Several studies have been published in recent months in which scientists were unable to find XMRV in patients diagnosed with ME/CFS. Authors of these studies and others have claimed that these results discredit the seminal XMRV study by Lombardi/Mikovits of the Whittemore Peterson Institute and contend that Mikovits' results must have been due to laboratory contamination.
As a result of these studies, Science magazine published an Editorial Expression of Concern, which casts doubt on the Lombardi/Mikovits XMRV study which Science themselves published in October 2009. Here are responses from the WPI:
Dr. Judy Mikovits
Annette Whittemore
WPI Clinical Advisory Board
Below is a comparison of the parameters, tests, and methodologies used in the failed studies, the Lombardi/Mikovits study and the Alter/Lo study, which found an association between ME/CFS and MLV's (Murine Leukemia Viruses).
A Comparison of Methods for the Detection and Association of XMRV in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
None of the failed studies came anywhere close to replicating the work of Lombardi/Mikovits and Alter/Lo. Saying these studies disprove anything is like saying that just because my paper airplane can't fly across the street, humans can't possibly have made it into space.
Monday, June 13, 2011
XMRV/ME/CFS and Inflammation
Two studies regarding inflammation in people with ME/CFS have been published recently.
The Whittemere Peterson Institute published Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-related Virus-associated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Reveals a Distinct Inflammatory Signature, which reveals a distinct cytokine and chemokine signature in people with XMRV-associated CFS and suggests a possible diagnostic procedure for the disease. (Thanks to Dr. Jamie Deckoff-Jones for publishing a link to this study in her blog.)
Also, a study, Exercise Challenge Reveals Potential CFS Biomarkers, explores biological responses to mild exercise in people with CFS. This study, by a University of Utah group affiliated with the CFIDS Association of America, supports the personal observations of many of us with ME/CFS who find that even very mild exertion can cause a significant relapse and/or severe exacerbation of symptoms.
The study also found that the use of anticonvulsants can have a beneficial effect, reducing this post-exertional relapse.
The Whittemere Peterson Institute published Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-related Virus-associated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Reveals a Distinct Inflammatory Signature, which reveals a distinct cytokine and chemokine signature in people with XMRV-associated CFS and suggests a possible diagnostic procedure for the disease. (Thanks to Dr. Jamie Deckoff-Jones for publishing a link to this study in her blog.)
Also, a study, Exercise Challenge Reveals Potential CFS Biomarkers, explores biological responses to mild exercise in people with CFS. This study, by a University of Utah group affiliated with the CFIDS Association of America, supports the personal observations of many of us with ME/CFS who find that even very mild exertion can cause a significant relapse and/or severe exacerbation of symptoms.
The study also found that the use of anticonvulsants can have a beneficial effect, reducing this post-exertional relapse.
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