Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0015674 (chronic fatigue syndrome)
 2,978 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Elderberry, chondroitin, and glucosamine sulfate have been found to block HIV replication at three distinct points in the replication cycle. For quadruple therapy, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor such as olive leaf extract or Epivir (3TC) could be added. In one case, a female, taking no HIV drugs, used an elderberry extract, called Sambucol, with olive leaf extract and experienced a viral load drop from 17,000 to 4,000. Instructions are given for making both alcohol-free and alcohol-based elderberry extracts. In 1993, researchers at Jerusalem?s Hebrew University Medical School found in a placebo-controlled double-blind study that Sambucol led to a rapid recovery from influenza and inhibited replication of nine other strains of the flu virus. A theory is that elderberry renders viruses nonfunctional by staining and coating them. Another promising treatment is soil based organisms, which improved Natural Killer cell function in a person with CFIDS.
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PMID:A new triple combination therapy. 1136 42

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the possibility that sensitization is a psychobiological mechanism underlying not only multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), but a much more general cluster of illness, referred to as "subjective health complaints". Sustained arousal, or sustained "stress" responses, may be an important factor for the development of these conditions. Patients with subjective complaints without objective changes are sometimes referred to as having "fashionable diagnoses" or "unexplained symptoms". They may be given diagnoses like MCS, epidemic fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, burnout, stress, a variety of intoxications, environmental illness, radiation, multiple chemical hypersensitivity, food intolerance, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel, myalgic encephalitis, postviral syndrome, yuppie flu, fibromyalgia, or vital exhaustion. One issue is whether this is one general condition or separate entities. Another issue is whether sensitization may be the psychobiological mechanism for most or all of these conditions. Finally, is it likely that sustained arousal may facilitate the development of sensitization in some or many neural circuits? In this review, the main emphasis will be on musculoskeletal pain. This is the most frequent and most expensive condition for sickness compensation and disability. The comorbidity of other complaints, however, will also be taken into account.
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PMID:Sensitization, subjective health complaints, and sustained arousal. 1200 15

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a recognized clinical illness of unknown cause and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Immunizing patients against influenza would seem to be a prudent strategy since infection has been associated with symptom exacerbation. However, patients with CFS have demonstrated variable abnormalities in the immune system, the clinical significance of which is unclear. Anecdotal information has suggested that, due to the etiologic uncertainty surrounding CFS, many patients reject immunization, fearful of untoward effects. This article attempts to clarify the situation by reviewing immunologic findings in CFS and influenza vaccines in current use. Results from a recent survey of perceptions of patients with CFS regarding immunization revealed that 31% felt immunization was neither safe nor beneficial. This opinion was universal in those patients who had never received influenza vaccine. Among patients who had received vaccine and experienced an adverse effect, 26% felt the vaccine was safe and 28% felt it was beneficial. Among those who had received vaccine without an adverse effect, 45% believed the vaccine was safe, and 55% felt it was effective. CFS patients as a group expressed concern that influenza vaccine would alter an already dysfunctional immune system, or worsen CFS symptoms. Significantly more patients with CFS who had never received influenza vaccine voiced this opinion than did patients who had received immunization for influenza in the past. Contrary to the opinions expressed by the sample, clinical trials in CFS have yet to find that any type of immunization has produced a deleterious effect on symptoms or functioning. Moreover, patients with CFS in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of influenza immunization produced an antibody titer in the protective range to inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine, although the geometric mean titer was slightly blunted compared with healthy vaccinees. Although patients with CFS in placebo and active groups reported four times the number of post-injection adverse effects of healthy vaccinees, data re-analysis revealed that this finding was related to the overlap of common, post-influenza immunization symptoms and CFS constitutional symptoms. CFS is a poorly understood illness and some patients may believe in causal theories that lead to the rejection of disease prevention strategies such as immunization. However, influenza immunization appears to provide protective antibody levels without worsening CFS symptoms or causing excessive adverse effects. Efforts to motivate patients with CFS to obtain annual influenza immunization should take into account illness perceptions and concentrate on education based on placebo-controlled trials.
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PMID:Influenza vaccination: is it appropriate in chronic fatigue syndrome? 1472 70

