Now the same scientists…

...at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, have also identified a unique pattern of immune molecules in the cerebrospinal fluid of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) that provides insights into the basis for cognitive dysfunction – frequently described by patients as "brain fog" – as well as new hope for improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

Scientists find clues into cognitive dysfunction in chronic fatigue syndrome

EurekAlert! 

ZenMaster

Is this part of...

... the solution to what CFS is? 

“Researchers at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health identified distinct immune changes in patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, known medically as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) or systemic exertion intolerance disease. The findings could help improve diagnosis and identify treatment options for the disabling disorder, in which symptoms range from extreme fatigue and difficulty concentrating to headaches and muscle pain.”

Scientists discover robust evidence that CFS is a biological illness

EurekAlert! 

ZenMaster

Another virus...

... suspect in CFS? 

"Many experts believe that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has several root causes including some viruses. Now, lead scientists Shara Pantry, Maria Medveczky and Peter Medveczky of the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine, along with the help of several collaborating scientists and clinicians, have published an article in the Journal of Medical Virology suggesting that a common virus, Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), is the possible cause of some CFS cases." 

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Inherited Virus Can Cause Cognitive Dysfunction and Fatigue

ScienceDaily 

Reference: 

Persistent human herpesvirus-6 infection in patients with an inherited form of the virus 

Shara N. Pantry, Maria M. Medveczky, Jesse H. Arbuckle, Janos Luka, Jose G. Montoya, Jianhong Hu, Rolf Renne, Daniel Peterson, Joshua C. Pritchett, Dharam V. Ablashi, Peter G. Medveczky 

Journal of Medical Virology, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/jmv.23685

ZenMaster

Lactate biosensor could become…

… a simple test for CFS?

Credit: American Chemical Society. 

Saw this interesting article today. Since lactic acid and lactate is the prime substances that makes muscle feel exhausted and sour, may be this technique could become and easy way to test for CSF.

First human tests of new biosensor that warns when athletes are about to 'hit the wall'

Wednesday, 24 July 2013

A new biosensor, applied to the human skin like a temporary tattoo, can alert marathoners, competitive bikers and other "extreme" athletes that they're about to "bonk," or "hit the wall," scientists are reporting. The study, in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry, describes the first human tests of the sensor, which also could help soldiers and others who engage in intense exercise — and their trainers — monitor stamina and fitness.

Joseph Wang and colleagues explain that the sensor monitors lactate, a form of lactic acid released in sweat. Lactate forms when the muscles need more energy than the body can supply from the "aerobic" respiration that suffices during mild exercise. The body shifts to "anaerobic" metabolism, producing lactic acid and lactate. That helps for a while, but lactate builds up in the body, causing extreme fatigue and the infamous "bonking out," where an athlete just cannot continue. Current methods of measuring lactate are cumbersome, require blood samples or do not give instant results. Wang's team sought to develop a better approach.

They describe the first human tests of a lactate sensor applied to the skin like a temporary tattoo that stays on and flexes with body movements. Tests on 10 human volunteers showed that the sensor accurately measured lactate levels in sweat during exercise.

"Such skin-worn metabolite biosensors could lead to useful insights into physical performance and overall physiological status, hence offering considerable promise for diverse sport, military, and biomedical applications," say the scientists.

Future research will further correlate sweat lactate levels with fitness, performance and blood lactate levels, Wang added.

Reference:

Electrochemical Tattoo Biosensors for Real-Time Noninvasive Lactate Monitoring in Human Perspiration

Wenzhao Jia, Amay J. Bandodkar, Gabriela Valdés-Ramírez, Joshua R. Windmiller, Zhanjun Yang, Julian Ramírez, Garrett Chan, and Joseph Wang 

Anal. Chem., 2013, 85 (14), pp 6553–6560, DOI: 10.1021/ac401573r

.........

ZenMaster

Finally a verdict…

… on XMRV and pMLV and CFS/ME.

In an extensive study funded by National Institutes of Health and with many expert groups participating, the conclusion is that the original study by Dr. Mikovits that XMRV or similar viruses is a cause of CFS, is WRONG. No such links can be found.

