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Illnesses of Unknown Etiology

Section Edited by Monica C. Panelli

This section aims to provide a translational medicine forum for the publication of research on illnesses, multi-system diseases and syndromes of unknown etiology. Examples of these include Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS).

There has been a continuous albeit undervalued progress in this arena. However, among the many medical specialties that try to diagnose and treat the multiple symptoms presented by patients affected by these diseases, an avenue of rapid and simultaneous communication is missing.

Studies on all aspects of ME/CFS and multi-system diseases of unknown cause with applications in medicine and biotechnology will be considered for publication. The section welcomes contributions that employ traditional clinical, metabolic, epidemiologic, genomics and proteomics methods as diagnostic and prognostic tools.

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  1. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a multifaceted disease. Along with the genetic, environmental and neuro-hormonal factors, inflammation has been assumed to have role in the pathogenesis of FM. The aim of the present study...

    Authors: Menghui Yao, Shuolin Wang, Yingdong Han, He Zhao, Yue Yin, Yun Zhang and Xuejun Zeng
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:594
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Limited published data suggests that absence of uplifts (minor pleasant events) is associated with clinical worsening in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The current study aimed to assess the rela...

    Authors: Fred Friedberg, Jenna L. Adamowicz, Patricia Bruckenthal, Maria Milazzo, Sameera Ramjan, Xiaoyue Zhang and Jie Yang
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:557
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disabling illness of unknown aetiology. Disruption of gut microbiota may play a role in several neurological disorders. In this study, the effect of faecal microbiota transp...

    Authors: Tapani Salonen, Elina Jokinen, Reetta Satokari and Perttu Lahtinen
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:513
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a multifactorial illness that affects many body systems including the immune, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and urinary systems. There is cu...

    Authors: Asher Taccori, Rebekah Maksoud, Natalie Eaton-Fitch, Maharshi Patel and Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:440
    Content type: Review Published on:

  5. The dose–effect relationship of Long-snake-like moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains poorly understood. In order to address this gap, we designed this trial to assess the association between ...

    Authors: Hong Luo, Rui Gong, Rui Zheng, Jing Tan, Ruixue Chen, Jie Wu and Tingting Ma
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:430
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome/systemic exertion intolerance disease (ME/CFS/SEID) is a condition diagnosed primarily based on clinical symptoms, including prolonged fatigue and post-exerti...

    Authors: Ryuhei Jinushi, Sakue Masuda, Yuki Tanisaka, Sho Nishiguchi, Kento Shionoya, Ryo Sato, Kei Sugimoto, Takahiro Shin, Rie Shiomi, Akashi Fujita, Masafumi Mizuide and Shomei Ryozawa
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:398
    Content type: Review Published on:

  7. Post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS) shares many features with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). PCS represents a major health issue worldwide because it severely impacts patients’ work acti...

    Authors: Alaa Ghali, Valentin Lacombe, Camille Ravaiau, Estelle Delattre, Maria Ghali, Geoffrey Urbanski and Christian Lavigne
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:375
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex, heterogenous disease characterized by unexplained persistent fatigue and other features including cognitive impairment, myalgias, post-...

    Authors: Ludovic Giloteaux, Jiayin Li, Mady Hornig, W. Ian Lipkin, David Ruppert and Maureen R. Hanson
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:322
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a multisystem illness characterized by substantial reduction in function accompanied by profound unexplained fatigue not significantly relieved by...

    Authors: Troy D. Querec, Jin-Mann S. Lin, Yang Chen, Britany Helton, Andreas M. Kogelnik, Nancy G. Klimas, Daniel L. Peterson, Lucinda Bateman, Charles Lapp, Richard N. Podell, Benjamin H. Natelson and Elizabeth R. Unger
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:242
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has been recognized to play fundamental roles in the development of autoimmune diseases. However, the implication of m6A modification in myasthenia gravis (MG) remains lar...

    Authors: Shuang Li, Hui Liu, Zhe Ruan, Rongjing Guo, Chao Sun, Yonglan Tang, Xiaoxi Huang, Ting Gao, Sijia Hao, Huanhuan Li, Na Song, Yue Su, Fan Ning, Zhuyi Li and Ting Chang
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:166
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complex, heterogenous disease. It has been suggested that subgroups of people with ME/CFS exist, displaying a specific cluster of symptoms. In...

    Authors: Anouk W. Vaes, Maarten Van Herck, Qichen Deng, Jeannet M. Delbressine, Leonard A. Jason and Martijn A. Spruit
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:112
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. An increased prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities (including depression and anxiety disorder) has been observed among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, few studies have examined the pre...

