Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ludovic Giloteaux, Jiayin Li, Mady Hornig, W. Ian Lipkin, David Ruppert, Maureen R. R. Hanson
Summary: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex disease characterized by unexplained fatigue and other symptoms. This study found increased levels of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and IL2 cytokine in plasma of ME/CFS patients. The correlations between specific proteins and clinical data suggest immune response and hemostasis dysfunctions in ME/CFS.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiabao Xu, Tiffany Lodge, Caroline Kingdon, James W. L. Strong, John Maclennan, Eliana Lacerda, Slawomir Kujawski, Pawel Zalewski, Wei E. Huang, Karl J. Morten
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of using a single-cell Raman platform and artificial intelligence to diagnose and manage ME/CFS. The Raman profiles of blood cells can accurately distinguish between healthy individuals, disease controls, and ME/CFS patients, as well as differentiate between different severity levels of ME/CFS. The identification of specific Raman peaks also provides insights into biological changes and potential therapeutic targets.
Article
Neurosciences
Irene Tsilioni, Benjamin Natelson, Theoharis C. Theoharides
Summary: This study found that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) associated with serum exosomes is increased in ME/CFS patients only after exercise. Moreover, exosomes isolated from ME/CFS patients stimulate significant release of IL-1 beta from cultured human microglia, indicating that activation of microglia by serum-derived exosomes may serve as a potential novel pathogenetic factor and target for treatment of ME/CFS.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bindu D. Paul, Marian D. Lemle, Anthony L. Komaroff, Solomon H. Snyder
Summary: The review summarizes evidence of biological abnormalities in patients with acute COVID-19 and ME/CFS, including redox imbalance, systemic inflammation, neuroinflammation, impaired ATP generation, and general hypometabolism. Although these phenomena have not been extensively studied in individuals with long COVID-19, understanding these abnormalities may lead to the development of novel therapeutics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jesus Castro-Marrero, Mario Zacares, Eloy Almenar-Perez, Jose Alegre-Martin, Elisa Oltra
Summary: This study used unbiased hierarchical cluster analysis of 250 carefully phenotyped female ME/CFS cases to identify three symptom-based clusters with significant differences in five blood parameters. Additionally, high levels of circulating complement factor C1q were found in a subgroup of participants, identifying it as a key molecule for an ME/CFS subtype with more apparent pain symptoms. These results have important implications for ME/CFS etiology research and future diagnosis and treatment methods.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Rebekah Maksoud, Chandi Magawa, Natalie Eaton-Fitch, Kiran Thapaliya, Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
Summary: This systematic review aimed to evaluate potential biomarkers that could effectively differentiate ME/CFS patients from healthy controls. A total of 101 studies were included, and potential biomarkers ranged from genetic/epigenetic, immunological, metabolomics/mitochondrial/microbiome, endovascular/circulatory, neurological, ion channel, to physical dysfunction biomarkers. The findings indicated evidence of immune dysfunction in ME/CFS and the use of lymphocytes as a model to investigate the pathomechanism of the illness.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emily A. Schiller, Koral Cohen, Xinhua Lin, Rania El-Khawam, Nazeeh Hanna
Summary: Premature neonates are at an increased risk of developing inflammatory conditions with high mortality rates. Research has focused on identifying diagnostic biomarkers, such as microRNAs, in extracellular vesicles. This article discusses the latest findings in biomarker discovery for common conditions affecting premature neonates.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Goren Saenz-Pipaon, Esther Martinez-Aguilar, Josune Orbe, Arantxa Gonzalez Miqueo, Leopoldo Fernandez-Alonso, Jose Antonio Paramo, Carmen Roncal
Summary: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the lower extremities is a chronic illness predominantly caused by atherosclerosis and associated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors. It is highly prevalent in subjects over 65 years old and is expected to increase significantly with the aging population, posing a severe socioeconomic issue in the future. Poor prognosis of PAD may lead to impaired walking function and increased risk of cardiovascular events. Reliable biomarkers and machine learning methods have the potential to improve identification and personalized treatment of PAD patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yi Zhang, Chao Li, Yi Qin, Pasquale Cepparulo, Michael Millman, Michael Chopp, Amy Kemper, Alexandra Szalad, Xuerong Lu, Lei Wang, Zheng Gang Zhang
Summary: This study showed that sEVs derived from cerebral endothelial cells (CEC-sEVs) can suppress chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and enhance the chemotherapy effect of oxaliplatin in mice bearing ovarian tumors. The therapeutic effect is believed to be achieved by altering networks of miRNAs and proteins that regulate nerve function and tumor growth.
JOURNAL OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yuning Cheng, Si-Mei Xu, Konii Takenaka, Grace Lindner, Ashton Curry-Hyde, Michael Janitz
Summary: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating disease with unknown causes. The lack of objective diagnostic criteria leads to a high rate of underdiagnosis. CircRNAs have emerged as potential genetic biomarkers for neurological diseases but have not been studied in ME/CFS patients. This study investigated the expression profiles of circRNAs in ME/CFS patients and controls before and after exercise testing.