In a statement from Dr. Mikovits, the author of the Science paper wherein XMRV was first linked to CFS, she said:

"I greatly appreciated the opportunity to fully participate in this unprecedented study. Unprecedented because of the level of collaboration, the integrity of the investigators, and the commitment of the NIH to provide its considerable resources to the CFS community for this important study. Although I am disappointed that we found no association of XMRV/pMLV to CFS, the silver lining is that our 2009 Science report resulted in global awareness of this crippling disease and has sparked new interest in CFS research. I am dedicated to continuing to work with leaders in the field of pathogen discovery in the effort to determine the etiologic agent for CFS."

"Although the once promising XMRV and pMLV hypotheses have been excluded, the consequences of the early reports linking these viruses to disease are that new resources and investigators have been recruited to address the challenge of the CFS/ME", said W. Ian Lipkin, MD, director of the multi-site study and John Snow Professor of Epidemiology in the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University.

"We are confident that these investments will yield insights into the causes, prevention and treatment of CFS/ME."

Research on the causes of CFS/ME will continue, says Lipkin.

"We've tested the XMRV/pMLV hypothesis and found it wanting," he says.

But, he says, "we are not abandoning the patients. We are not abandoning the science. The controversy brought a new focus that will drive efforts to understand CFS/ME and lead to improvements in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of this syndrome."

References:

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is Not Linked to Suspect Viruses

Multi-site blinded study puts to rest the notion that these viruses cause the mysterious ailment

EurekAlert! - Tuesday, 18 September 2012

Viruses Not to Blame for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome After All

EurekAlert! - Tuesday, 18 September 2012

ZenMaster

A second study,…

… published Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, confirm the presence of XMRV and other MRV-related viruses in a high proportion of chronic fatigue syndrome patients. Scientists found gene sequences from several MRV-related viruses in blood cells from 32 out of 37 chronic-fatigue patients but only 3 of 44 healthy ones.

Chronic Fatigue Linked to Virus Class
New York Times - 23 August 2010
When the journal Science published an attention-grabbing study last fall linking chronic fatigue syndrome to a recently discovered retrovirus, many experts remained skeptical — especially after four other studies found no such association.

Reference:

Detection of MLV-related virus gene sequences in blood of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy blood donors
Shyh-Ching Lo, Natalia Pripuzova, Bingjie Li, Anthony L. Komaroff, Guo-Chiuan Hung, Richard Wang, and Harvey J. Alter
PNAS published ahead of print August 23, 2010, doi:10.1073/pnas.1006901107


ZenMaster

One more step…

… towards a treatment of CFS?
Scientists at University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Emory University at Decatur, Georgia now report that several HIV drugs inhibit the replication of XMRV in cell cultures.

Here is the original report:
Raltegravir Is a Potent Inhibitor of XMRV, a Virus Implicated in Prostate Cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Ila R. Singh, John E. Gorzynski, Daria Drobysheva, Leda Bassit, Raymond F. Schinazi
PLoS ONE 5(4): e9948. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009948

They write the following:
Principal Findings
Forty-five compounds, including twenty-eight drugs approved for use in humans, were evaluated against XMRV replication in vitro. We found that the retroviral integrase inhibitor, raltegravir, was potent and selective against XMRV at submicromolar concentrations, in MCF-7 and LNCaP cells, a breast cancer and prostate cancer cell line, respectively. Another integrase inhibitor, L-000870812, and two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, zidovudine (ZDV), and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) also inhibited XMRV replication. When combined, these drugs displayed mostly synergistic effects against this virus, suggesting that combination therapy may delay or prevent the selection of resistant viruses.

You can also read more at:
Powerful HIV drugs inhibit retrovirus linked to prostate cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome
EurekAlert! 1-Apr-2010
Anti-HIV drugs inhibit emerging virus linked to prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome
EurekAlert! 1-Apr-2010

ZenMaster

More news...

... in NY Times:

Expert Answers on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome November 24, 2009

Q&A on CFS.

