Zhu 2014.

Methods	Randomised clinical trial
Participants	Country: China Number randomised: 39 Postrandomisation dropouts: not stated Revised sample size: 39 Average age: 43 years Women: 18 (46.2%) Acute interstitial oedematous pancreatitis: not stated Necrotising pancreatitis: not stated Mild pancreatitis: 0 (0%) Moderate pancreatitis: 0 (0%) Severe pancreatitis: 39 (100%) Persistent organ failure: not stated Infected pancreatitis: not stated Inclusion criteria People with severe acute pancreatitis < 48 h from onset of symptoms < 65 years of age Exclusion criteria Chronic pancreatitis Associated with primary infection, tumours, low immunity
Interventions	Group 1: probiotics (n = 20), 2 tablets twice daily for 14 days (Japanese preparation) Group 2: placebo (n = 19)
Outcomes	Serious adverse events, adverse events, requirement for endoscopic or radiological drainage, infected pancreatic necrosis Follow‐up: not stated (probably 2 weeks)
Notes	Reasons for postrandomisation dropouts: not stated
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Comment: this information was not available.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Comment: this information was not available.
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind"
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Quote: "double‐blind"
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Comment: this information was not available.
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	High risk	Comment: either mortality or adverse events were not reported.
For profit‐bias	Unclear risk	Comment: this information was not available.
Other bias	Low risk	Comment: no other risk of bias

ERCP: endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; ICU: intensive care unit; IU: international unit; IV: intravenous; KIU: kallikrein inhibitor units; MRC: Medical Research Council (1 MRC = 1 IU); PR: per rectum; SC: subcutaneous.