Journal of IiME Volume 5 Issue 1 (May 2011) PRESENTERS at the 6th INVEST in ME INTERNATIONAL ME/CFS CONFERENCE He is the Medical Director of the Open Medicine Clinic - a community-based research clinic focussed on chronic infectious diseases, neuroimmune disease, and immunology. Dr. Kogelnik has published numerous scientific papers and book chapters, is an Editor of Computers in Medicine and Biology, and is a Consulting Assistant Professor at Stanford University. With the Open Medicine Institute, he has led the formation of CFS and Lyme Registries and Biobanks as well as creating an infrastructure for providers to collect better data and implement clinical trials across a network of sites. Professor Kenny De Meirleir Professor De Meirleir is a world renowned researcher of ME/CFS. He is full professor of physiology, pathophysiology and medicine at the Virje Universitet Brussel and practices Internal Medicine at Himmunitas Foundation also in Brussels. He has published several hundred peer reviewed articles and is co-author of the book 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: a biological approach' and was co-editor of the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and reviewer for more than 10 other medical journals. Professor De Meirleir was one of four international experts on the panel that developed the Canadian Consensus Document for ME/CFS. He assesses/treats thousands of ME/CFS patients annually and is the most experienced researcher in Europe regarding ME/CFS. His research activities in ME/CFS date back to 1990. His other research activities in exercise physiology, metabolism and endocrinology have led to the Solvay Prize and the NATO research award. Abstract: CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND TRIALS OF ME/CFS Part I : Clinical Diagnosis In the first part of the presentation relevant data with regards to abnormal laboratory findings in ME/CFS patients will be presented. The intention is to give an overview of the most striking abnormalities with clinical relevance. Results of routine laboratory and of specialized tests are discussed with explanation as how they fit in the pathophysiology of the disorder. In a majority of patients serum sCD14 is increased and CD57+ lymphocyte numbers are low. Using different methods XMRV/MLV is detected in a majority of ME/CFS patients and this is significant when compared to the prevalence of this retrovirus in healthy blood donors. XMRV positive ME/CFS patients show a distinct inflammatory signature based on their cytokine blood levels (De Meirleir et al. 2010 ; Lombardi et al. 2011). Recently we demonstrated that XMRV is present in the gut. In one ME/CFS patient XMRV was recovered from his appendix after he underwent appendectomy. ME/CFS patients have a Th1 Th2 shift and show increased H2S metabolites in the urine. This can be demonstrated by a simple self testing urine kit. A subgroup of ME/CFS patients carries abnormal cell surface proteins, which has negative consequences for ion channel function. Continued page 51 Invest in ME (Charity Nr. 1114035) www.investinme.org Page 50/58
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