Active clinical trials for "Constipation"

In haematological malignancy and in immunocompromised patients, constipation is a common symptom caused by a number of factors during treatment. In current clinical practice, an abdominal radiograph is the first imaging investigation for constipation and non specific abdominal pain to support or exclude the clinical suspicion. Children are more sensitive to radiation induced adverse effects especially in the thyroid gland and bone marrow. Immunocompromised patients are at risk of developing a second malignant neoplasm. MRI is an alternative imaging modality without ionizing radiation. Imaging the peritoneal cavity on abdominal MRI has always been challenging primarily because of bowel motion and a long acquisition time for standard T1 and T2 weighted sequences. Recent development of an ultrafast 2 dimensional FIESTA sequence developed by GE (General Electric) Healthcare based on the balanced steady state free precession (b-SSFP) pulse sequence has several advantages: motion insensitivity ( does not interfere with peristalsis), sharp edge definition and higher contrast when compared with the standard SSFSE pulse sequence. FIESTA is well suited for abdominal imaging as it produces motion- free images, allowing clear delineation of intra-peritoneal and retroperitoneal anatomy and is capable of depicting the vascular anatomy and lymph-adenopathy.There is a wide spectrum of diseases which could cause abdominal pain in our study group with constipation being the most common cause but MRI could potentially detect more serious bowel-related chemotherapy induced complications such as typhlitis, pneumatosis coli, veno-occlusive disease, pancreatitis and intra abdominal abscess, which would not be apparent on abdominal radiograph.

Previous in vitro studies suggest that EpiCor is well fermented in the colon and has prebiotic potential. The repeated long-term administration of low doses of EpiCor in the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME) has shown that this product is able to induce gradual changes in the colonic environment by: i) being selectively fermented, leading to butyrate increase in the colon; ii) stimulating Lactobacilli growth in the lumen and adherence to the mucosal surface, and iii) decreasing potential pathogens. In addition, the fermentation-derived metabolites produced in the colon were shown to potentially benefit the host by decreasing cytokine levels in vitro. As a result, the investigators hypothesize that EpiCor may help to improve bowel function and generally contribute to enhanced gut health. Therefore, this pilot study is intended to assess the effects of long-term administration of EpiCor on a population with mild symptoms of intestinal dysfunction. The primary objective of this exploratory pilot study is to assess the effect of long term administration of EpiCor on bowel function and gastrointestinal well-being, by means of validated questionnaires. This study has 4 secondary objectives: 1) The first secondary objective of this study is to assess the protective effects of EpiCor on intestinal barrier function, by performing a gut sugar permeability test in combination with indomethacin challenge; 2) The second secondary objective is to assess the effects of EpiCor on intestinal barrier function, by measuring blood Zonulin and endotoxin levels in combination with indomethacin challenge; 3) The third secondary objective of this study is to assess the prebiotic properties of EpiCor by collecting fecal samples. The microbial community composition, lactate and SCFA profiles and proteolytic activity markers in feces will be determined. Proteolytic activity markers will also be measured in urine samples; 4) The fourth secondary objective of this study is to assess the effects of EpiCor on local and systemic immune system performance by measuring secretory IgA levels in feces and cytokines in blood.

To compare the differences of fecal microflora between constipated and non-constipated healthy children, and evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in reducing symptoms of constipation and the influence of intestinal microflora in children with functional constipation.

The probiotic for oral use, Probiatop®, consists of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001, Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-37 and Bifidobacterium lactis HN019. Its activity will be compared with placebo (Maltodextrin). The metagenomics data will be correlated with the Quality of Life Questionnaire answers obtained from participants with intestinal transit problem. The Increase in the number of evacuations, as well as the improvement of complaints related to intestinal transit alteration will be evaluated during the study. The participants will use probiotic or placebo for a period of 28 days and the gastrointestinal function questionnaire and collect stool will be performed before the study and after period of treatment

This research study was being done to study the effect of codeine and Naloxegol for 3 days compared to placebo on the movement of food through the colon of healthy individuals. Codeine is a commonly used pain-relieving drug that often causes constipation as an unwanted side effect. Naloxegol is a medication recently approved by the FDA for treatment of constipation induced by Codeine. The hypothesis for this study was that Naloxegol reduces the retardation of small bowel and colonic transit induced by codeine in healthy participants.

The main objective is to assess the effect of an 8-week daily supplementation with IbSium® (probiotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-3856) on the improvement gastro-intestinal disorders associated to the type C IBS (constipation predominant).

Test the Efficacy of Home Biofeedback Training: Currently, biofeedback requires a skilled therapist and sophisticated equipment and is not widely available. The investigators designed and tested a novel home biofeedback device and predict that home training will be as effective as office biofeedback therapy. Our specific aims are to perform a randomized controlled trial of 100 subjects with dyssynergic defecation to investigate: (A) Whether a self-administered, home-biofeedback training program with a new portable device is as effective as office-based biofeedback therapy in improving i) physiology- dyssynergia (defecation index), and ability to expel simulated stool, and ii) symptomatology- satisfaction with bowel function, number of complete spontaneous bowel movements, stool consistency, straining and quality of life. (B) Whether home-training is more cost-effective than office-based biofeedback training.

This trial will study the effects of an investigational (not FDA approved) medication, ROSE-010, on the movement of food through the stomach, small intestine and colon in females with constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome (C-IBS). The study hypothesis is that ROSE-010 will delay gastric emptying of solids and enhances gastric accommodation without retarding colonic transit in female patients with C-IBS.

Patients suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome with predominant constipation will be provided with the study medication. The study medication will be evaluated for its efficacy in relieving the symptoms

Functional constipation (FC) is a common complaint in clinical practice, but treatment for this condition in conventional medicine is suboptimal. Complementary and alternative medicines, especially Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) are used frequently by patients, however, there is little research evidence about these commonly used CHM. The purpose of the study is evaluate the efficacy and safety of an ancient CHM formula, MaZiRenWan (MZRW), by comparing with placebo.