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NIH/FDA XMRV Paper by Dr. Alter Out!

Messages
13,774
SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Researchers have found murine leukemia viruses (MLV) related gene sequences in blood samples collected from patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and some healthy blood donors, according to a study published online today by the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO )

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO )

Investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, in collaboration with a physician scientist at Harvard Medical School, examined blood samples from 37 patients diagnosed with CFS and from 44 healthy blood donors.

MLV is a type of retrovirus known to cause cancer in mice. Several different MLV gene sequences were identified in samples from 32 of the 37 patients with CFS (87 percent) and 3 of the 44 (7 percent) healthy blood donors. Investigators performed DNA sequencing on all positively amplified samples to confirm MLV like gene sequences.

This study supports a previous investigation [Lombardi et al. Science October 23, 2009 326: 585] that showed XMRV, a genetic variant of MLV-like viruses, to be present in the blood of people with CFS. The study demonstrates a strong association between a diagnosis of CFS and the presence of MLV-like virus gene sequences in the blood. The study also showed that MLV-like viral gene sequences were detected in a small fraction of healthy blood donors. Although the statistical association with CFS is strong, this study does NOT prove that these retroviruses are the cause of CFS. Further studies are necessary to determine if XMRV or other MLV-related viruses can cause CFS.

A previous study, published in 2009, reported finding XMRV infections in a high percentage of CFS patients and a small percentage of healthy blood donors. However, several other studies from the United States (including a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands have found no evidence of XMRV or other MLV-like viruses in the blood of people with CFS.


http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...equences-found-in-cfs-patients-101316939.html

ps: I'm the google refresh master!
 

Nina

Senior Member
Messages
222
Not exactly a "big splash"...

It's a retrovirus, people, doesn't that bother you AT ALL?
 

urbantravels

disjecta membra
Messages
1,333
Location
Los Angeles, CA
That's the press release, with every possible effort made to soft-pedal the results.

I believe the media getting their teeth into the substance of the results will give us some different angles on the story.
 

George

waitin' fer rabbits
Messages
853
Location
South Texas
Not exactly a "big splash"...

It's a retrovirus, people, doesn't that bother you AT ALL?

Hi Nina Kitty, Hope you're feeling good today. About the part that it's a retrovirus, no not really, realistically it had to be something nasty, I went from Boing, boing, boing to splat and stayed there. So, I didn't think it was something silly or easily fixed. Otherwise we'd all be back boinging around years ago. (grins) And somebody has to have the bad stuff, ya know? It's fine that it's me cause I can handle it. God never gives us anything we can't endure. Hugs!!!!

It's a tiny group study. Which means that the really good studies will get published in September, this is just the little study.
 

George

waitin' fer rabbits
Messages
853
Location
South Texas
A concern

Although the statistical association with CFS is strong, this study does NOT prove that these retroviruses are the cause of CFS. Further studies are necessary to determine if XMRV or other MLV-related viruses can cause CFS.

We have to wait till the press conference, but I think they will probably down play the "causation" angle. It makes sense in that it will buy them yet more time. Dang, I was hoping they'd just get on with it today.
 

Nina

Senior Member
Messages
222
Hi Nina Kitty, Hope you're feeling good today. About the part that it's a retrovirus, no not really, realistically it had to be something nasty, I went from Boing, boing, boing to splat and stayed there. So, I didn't think it was something silly or easily fixed. Otherwise we'd all be back boinging around years ago. (grins) And somebody has to have the bad stuff, ya know? It's fine that it's me cause I can handle it. God never gives us anything we can't endure. Hugs!!!!

It's a tiny group study. Which means that the really good studies will get published in September, this is just the little study.


Hey Georgie, do the words zombie kittie mean anything to you? Else I can always send pics of me ;)

I was wondering if the journos aren't bothered by the fact that a retrovirus has been confirmed to run free in healthy people (we know by now they don't care about us...).

Roll on investigative journalism! (George, can you bite some of them in the butts?)
 
Messages
5,238
Location
Sofa, UK
That's the press release, with every possible effort made to soft-pedal the results.

I believe the media getting their teeth into the substance of the results will give us some different angles on the story.

Well we can't hope for much from the media here in the UK. What a disappointment - as George said, I really thought they were going to "just get on with it" now.

Now we know what they've been doing for the last 3 months - working out how best to manage public opinion...
 

George

waitin' fer rabbits
Messages
853
Location
South Texas
Nina Kitty go back to bed sweety, you don't want to see this, it's ugly, ugly, ugly. And yes as soon as I recover from the PEM brought on by being this mad I'm going to bite someone. Right now, I'm just going to read, meditate and cry (a lot) F---ing media management!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

urbantravels

disjecta membra
Messages
1,333
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Don't cry, George! The avalanche has been triggered.

Cort, did the forums go down? I couldn't get on at all for a little while there. We broke the forums!
 

pine108kell

Senior Member
Messages
146
I don't understand what is causing people to be upset. Please tell what you thought was going to be reported. This was a replication study.
 
Messages
49
I had trouble getting on the forums too! Now that I'm on the site, I'm not closing this page till I go to bed tonight!


I was wondering....does anybody think that perhaps the FDA/NIH only mentions MLV's rather than XMRV in the press release so that the paper doesn't seem to conflict with the CDC paper? The CDC has an updated page on XMRV at


http://www.cdc.gov/xmrv/index.html


They have a nice spin on their failure to find XMRV - they looked for XMRV, the FDA et al studied MLVs, etc. Does anybody know if the FDA/NIH study even looked for XMRV specifically at first, or did they concentrate on the Murine Leukemia related viruses because they are easier to find. Still, it's great news, and I appreciate the detailed writeup by Mindy - it puts things into a much different perspective than the short initial press release. Thanks Mindy! I'm looking forward to listening to the press conference (the one for non reporters) in a few hours.
 
Messages
13,774
I'm not at all disappointed by this.

I never expected them to come out with a sincere apology for CFS patients and a promise to hold those responsible for the quackery we've had to endure for the last 20 years accountable.

[sigh...]
 
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