ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

2422 studies

681–700 of 2,422 studies

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Efficacy of Repeat Immunoadsorption.

Tölle, Markus, Freitag, Helma, Antelmann, Michaela et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2020

This study tested a blood-cleaning treatment called immunoadsorption (IA) on five ME/CFS patients who had previously improved with this therapy. About two years later, they received the treatment again using a slightly modified approach. Four of the five patients showed improvement in their symptoms that lasted 6-12 months, and the treatment was well tolerated with no serious side effects.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Does Motor Cortex Engagement During Movement Preparation Differentially Inhibit Nociceptive Processing in Patients with Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Healthy Controls? An Experimental Study.

Goudman, Lisa, Mouraux, André, Daenen, Liesbeth et al.·Journal of clinical medicine·2020

This study looked at whether the brain's pain-blocking system works differently in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy people when preparing to move. Researchers measured brain activity using brain wave recordings while participants received painful laser stimuli under different conditions. They found that preparing to move actually reduced pain signals in the brain similarly in ME/CFS patients, chronic whiplash patients, and healthy controls—suggesting the motor system's pain-blocking ability may not be the problem researchers expected.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

An Isolated Complex V Inefficiency and Dysregulated Mitochondrial Function in Immortalized Lymphocytes from ME/CFS Patients.

Missailidis, Daniel, Annesley, Sarah J, Allan, Claire Y et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2020

Researchers studied the energy-producing structures (mitochondria) in blood cells from ME/CFS patients and found a specific problem: the cells have difficulty using a protein complex called Complex V that normally makes ATP, the body's energy currency. To compensate, the cells turn up their other energy-making machinery, which keeps ATP levels normal while resting but may leave the cells exhausted when they need to produce extra energy quickly—similar to running a car engine at maximum capacity just to maintain normal speed.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Clinical History Segment Extraction from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Assessments to Model Disease Trajectories.

Priou, Sonia, Viani, Natalia, Vernugopan, Veshalee et al.·Studies in health technology and informatics·2020

Researchers developed a computer method to automatically read and extract important information from patient medical records about ME/CFS. Since doctors write many patient notes in free text rather than structured data, this tool helps pull out symptom descriptions and track how the illness changes over time for individual patients. This approach could help researchers understand common patterns in how ME/CFS affects different people.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearObservational

Suicidal ideation in non-depressed individuals: The effects of a chronic, misunderstood illness.

Devendorf, Andrew R, McManimen, Stephanie L, Jason, Leonard A·Journal of health psychology·2020

This study looked at why some people with ME/CFS think about suicide, even when they don't have depression. Researchers interviewed 29 patients with these thoughts and found two main reasons: feeling trapped by their illness with no available treatments, and losing their sense of self, their relationships, and facing stigma from others. The severe disability and pain from ME/CFS—not depression—appeared to be driving these thoughts.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Cardiopulmonary responses to exercise in an individual with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome during long-term treatment with intravenous saline: A case study.

Davenport, Todd E, Ward, Michael K, Stevens, Staci R et al.·Work (Reading, Mass.)·2020

This study followed one woman with ME/CFS who received regular intravenous saline (salt water) infusions over about 2 years. Researchers measured how her heart and lungs responded to exercise tests throughout the treatment. By the end, she recovered faster after exercise, could do more daily activities, and her heart responded better during physical exertion.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Eradication of persistent coxsackievirus B infection from a pancreatic cell line with clinically used antiviral drugs.

Honkimaa, Anni, Sioofy-Khojine, Amir-Babak, Oikarinen, Sami et al.·Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology·2020

This study tested whether common antiviral medications could eliminate persistent coxsackievirus B infections in laboratory pancreatic cells. Researchers found that four drugs—Enviroxime, Fluoxetine, Hizentra (an immune protein), and Pleconaril—successfully cleared the virus from infected cells. The results suggest these medications might be worth testing in patients with chronic enterovirus infections.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredMechanistic

Exercise alters brain activation in Gulf War Illness and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Washington, Stuart D, Rayhan, Rakib U, Garner, Richard et al.·Brain communications·2020

This study used brain imaging to compare how the brains of people with ME/CFS and Gulf War Illness respond to exercise during a memory task. Researchers found that exercise affected brain activity differently in the two conditions—specifically in areas related to pain awareness, attention, and threat detection. These differences suggest that ME/CFS and Gulf War Illness may involve distinct biological mechanisms, which could help doctors distinguish between them.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Substrate utilisation of cultured skeletal muscle cells in patients with CFS.

