ArticleJournal of translational medicine2023
Natural killer cytotoxicity in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): a multi-site clinical assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM) sub-study.
Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Meta-analysis of natural killer cell cytotoxicity in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Pooled it
- Abnormal T-Cell activation and cytotoxic T-Cell frequency discriminate symptom severity in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- The search for a blood-based biomarker for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS): from biochemistry to electrophysiology.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMyalgic 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 rest, post-exertional malaise, and other symptoms. Reduced natural killer (NK) cell count and cytotoxicity has been investigated as a biomarker for ME/CFS, but few clinical laboratories offer the test and multi-site verification studies have not been conducted.
methodsWe determined NK cell counts and cytotoxicity in 174 (65%) ME/CFS, 86 (32%) healthy control (HC) and 10 (3.7%) participants with other fatigue associated conditions (ill control [IC]) from the Multi-Site Clinical Assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM) study using an assay validated for samples shipped overnight instead of testing on day of venipuncture.
resultsWe found a large variation in percent cytotoxicity [mean and (IQR) for ME/CFS and HC respectively, 34.1% (IQR 22.4-44.3%) and 33.6% (IQR 22.9-43.7%)] and no statistically significant differences between patients with ME/CFS and HC (p-value = 0.79). Analysis stratified on illness domain measured with standardized questionnaires did not identify an association of NK cytotoxicity with domain scores. Among all participants, NK cytotoxicity was not associated with survey results of physical and mental well-being, or health factors such as history of infection, obesity, smoking, and co-morbid conditions.
conclusionThese results indicate this assay is not ready for clinical implementation and studies are needed to further explore immune parameters that may be involved in the pathophysiology of ME/CFS.
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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.