Article
Oncology
Dorian Forte, Martina Barone, Cristina Morsiani, Giorgia Simonetti, Francesco Fabbri, Samantha Bruno, Erika Bandini, Daria Sollazzo, Salvatore Collura, Maria Chiara Deregibus, Giuseppe Auteri, Emanuela Ottaviani, Nicola Vianelli, Giovanni Camussi, Claudio Franceschi, Miriam Capri, Francesca Palandri, Michele Cavo, Lucia Catani
Summary: In this study, it was found that the absolute numbers of circulating CD34(+) cells were significantly increased in triple-negative (TN) myelofibrosis patients. These cells displayed in vitro defective functions and were unresponsive to the inflammatory microenvironment. Furthermore, the circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) from TN patients were found to promote the survival of TN CD34(+) cells, suggesting a distinct EV-driven signal promoting malignant hemopoiesis in TN patients. The distinct gene expression profiling analysis and microRNA signature in TN patients may provide insights for novel therapeutic approaches for this rare form of myelofibrosis.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Irene Soffritti, Sabine Gravelsina, Maria D'Accolti, Francesca Bini, Eleonora Mazziga, Anda Vilmane, Santa Rasa-Dzelzkaleja, Zaiga Nora-Krukle, Angelika Krumina, Modra Murovska, Elisabetta Caselli
Summary: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex disease without diagnostic biomarkers, but there is evidence supporting a role of herpesviruses and microRNAs in its development. This study found that six out of eight selected microRNAs were differently expressed in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls. The levels of these microRNAs correlated with disease severity but not with pro-inflammatory cytokines or HHV-6A/6B genome levels. These results suggest that microRNAs could serve as potential biomarkers and provide insights into ME/CFS pathogenic mechanisms.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Alba Gonzalez-Cebrian, Eloy Almenar-Perez, Jiabao Xu, Tong Yu, Wei E. Huang, Karen Gimenez-Orenga, Sarah Hutchinson, Tiffany Lodge, Lubov Nathanson, Karl J. Morten, Alberto Ferrer, Elisa Oltra
Summary: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is diagnosed clinically and is characterized by persistent fatigue and post-exertional malaise. Differential expression of miRNAs in the blood has been observed in patients, but their diagnostic power is limited. Blood vesicles may carry relevant disease information. Raman micro-spectroscopic analysis identified carotenoid peaks as ME/CFS fingerprints, but their diagnostic capacity is limited. However, Raman data helped refine the number of miRNAs in a previous model, ensuring a perfect classification of subjects.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Dongjie Xu, Kaili Di, Boyue Fan, Jie Wu, Xinrui Gu, Yifan Sun, Adeel Khan, Peng Li, Zhiyang Li
Summary: This review summarizes the recent progress in the application of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in liquid biopsy, as well as the isolation and detection technologies of EV-derived microRNA. EVs, serving as carriers of miRNA, play a crucial role in the intercellular transmission. EV-derived miRNA exhibits higher detection sensitivity and specificity, holding potential clinical applications.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Rebekah Maksoud, Cassandra Balinas, Sean Holden, Helene Cabanas, Donald Staines, Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
Summary: There is currently insufficient evidence on the effectiveness of mitochondrial-targeting nutraceuticals in treating ME/CFS patients. Future well-designed studies are needed to clarify the involvement of mitochondria in the pathomechanism of ME/CFS and the impact of mitochondrial-modifying agents on illness severity.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tamara Ovejero, Oceane Sadones, Teresa Sanchez-Fito, Eloy Almenar-Perez, Jose Andres Espejo, Eva Martin-Martinez, Lubov Nathanson, Elisa Oltra
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2020)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Maria B. Monzon-Nomdedeu, Karl J. Morten, Elisa Oltra
Summary: The study suggests that certain metabolites are commonly altered in the body fluids of patients with FM and ME/CFS. In vitro cell-based assays may serve as screening platforms, providing evidence of factors in patient body fluids capable of altering morphology, differentiation state and/or growth patterns.
WORLD JOURNAL OF STEM CELLS
(2021)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Victoria Dupuis, Elisa Oltra
Summary: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential for cell therapy due to their immunomodulatory effects, but their clinical application is restricted by several factors. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a new source to generate MSCs, known as iMSCs, which may overcome technical and biological limitations and ethical concerns regarding human embryonic stem cells. Various differentiation methods for iPSCs into MSCs have been developed to meet clinical demands.
