ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

4701–4720 of 6,163 studies

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearObservational

Life according to ME: Caught in the ebb-tide.

Lian, Olaug S, Rapport, Frances·Health (London, England : 1997)·2016

This study asked 10 people with ME in Norway to share stories and photos about places where their illness felt better or worse. The researchers found that people with ME carefully balance activity and rest, and they seek out peaceful places (usually home) to recover while avoiding places that drain their energy. The study shows how the physical and emotional qualities of different environments directly affect how people experience and manage their ME.

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclear

Nutritional advice for community patients: insights from a panel discussion.

Thomas, Linda V, Jenkins, Gill, Belton, Julie et al.·British journal of community nursing·2016

A group of nursing and nutrition experts discussed how to help patients with conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and depression through better nutrition and lifestyle choices. They reviewed real patient examples and recommended that nurses use supportive conversation techniques to understand what patients need, and refer patients to registered dietitians when major diet changes are being considered.

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

The role of the hippocampus in the pathogenesis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Saury, Jean-Michel·Medical hypotheses·2016

This study proposes that a brain structure called the hippocampus—which helps control memory, stress responses, and pain perception—may play a key role in ME/CFS. The researcher suggests that whatever triggers ME/CFS damages the hippocampus, leading to problems with thinking, sleep, and pain regulation, which then causes people to become less active. This reduced activity further damages the hippocampus, creating a harmful cycle that keeps the illness going.

Neuroinflammation

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Serum BAFF and APRIL Levels, T-Lymphocyte Subsets, and Immunoglobulins after B-Cell Depletion Using the Monoclonal Anti-CD20 Antibody Rituximab in Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Lunde, Sigrid, Kristoffersen, Einar K, Sapkota, Dipak et al.·PloS one·2016

Researchers tested whether a drug called rituximab, which removes B cells (a type of immune cell) from the blood, helps ME/CFS patients by examining immune system changes. They found that some ME/CFS patients had higher levels of a substance called BAFF that activates B cells, but this didn't predict who would improve with treatment. While some patients did get better with rituximab in earlier trials, the immune cell changes measured in this study didn't fully explain why.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Dysregulation of Protein Kinase Gene Expression in NK Cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients.

Chacko, Anu, Staines, Donald R, Johnston, Samantha C et al.·Gene regulation and systems biology·2016

This study looked at immune cells called NK cells in people with ME/CFS to understand why they don't work properly. Researchers examined the activity of hundreds of genes that control how these immune cells function and found that many genes were turned on or off abnormally in severely ill patients compared to healthy people. This suggests that problems with how these genes are regulated may explain why NK cells cannot fight infections effectively in ME/CFS.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Novel identification and characterisation of Transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels on Natural Killer cells and B lymphocytes: effects on cell signalling in Chronic fatigue syndrome/Myalgic encephalomyelitis patients.

Nguyen, T, Staines, D, Nilius, B et al.·Biological research·2016

This study looked at special channels called TRPM3 on immune cells (natural killer cells and B cells) that help control calcium flow inside cells. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS have fewer of these channels on certain immune cells and problems with calcium movement compared to healthy people. This suggests that broken calcium control in immune cells might play a role in ME/CFS, though much more research is needed to understand what this means for the illness.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryGuidelinePEM unclearGuideline

Diagnosis and management of undifferentiated fever in children.

Long, Sarah S·The Journal of infection·2016

This medical guideline helps doctors figure out what causes unexplained fevers in children and how to treat them. The article explains that many children who come to doctors with persistent tiredness after a fever may not have a serious infection—instead, they might just be deconditioned (out of shape) and need to gradually return to normal activities like school and exercise.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The Neuro-Immune Pathophysiology of Central and Peripheral Fatigue in Systemic Immune-Inflammatory and Neuro-Immune Diseases.

