|
This helpful article will help you learn what all of the letters mean. Read full article. |
A recent Norwegian study generated a burst of media attention over the improvement reported by a small group of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) patients treated with a drug called rituximab, usually used for cancer and autoimmune disease. What is the significance of this study? Read more about it.
|
|
This conference, sponsored by the International Association for CFS/ME, brought together over 200 clinicians and researchers from 20 countries. The conference was held September 22-25 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Charles Lapp highlights what he found to be most important and interesting of the presentations. Read Dr. Lapp's summary.
Dr. Rosamund Vallings presents a brief summary of every paper presented in the plenary sessions, with a topic index. Read Dr. Vallings' summary.
Read the abstracts of all papers presented at the conference. |
|
In a study reported online in Science on Sept. 22, 2011, and presented the following day at the IACFS/ME Conference in Ottawa, Canada by the senior investigator, Dr. Graham Simmons, the XMRV Scientific Research Working Group (SRWG) announced that in a 9-lab study, XMRV/MLV was not reproducibly detected in blood samples. Blood samples from 15 subjects previously reported to be XMRV/MLV-positive and 15 healthy blood donors previously determined to be XMRV/MLV-negative were distributed among 9 labs in a blinded fashion. These labs performed tests to detect viral nucleic acid, antibody, and viral replication. Seven labs found no evidence of virus in any samples; two labs did detect virus in some samples, but the results were not replicated between the two labs, and similar viral activity was found in both positive samples and controls.
The authors concluded that present assays (laboratory tests) could not reliably detect XMRV/MLV in blood samples, and therefore routine screening of the blood supply was not warranted. However, during the question period following his presentation at the Conference, Dr. Simmons confirmed the current recommendation that patients with a diagnosis of CFS or ME not give blood.
Published online 22 September 2011 [DOI:10.1126/science.1213841]. View the abstract. |
News & Events - Updated
