Evaluation of New Method for Measuring Stool Consistency

November 7, 2017 updated by: Yakult Honsha European Research Center, ESV

Evaluation of a New Method for Measuring Stool Consistency, Using a Texture Analyser (TA.XT Express Texture Analyser)

This study is designed to validate a new direct method for the measurement of stool consistency, using Texture Analyser. Forty healthy subjects are enrolled in this trial for collection of stool samples. Every stool produced during 2 collection periods of approximately 60 hours each is collected and subjected to the measurement of consistency using Texture Analyser. The stool consistency results are compared with the Bristol Stool Form Scale scores for each stool. The relationships of stool consistency with other stool parameters, bowel habit and sleeping habit are also evaluated.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

It is now obvious that the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract has a positive effect on the quality of life. Normal bowel habits vary considerably from person to person with regard to frequency of bowel movements, and bulk and consistency of stools. Constipation is the common digestive complaint in European populations, and softening stool consistency can be regarded as beneficial for such population in terms of reducing incidence of hard or lumpy stools .

The Bristol Stool Form Scale (BS) is validated as a surrogate measure for gastrointestinal transit time, and has been also applied to an evaluation of stool consistency. Subjects compare their stool with the BS chart consisting of seven categories and choose one score which has a nearest analog form. The BS has been widely used in the studies to evaluate changes in stool consistency after dietary intervention using probiotics and/or prebiotics. However, there is a lack of evidence in the validity of BS to yield consistent and reproducible estimates of changes in stool consistency over time. In order to obtain a closer estimate of its change, it would be preferred to use a more directly observable and objective parameter or combination of parameters.

From the above mentioned backgrounds, this study is conducted to validate a new direct method for the measurement of stool consistency, using Texture Analyser: TA.XTExpress Texture Analyser (Stable Micro Systems Ltd.).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Belgium
      • Aalst, Belgium, 9300
        • Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Hospital Aalst

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Informed consent obtained before any study-related activities.
  • Healthy female or male aged 18 years (inclusive) or older.
  • Is willing and able to provide at least 3 stool samples during 2 collection periods of approximately 60 hours, to store the samples in appropriate conditions and to return the samples within the required timeframe.
  • Is willing and able to complete a diary during the stool collection periods in order to collect information about form of the stools (based on the Bristol Stool Form Scale classification), bowel habit and sleep habit.
  • Understands the Dutch or English language (reading, writing, speaking).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Language barrier, mental or legal incapacity, unwillingness or inability to understand or not being able to participate in this trial.
  • Is treated (i.e., currently treated, treated within 1 month before inclusion) for constipation, diarrhoea or any other illness, by use of antibiotics or any other treatment with impact on defecation.
  • Females of child bearing potential who are pregnant, breast-feeding or intend to become pregnant.
  • Is unable to refrain from or anticipates the use of disallowed medications, e.g., antibiotics, laxatives, anti-diarrheal medication.
  • Has any history of drug and/or alcohol abuse.
  • Any clinically significant disease which in the Investigator's opinion could interfere with the safety of study participants or with the results of the study.
  • Participation in another interventional clinical study or receipt of any investigational product within 1 month before visit 1.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: OTHER
  • Allocation: NA
  • Interventional Model: SINGLE_GROUP
  • Masking: NONE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
OTHER: Specimen collection
Collection of stool samples
Other: Collection of stool samples
The subjects collect stool samples to be used for validation of a new direct measurement of stool consistency. Every stool sample produced during 2 collection periods of approximately 60 hours each have to be collected using the Commode Specimen Collection System (Medline Industries, Inc.). Each collection period starts preferably in the evening (20h00) and ends 3 days later in the morning (08h00). The collected samples must be stored at subject's home in a refrigerator provided by the sponsor until handover to the site staff.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Stool consistency
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Stool consistency is measured as force (g) during compression by Texture Analyser. A cylinder probe is put vertically into the object with a constant speed and the force is measured when reaching down to the target (5 mm down from the surface) as an outcome.
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Bristol Stool Form Scale score
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Bristol Stool Form Scale (BS) is for classifying the form of stool into 7 categories scored from 1 to 7; (1) Separate hard lumps like nuts (difficult to pass); (2) Sausage-shaped but lumpy; (3) Like a sausage but with cracks on its surface; (4) Like a sausage or snake, smooth and soft; (5) Soft blobs with clear-cut edges (passed easily); (6) Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool; (7) Watery, no solid pieces, entirely liquid. Subjects choose one of the BS scores which has a nearest analog form with their stools at every defecation.
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Stool water content
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Percentage of water in stool (weight/weight %)
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Stool mucin
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Concentration of mucin in stool
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Stool pH
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Degree of stool pH
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Stool metabolites
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Concentrations of stool metabolites including organic acids
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Stool microbiota composition
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Relative abundance of microbiota species (% of total) in stool
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Stool amount
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Weight (g) of stool produced in each defecation
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Bowel habit
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Presence or absence of straining during evacuation, presence or absence of sensation of remaining stool in the rectum after evacuation
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Sleep habit
Time Frame: Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each
Getting-up time, going-to-bed time and sleeping hours
Two stool collection periods of approximately 60 hours each

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Yakult Honsha European Research Center, ESV

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Harmony Clinical Research BVBA

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Ignace Demeyer, Dr., Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Hospital Aalst

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 2, 2017

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 6, 2017

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 6, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 8, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 14, 2017

First Posted (ACTUAL)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 15, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 9, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 7, 2017

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • YHER16-TAXT

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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