ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

5341–5360 of 6,165 studies

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Four problems with the clinical control of interstitial pneumonia, or chronic fatigue syndrome, using the megadose vitamin C infusion system with dehydroepiandrosterone-cortisol annex.

Kodama, Mitsuo, Kodama, Toshiko·In vivo (Athens, Greece)·2006

This study describes a clinic's experience treating patients with interstitial pneumonia (a lung condition) using high-dose vitamin C infusions combined with hormones and antibiotics since 1996. The authors discuss four main challenges they encountered: deciding whether to continue treatment when patients seemed stable, dealing with bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, observing bone marrow damage in one patient, and noting one patient developed breast cancer during treatment.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Chronic fatigue syndrome is accompanied by an IgM-related immune response directed against neopitopes formed by oxidative or nitrosative damage to lipids and proteins.

Maes, Michael, Mihaylova, Ivana, Leunis, Jean-Claude·Neuro endocrinology letters·2006

This study found that people with ME/CFS have higher levels of immune antibodies (IgM) attacking damaged fats and proteins in their bodies. These antibodies target substances created when cells are damaged by oxidative stress—a harmful process where the body's natural defenses become imbalanced. The more severe someone's ME/CFS symptoms were, the higher their antibody levels tended to be.

BiomarkersImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Proton and 31-phosphorus neurospectroscopy in the study of membrane phospholipids and fatty acid intervention in schizophrenia, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and dyslexia.

Puri, Basant K·International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England)·2006

This study describes advanced brain imaging techniques that can measure specific chemicals in the brain without surgery. These techniques help researchers understand how the brain uses fats and other building blocks to maintain healthy cell membranes. The authors explain how these imaging methods could be applied to study brain chemistry in ME/CFS and other conditions.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Illnesses you have to fight to get: facts as forces in uncertain, emergent illnesses.

Dumit, Joseph·Social science & medicine (1982)·2006

This study examines why ME/CFS and multiple chemical sensitivity remain controversial and hard to get diagnosed. Researchers found that patients often struggle because doctors and institutions lack clear biological evidence for these illnesses, and they use scientific uncertainty as a reason to deny patients care and legitimacy. Patients have responded by documenting these exclusions and developing their own strategies to fight back.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredObservational

Exploration of the gene expression correlates of chronic unexplained fatigue using factor analysis.

Fostel, Jennifer, Boneva, Roumiana, Lloyd, Andrew·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers used blood tests and symptom questionnaires to look for biological markers that could help identify ME/CFS. They found that ME/CFS involves multiple symptom patterns (fatigue and mood changes being most prominent) and identified 57 genes whose activity differed between people with severe symptoms and those with mild symptoms. However, no single gene or blood test on its own clearly identifies the disease.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Q fever.

Parker, Neil R, Barralet, Jennifer H, Bell, Alan Morton·Lancet (London, England)·2006

Q fever is an infection spread from animals to humans that usually causes flu-like symptoms, pneumonia, and liver inflammation. While most people recover on their own, some develop serious heart infections or long-term complications including chronic fatigue syndrome. This review describes Q fever's various presentations and available vaccines, with notes that awareness and symptoms vary by region.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

[Multiple chemical sensitivity in sick-building syndrome].

Arnold Llamosas, Pablo A, Arrizabalaga Clemente, Pilar, Bonet Agusti, Montserrat et al.·Medicina clinica·2006

This study describes a dialysis worker who developed severe chronic fatigue and chemical sensitivities after prolonged exposure to poor indoor air quality in a poorly ventilated building. The person experienced eye irritation, breathing problems, and other symptoms that improved when the environmental conditions were examined and their connection to the illness was confirmed. The case highlights that healthcare facilities can expose workers to unhealthy air and chemical environments that may trigger ME/CFS-like illnesses.

