Background
Background and objectives
Methods
Trial design and participant recruitment
Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day | 1–7 | 8–14 | 15–21 | 22–28 | 29–35 | 36–42 |
Phase | Screening/recruitment | Baseline | Intervention | Post-intervention | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Treatment prescribed | Antibiotic Erythromycin 400 mg/b.d. | Probiotic Pro4-50 d-Lactate Free Multistrain 1 tablet b.d. | Antibiotic Erythromycin 400 mg/b.d. | Probiotic Pro4-50 d-Lactate Free Multistrain 1 tablet b.d. | |||
Measures/ monitoring | • Consent forms • Screening and background questions • Stool and urine collection |
Day 1
• Cognitive test battery Days 1–7 • Actigraphy • Sleep diary • MAC • MFTQ
Day 7
a
• SSH • DASS-21 • MFI-20 • POMS • PSQI • ISI |
Day 14
• Phone call, symptom monitoring |
Day 21
• Phone call, symptom monitoring |
Day 28
• Phone call, symptom monitoring |
Day 35
• Phone call, symptom monitoring |
Day 1
• Cognitive test battery Days 1–7 • Actigraphy • Sleep diary • MAC • MFTQ • Stool and urine collection
Day 7
a
• SSH • DASS-21 • MFI-20 • POMS • PSQI • ISI |
Intervention
Outcomes
Primary and secondary outcomes
Sample size
Statistical methods
Group comparisons for primary and secondary outcomes
Focus on effect estimates
Assumptions: tests used and managing violations
Normality
Homogeneity tests
Ancillary exploratory analyses: correlations
Results
Participant recruitment and demographics
Demographics | Total sample (N = 44) | Females (n = 27) | Males (n = 17) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
n | M (SD)a | Range | n | M (SD)a | Range | n | M (SD)a | Range | |
Age (years) | 44 | 44.1 (13.5) | 18–65 | 27 | 43.8 (12.8) | 19–62 | 17 | 44.5 (14.9) | 18–65 |
Hours worked per week (not parenting) | 37 | 13.0 (16.8) | 0–45 | 23 | 9.4 (15.5) | 0–40 | 14 | 19.0 (17.7) | 0–45 |
Fatigue severity (general fatigue)b | 42 | 17.2 (3.0) | 9–20 | 27 | 18.0 (2.4) | 11–20 | 15 | 15.7 (3.4) | 9–20 |
Duration of illness (years) | 35 | 9.9 (6.9) | .5–26 | 23 | 9.6 (7.1) | .5–26 | 12 | 10.4 (6.6) | 1–20 |
Frequency short duration (≤ 3 years) | 7 (15.9%) | 5 (18.5) | 2 (11.8%) | ||||||
Frequency long duration (> 3 years) | 28 (63.6%) | 18 (66.7%) | 10 (58.8%) | ||||||
Unknown | 9 (20.45%) | 4 (14.81%) | 5 (29.41%) |
Outcomes and estimation
Ancillary exploratory analyses: correlations
Microbial count and lactate change | Clinical change |
r
s
|
p
|
n
| Direction of change in bacteria associated with clinical improvement |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bacteroides
| Sleep quality—PSQI | − .758 | .011 | 10 | Increase |
General fatigue—MFI | − .738 | .004 | 13 | Increase | |
Stress—DASS | − .701 | .011 | 12 | Increase | |
Total symptoms—SSH | − .600 | .067 | 10 | Increase | |
Mood disturbance—POMS total | − .573 | .066 | 11 | Increase | |
Actigraphy wake after sleep onset | − .529 | .043 | 15 | Increase | |
Planning—SWM—strategy | .588 | .017 | 16 | Decrease | |
Bifidobacterium
| Sleep quality—PSQI | − .681 | .030 | 10 | Increase |
General fatigue—MFI | − .602 | .030 | 13 | Increase | |
Anxiety—DASS | − .567 | .043 | 13 | Increase | |
Visual learning—PAL—total errors | − .529 | .035 | 16 | Increase | |
Clostridium
| Total symptoms—SSH | .582 | .078 | 10 | Decrease |
Verbal fluency—COWAT corrected scorea | .550 | .027 | 16 | Decrease | |
Story memory—LM immediatea | .522 | .038 | 16 | Decrease | |
Processing speed—RVP mean latency | .507 | .045 | 16 | Decrease | |
Enterococcus
| General fatigue—MFI | − .516 | .071 | 13 | Increase |
Lactobacillus
| Actigraphy sleep onset latency | .610 | .016 | 15 | Decrease |
Attention—RVP A′a | − .571 | .021 | 16 | Increase | |
Actigraphy sleep efficiencya | .512 | .051 | 15 | Decrease | |
Streptococcus
| Diary sleep onset latency | − .656 | .006 | 16 | Increase |
d:l Lactate ratio | Actigraphy sleep onset latency | .802 | .001 | 14 | Decrease |
Total symptoms—SSH | .567 | .112 | 9 | Decrease | |
General fatigue—MFI | .532 | .061 | 13 | Decrease | |
Mood disturbance—POMS total | .509 | .110 | 11 | Decrease |