Tomas, Cara, Elson, Joanna L, Newton, Julia L et al.·Scientific reports·2020

This study examined how muscle cells from ME/CFS patients use different fuels for energy compared to healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS muscle cells have trouble using glucose (a key fuel source) for energy, but can still use other fuels normally. This suggests the energy-producing problem in ME/CFS starts very early in the energy-making process, and may be caused by something genetic or chemical that persists even when cells are grown in a laboratory.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Can linguistic analysis be used to identify whether adolescents with a chronic illness are depressed?

Jones, Lauren Stephanie, Anderson, Emma, Loades, Maria et al.·Clinical psychology & psychotherapy·2020

This study looked at whether doctors could use the words young people write in online therapy messages to figure out if they also have depression alongside ME/CFS. Researchers developed a system to analyze language patterns in 16 teenagers' messages, but found it didn't work very well at identifying depression compared to standard depression screening tests. A few language patterns showed promise—for example, teenagers with depression used more words about the past and fewer words showing mixed feelings—but the method overall wasn't reliable enough to be useful.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Altered muscle membrane potential and redox status differentiates two subgroups of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Jammes, Yves, Adjriou, Nabil, Kipson, Nathalie et al.·Journal of translational medicine·2020

This study examined muscle function and stress markers in 72 ME/CFS patients during rest, exercise, and recovery. Researchers found that about half the patients showed significant changes in how their muscles respond to electrical signals, combined with higher levels of oxidative stress (cellular damage from chemical imbalance). The other half showed normal muscle responses and lower stress markers. This suggests ME/CFS may include at least two different biological subtypes.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Activation of Transposable Elements in Immune Cells of Fibromyalgia Patients.

Ovejero, Tamara, Sadones, Océane, Sánchez-Fito, Teresa et al.·International journal of molecular sciences·2020

Researchers discovered that fibromyalgia patients have unusual activity of genetic sequences called transposable elements (pieces of DNA that can move and copy themselves) in their immune cells. This overactivity was linked to higher levels of interferon proteins, which trigger inflammation and flu-like symptoms. This finding may help explain why fibromyalgia patients often feel sick even when they don't have an actual infection.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Impact of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis on treatment of comorbidities: A lived experience.

Lopez-Majano, Denise·Work (Reading, Mass.)·2020

This study shares the real-life story of two siblings who both have ME and other health conditions. It explains how ME makes it very difficult to treat other illnesses they have, because ME symptoms can get worse with standard medical treatments. The study highlights why doctors need to understand how ME affects daily life so they can help treat other conditions without making ME worse.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Treating medically unexplained symptoms via improving access to psychological therapy (IAPT): major limitations identified.

Geraghty, Keith, Scott, Michael J·BMC psychology·2020

This paper examines a UK mental health program called IAPT that offers psychological therapy for conditions with unexplained physical symptoms, including ME/CFS. The authors identified serious problems with how the program treats ME/CFS patients, including using treatments that haven't been proven to work, overstating how many people recover, and not being honest about how many patients drop out. The paper calls for better independent checking of the program and warns that psychology should not be the automatic treatment when doctors don't understand what's causing physical symptoms.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Severe ME in Children.

Speight, Nigel·Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)·2020

This study looks at severe ME/CFS in children who are so sick they can barely leave their homes or beds. The doctor who wrote it shares real patient stories to show how the illness presents and how to manage it properly. The study highlights an important problem: many doctors don't recognize or diagnose ME/CFS, and there's very little information available about the most severely affected patients.

Severe ME

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) as a medicinal plant and its natural products.

Sawicka, Barbara, Skiba, Dominika, Pszczółkowski, Piotr et al.·Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France)·2020

This review examined Jerusalem artichoke, a root vegetable, to understand its nutritional and health benefits. The researchers found that Jerusalem artichoke contains compounds that may help with blood sugar control, weight management, immune function, and several chronic conditions including chronic fatigue syndrome. However, this is a review of existing research rather than a new experiment testing these benefits in patients.

