

Monday, 13 April 2015 07:43 Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 April 2015 07:35
News - NETWORK NEWS
A lot has been happening recently in the research area. Here are some items to note:
ME Research Notes
The final version of the US National Institutes of Health P2P report looking at the state of ME research was scheduled for release on April 14. However, it was discovered that not all of the public submissions were passed on to the panel members, so there will be a delay in the release of the final report.
https://prevention.nih.gov/
Dr Hornig from Columbia published a study in February finding that ME/CFS patients had different cytokine profiles than health controls, with the cytokine profile changing at around 3 years suggesting that the neuroimmune system becomes exhausted. She published a second paper in March that found cytokine differences in spinal fluid between ME/CFS patients, MS patients and healthy controls. Descriptions of the two studies can be found here:
Last year, a team from DePaul University found depressed levels of a certain chemical in ME/CFS patients. In March, a team out of UBC led by Dr David Patrick announced that they did not find depressed levels. This is what science is about – putting out ideas and challenging them. It is great to see UBC taking an active role in the ME debate.
Dr Abdolamir Landi of the University of Alberta has been invited to speak at the Invest in ME research colloquium to be held in London England in May. Dr Landi has both a MD and a PhD. His field of study is immunology and virology. Dr Landi has agreed to be a medical and research advisor to the Network.
FM Research Notes
The Network received an email from Dr El-Gabalawy of CIHR and Dr Fitzcharles, steering committee chair, advising us that the priority setting project for adult-FM is moving forward. The Network has asked to see the questionnaire and other methodological documents.