Q fever is a widespread zoonosis caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Aborting domestic ruminants are the main sources of human infection but the reservoir of infection is extremely wide. In humans, Q fever may occur as acute pneumonia, hepatitis or flu-like illness or may take a severe chronic form, characterized by endocarditis, chronic hepatitis and chronic fatigue syndrome. In animals, the main clinical manifestation is late abortion. Infection with C. burnetii can be diagnosed using cultural, serological and genetic methods but because the organism is potentially dangerous and requires specialized skills only specialist laboratories are capable of undertaking diagnostic tests. This paper provides a brief overview of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of Q fever (coxiellosis).
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PMID:Q fever (coxiellosis): epidemiology and pathogenesis. 1519 98

Arguments exist as to the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Some think that it is an example of symptom amplification indicative of functional or psychogenic illness, while our group thinks that some CFS patients may have brain dysfunction. To further pursue our encephalopathy hypothesis, we did spinal taps on 31 women and 13 men fulfilling the 1994 case definition for CFS and on 8 women and 5 men serving as healthy controls. Our outcome measures were white blood cell count, protein concentration in spinal fluid, and cytokines detectable in spinal fluid. We found that significantly more CFS patients had elevations in either protein levels or number of cells than healthy controls (30 versus 0%), and 13 CFS patients had protein levels and cell numbers that were higher than laboratory norms; patients with abnormal fluid had a lower rate of having comorbid depression than those with normal fluid. In addition, of the 11 cytokines detectable in spinal fluid, (i) levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were lower in patients than controls, (ii) levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) were higher in patients with sudden, influenza-like onset than in patients with gradual onset or in controls, and (iii) IL-10 levels were higher in the patients with abnormal spinal fluids than in those with normal fluid or controls. The results support two hypotheses: that some CFS patients have a neurological abnormality that may contribute to the clinical picture of the illness and that immune dysregulation within the central nervous system may be involved in this process.
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PMID:Spinal fluid abnormalities in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. 1564 84

Diagnostic virus isolation is still frequently used, particularly from respiratory tract secretions. Testing positive virus cultures for all possible viruses is time-consuming, and unexpected or unknown viruses may escape detection. Therefore, a novel random PCR approach was developed that allows sequence-independent amplification of viral nucleic acids from virus isolation-positive cultures. Selectivity for viral sequences is obtained by preferential isolation of nucleic acids that are particle associated and resistant to nucleases. Using primers with a degenerated 3' end, the isolated nucleic acids are amplified and the randomly amplified PCR products are cloned and sequenced. As proof of the concept, the PAN-PCR approach was applied to supernatants of coxsackievirus B3 and murine adenovirus type 1-infected cells. Enterovirus and adenovirus sequences were obtained, demonstrating that the random PCR approach allows detection of RNA and DNA viruses. As a first application of this PAN-PCR approach, we characterized a virus isolate from mouth-washing material of a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome and high antibody titers to coxsackievirus B2. The virus isolate had tested negative for enteroviruses and respiratory viruses (influenza viruses A and B, parainfluenza virus types 1 to 3, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus) by immunofluorescence and PCR. Particle-associated, nuclease-resistant RNA and DNA were prepared from the supernatant of infected cells. The DNA and the reverse-transcribed RNA were randomly amplified, and PCR products were cloned and sequenced. Of 25 sequences obtained from the DNA preparation, 24 contained herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) sequences from 14 different loci spread over the HSV-1 genome. This result was confirmed by using a standard diagnostic HSV-PCR, demonstrating that the PAN-PCR correctly identified the virus isolate. Although the identification of HSV-1 in mouth-washing material is not surprising in retrospect, it clearly demonstrates the applicability of the PAN-PCR approach. This method should be particularly useful for characterizing virus isolates that have tested negative for all expected viruses and for identifying unknown viruses.
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PMID:Characterization of virus isolates by particle-associated nucleic acid PCR. 1569 69

