SynthesisSystematic reviews2019
A systematic review of natural killer cells profile and cytotoxic function in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
57 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- Long COVID and endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC women's health · 2025Pooled it
- Recent research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an evidence map.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Meta-analysis of natural killer cell cytotoxicity in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Pooled it
- Biomarkers for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): a systematic review.BMC medicine · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of mitochondrial abnormalities in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome/systemic exertion intolerance disease.Journal of translational medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Deficient TRPM3-linked mitochondrial CaBMC immunology · 2026Article
- Human Endogenous Retroviruses in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Emerging Roles in Pathogenesis, Immunity, Biomarkers and Therapeutics.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Long COVID: Deep single-cell immunophenotyping and machine learning reveal a general signature for fatigue.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia - overlap, differences, and emerging insights.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Virus-induced endothelial senescence as a cause and driving factor for ME/CFS and long COVID: mediated by a dysfunctional immune system.Cell death & disease · 2026Review
- Insights into the Complex Biological Network Underlying Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Clinical and Immunological Recovery Trajectories in Severe COVID-19 Survivors: A 12-Month Prospective Follow-Up Study.Viruses · 2025Article
- Abnormal T-Cell activation and cytotoxic T-Cell frequency discriminate symptom severity in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- Circulating cell-free RNA signatures for the characterization and diagnosis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Article
- Replicated blood-based biomarkers for myalgic encephalomyelitis not explicable by inactivity.EMBO molecular medicine · 2025Article
- HERV activation segregates ME/CFS from fibromyalgia while defining a novel nosologic entity.eLife · 2025Article
- Unravelling the Connection Between Energy Metabolism and Immune Senescence/Exhaustion in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- The emerging role of exosomal LncRNAs in chronic fatigue syndrome: from intercellular communication to disease biomarkers.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2025Review
- Large-scale investigation confirms TRPM3 ion channel dysfunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCompromised natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxic function is a well-documented and consistent feature of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Other outcomes evaluated in NK cells of ME/CFS patients, however, remain equivocal. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature regarding NK cell phenotype, receptor expression, cytokine production and cytotoxicity in ME/CFS patients and determine the appropriateness as a model for ME/CFS.
methodsMedline (EBSCOHost), Scopus, EMBASE and PubMed databases were systematically searched to source relevant papers published between 1994 and March 2018. This review included studies examining NK cells' features in ME/CFS patients compared with HC following administration of specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Secondary outcomes included genetic analysis in isolated NK cells or quality of life assessment. Quality assessment was completed using the Downs and Black checklist in addition to The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist.
resultsSeventeen eligible publications were included in this review. All studies were observational case control studies. Of these, 11 investigated NK cell cytotoxicity, 14 investigated NK cell phenotype and receptor profiles, three examined NK cell cytokine production, six investigated NK cell lytic protein levels and four investigated NK cell degranulation. Impaired NK cell cytotoxicity remained the most consistent immunological report across all publications. Other outcomes investigated differed between studies.
conclusionA consistent finding among all papers included in this review was impaired NK cell cytotoxicity, suggesting that it is a reliable and appropriate cellular model for continued research in ME/CFS patients. Aberrations in NK cell lytic protein levels were also reported. Although additional research is recommended, current research provides a foundation for subsequent investigations. It is possible that NK cell abnormalities can be used to characterise a subset of ME/CFS due to the heterogeneity of both the illness itself and findings between studies investigating specific features of NK function.
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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.