Miriam Tucker: Immune-Modulating Agents Eyed for 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome'

[Cheshire]

Fort Lauderdale, FL — The illness known as "chronic fatigue syndrome" isn't typically considered within the purview of oncology, but a chance finding in 2004 led two Norwegian oncologists on a career-consuming mission to shed light on the controversial condition.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/871787?src=soc_tw_share

 

[daisybell]

Miriam Tucker has been busy since the conference! It's great to see three good articles appear in Medscape in quick succession - hopefully health professionals reading those will be struck by the evidence for biological disease.

 

[me/cfs 27931]

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/871787?src=soc_tw_share

Another article to show my primary care doctor as I try to get him to up-to-speed on both the latest research and the seriousness of this illness. Thanks!

 

[Sidereal]

Miriam Tucker's article are always excellent.

A Possible Mechanism

In his lecture, Dr Fluge presented new data from an amino acid analysis of samples from 153 of their patients with ME/CFS and 102 age- and sex-matched controls that suggests an underlying mechanism of the illness: a metabolic obstruction in the central energy pathway at the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex level, blocking adenosine triphosphate production and forcing the cells into less efficient compensatory anaerobic pathways.


This, he said, would explain two salient ME/CFS features: profound lack of energy and excessive lactate production from even very limited exertion, often described by patients as a "burning" sensation in their muscles.

"At present, the disturbances in metabolic patterns in ME/CFS look like a struggle for energy," he said.

 

[Never Give Up]

Nonetheless, he said, the "good message" is that a broader immune-acting drug than rituximab is active in ME/CFS, adding validity to the general approach.

"We believe the possibilities for effective treatment are rapidly increasing as we get to know more and more about the underlying disease pathomechanisms…. We have to go through the necessary phases to get drugs approved, but a lot of things are happening. I'm very optimistic for the future."

Asked to what extent ME/CFS takes up their time, Dr Mella told Medscape Medical News that both he and Dr Fluge continue to practice clinical oncology, but their entire research agenda is now devoted to ME/CFS. "We stumbled on this, and we had a problem not going into it because we knew there was so much controversy in this area…. We started, and then we got lost in it…. We work a lot on evenings and weekends."

 

[Strawberry]

Haven't some people here been injured by immune modulators? I want to say Ginger Girl (intentionally not tagging her) might have, and it seems others I have read were too. But my brain is pretty worthless at times.

 

[Navid]

This sounds like very big, helpful news. Do we know if Ron Davis ' team is involved in this at all. Makes it seem like they already have some drugs in mind and it all fits in with the Metabalon findings of Naviuex, Gordon, Davis....etc.

 

[Battery Muncher]

Sorry, haven't been paying attention. Could someone link all three of Tucker's articles? Thanks

 

[caledonia]

A Possible Mechanism

In his lecture, Dr Fluge presented new data from an amino acid analysis of samples from 153 of their patients with ME/CFS and 102 age- and sex-matched controls that suggests an underlying mechanism of the illness: a metabolic obstruction in the central energy pathway at the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex level, blocking adenosine triphosphate production and forcing the cells into less efficient compensatory anaerobic pathways.


This, he said, would explain two salient ME/CFS features: profound lack of energy and excessive lactate production from even very limited exertion, often described by patients as a "burning" sensation in their muscles.

"At present, the disturbances in metabolic patterns in ME/CFS look like a struggle for energy," he said.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyruvate_dehydrogenase_complex

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a complex of three enzymes that convert pyruvate into acetyl-CoA.

This conversion is inhibited by mercury, arsenic and antimony. These metals also inhibit other conversions farther along in the Kreb's cycle.

Mercury and lead also inhibit methionine synthase, aka screw up the methylation cycle. Mercury also screws up many other enzymes and pathways in the body (CBS/transsulfuration) is another example.

 

[A.B.]

The committment by Fluge and Mella to this illness is much appreciated. Especially that they are also looking at genetics, metabolomics, blood vessels, and other things besides B cell depletion (which may very well turn out to help only a subset).