Gulf War Illness Not in Veterans’ Heads, But in Their Mitochondria

Ember

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News Release
Date: March 27, 2014
Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine have demonstrated for the first time that veterans of the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War who suffer from “Gulf War illness” have impaired function of mitochondria – the energy powerhouses of cells.

The findings, published in the March 27, 2014 issue of PLOS ONE, could help lead to new treatments benefitting affected individuals – and to new ways of protecting servicepersons (and civilians) from similar problems in the future, said principal investigator Beatrice A. Golomb MD, PhD, professor of medicine.

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Ember

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Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Gulf War Illness Revealed by 31 Phosphorus Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: A Case-Control Study


By Hayley J. Koslik, Gavin Hamilton, Beatrice A. Golomb
Published: March 27, 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092887
In summary, veterans of the 1990-1 Persian Gulf War who are affected by GWI show prolonged post-exercise recovery of PCr on 31P-MRS, consistent with a role for MD in GWI. 31P-MRS may provide an objective diagnostic tool for GWI that can be tracked with treatment. Findings of this study require replication and ideally assessment in a larger sample, and will benefit from triangulating validation with additional mitochondrial assessment tools.
 

alex3619

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On the other hand, Gulf veterans are known to have been widely exposed to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, a chemical class found in organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, nerve gas and nerve gas pre-treatment pills given to troops.

There was a time in the 1980s when acetylcholinestase inhibitors were widely used in household bugspray. For me, it was Baygon surface spray. I used it a lot. It was nerve gas in a can. Other chemicals have similar action though.
 

taniaaust1

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Im happy for them that this study has been done. It makes sense to me that they would find something like that as I think our illness is at least veryclosely related with very similar systems down .. no matter what the cause is which has caused these things to stop working well.
 

Valentijn

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Has similar testing been done on ME/CFS patients? I know GWI patients usually fulfill the CDC CFS definition, but has it been tested in CCC/ICC cohorts specifically?
 

alex3619

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We have had similar testing going back to the 1990s. I am not sure it was the same test though - I think this is a new application of an old methodology, like the 2 day CPET is a new application of a 1940s technology.
 

SilverbladeTE

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As I've mentioned before, organophosphates are a HUGE widespread problem
They are in our food (Glyphosate etc, i.e. pesticides and herbicides), when we get on planes (hence Aerotoxic Syndrome) etc.

During the turbulent period after the Soviet Union fell, some of their chemical weapon researchers contacted the West
They had been developing a new class of weapons known as "Novochok" agents.
Organophosphates of novel form, anyway, damn things were so hellish as to beggar the imagination (eight times more potent than VX nerve gas), and researchers were being sickened/killed even with protective clothing and caution etc,

What was interesting was one man survived poisoning by tiniest amount getting though a hole in his protective suit and then after getting antidote, but cancer broke out in about every cell in his body afterwards, not normal metastasized cancer, but suddenly everywhere through him.
Point being our SCUM in the chemical industry had loudly trumpeted that organophosphates were safe...with government ministers going to work for them after setting up systems *forcing* their use on farmers and such like.

They are extremely potent mutagens, carcinogens and immune system modulators (adjunctivants)
 
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