Pain and Sensitization

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Conceptual issues in undifferentiated somatoform disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome.

van Staden, Werdie C W·Current opinion in psychiatry·2006

This paper examines why it can be difficult to distinguish between two conditions that both cause severe tiredness: undifferentiated somatoform disorder (a condition where physical symptoms occur without clear medical causes) and ME/CFS. The author argues that a key difference may be how patients experience their fatigue—some describe it as purely physical rather than mental—and that this distinction has not been properly studied or recognized in ME/CFS research.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Cognitive dysfunction in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome: new trends and future directions.

Glass, Jennifer M·Current rheumatology reports·2006

Many people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome report problems with memory and thinking clearly. When researchers tested these patients' cognitive abilities, they found real difficulties with memory and how quickly patients process information. Brain imaging studies showed that patients' brains work differently during thinking tasks, requiring more activation than expected.

Cognitive Impairment

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

[On the important role of Siguan points in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome].

Wang, Jing-jing, Meng, Hong, Cui, Cheng-bin et al.·Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion·2006

This study examined whether a traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture technique called Siguan points might help treat chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The researchers reviewed existing literature on this acupuncture method and concluded that using Siguan points as the main treatment approach showed promise for improving ME/CFS symptoms.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

Gene expression correlates of unexplained fatigue.

Whistler, Toni, Taylor, Renee, Craddock, R Cameron et al.·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers examined blood samples from hundreds of people to find which genes are connected to fatigue in ME/CFS. They looked at over 20,000 genes and found that 839 of them showed a relationship with fatigue levels. Many of these genes are involved in energy production and metabolism in the body, though about half of the genes they found don't yet have clear functions identified.

Energy Metabolism

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Antidepressant-like activity of a Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine, Koso-san (Xiang-Su-San), and its mode of action via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Ito, N, Nagai, T, Yabe, T et al.·Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology·2006

This study tested whether Koso-san, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, could help reduce depression-like symptoms in mice exposed to stress. Mice given Koso-san showed improved behavior in stress tests, and the herb appeared to normalize stress hormone systems in their brains that were overactive due to the stress exposure.

Endocrine Disruption

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Brain cytokines and the 5-HT system during poly I:C-induced fatigue.

Katafuchi, Toshihiko, Kondo, Tetsuya, Take, Sachiko et al.·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·2006

This study investigated how the brain's immune system might cause fatigue by looking at what happens when rats are exposed to a viral-like trigger. Researchers found that certain immune molecules in the brain (interferons) increased while a key fatigue-related brain chemical (serotonin) decreased. When they gave the rats a medication that boosted serotonin activity, the fatigue improved, suggesting that low serotonin in a specific brain region may play a role in fatigue.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM not requiredObservational

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Evaluation of a Community Based Management Programme for Adolescents and their Families.

Ashby, Bernadette, Wright, Barry, Jordan, Jo·Child and adolescent mental health·2006

This study looked at how a community-based treatment program helped young people with ME/CFS and their families. Researchers interviewed teenagers and parents about their experience with an approach that combined physical rehabilitation with attention to both body and mind. The families reported improvements across the key areas addressed, and most valued this collaborative treatment method.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Explanatory and pragmatic perspectives regarding idiopathic physical symptoms and related syndromes.

Engel, Charles C·CNS spectrums·2006

This paper discusses two different ways to approach studying and treating illnesses like ME/CFS that don't have a clear, well-understood cause. One approach focuses on finding the root cause in controlled settings; the other focuses on whether treatments actually work in real-world patient care. The authors argue that for conditions like ME/CFS, the practical approach—focusing on what helps patients in everyday life—may be more useful than searching for a single underlying cause.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The debate: myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Shepherd, Charles·British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)·2006

This article discusses the ongoing disagreement among doctors and researchers about ME/CFS, including what causes it and how to treat it. The author explains that while we still don't fully understand what causes the illness, we are learning more about the factors that may trigger or worsen it. Good news: doctors now have treatments available that can help reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for patients, rather than simply accepting the illness as untreatable.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearCross-Sectional

Polymorphisms in genes regulating the HPA axis associated with empirically delineated classes of unexplained chronic fatigue.

