Suhadolnik, R J, Reichenbach, N L, Hitzges, P et al. · In vivo (Athens, Greece) · 1994
This study looked at whether a drug called poly(I)-poly(C12U) could help ME/CFS by measuring specific immune markers in the blood. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS had higher levels of these immune markers than healthy controls, and when treated with the drug, these markers decreased along with improvements in thinking and memory problems.
This study provides molecular evidence that ME/CFS involves dysregulation of an antiviral defense pathway, potentially explaining some symptoms and offering a biological target for treatment. The correlation between biochemical improvement and cognitive recovery suggests that abnormalities in this pathway may directly contribute to patient symptoms.
This study does not prove that poly(I)-poly(C12U) is an effective treatment for all ME/CFS patients, as it shows changes only in patients with elevated baseline RNase L and does not establish causation between RNase L elevation and ME/CFS symptoms. The abstract does not report overall clinical efficacy or long-term outcomes. Small patient numbers and the lack of detailed baseline characteristics limit generalizability.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Suhadolnik, R J, Reichenbach, N L, Hitzges, P, Adelson, M E, Peterson, D L, Cheney, P, et al. (1994). Changes in the 2-5A synthetase/RNase L antiviral pathway in a controlled clinical trial with poly(I)-poly(C12U) in chronic fatigue syndrome.. In vivo (Athens, Greece). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7893988/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-suhadolnik-1994-changes-synthetase,
author = {Suhadolnik, R J and Reichenbach, N L and Hitzges, P and Adelson, M E and Peterson, D L and Cheney, P and Salvato, P and Thompson, C and Loveless, M and Müller, W E},
title = {Changes in the 2-5A synthetase/RNase L antiviral pathway in a controlled clinical trial with poly(I)-poly(C12U) in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {In vivo (Athens, Greece)},
year = {1994},
note = {PubMed: 7893988},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/suhadolnik-1994-changes-synthetase},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/suhadolnik-1994-changes-synthetase
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