SynthesisPloS one2017
The association between human endogenous retroviruses and multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- Up-to-date knowledge about the association between multiple sclerosis and the reactivation of human endogenous retrovirus infections.Journal of neurology · 2018Pooled it
- Do Antiretroviral Drugs Protect From Multiple Sclerosis by Inhibiting Expression of MS-Associated Retrovirus?Frontiers in immunology · 2018Trial
- Viral associations in multiple sclerosis: pathogenetic mechanisms and therapeutic implications.Virology journal · 2026Review
- Nucleoside-Analog Reverse-Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) Against Multiple Sclerosis: Comprehensive Review on a Possible Novel Therapeutic Approach.Neurology international · 2026Review
- Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Emerging Roles in Pathogenesis, Immunity, Biomarkers and Therapeutics.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Gammaretrovirus Infections in Humans in the Past, Present, and Future: Have We Defeated the Pathogen?Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Review
- Exosomal pHERV-W ENV as a dynamic biomarker for relapse prediction and prognosis in multiple sclerosis.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2025Article
- The Other Side of the Same Coin: Beyond the Coding Region in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Nogo-A and NfL Levels in CSF from Newly Diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder Patients Positive for Anti-HHV6-A IgG Autoantibody.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Neuroprotective strategies in multiple sclerosis: a status update and emerging paradigms.Expert review of neurotherapeutics · 2025Review
- Expression profiles of TNF-Alpha and HERV-K Env proteins in multiple types of colon and lung disease.Genes & genomics · 2025Article
- Dynamic dysregulation of retrotransposons in neurodegenerative diseases at the single-cell level.Genome research · 2024Article
- Review
- Review
- Endogenous viral elements: insights into data availability and accessibility.Virus evolution · 2024Article
- EBV-specific T-cell immunity: relevance for multiple sclerosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- The Role of Microorganisms in the Etiopathogenesis of Demyelinating Diseases.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Article
- The Effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on Neurological and Depressive Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Galen medical journal · 2023Review
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe interaction between genetic and environmental factors is crucial to multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis. Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) are endogenous viral elements of the human genome whose expression is associated with MS.
objectiveTo perform a systematic review and meta-analysis and to assess qualitative and quantitative evidence on the expression of HERV families in MS patients.
methodsMedline, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched for published studies on the association of HERVs and MS. Meta-analysis was performed on the HERV-W family. Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for association.
results43 reports were extracted (25 related to HERV-W, 13 to HERV-H, 9 to HERV-K, 5 to HRES-1 and 1 to HER-15 family). The analysis showed an association between expression of all HERV families and MS. For HERV-W, adequate data was available for meta-analysis. Results from meta-analyses of HERV-W were OR = 22.66 (95%CI 6.32 to 81.20) from 4 studies investigating MSRV/HERV-W (MS-associated retrovirus) envelope mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, OR = 44.11 (95%CI 12.95 to 150.30) from 6 studies of MSRV/HERV-W polymerase mRNA in serum/plasma and OR = 6.00 (95%CI 3.35 to 10.74) from 4 studies of MSRV/HERV-W polymerase mRNA in CSF.
conclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis shows an association between expression of HERVs, and in particular the HERV-W family, and MS.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.