Diarrhea — Prevention of Clostridium Difficile-associated Diarrhea by Daily Intake of Kefir
Citation(s)
Bakken JS Resolution of recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea using staggered antibiotic withdrawal and kefir. Minn Med. 2009 Jul;92(7):38-40.
Bakken JS Staggered and tapered antibiotic withdrawal with administration of kefir for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Sep 15;59(6):858-61. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu429. Epub 2014 Jun 9.
Bolla PA, Carasi P, Bolla Mde L, De Antoni GL, Serradell Mde L Protective effect of a mixture of kefir-isolated lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in a hamster model of Clostridium difficile infection. Anaerobe. 2013 Jun;21:28-33. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2013.03.010. Epub 2013 Mar 29.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
