CAM

Fecal Transplants Facilitated by OpenBiome Project
Carefully screened donors to "the nation's first human stool bank" are enabling preparation of materials for fecal transplantation in patients with C. difficile infections, the New York Times reports. Journal Watch

Probiotic treatment for vaginal thrush on the way
Scientists are testing vaginal pessaries containing 'good' probiotic bacteria for the treatment of vaginal thrush. Research published today in the Society for Applied Microbiology's Journal of Applied Microbiology shows that this approach is likely to be a viable alternative to using precious antimicrobial drugs. MedicalXpress

Researchers suggest fecal transplants should be regulated as tissue not drug
A trio of researchers are suggesting in a Comment piece in the journal Nature, that the FDA should cease regulating fecal transplants as drugs and should instead begin treating them as tissue product procedures. In their article, Mark Smith, Colleen Kelly and Eric Alm suggest that treating fecal material as a drug is inhibiting research into its beneficial possibilities and is preventing its use in many instances by physicians unwilling to undergo the bureaucratic process needed with unapproved drugs. MedicalXpress

Why Fish Oil Fails: A Comprehensive 21st Century Lipids-Based Physiologic Analysis
The promise of fish oil and its so-called active ingredients EPA / DHA fails time and time again in clinical trials. This lipids-based physiologic review will explain precisely why there should have never been expectation for success. This review will focus on underpublicized lipid science with a focus on physiology. Peskin BS. J Lipids. 2014;2014:495761. Epub 2014 Jan 16. Review. PMID: 24551453