    Authors: Chi Chen, Hei-Tung Yip, Kam-Hang Leong, Wei-Cheng Yao, Chung-Lieh Hung, Ching-Huang Su, Chien-Feng Kuo and Shin-Yi Tsai
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:98
    Content type: Research Published on:

  13. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a multifactorial disease with an unexplained aetiology in which viral infections are possible trigger factors.

    Authors: Santa Rasa-Dzelzkaleja, Angelika Krumina, Svetlana Capenko, Zaiga Nora-Krukle, Sabine Gravelsina, Anda Vilmane, Lauma Ievina, Yehuda Shoenfeld and Modra Murovska
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:33
    Content type: Research Published on:

  14. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating chronic disease that lacks known pathogenesis, distinctive diagnostic criteria, and effective treatment options. Understanding the ...

    Authors: Sayoni Das, Krystyna Taylor, James Kozubek, Jason Sardell and Steve Gardner
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:598
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. Muscle fatigue and pain are key symptoms of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Although the pathophysiology is not yet fully understood, there is ample evidence for hypoperfusion whic...

    Authors: Elisabeth Petter, Carmen Scheibenbogen, Peter Linz, Christian Stehning, Klaus Wirth, Titus Kuehne and Marcus Kelm
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:580
    Content type: Research Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Journal of Translational Medicine 2023 21:243

  16. In chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), the capacity for activity and participation is strongly limited. The disease definition is very broad, and considering the lack of evidence for b...

    Authors: Gabriella Bernhoff, Eva Rasmussen-Barr and Lina Bunketorp Käll
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:577
    Content type: Research Published on:

  17. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is characterized by persistent physical and mental fatigue. The post-COVID-19 condition patients refer physical fatigue and cognitive impairment sequ...

    Authors: N. Azcue, J. C. Gómez-Esteban, M. Acera, B. Tijero, T. Fernandez, N. Ayo-Mentxakatorre, T. Pérez-Concha, A. Murueta-Goyena, J. V. Lafuente, Á. Prada, A. López de Munain, G. Ruiz-Irastorza, L. Ribacoba, I. Gabilondo and R. Del Pino
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:569
    Content type: Research Published on:

  18. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) has been shown to influence clinical pain, descending modulation, and exercise-induced symptom worsening. COMT regulates nociceptive processing and inflammation, key pathoph...

    Authors: Andrea Polli, Jolien Hendrix, Kelly Ickmans, Jelena Bakusic, Manosij Ghosh, Dora Monteyne, Brigitte Velkeniers, Bram Bekaert, Jo Nijs and Lode Godderis
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:487
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating condition that can lead to severe impairment of physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and occupational functions. The cause o...

    Authors: Zheng Wang, Michelle F. Waldman, Tara J. Basavanhally, Aviva R. Jacobs, Gonzalo Lopez, Regis Y. Perichon, Johnny J. Ma, Elyse M. Mackenzie, James B. Healy, Yixin Wang and Sarah A. Hersey
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:486
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. Patients with long-COVID often complain of continuous fatigue, myalgia, sleep problems, cognitive dysfunction, and post-exertional malaise. No data are available on EMG recording of evoked myopotentials (M-wav...

    Authors: Frédérique Retornaz, Stanislas Rebaudet, Chloé Stavris and Yves Jammes
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:429
    Content type: Research Published on:

  21. There is no approved pharmaceutical intervention for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Fatigue in these patients can last for decades. Long COVID may continue to ME/CFS, and current...

    Authors: Alan Cash and David Lyons Kaufman
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:295
    Content type: Research Published on:

  22. The aim of this study was to explore the tolerability and effect of static stretching (SS) and whole body cryotherapy (WBC) upon fatigue, daytime sleepiness, cognitive functioning and objective and subjective ...

    Authors: Sławomir Kujawski, Joanna Słomko, Beata R. Godlewska, Agnieszka Cudnoch-Jędrzejewska, Modra Murovska, Julia L. Newton, Łukasz Sokołowski and Paweł Zalewski
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:273
    Content type: Research Published on:

  23. This study aims to provide 12-year nationwide epidemiology data to investigate the epidemiology and comorbidities of and therapeutic options for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) by analyzing the National Health ...

    Authors: Kam-Hang Leong, Hei-Tung Yip, Chien-Feng Kuo and Shin-Yi Tsai
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:268
    Content type: Research Published on:

  24. Molecular chaperones assist protein folding, facilitate degradation of misfolded polypeptides, and thereby maintain protein homeostasis. Impaired chaperone activity leads to defective protein quality control t...