Morris, Gerwyn, Berk, Michael, Galecki, Piotr et al.·Molecular neurobiology·2016

This review examines why people with ME/CFS and similar immune-based illnesses experience severe, disabling fatigue. The authors identify multiple biological pathways that may contribute to this fatigue, including excessive inflammation, problems with how cells produce energy, and chemical imbalances in the brain and muscles. The fatigue appears to result from a complex interaction between the immune system, energy production, and brain function rather than a single cause.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Human herpesvirus 6 and 7 are biomarkers for fatigue, which distinguish between physiological fatigue and pathological fatigue.

Aoki, Ryo, Kobayashi, Nobuyuki, Suzuki, Go et al.·Biochemical and biophysical research communications·2016

This study looked at whether two common viruses (HHV-6 and HHV-7) in saliva could help doctors tell the difference between normal tiredness and the severe, long-lasting fatigue seen in conditions like ME/CFS. The researchers found that these viruses increased in saliva when people were physically stressed or tired from work, then quickly decreased with rest. Importantly, these viruses did NOT increase in people with ME/CFS, sleep apnea, or depression, suggesting they might be useful markers for normal fatigue but not pathological fatigue.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Working with uncertainty: A grounded theory study of health-care professionals' experiences of working with children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Marks, Megan R, Huws, Jaci C, Whitehead, Liz·Journal of health psychology·2016

This study interviewed 10 healthcare professionals who treat children and teenagers with ME/CFS to understand how they approach the condition. Because ME/CFS is not yet fully understood scientifically, doctors often rely on their past experiences to decide how to treat young patients. What doctors believe about ME/CFS can affect the labels they give patients and what treatments they recommend.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearObservational

Mortality in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

McManimen, Stephanie L, Devendorf, Andrew R, Brown, Abigail A et al.·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2016

This study examined whether people with ME/CFS die earlier than the general population. Researchers gathered information about 56 people with ME/CFS who had passed away by asking their family members and caregivers. The findings suggest that people with ME/CFS in this group died several years earlier on average than people in the broader U.S. population, particularly from heart-related causes.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM requiredCase-Control

A Pair of Identical Twins Discordant for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Differ in Physiological Parameters and Gut Microbiome Composition.

Giloteaux, Ludovic, Hanson, Maureen R, Keller, Betsy A·The American journal of case reports·2016

This study compared two identical twins—one with ME/CFS and one without—to understand what causes the illness. The affected twin showed reduced exercise capacity, abnormal responses to physical exertion, and differences in immune markers and gut bacteria compared to the healthy twin. These findings suggest that ME/CFS involves problems with how the body responds to exercise and changes in the gut bacteria that may trigger inflammation.

Gut MicrobiomeImmune SystemPost-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Understanding Muscle Dysfunction in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Rutherford, Gina, Manning, Philip, Newton, Julia L·Journal of aging research·2016

This review examined research showing that people with ME/CFS may have problems with how their muscles produce and use energy. Specifically, their muscles appear to rely too heavily on a less efficient energy pathway (lactate dehydrogenase) during and after exercise, and they have difficulty clearing the acidic byproducts that build up. These muscle-level energy problems could explain why ME/CFS patients experience severe fatigue and difficulty maintaining physical activity.

Post-Exertional Malaise

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Fifteen-minute consultation: Medically unexplained symptoms.

Cottrell, David John·Archives of disease in childhood. Education and practice edition·2016

This article discusses how doctors can better understand and manage symptoms that don't have an obvious medical cause, which is common in children. It explains that anxiety about missing a serious illness can sometimes get in the way of good care, and provides a practical model for how doctors should assess and treat these patients based on the best available evidence.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The experience of sleep in chronic fatigue syndrome: A qualitative interview study with patients.

