Nessuna risposta a questa discussione

[admin]

www.cfids.org

CFIDSLink e-News

CFS Science - News Update

The following e-mail message contains news items related to CFS treatment and research.

Table of Contents:

IACFS Conference Covers Wealth of International Research

More Information about the Valganciclovir Drug Trial

Plus . . . Parade Magazine Covers CFS

IACFS Conference Covers Wealth of International Research

"More" seemed to be the unofficial theme of the International Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (IACFS) conference just held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, January 10-14. The conference—consisting of a two-day patient conference and three-day professional conference—featured more presentations, greater convergence of scientific findings, broader international participation and more people in attendance than past events, especially from the medical and research community.

The professional conference consisted of presentations and workshops from CFS research teams worldwide and leading CFS clinicians. A record number of papers were submitted to the IACFS for presentation this year, and the resulting sessions covered fatigue, sleep, clinical trials, pain, epidemiology, international research, brain function, behavioral health, pediatrics, gender aspects, viral and immune interactions, genetics/proteomics and new methods for evaluating fatigue.

Perhaps one of the most striking elements other than the sheer number of presentations was the budding convergence of findings around brain function and traits, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, molecular biomarkers, virology and epidemiology.

Major talks included the latest research providing more evidence that cognitive processing differs in CFS patients compared to controls, data on distinctive chemical and molecular differences in CFS, the role of specific viral agents in the illness and confirmation that differences in gene expression exist between CFS patients and healthy controls as well as between subgroups within CFS.

For more information on the research presented—as well as what was covered in the patient portion of the conference—look for your next issue of the monthly CFIDSLink set to arrive in your inbox on Wednesday, February 7th. CFIDS Chronicle subscribers will also find coverage of IACFS research highlights and a feature article from researcher Suzanne Vernon in the upcoming winter 2007 issue.

More Information about the Valganciclovir Drug Trial

In the last issue of the CFIDSLink, we reported on the upcoming valganciclovir (Valcyte) drug trial (see http://www.cfids.org...007/valcyte.asp) for
treating CFS.

Based on results from a small preliminary study, Roche Pharmaceutical is sponsoring a $1.3 million randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study set to begin this quarter at Stanford University Medical Center under the supervision of Dr. Jose Montoya. The study will assess the effectiveness of the drug in treating a specific subset of CFS patients—those who have documented active infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and/or human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6).

Though this study is promising news for the CFS community, Dr. Montoya is quick to point out that valganciclovir is not ready for general use by patients with CFS. In describing the results from his initial study, he stresses that very specific viral conditions must be present in the subject and that many subjects experienced a significant increase in symptoms before discernable improvement. Valganciclovir also has potential risks and side effects that make careful monitoring by a physician essential. The manufacturer's website warns that the drug can affect the kidneys, blood cells and bone marrow, among other body systems.

Experienced CFS clinicians also cite valganciclovir's expense (up to $2,000 per month) as an additional factor to warrant waiting for the trial to occur and results to be examined before wider adoption or "off-label" use.

________________________________