Energy MetabolismImmune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Association of small-fiber polyneuropathy with three previously unassociated rare missense SCN9A variants.

Kelley, Mary A, Oaklander, Anne Louise·Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur·2020

This study describes two patients who developed small fiber nerve damage (affecting the smallest nerves in the body) and severe fatigue after infections. Both had immune system abnormalities and improved dramatically with immune-suppressing treatments. Genetic testing found rare changes in a gene called SCN9A that affects how nerve cells communicate. The findings suggest that genetic variations in this gene might play a role in some cases of small fiber nerve damage that respond to immune therapy.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCase-Control

Successful Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Chronic Febricula Using the Traditional Japanese Medicine Shosaikoto.

Numata, Takehiro, Miura, Kazuki, Akaishi, Tetsuya et al.·Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan)·2020

A 14-year-old girl with ME/CFS who had experienced severe tiredness, low-grade fevers, and school absence for 20 months was treated with shosaikoto, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine. Within several weeks, her symptoms improved dramatically and she was able to return to school. This case suggests that shosaikoto may help some ME/CFS patients, particularly those with persistent low fevers.

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM not requiredGuideline

International expert consensus on the management of allergic rhinitis (AR) aggravated by air pollutants: Impact of air pollution on patients with AR: Current knowledge and future strategies.

Naclerio, Robert, Ansotegui, Ignacio J, Bousquet, Jean et al.·The World Allergy Organization journal·2020

Allergic rhinitis (hay fever and similar nasal allergies) affects millions of people and becomes worse when air pollution is present. This expert consensus report reviews how air pollution—both indoors and outdoors—makes allergic rhinitis symptoms worse, and discusses the best ways to manage it. The main treatment involves following standard allergy guidelines and reducing exposure to pollutants, though more research is needed on which medicines work best for people dealing with both allergies and air pollution.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearEvidence-Map

[What scientific evidence do the current classifications have in order to assess occupational disability in patients with central sensitisation syndrome?].

Regal Ramos, R J·Semergen·2020

This study looked at whether doctors have good, scientific ways to measure how much ME/CFS and related conditions limit a person's ability to work. The researchers found that while many different rating systems exist, none of them have strong enough evidence to be considered reliable. This is a significant problem because patients need fair, consistent methods to document their disability for work accommodations and benefits.

Diagnostics

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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Efficacy of Repeat Immunoadsorption.

Does Motor Cortex Engagement During Movement Preparation Differentially Inhibit Nociceptive Processing in Patients with Chronic Whiplash Associated Disorders, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Healthy Controls? An Experimental Study.

An Isolated Complex V Inefficiency and Dysregulated Mitochondrial Function in Immortalized Lymphocytes from ME/CFS Patients.

Clinical History Segment Extraction from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Assessments to Model Disease Trajectories.

Suicidal ideation in non-depressed individuals: The effects of a chronic, misunderstood illness.

Cardiopulmonary responses to exercise in an individual with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome during long-term treatment with intravenous saline: A case study.

Eradication of persistent coxsackievirus B infection from a pancreatic cell line with clinically used antiviral drugs.

Exercise alters brain activation in Gulf War Illness and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Substrate utilisation of cultured skeletal muscle cells in patients with CFS.

Can linguistic analysis be used to identify whether adolescents with a chronic illness are depressed?

Altered muscle membrane potential and redox status differentiates two subgroups of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Activation of Transposable Elements in Immune Cells of Fibromyalgia Patients.

Impact of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis on treatment of comorbidities: A lived experience.

Treating medically unexplained symptoms via improving access to psychological therapy (IAPT): major limitations identified.

Severe ME in Children.

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) as a medicinal plant and its natural products.

Association of small-fiber polyneuropathy with three previously unassociated rare missense SCN9A variants.

Successful Treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Chronic Febricula Using the Traditional Japanese Medicine Shosaikoto.

International expert consensus on the management of allergic rhinitis (AR) aggravated by air pollutants: Impact of air pollution on patients with AR: Current knowledge and future strategies.

[What scientific evidence do the current classifications have in order to assess occupational disability in patients with central sensitisation syndrome?].

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Neuroinflammation Evidence

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Biomarkers

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