Gotts, Zoe M, Newton, Julia L, Ellis, Jason G et al.·British journal of health psychology·2016

This study asked 11 people with ME/CFS to describe their sleep problems in detail through interviews. The researchers found that sleep is extremely important to everyone with ME/CFS—all participants felt their sleep was somehow 'broken' and spent a lot of energy trying to manage it. Everyone agreed that poor sleep made their daytime symptoms worse, though each person experienced sleep problems in their own unique way.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCase-Control

Bottom-up proteomics suggests an association between differential expression of mitochondrial proteins and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ciregia, F, Kollipara, L, Giusti, L et al.·Translational psychiatry·2016

This study looked at proteins in the mitochondria—the energy-producing structures in cells—to see if they differ in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers found that two specific proteins (ATPB and ACON) were higher in people with ME/CFS, suggesting these could potentially be useful markers to help identify the condition. The findings also hint that different subgroups of ME/CFS patients may have different protein patterns, which could eventually lead to more personalized treatments.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

[Chronic fatigue syndrome: A new disorder?].

de Korwin, J-D, Chiche, L, Banovic, I et al.·La Revue de medecine interne·2016

This article reviews what we know about ME/CFS more than 30 years after it was first recognized as a distinct condition. The authors explain that ME/CFS likely results from multiple causes working together—such as infections that trigger the illness and ongoing problems with the immune system, inflammation, and energy production in muscle cells. They discuss a newer framework called Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease that may help doctors diagnose and treat the condition more effectively.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Exhaustion and the Pathologization of Modernity.

Schaffner, Anna Katharina·The Journal of medical humanities·2016

This article examines how doctors and thinkers over the past 300 years have understood and written about exhaustion-related illnesses. The author looks at six historical examples to show how medical ideas about exhaustion have been connected to broader changes in society and technology, rather than being purely biological problems.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse fatigue and its relevance to chronic fatigue syndrome.

Zhang, Zi-Teng, Du, Xiu-Ming, Ma, Xiu-Juan et al.·Journal of neuroinflammation·2016

Researchers created a mouse model of fatigue by exposing mice to immune stress (a bacterial compound) combined with physical stress. They found that a specific immune protein called NLRP3 becomes active in the brain during fatigue, and that blocking this protein reduced fatigue symptoms. This suggests that controlling this immune pathway might help treat fatigue in conditions like ME/CFS.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

The Role of Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in the Pathophysiology of Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Processes with an Emphasis on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Morris, Gerwyn, Berk, Michael, Carvalho, André F et al.·Current pharmaceutical design·2016

This review explores how problems with the gut barrier and changes in gut bacteria may trigger widespread immune activation and brain inflammation in ME/CFS and other autoimmune diseases. When the intestinal lining becomes more permeable (leaky), bacteria and their products can enter the bloodstream, potentially causing the fatigue, brain fog, and other symptoms characteristic of ME/CFS.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

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Evidence browser

Life according to ME: Caught in the ebb-tide.

Nutritional advice for community patients: insights from a panel discussion.

The role of the hippocampus in the pathogenesis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Serum BAFF and APRIL Levels, T-Lymphocyte Subsets, and Immunoglobulins after B-Cell Depletion Using the Monoclonal Anti-CD20 Antibody Rituximab in Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Dysregulation of Protein Kinase Gene Expression in NK Cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients.

Novel identification and characterisation of Transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels on Natural Killer cells and B lymphocytes: effects on cell signalling in Chronic fatigue syndrome/Myalgic encephalomyelitis patients.

Diagnosis and management of undifferentiated fever in children.

The Neuro-Immune Pathophysiology of Central and Peripheral Fatigue in Systemic Immune-Inflammatory and Neuro-Immune Diseases.

Human herpesvirus 6 and 7 are biomarkers for fatigue, which distinguish between physiological fatigue and pathological fatigue.

Working with uncertainty: A grounded theory study of health-care professionals' experiences of working with children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Mortality in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

A Pair of Identical Twins Discordant for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Differ in Physiological Parameters and Gut Microbiome Composition.

Understanding Muscle Dysfunction in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Fifteen-minute consultation: Medically unexplained symptoms.

The experience of sleep in chronic fatigue syndrome: A qualitative interview study with patients.

Bottom-up proteomics suggests an association between differential expression of mitochondrial proteins and chronic fatigue syndrome.

[Chronic fatigue syndrome: A new disorder?].

Exhaustion and the Pathologization of Modernity.

Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in lipopolysaccharide-induced mouse fatigue and its relevance to chronic fatigue syndrome.

The Role of Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in the Pathophysiology of Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Processes with an Emphasis on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

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Neuroinflammation Evidence

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