    Authors: Manar Elkenani, Amal Z. Barakat, Torsten Held, Daniel Marques Rodrigues, Sherok Mobarak, Surabhi Swarnka, Ibrahim M. Adham and Belal A. Mohamed
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:229
    Content type: Research Published on:

  26. Fatigue, exertion intolerance and post-exertional malaise are among the most frequent symptoms of Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS), with a subset of patients fulfilling criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic ...

    Authors: Milan Haffke, Helma Freitag, Gordon Rudolf, Martina Seifert, Wolfram Doehner, Nadja Scherbakov, Leif Hanitsch, Kirsten Wittke, Sandra Bauer, Frank Konietschke, Friedemann Paul, Judith Bellmann-Strobl, Claudia Kedor, Carmen Scheibenbogen and Franziska Sotzny
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:138
    Content type: Research Published on:

  27. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been shown to be associated with infections. Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly prevalent infectious disease. Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and post-tuberculosis experien...

    Authors: Tse-Yen Yang, Cheng-Li Lin, Wei-Cheng Yao, Chon-Fu Lio, Wen-Po Chiang, Kuan Lin, Chien-Feng Kuo and Shin-Yi Tsai
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:99
    Content type: Research Published on:

  28. Orthostatic intolerance-OI is common in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-ME/CFS. We used a 10-min passive vertical lean test as orthostatic challenge-OC and measured changes in vitals and end...

    Authors: Benjamin H. Natelson, Jin-Mann S. Lin, Michelle Blate, Sarah Khan, Yang Chen and Elizabeth R. Unger
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:95
    Content type: Research Published on:

  29. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a serious disorder of unknown aetiology. While the pathomechanism of ME/CFS remains elusive, reduced natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxic function i...

    Authors: Natalie Eaton-Fitch, Stanley Du Preez, Hélène Cabanas, Katsuhiko Muraki, Donald Staines and Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:94
    Content type: Research Published on:

  30. Nearly 250,000 veterans from the 1990–1991 Gulf War have Gulf War Illness (GWI), a condition with heterogeneous pathobiology that remains difficult to diagnose. As such, availability of blood biomarkers that r...

    Authors: Sarah Oberlin, Aurore Nkiliza, Megan Parks, James E. Evans, Nancy Klimas, Andrew P. Keegan, Kimberly Sullivan, Maxine H. Krengel, Michael Mullan, Fiona Crawford and Laila Abdullah
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:73
    Content type: Research Published on:

  32. Because of the absence of biological parameters for fatigue, appropriate instruments for assessing the degree of fatigue are important in the diagnosis and management of people complaining of fatigue-like symp...

    Authors: Eun-Jin Lim and Chang-Gue Son
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:8
    Content type: Research Published on:

  33. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked inherited disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin that leads to a severe and ultimately life limiting muscle-wasting condition. Recombinant ...

    Authors: Anna Creisméas, Claire Gazaille, Audrey Bourdon, Marc-Antoine Lallemand, Virginie François, Marine Allais, Mireille Ledevin, Thibaut Larcher, Gilles Toumaniantz, Aude Lafoux, Corinne Huchet, Ignacio Anegon, Oumeya Adjali, Caroline Le Guiner and Bodvaël Fraysse
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:519
    Content type: Research Published on:

  34. Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular autoimmune disorder characterized by weakness and disability in the voluntary muscles. There have been several preliminary studies on the epidemiology of myasthenia gravis ...

    Authors: Nader Salari, Behnaz Fatahi, Yalda Bartina, Mohsen Kazeminia, Reza Fatahian, Payam Mohammadi, Shamarina Shohaimi and Masoud Mohammadi
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:516
    Content type: Research Published on:

  35. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a long-term disabling illness accompanied by medically unexplained fatigue. This study aimed to explore the epidemiological characteristics of CFS in South Korea.

    Authors: Eun-Jin Lim, Jin-Seok Lee, Eun-Jung Lee, Seok-Ju Jeong, Ho-Young Park, Yo-Chan Ahn and Chang-Gue Son
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:502
    Content type: Research Published on:

  36. The maintained attention is the cause of great functional limitations in CFS/ME, a disease that mainly affects women in the central period of life. Cognitive function is explored using the Montreal Cognitive A...

    Authors: Iñigo Murga, Larraitz Aranburu, Pascual A. Gargiulo, Juan-Carlos Gómez-Esteban and José-Vicente Lafuente
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:494
    Content type: Research Published on:

  37. There is accumulating evidence of endothelial dysfunction, muscle and cerebral hypoperfusion in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). In this paper we deduce the pathomechanisms resultin...