Smith, Alicia K, White, Peter D, Aslakson, Eric et al.·Pharmacogenomics·2006

This study looked at whether different genetic variations in the stress-response system (HPA axis) and mood-related brain chemistry might explain why ME/CFS affects people differently. Researchers identified five distinct subgroups of people with chronic fatigue and found that three of these groups had different versions of specific genes compared to healthy people, suggesting that ME/CFS may not be one disease but rather several different conditions with different underlying genetic causes.

Endocrine Disruption

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM unclearCross-Sectional

The validity of an empirical delineation of heterogeneity in chronic unexplained fatigue.

Aslakson, Eric, Vollmer-Conna, Uté, White, Peter D·Pharmacogenomics·2006

Researchers used statistical methods to identify distinct groups among people with chronic unexplained fatigue, including those with ME/CFS. They tested whether these groups were real and consistent by running their analysis multiple ways. They found that the groups they identified were valid and matched well with established ME/CFS diagnostic criteria, suggesting that ME/CFS is not one single condition but rather several related conditions with potentially different underlying causes.

Diagnostics

E3 PreliminaryBehavioralPEM unclearLongitudinal

Toward a trajectory of identity reconstruction in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a longitudinal qualitative study.

Whitehead, Lisa·International journal of nursing studies·2006

This study followed 17 people with ME/CFS over time to understand how the illness changed how they saw themselves. The researchers found that people's sense of identity shifted depending on how sick they were and how others treated them. Over the long term, most people developed ways to cope that helped them build a more stable sense of who they were, even while managing their illness.

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Brief and distinct empirical sleepiness and fatigue scales.

Bailes, Sally, Libman, Eva, Baltzan, Marc et al.·Journal of psychosomatic research·2006

Doctors and patients often use the words 'sleepiness' and 'fatigue' interchangeably, but they actually describe different experiences. This study created two short, separate questionnaires—one to measure sleepiness (the urge to sleep) and one to measure fatigue (overall exhaustion)—by pulling items from existing popular fatigue and sleepiness scales. Testing these new scales on people with ME/CFS, narcolepsy, and healthy controls showed they measure distinct conditions that may respond to different treatments.

SleepDiagnostics

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Evidence browser

Four problems with the clinical control of interstitial pneumonia, or chronic fatigue syndrome, using the megadose vitamin C infusion system with dehydroepiandrosterone-cortisol annex.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is accompanied by an IgM-related immune response directed against neopitopes formed by oxidative or nitrosative damage to lipids and proteins.

Proton and 31-phosphorus neurospectroscopy in the study of membrane phospholipids and fatty acid intervention in schizophrenia, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and dyslexia.

Illnesses you have to fight to get: facts as forces in uncertain, emergent illnesses.

Exploration of the gene expression correlates of chronic unexplained fatigue using factor analysis.

Q fever.

[Multiple chemical sensitivity in sick-building syndrome].

Conceptual issues in undifferentiated somatoform disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Cognitive dysfunction in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome: new trends and future directions.

[On the important role of Siguan points in treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome].

Gene expression correlates of unexplained fatigue.

Antidepressant-like activity of a Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine, Koso-san (Xiang-Su-San), and its mode of action via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Brain cytokines and the 5-HT system during poly I:C-induced fatigue.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Evaluation of a Community Based Management Programme for Adolescents and their Families.

Explanatory and pragmatic perspectives regarding idiopathic physical symptoms and related syndromes.

The debate: myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Polymorphisms in genes regulating the HPA axis associated with empirically delineated classes of unexplained chronic fatigue.

The validity of an empirical delineation of heterogeneity in chronic unexplained fatigue.

Toward a trajectory of identity reconstruction in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a longitudinal qualitative study.

Brief and distinct empirical sleepiness and fatigue scales.

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