ZenMaster

Some interesting news…

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Prostate Cancer Link to a Retrovirus

A new study published online by Science links chronic fatigue syndrome to a possibly contagious rodent retrovirus, XMRV or xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus, which has also been implicated in an aggressive form of prostate cancer recently. Related work by the authors also suggests CFS might best be treated with AIDS drugs.

The XMRV virus is a retrovirus, like the HIV virus that causes AIDS. As with all viruses, a retrovirus copies its genetic code into the DNA of its host but uses RNA – a working form of DNA – instead of using DNA to do so.

Known formally as xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus, XMRV has also been found in some prostate tumours and is also known to cause leukaemia and tumours in animals.

Researchers found the virus in the blood of 68 out of 101 chronic fatigue syndrome patients. The same virus showed up in only 8 of 218 healthy people, they reported on Thursday in the journal Science.

Judy Mikovits of the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Nevada and colleagues at the National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic emphasized that the finding only shows a link between the virus and chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, and does not prove that the pathogen causes the disorder.

Much more study would be necessary to show a direct link, but Mikovits said the study offers hope that CFS sufferers might gain relief from a cocktail of drugs designed to fight AIDS, cancer and inflammation.

Previously a number of viruses, including herpes viruses, Enteroviruses, Coxsackie viruses and Epstein-Barr virus have been suggested as triggers for chronic fatigue syndrome. But these have only been found in a small minority of people with the disorder.

However, CFS researchers have long had their eyes on retroviruses. A number of the symptoms, including fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, can occur when the immune system is dealing with a viral infection, and the disease is often preceded by a flu-like illness. Although a number of retroviruses have been hypothesized to play a role in CFS, none has ever been confirmed.

About three years ago Robert Silverman, a biologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio and a co-author of the new study, discovered a previously unknown retrovirus, XMRV, while searching for a pathogen that might contribute to prostate cancer. The retrovirus was very similar to MLV, a group of viruses that can cause cancer and neurological and immunological diseases in mice. Silverman found XMRV in a subset of prostate tumours, and more recent research found a stronger correlation between XMRV and aggressive prostate tumours.

Mikovits believes the association may be even stronger than the present work indicates. DNA sequencing only picks up active infections, she says, so she wants to study CFS exposure to the virus more broadly. In an unpublished investigation, she and her colleagues analyzed blood cells in about 330 CFS patients and found that more than 95% expressed antibodies to XMRV, whereas about 4% of healthy controls did.

Reference:

Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Vincent C. Lombardi, Francis W. Ruscetti, Jaydip Das Gupta, Max A. Pfost, Kathryn S. Hagen, Daniel L. Peterson, Sandra K. Ruscetti, Rachel K. Bagni, Cari Petrow-Sadowski, Bert Gold, Michael Dean, Robert H. Silverman, Judy A. Mikovits

Science Published Online October 8, 2009, DOI: 10.1126/science.1179052

ZenMaster

It's been a terrible month...

... as you see, I have not posted in a long while! It's been a terrible month. Tired like hell in all my muscles, not sleepy, but tired and weak. Not so much pain this time. I was put on some cortisone again early in June, by my doctor, but it had no effect. Last week when I talked to her again, she could not understand why I was feeling so bad. So, 8 more tubes of blood on friday to the lab, to check a lot of the hormone levels again was the 'answer'!

OK, ok, I do have CFS also, and that could be the explanation, but none of my doctors know anything about that, so I am just in limbo as usual.

Well, I guess I should wait and see until these latest blood tests are done, maybe it is something wrong with some hormone system after all? Who knows...

ZenMaster

Today...

... NY Times has a series of articles about CFS. Not particularly informative, as usual, but still some attention to the problem!

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome No Longer Seen as ‘Yuppie Flu’ NY Times - Saturday, 31 May 2008

ZenMaster

Seven different genetic types of CFS’ discovered...

Geneticists from St George's Hospital, University of London have identified a biological basis for seven different subtypes of chronic fatigue syndrome.

The research findings are to be presented to a conference in Cambridge.

