Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33653604›Full record

ArticleJournal of the neurological sciences2021

Inhibition of HERV-K (HML-2) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients on antiretroviral therapy.

M Garcia-Montojo, S Fathi, G Norato, B R Smith, D B Rowe, M C Kiernan, S Vucic, S Mathers, R P A van Eijk, U Santamaria and 9 more

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the neurological sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.0field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. ERVK activity in CD8Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors at 10 institutions in 4 countries.

M Garcia-MontojoSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD. USA.
S FathiSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD. USA.
G NoratoSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD. USA.
B R SmithSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD. USA.
D B RoweDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Australia.
M C KiernanBrain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney and Department of Neurology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
S VucicDepartment of Neurology, Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
S MathersDepartment of Neurology, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Melbourne, Australia.
R P A van EijkDepartment of Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Biostatistics & Research Support, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
U SantamariaSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD. USA.
M-L RogersCentre for Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
A MalaspinaBlizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
V LombardiBlizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
P R MehtaKing's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, London SE5 9RX, UK; King's College Hospital, Department of Neurology, London SE5 9RS, UK.
H-J WestenengDepartment of Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
L H van den BergDepartment of Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
A Al-ChalabiKing's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, London SE5 9RX, UK; King's College Hospital, Department of Neurology, London SE5 9RS, UK.
J GoldBlizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK; King's College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, London SE5 9RX, UK; The Albion Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
A NathSection of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD. USA. Electronic address: natha@ninds.nih.gov.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · USUniversity Medical Center Utrecht · NLKing's College London · GBQueen Mary University of London · GBCalvary Health Care Bethlehem · AUFlinders University · AUKing's College Hospital · GBMacquarie University · AURoyal Prince Alfred Hospital · AUThe University of Sydney · AU

Funding

Neuropathogenesis of Retroviral InfectionsZIANS003130 · NINDS · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE · PI NATH, AVINDRA · 2011 to 2025
$73.7M
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA NS003130Medical Research Council MR/R024804/1Motor Neurone Disease Association MALASPINA/APR13/817-791Motor Neurone Disease Association TURNER/OCT15/972-797
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Reactivation of Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HERV-K), subtype HML-2, has been associated with pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We aimed to assess the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy in inhibiting HML-2 in patients with ALS and a possible association between the change in HML-2 levels and clinical outcomes. We studied the effect of 24-weeks antiretroviral combination therapy with abacavir, lamivudine, and dolutegravir on HML-2 levels in 29 ALS patients. HML-2 levels decreased progressively over 24 weeks (P = 0.001) and rebounded within a week of stopping medications (P = 0.02). The majority of participants (82%), defined as "responders", experienced a decrease in HML-2 at week 24 of treatment compared to the pre-treatment levels. Differences in the evolution of some of the clinical outcomes could be seen between responders and non-responders: FVC decreased 23.69% (SE = 11.34) in non-responders and 12.71% (SE = 8.28) in responders. NPI score decreased 91.95% (SE = 6.32) in non-responders and 53.05% (SE = 10.06) in responders (P = 0.01). Thus, participants with a virological response to treatment showed a trend for slower progression of the illness. These findings further support the possible involvement of HML-2 in the clinical course of the disease.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisEndogenous RetrovirusesHIV InfectionsHumansALSAmyotrophic lateral sclerosisAntiretroviralHERV-KHML-2

Identifiers

PMID33653604
PMCPMC8009857
OpenAlexW3129642593

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.