Probiotics , fennel extract  and  spinal manipulation  show promise to alleviate symptoms of colic , although some concerns remain .
Background Infantile colic is a distressing condition characterised by excessive crying in the first few months of life .
The aim of this research was to up date the synthesis of evidence of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) research literature on infantile colic and establish what evidence is currently available .
454 Pyrosequencing Analysis on Faecal Samples from a Randomized DBPC Trial of Colicky Infants Treated with Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938
Objective To analyze the global microbial composition , using large-scale DNA sequencing of 16 S rRNA genes , in faecal sample s from colicky infants given L. reuteri DSM 17938 or placebo . Methods Twenty-nine colicky infants ( age 10–60 days ) were enrolled and r and omly assigned to receive either Lactobacillus reuteri ( 108 cfu ) or a placebo once daily for 21 days . Responders were defined as subjects with a decrease of 50 % in daily crying time at day 21 compared with the starting point . The microbiota of faecal sample s from day 1 and 21 were analyzed using 454 pyrosequencing . The primers : Bakt_341F and Bakt_805R , complemented with 454 adapters and sample specific barcodes were used for PCR amplification of the 16 S rRNA genes . The structure of the data was explored by using permutational multivariate analysis of variance and effects of different variables were visualized with ordination analysis . Results The infants ’ faecal microbiota were composed of Proteobacteria , Firmicutes , Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes as the four main phyla . The composition of the microbiota in infants with colic had very high inter-individual variability with Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios varying from 4000 to 0.025 . On an individual basis , the microbiota was , however , relatively stable over time . Treatment with L. reuteri DSM 17938 did not change the global composition of the microbiota , but when comparing responders with non-responders the group responders had an increased relative abundance of the phyla Bacteroidetes and genus Bacteroides at day 21 compared with day 0 . Furthermore , the phyla composition of the infants at day 21 could be divided into three enterotype groups , dominated by Firmicutes , Bacteroidetes , and Actinobacteria , respectively . Conclusion L. reuteri DSM 17938 did not affect the global composition of the microbiota . However , the increase of Bacteroidetes in the responder infants indicated that a decrease in colicky symptoms was linked to changes of the microbiota . Trial Registration Clinical Trials.gov
Probiotics , fennel extract  and  spinal manipulation  show promise to alleviate symptoms of colic , although some concerns remain .
Background Infantile colic is a distressing condition characterised by excessive crying in the first few months of life .
The aim of this research was to up date the synthesis of evidence of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) research literature on infantile colic and establish what evidence is currently available .