WORLD JOURNAL OF STEM CELLS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Karen Gimenez-Orenga, Elisa Oltra
Summary: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are ancient retroviral DNA sequences established in germline, tightly regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, and associated with various diseases including neurological disorders. Promising therapies targeting HERV elements, such as temelimab, offer potential for treating associated diseases.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jesus Castro-Marrero, Mario Zacares, Eloy Almenar-Perez, Jose Alegre-Martin, Elisa Oltra
Summary: This study used unbiased hierarchical cluster analysis of 250 carefully phenotyped female ME/CFS cases to identify three symptom-based clusters with significant differences in five blood parameters. Additionally, high levels of circulating complement factor C1q were found in a subgroup of participants, identifying it as a key molecule for an ME/CFS subtype with more apparent pain symptoms. These results have important implications for ME/CFS etiology research and future diagnosis and treatment methods.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Silvia Alvarez-Cubela, Dagmar Klein, Charles G. Alver, Mirza Muhammad Fahd Qadir, Luciana Mateus Goncalves, Farhan Qureshi, Joana Almaca, Christopher Fraker, Alejandro Caicedo, Alberto Pugliese, Camillo Ricordi, Elisa Oltra, Alberto Pugliese, Ashutosh G. Agarwal, Ricardo Pastori, Juan Dominguez-Bendala
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Alba Gonzalez-Cebrian, Eloy Almenar-Perez, Jiabao Xu, Tong Yu, Wei E. Huang, Karen Gimenez-Orenga, Sarah Hutchinson, Tiffany Lodge, Lubov Nathanson, Karl J. Morten, Alberto Ferrer, Elisa Oltra
Summary: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is diagnosed clinically and is characterized by persistent fatigue and post-exertional malaise. Differential expression of miRNAs in the blood has been observed in patients, but their diagnostic power is limited. Blood vesicles may carry relevant disease information. Raman micro-spectroscopic analysis identified carotenoid peaks as ME/CFS fingerprints, but their diagnostic capacity is limited. However, Raman data helped refine the number of miRNAs in a previous model, ensuring a perfect classification of subjects.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Karen Gimenez-Orenga, Justine Pierquin, Joanna Brunel, Benjamin Charvet, Eva Martin-Martinez, Herve Perron, Elisa Oltra
Summary: Post-COVID-19 condition represents a post-viral syndrome of unprecedented dimensions. The study shows that HERV-W ENV protein can still be actively expressed long after SARS-CoV-2 infection is resolved in post-COVID-19 condition patients. Increased anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins, particularly IgE, seems to strongly correlate with deteriorated patient physical function. These findings provide important insights for the characterization and individualized treatment of patients with post-COVID-19 condition.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Derek J. J. Van Booven, Jackson Gamer, Andrew Joseph, Melanie Perez, Oskar Zarnowski, Meha Pandya, Fanny Collado, Nancy Klimas, Elisa Oltra, Lubov Nathanson
Summary: Our study evaluated transcriptomic changes in female ME/CFS patients undergoing an exercise challenge, aiming to precipitate post-exertional malaise (PEM). We found that ME/CFS patients did not show significant gene expression changes under maximal exertion, while healthy controls demonstrated altered gene networks related to immune cell signaling and functions. During the recovery period, female ME/CFS patients showed dysregulated immune signaling pathways and dysfunctional cellular responses to stress. These findings provide a foundation for future research and potential targeted treatments for ME/CFS.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jackson Gamer, Derek J. Van Booven, Oskar Zarnowski, Sebastian Arango, Mark Elias, Asha Kurian, Andrew Joseph, Melanie Perez, Fanny Collado, Nancy Klimas, Elisa Oltra, Lubov Nathanson
Summary: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex illness characterized by debilitating fatigue and post-exertional malaise. This study found sex differences in gene expression in male and female ME/CFS patients during and after exercise challenge. Male ME/CFS patients showed activation of immune-cell signaling pathways, while female ME/CFS patients had alterations in gene networks related to cell stress and response to herpes viruses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Hematology
Jurado Tapiador Rebeca, Garcia Calduch Olga, Kaivers Jennifer, Betz Beate, Cid Martinez Paula, Schuler Esther, Orna Montero Elisa, Cabezon Marco Marta, Marce Torra Silvia, De Aguirre Egana Itziar, Jimenez Lorenzo Maria Jose, Ramirez Serrano Jose Luis, Estrada Barreras Natalia, De Jaureguizar Tesas Alejandro, Canelo Vilaseca Marta, Germing Ulrich, Ribera Santasusana Josep Maria, Zamora Plana Lurdes, Xicoy Cirici Blanca
Meeting Abstract
Hematology
De Jaureguizar Tesas Alejandro, Sorigue Tomas Marc, Raya Corbacho Minerva, Vergara Casamar Sara, Granada Font Isabel, Orna Montero Elisa, Mesa Tudel Alba, Grau Cat Javier, Jurado Tapiador Rebeca, Canelo Vilaseca Marta, Huguet Mas Maria, De La Fuente Montes Cristina, Quintela Vilchez David, Jimenez Lorenzo Maria Jose, Ribera Santasusana Josep Maria, Zamora Plana Lourdes, Navarro Ferrando Jose Tomas, Xicoy Cirici Blanca
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francisco Javier Falaguera-Vera, Maria Garcia-Escudero, Javier Bonastre-Ferez, Mario Zacares, Elisa Oltra
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2020)