No statistically significant subgroup differences were found according to infant risk of allergy or type of infant feed .
There is some evidence that a prebiotic supplement added to infant feeds may prevent eczema .
It is unclear whether the use of prebiotic should be restricted to infants at high risk of allergy or may have an effect in low risk population s ; or whether it may have an effect on other allergic diseases including asthma
BACKGROUND Prebiotics ( commonly oligosaccharides ) added to infant feeds have the potential to prevent sensitisation of infants to dietary allergens .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of prebiotic given to infants for the prevention of allergy .
Cytokine Responses in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Glutamine-enriched Enteral Nutrition
Objective : Very low birth weight ( VLBW ) infants receiving glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition  may present with a lower infection rate , which may result from enhanced antimicrobial innate or Th1 cytokine responses . We investigated whether glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition in VLBW infants increased these cytokine responses following in vitro stimulation of whole blood cells . Methods : In a double-blind , placebo-controlled , r and omized controlled trial , VLBW infants ( gestational age < 32 weeks and /or birth weight < 1500 g )  received enteral glutamine supplementation ( 0.3 g · kg−1 · day−1 ) or isonitrogenous placebo supplementation ( alanine ) between days 3 and 30 of life . Cytokine responses following in vitro whole blood cell stimulation with anti-(α)CD3/αCD28 or lipopolysaccharide were analyzed by cytometric bead array at 3 time points : before the start of the study , at day 7 of life , and at day 14 of life . Results : Baseline patient and nutritional characteristics were not different between groups . At least 2 blood sample s were analyzed in 25 of 52 ( 48 % ) and 38 of 50 ( 76 % ) infants in the glutamine-supplemented and control groups , respectively . Glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition was not associated with significant alterations in cytokine responses ( interferon-γ , tumor necrosis factor-α , interleukin [IL]-2 , IL-4 , IL-5 , and IL-10 ) of peripheral blood cells upon stimulation with either anti-αCD3/αCD28 or lipopolysaccharide . Conclusions : We hypothesize that glutamine-enriched enteral nutrition decreases the infection rate in VLBW infants by influencing the mucosal and not the systemic immune system
No statistically significant subgroup differences were found according to infant risk of allergy or type of infant feed .
There is some evidence that a prebiotic supplement added to infant feeds may prevent eczema .
It is unclear whether the use of prebiotic should be restricted to infants at high risk of allergy or may have an effect in low risk population s ; or whether it may have an effect on other allergic diseases including asthma
BACKGROUND Prebiotics ( commonly oligosaccharides ) added to infant feeds have the potential to prevent sensitisation of infants to dietary allergens .
OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of prebiotic given to infants for the prevention of allergy .