Nasogastric enteral feeding tubes modulate preterm colonization in early life.

Background: Preterm infants are generally fed through nasogastric enteral feeding tubes (NEFTs). The aim of this work was to evaluate the role of NEFTs in the initial colonization of the preterm gut and its evolution within the first 2 weeks after birth.

Methods: For this purpose, fecal and NEFT-derived samples from 30 preterm infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were collected from birth to the second week of life.

Primary prevention of acute respiratory tract infections in children using a bacterial immunostimulant: a double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Background: Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in children. The bacterial extract OM-85 BV has shown some protective effect for ARTIs in preschool children and a reduction in exacerbations of chronic bronchitis in adults.

Objectives: This trial reports results of a double-masked, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical study that assessed the efficacy and tolerability of OM-85 BV in the prevention of ARTIs in school girls living in an orphanage.