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes a worldwide zoonosis, Q fever, and can be misused as a biological warfare agent. Infection in animals (coxiellosis) is mostly persistent. Infection in humans is often asymptomatic, but it can manifest as an acute disease (usually a self-limited flu-like illness, pneumonia, or hepatitis) or as a chronic form (mainly endocarditis, but also hepatitis and chronic fatigue syndrome). C. burnetii infection in pregnant women may result in abortions, premature deliveries, and stillbirths. Infection in nature is maintained and transmitted by ticks as the principal vector and reservoir. Cattle, sheep, and goats are the most important source of human infections. Humans contract C. burnetii infection mostly by aerosol in contact with contaminated environs, wind playing an important factor in spreading the infection. The wide distribution of C. burnetii contributes to a high resistance of its extracellular small cell variant to environmental conditions. Its intracellular large cell variant, adapted to survive under harsh conditions of phagolysosomes, enables long-term survival and persistence of C. burnetii, namely in monocytes/macrophages. Host factors such as underlying disease and cell-mediated immunity play a decisive role in the clinical expression of C. burnetii infection. Complete genome analysis of C. burnetii will certainly contribute to better understanding of the pathogenesis of C. burnetii infection and will improve Q fever diagnosis and immunoprophylaxis.
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PMID:Coxiella burnetii infection. 1648 1

Q fever is a zoonosis with many manifestations. The most common clinical presentation is an influenza-like illness with varying degrees of pneumonia and hepatitis. Although acute disease is usually self-limiting, people do occasionally die from this condition. Endocarditis is the most frequent chronic presentation. Although Q fever is widespread, practitioner awareness and clinical manifestations vary from region to region. Geographically limited studies suggest that chronic fatigue syndrome and cardiovascular disease are long-term sequelae. An effective whole-cell vaccine is licensed in Australia. Live and acellular vaccines have also been studied, but are not currently licensed.
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PMID:Q fever. 1650 66

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common and disabling symptom complex reported by survivors. This study aimed to better understand the manifestations of CRF in women treated for breast cancer, and to compare them with those of women diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Women with CRF persisting 6 months after treatment for early stage breast cancer, and women with CFS participated in separate, audiotaped focus groups. Transcripts of the sessions were analyzed using the NUD*IST software, and interpreted using grounded theory. Twenty-eight women participated, 16 with CRF and 12 with CFS. Analysis of transcripts from both groups revealed a similar core set of symptoms, featuring fatigue, neurocognitive difficulties, and mood disturbances. Women with CFS reported additional symptoms including musculoskeletal pain and influenza-like manifestations. Both groups suffered disabling behavioral consequences of the symptom complex. Qualitatively, CRF appears closely related to CFS. These findings raise the emergent hypothesis of a conserved neurobehavioral symptom complex, which results from diverse triggering insults.
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PMID:The experience of cancer-related fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome: a qualitative and comparative study. 1754 46

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a heterogeneous illness in which patients can have different, overlapping signs and symptoms. No single underlying cause has been established for all CFS patients. Epidemiological studies reveal that a flu-like sickness precedes the onset in the majority of cases. The major hypothesis of the pathogenesis of CFS is that infectious agents such as viruses, may trigger and lead to chronic activation of the immune system with abnormal regulation of cytokine production. Many studies have been performed to identify the possible microbial triggers and to understand the epidemiological microbial agents. We have summarized the recent progressive literature of virus, rickettsia, and mycoplasma implicated in the pathogenesis of CFS.
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PMID:[Viral infections in chronic fatigue syndrome]. 1756 87


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