    Authors: Klaus J. Wirth, Carmen Scheibenbogen and Friedemann Paul
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:471
    Content type: Review Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:25

    The Letter to the Editor to this article has been published in Journal of Translational Medicine 2022 20:40

  38. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), functioning as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), have been reported to play important roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. However, little is known about the regu...

    Authors: Shuang Li, Xu Wang, Tianfeng Wang, Huixue Zhang, Xiaoyu Lu, Li Liu, Lifang Li, Chunrui Bo, Xiaotong Kong, Si Xu, Shangwei Ning, Jianjian Wang and Lihua Wang
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:468
    Content type: Research Published on:

  39. The length of time for clinical improvement of patients with thymomatous myasthenia gravis (MG) after extended thymectomy is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the length of time after thyme...

    Authors: Zhu Haoshuai, Zou Jianyong, Yang Lei, Zeng Bo, Jiefei Xiao, Xin Zhang, Zhenguang Chen and Su Chunhua
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:413
    Content type: Research Published on:

  40. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex illness which disproportionally affects females. This illness is associated with immune and metabolic perturbations that may be influenc...

    Authors: Aurore Nkiliza, Megan Parks, Adam Cseresznye, Sarah Oberlin, James E. Evans, Teresa Darcey, Kristina Aenlle, Daniel Niedospial, Michael Mullan, Fiona Crawford, Nancy Klimas and Laila Abdullah
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:370
    Content type: Research Published on:

  41. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a serious multifactorial disorder. The origin remains ambiguous, however reduced natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity is a consistent immunologic...

    Authors: Natalie Eaton-Fitch, Hélène Cabanas, Stanley du Preez, Donald Staines and Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:306
    Content type: Research Published on:

  42. An accurate prediction for prognosis can help in guiding the therapeutic options and optimizing the trial design for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). We aimed to develop and validate a predictive nomogram ...

    Authors: Rui Zhao, Ying Wang, Xiao Huan, Huahua Zhong, Zhirui Zhou, Jianying Xi, Yuwei Da, Lin Lei, Ting Chang, Zhe Ruan, Lijun Luo, Shengnan Li, Huan Yang, Yi Li, Sushan Luo and Chongbo Zhao
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:285
    Content type: Research Published on:

  43. Orthostatic intolerance (OI) is a frequent finding in individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis /chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Published studies have proposed that deconditioning is an important pathophy...

    Authors: C. (Linda) M. C. van Campen, Peter C. Rowe and Frans C. Visser
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:193
    Content type: Research Published on:

  44. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Myalgic Encephaloymelitis (ME/CFS) is a frequent debilitating disease with an enigmatic etiology. The finding of autoantibodies against ß2-adrenergic receptors (ß2AdR) prompted us t...

    Authors: Klaus J. Wirth and Carmen Scheibenbogen
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:162
    Content type: Review Published on:

  45. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex and debilitating disease accompanied by muscular fatigue and pain. A functional measure to assess muscle fatigability of ME/CFS patients...

    Authors: Bianka Jäkel, Claudia Kedor, Patricia Grabowski, Kirsten Wittke, Silvia Thiel, Nadja Scherbakov, Wolfram Doehner, Carmen Scheibenbogen and Helma Freitag
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:159
    Content type: Research Published on:

  46. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating illness, characterised by persistent fatigue that is unrelieved by rest, in combination with a range of other disabling symptoms. T...

    Authors: Rebekah Maksoud, Cassandra Balinas, Sean Holden, Hélène Cabanas, Donald Staines and Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:81
    Content type: Review Published on:

  47. Authors: L. D. Crosby, S. Kalanidhi, A. Bonilla, A. Subramanian, J. S. Ballon and H. Bonilla
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:50
    Content type: Letter to the Editor Published on:

    The Correction to this article has been published in Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:217

  48. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is defined according to subjective symptoms only, and several conflicting case definition exist. Previous research has discovered certain biological alterations. The aim of the p...

    Authors: Tarjei Tørre Asprusten, Line Sletner and Vegard Bruun Bratholm Wyller
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:48
    Content type: Research Published on:

  49. Due to the inconsistent use of diagnostic criteria in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), it is unsure whether physiotherapeutic management regarded effective in ME/CFS is appropriate ...

    Authors: Marjon E. A. Wormgoor and Sanne C. Rodenburg
    Citation: Journal of Translational Medicine 2021 19:1
    Content type: Review Published on:

Previously published in Journal of Translational Medicine

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) articles

Journal of Translational Medicine

ISSN: 1479-5876

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