Research Highlights

L. Rhamnosus GR-1 and L.Reuteri RC-14 Effective in Treating Bacterial Vaginosis
A new study published in Microbes and Infections demonstrates that the probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 are effective in treating bacterial vaginosis (BV) and increasing the population of beneficial lactobacillus organisms within the vagina. Jarrow Formulas’ (Los Angeles, CA) Fem-Dophilus is a branded vaginal probiotics product consisting of the exact strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14, used in the study.
The study enrolled 125 pre-menopausal women diagnosed with BV. The subjects were treated with oral metronidazole (500 mg) twice daily from days one to seven, and randomized to receive L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14 or a placebo from days one to 30. At the end of the study, 88% of the women in the group treated with an antibiotic plus GR-1 and RC-14 were cured, while only 44% of the women treated with antibiotics and no probiotics recovered from the BV. A total of 106 subjects returned for a 30-day follow-up of which 88% were cured in the antibiotic/probiotics group compared to 40% in the antibiotic/placebo group. Of the remaining subjects, 30% in the placebo group and none in the probiotics group had BV.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate Combination
Protects and Reverses Joint Damage
Nutramax Laboratories, Inc., Edgewood, MD, has released the results of a study published in a leading peer-reviewed journal. The in vitro study provides evidence that the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate has more activity in protecting, reversing damage and promoting repair in joint cartilage than glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate alone.
While providing further clinical support for in vitro research documenting effects of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, this study shows for the first time that damage to cartilage could be reversed through this combination of agents. The study used specific glucosamine, FCHG49, and low molecular weight chondroitin sulfate, TRH122, agents found exclusively in the joint health
supplement, CosaminDS, marketed by Nutramax
Laboratories, Inc.
In the study, fibronectin fragments were added to cartilage sections to cause a loss of proteoglycans, which are contained within cartilage. Fibronectin fragments are compounds generated during the cycle of cartilage break-