Clinical trials

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing maintenance hemodialysis frequently exhibit significant gut microbiota dysbiosis and increased intestinal permeability. These alterations enable the translocation of endotoxins and gut-derived uremic toxins-such as indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate-into the systemic circulation, exacerbating systemic inflammation, elevating cardiovascular risk, and accelerating disease progression. Multispecies synbiotic supplementation has emerged as a promising intervention to restore gut microbial equilibrium, strengthen intestinal barrier function, and reduce the systemic load of harmful microbial metabolites. Through modulation of inflammatory pathways and reduction of circulating uremic toxins, synbiotic hold potential to improve clinical outcomes in this vulnerable population. Although preclinical and some clinical evidence suggests benefits of probiotic therapy, comprehensive clinical trials specifically examining multispecies synbiotic effects on gut inflammatory markers, gut derived metabolite profiles, and uremic toxin levels in hemodialysis patients remain limited. This pilot study aims to address this gap by investigating the biological and clinical effects of a 12-week multispecies regimen in adult maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis experience profound alterations in their gut microbiota, leading to dysbiosis and increased gut permeability. This disruption facilitates the translocation of endotoxins and gut-derived uremic toxins such as indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate into the systemic circulation, contributing to heightened systemic inflammation, cardiovascular disease risk, and accelerated CKD progression. Synbiotic supplementation, particularly multispecies formulations, has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to restore gut microbial balance, enhance intestinal barrier integrity, and reduce the systemic burden of deleterious microbial metabolites. These probiotics potentially improve clinical outcomes by modulating inflammatory pathways and decreasing circulating levels of uremic toxins. Despite these insights, few clinical trials have comprehensively assessed the effects of multispecies synbiotic on fecal microbiome composition, gut permeability and uremic toxin profiles in hemodialysis patients. This pilot study aims to fill this gap by evaluating the modulatory effects of a 12-week multispecies synbiotic intervention.

Breast cancer surgery patients may experience anxiety and depression before and after surgery. Health education can help patients understand the surgical process and postoperative care, but traditional education may not always be easy to understand. This study evaluates whether augmented reality (AR) health education videos can help reduce anxiety and depression in postoperative breast cancer patients. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group receives routine health education plus AR health education videos, and the other group receives routine health education only. The study compares changes in anxiety, depression, and selected physiological indicators between the two groups before and after surgery.