Read more: Seven genetic types of ME' found

BBC - Monday, 5 May 2008 00:02 UK

ZenMaster

A biological link between pain and fatigue?

A recent University of Iowa study reveals a biological link between pain and fatigue and may help explain why more women than men are diagnosed with chronic pain and fatigue conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Link: U. Iowa study finds biological link between pain and fatigue

ZenMaster

I'm still...

... recouperating from the surgery. It is getting better... slowly.

ZenMaster

I wonder if...

...this has anything to do with the extreme fatigue in CFS also!

ZenMaster

Fatigue relief drug's heart hope

BBC News, UK - Feb. 11, 2008

Scientists are developing a drug which relieves fatigue after strenuous exercise - and it could benefit heart failure patients as well.

Leaky Muscle Cells Lead To Fatigue

Science Daily - Feb. 11, 2008

What do marathoners and heart failure patients have in common? More than you think according to new findings by physiologists at Columbia University Medical Center.

Finding May Solve Riddle of Fatigue in Muscles

New York Times, United States - Feb. 11, 2008

One of the great unanswered questions in physiology is why muscles get tired. The experience is universal, common to creatures that have muscles, but the answer has been elusive until now.

References

Remodeling of ryanodine receptor complex causes "leaky" channels: A molecular mechanism for decreased exercise capacity

Bellinger, A. M. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 105, 2198-2202 (2008).

Here are some references...

...to the original work I talked about in my previous post. If anyone is interested I can send you a more complete list. Just send me an e-mail and ask for it!

ZenMaster

References related to energy metabolism in CFS:

• Assessment of cardiac metabolic disorders with positron emission tomography.

  Waldenstrom A, Langstrom B. Curr Opin Cardiol. 1991 Dec;6(6):965-71. Review. PMID: 10150067 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

• Human uterine smooth muscle exhibits a very low phosphocreatine/ATP ratio as assessed by in vitro and in vivo measurements.

  Steingrimsdottir T, Ericsson A, Franck A, Waldenstrom A, Ulmsten U, Ronquist G. Eur J Clin Invest. 1997 Sep;27(9):743-9. PMID: 9352245 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

• Ionophoric action on the cellular membrane as a pathophysiological mechanism in syndrome X: myth or reality?

  Waldenstrom A, Ronquist G. J Intern Med. 1995 Sep;238(3):187-9. No abstract available. PMID: 7673847 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

• Disturbed energy balance in skeletal muscle of patients with untreated primary hypertension.

  Ronquist G, Soussi B, Frithz G, Schersten T, Waldenstrom A. J Intern Med. 1995 Aug;238(2):167-74. PMID: 7629485 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

• Coxsackie B3 myocarditis induces a decrease in energy charge and accumulation of hyaluronan in the mouse heart.

  Waldenstrom A, Fohlman J, Ilback NG, Ronquist G, Hallgren R, Gerdin B. Eur J Clin Invest. 1993 May;23(5):277-82. PMID: 8394817 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

• Phosphocreatine turnover and pH balance in forearm muscle of patients wit syndrome X.

  Soussi B, Schersten T, Waldenstrom A, Ronquist G. Lancet. 1993 Mar 27;341(8848):829-30. No abstract available. PMID: 8096030 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

• Angina pectoris patients with normal coronary angiograms but abnormal thallium perfusion scan exhibit low myocardial and skeletal muscle energy charge.

  Waldenstrom A, Ronquist G, Lagerqvist B. J Intern Med. 1992 Apr;231(4):327-31. PMID: 1588255 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

• Low energy charge in human uterine muscle.

  Wedenberg K, Ronquist G, Waldenstrom A, Ulmsten U. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1990 Jan 29;1033(1):31-4. PMID: 2137351 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Sometimes, everything slows down...

Sometimes, everything slows down...

... like the last week. And this...

ZenMaster

Living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

I have had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (or CFS) since the mid-1980. Here I will try to tell about my daily life and how I am coping, give hints about what is known about the causes of CFS, and stimulate discussions between fellow sufferers. Even if the condition have been known for quite some time, only now at a few places, it is taken seriously and is called a real disease. But we all know that - we with CSF.