reducing the incidence of NEC by more than 50%, they, as a result, reduce mortality in eligible infants. … Continue reading →

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The microbiome of the preterm infant, how it relates to NEC

Posted on 10 May 2012 by Keith Barrington

The intestinal flora of the preterm infant and how it relates to NEC. The normal pattern of colonization of the intestine is disturbed by: prematurity; by caesarian delivery; by antibiotics; and by feeding formula rather than breast milk. The abnormal … Continue reading →

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More on Probiotics

Posted on 9 May 2012 by Keith Barrington

I received a comment from Colin Morley (everyone in neonatology knows who Colin is, for anyone else who is reading this, he is a neonatologist and researcher from Cambridge and Melbourne). I asked his permission to post it (with my … Continue reading →

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Probiotics to Prevent NEC: Why aren’t we saving babies yet?

Posted on 5 May 2012 by Keith Barrington

The latest systematic review of Probiotics to Prevent NEC in Preterm infants Wang Q, Dong J, Zhu Y: Probiotic supplement reduces risk of necrotizing enterocolitis and mortality in preterm very low-birth-weight infants: an updated meta-analysis of 20 randomized, controlled trials. J … Continue reading →

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