Medical Mystery ME/CFS solved

ME: End of an Era of Medical Negation

Belgian scientists (Brussels) have
identified causes and mechanisms of the
medical mystery Myalgic Encephalomyelits
(ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
Professor Kenny de Meirleir MD, PhD,
(Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and
Director HIMMUNITAS Foundation Brussels)

Research on extremely disabled
M.E. patients reveals the true
nature of the disorder

(1) Vrije Universiteit Brussel & HIMMUNITAS
foundation, Brussels, Belgium
(2) Protea Biopharma, Brussels, Belgium
(3) Bioscreen & Bio 21, University of Melbourne,
Melbourne, Australia

In this study we compared totally bedridden patients
(Karnofski score 20-30) with less ill ME patients
(Karnofski score 60-70), family controls, contact
controls and non-contact controls.

EBV, HHV6 and Borna virus titers were not different
in the three groups. Plasma LPS distinguished the
groups, with the highest values in the bedridden
patients.

LPS is a strong activator of the immune system and
high plasma concentrations suggest a hyperper-
meable gut. There are many possible causes for this,
but a lack of 'local' energy production is one of
them.

In a separate study (In Vivo, in press) we observed
intestinal overgrowth of Gram positive D/L lactate
producing bacteria which are also known to produce
H2S in presence of certain heavy metals as a survival
defence mechanism.

We therefore hypothesized that the urine of the
bedridden ME patients would contain more H2S
derived metabolites than the less ill and the
controls. Using a proprietary simple color change
urine test this hypothesis was confirmed.

In the extremely ill, urine added to the yellow color
reagent immediately turns dark blue, whereas
in the less ill the reaction is slower and in the
controls no reaction occurs.

Being a potent neurotoxin, H2S induces photophobia,
intolerance to noise, mitochondrial dysfunction by
inhibition of cytochrome oxidase and depresses the
cellular immune system and induces neutropenia
and low numbers of CD8+ lymphocytes.

Its effects, at least in part explain the clinical
condition of the severely disabled ME patients.

Furthermore the effects of the bacterial H2S induces
increased ROS production by the liver and
retaining of heavy metals particularly mercury in the
body.

The latter is also neurotoxic, induces apoptosis
and interferes with the aerobic metabolism. Chronic
increased production of H2S by intestinal bacteria
leads to build-up of mercury in the body as proven by
a Zn DTPA/DMPS challenge test.

Finally in 20% of the ME patients (in the severely ill)
we found using a special luminescence technique
aberrant prions which also interfere with the energy
metabolism.

These patients have gone on to develop A.P.D.
(aberrant prion disease - patent pending). These
aberrant prions give rise to a transmissible disorder.
10% of the A.P.D. patients have very high prion
counts in their saliva and can directly transmit it to
others.

APD patients can transmit these proteins via blood
and likely also through sexual contact which then can
give rise to slowly developing aberrant prion disease.

In a separate experiment 40 healthy blood donors
were screened for A.P.D. One individual tested very
positive, indicating that apparently healthy
individuals can already be carriers and that blood
transfusion carries the risk of transmitting A.P.D.

In conclusion, ME is a disorder which is caused by
increased endogenous H2S production. For the latter
many factors can be present.

Because of the effects of H2S in the body a chain of
events will develop which have more and more
negative effects on the aerobic metabolism and
depression of the immune system leading to more
and more infections and reactivation of endogenous
viruses.

In its final stage aberrant transmissible prions
develop which put the patients in a total energy
depleted state.

Article courtesy of www.co-cure.org

Probiotic May Ease Fatigue Syndrome Anxiety

Taking a daily probiotic supplement appears to improve anxiety in patientswith chronic fatigue syndrome, new Canadian research suggests, a finding that might one day impact how depression and other mental disorders are treated. The researchers, led by A. Venket Rao of the University of Toronto, found that giving patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) a probiotic for two months not only boosted so-called "good" bacteria in their stomachs, it also led to a significant decrease in their anxiety symptoms. A probiotic is a dietary supplement, most often in pill or powder form, that contains live bacteria such as Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria. These bacteria help maintain gut flora, microbes in the stomach that perform a variety of functions, including aiding digestion, boosting the immune system and warding off harmful bacteria."We were quite excited with the fact that these were positive results and we felt that probiotics truly have a role to play in the management of neurophysiological disorders such as anxiety, such as depression and other symptoms associated with that," Rao told CTV News. "Rather than going into medications, which may result in side effects, it's a safe, it's a very easy way to manage problems such as that."The findings are published in the journal BMC Gut Pathogens. Patients who are diagnosed with CFS often experience a broad range of symptoms, the most significant being persistent fatigue. Nearly all CFS patients also experience neuropsychological problems, such as cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression. In fact, according to the researchers, about half of all CFS patients meet the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder or major depressive disorder. As well, CFS patients often complain of gastrointestinal problems and many are diagnosed with digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. Tests show that they often have lower levels of so-called "good" bacteria in their stomachs, which can regulate digestive activity. All of this has led researchers to begin probing a link between gut bacteria and mental disorders and early findings suggest that bacteria levels may influence behavior related to anxiety and depression. Researchers believe that probiotics "crowd out" the more toxic stomach bacteria that are linked to an increase in depression and other mood disorders, study co-author Dr.Alison C. Bested told CTV News. For this study, Rao, Bested and their team gave 39 CFS patients either a daily dose of Lactobacillus casei or a placebo for two months. They found that 73 per cent of subjects taking the probiotic experienced an increase in levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in the gut, which correspondedwith a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms. In the placebo group, only 37.5 per cent showed an increase inBifidobacteria, while only 43.8 per cent showed an increase in Lactobacillus bacteria. The researchers found no statistically significant change in anxiety symptoms among this group. According to Bested, Bifidobacteria appears to increase levels of tryptophanin the brain, a chemical that "helps people feel better." Patients taking theprobiotic also showed a marked improvement in their digestion, experiencing less bloating and gas and a reduction in inflammation. The findings are"huge," Bested said. "(Subjects) felt less anxious, they felt calmer, they felt better able to cope with their illness, they were sleeping better, had less heart palpitations and less symptoms of anxiety," she said. "We were pleasantly surprised, that people who were taking probiotics were able to lower their anxiety." Rao explained that the good bacteria produce "compounds that get to the brain and help the brain to manage problems associated with behavioral and mood problems, such as anxiety and depression." He said the findings open "a door to a whole new field, and that is the relationship of gut micro flora, or gut bacteria, to many disorders - mental disorders being one of them. So it opens a door to many future research and applications in this area."--------(c) 2009 Bell Canada

Source: Sympatico
Date: April 7, 2009