Interesting FT article from Canada

Looks like preliminary findings of the study some folks here participate in. Mostly just says it does not work all the time and has to be done repeatedly - which is not a big surprise. We already kind of knew that form case studies. Good to have it form a clinical controlled trial however.

A lot of the poster's comments show poor knowledge of clinical trials. Like the guy and his sister posting anecdotal results, or the other wan who wanted it to stay with crap, and bemoaned the development of artificial poop.

One of the most telling thing was the lead researcher saying it does not last and has to be done again and again. Yet some participants are talking about their full remission of over a year, which could be placebo effect - since the doc says it does not last.

This reporter also cannot understand the difference between gut microbes and crap. The sentences about obesity suggest that only crap would work, when the research is headed more in an oral probiotic direction.

lead researcher of obesity study said...

How might those findings translate to people? For a particularly hard-to-treat diarrheal infection, doctors sometimes transplant stool from a healthy person into the sick person's intestine. Some scientists wonder if fecal transplants from the lean to the fat might treat obesity, too.

But Gordon foresees a less invasive alternative: Determining the best combinations of intestinal bacteria to match a person's diet, and then growing those bugs in sterile lab dishes – like this study could – and turning them into pills. He estimates such an attempt would take at least five more years of research.

-www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/05/gut-bacteria-obesity-spur-protect_n_3875034.html

What is learned form FT studies is going to broaden the field of probiotics and immunology - it is not going to herald in a golden age of crap swapping.

This is good news... And it's my Hospital/Doctor's... well not actually "my" hospital, haha, but the University Hospital I go to. I was not allowed to participate though as it was strictly UC - not Crohn's colitis. But my doctor has mentioned a few times now about some pretty good success with it.

This is the study Macster and one other were involved in as well, but I have not heard an update from either of them in some time now. Funny to as I was thinking about this very thing a few days ago. Curious how they made out.

Perhaps I'll search for the thread and post to it to see how they are doing.


Same applies to bacteriophages... if memory serves me right there are four main species commonly found in the human gut - so matching these as well may be important. I remember reading findings from the human microbiome project that they realized there is little difference in bacteria make-up between everyone but each individual, including identical twins have a specific type of bacteriophage present that we develop with through life.

Also I can't remember the exact numbers but let say we have 10 Million bacteria per cubic centimeter of feces, at the same time we have 10 BILLION bacteriaphages per cubic centimeter of feces.

It always drives me nuts that all papers seem to overlook a problem here perhaps by introducing new bacteriophages... maybe...

My daughters doc said he was the only FDA approved ...something; either researcher or tester. U of Chicago. Anyone point me to these results? I know it's a stretch, but he had bad "luck" and was quite unhappy with the recent NY Times article touting it. He paid personally for the focus groups and full time researcher to get the study going, but I have no further info on what went wrong.... Or right.

Thanks, OM, just what I wanted. And ,yes, that is her doc. He is awesome. He is intense and committed. Not reckless, but pursues new advances logically. I am trying I be patient. It is easy to believe in each new thing...hope keeps us all going. Daughter is currently on Tacrolimus with an antibiotic (can't remember why as there is no current infection). We are waiting on the new biological, Vedolizumab, as it holds promise for her. Thanks for yur great contributions to this forum.