Preprint A Proposed Mechanism for ME/CFS Invoking Macrophage Fc-gamma-RI and Interferon Gamma, 2025, Edwards, Cambridge and Cliff

[rvallee]

I think Dr Conti may have rather missed the point of open peer review as used by Qeios.
It isn't about including the pet interests of reviewers!
I will make some replies tomorrow.

Approaches mic during question time: "Not so much a question, more of a comment..."

 

[DMissa]

May I quote you on this @DMissa when responding to Dr Conti? It matches my own interpretation of the study. I think you have also made the point that you did not find a similar effect in other cell types more recently.

I'll message you in specific terms so as not to clog the thread

 

[Nightsong]

I was rather curious that the papers recommended to be cited (!) by Dr Conti appeared in the same obscure journal by the same obscure Italian publisher, "Biolife", with which it appears that he is closely associated. A couple of searches led me to these articles concerning Biolife:

https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2020/08/04/the-journal-of-brouhaha/

https://web.archive.org/web/2025071.../08/05/gli-affari-del-prof-pio-conti-detto-c/

 

[Chandelier]

https://web.archive.org/web/2025071.../08/05/gli-affari-del-prof-pio-conti-detto-c/

Here‘s an english translation.

Biolife is a provincial scam compared to Scientific Reports, the least expensive and most profitable of the open access journals of the Nature group. … recycled the garbage produced by a Chinese paper factory about twenty times.

What a hellhole of a „scientific journal“:

The article in violation of every code of ethics and human rights produced by racist gynecologists and voyeurs of the State University of Milan and the San Raffaele hospital that I was talking about a year ago when Leonid had reported it to me is finally withdrawn (h/t E.K. Hornbeck).
It took seven years of protests during which the authors defended the ethics of their "Miss Endometriosis" contest.
Anyway, congratulations to Prof. Paolo Vercelliniof the University of Milan, the creator of the competition among his patients: he is even talked about in the Guardian.

 

[Utsikt]

Conti’s comment says that he is affiliated with Tufts University, but I can’t find him on their webpage:

Welcome to the Tufts Online Directory

directory.tufts.edu

 

[Chandelier]

Conti’s comment says that he is affiliated with Tufts University, but I can’t find him on their webpage:

Welcome to the Tufts Online Directory

directory.tufts.edu

This bio from infectiouscongress.com/ mentions the following:

From 1986-2022, he studied the pathophysiology of mast cells at the Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Discovery Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston, directed by Prof. T.C. Theoharides. The studies done in this research center led to the publication of a significant number of articles in the best international scientific journals.

biolife-publisher.it also mentions that time period.

His former boss, Professor Theoharides, has a website called mastcellmaster.com.

 

[Utsikt]

This bio from infectiouscongress.com/ mentions the following:

biolife-publisher.it also mentions that time period.

Aren’t those just him saying he worked there? I haven’t found any other sources that support his claim.

But regardless, can you claim an affiliation if you no longer work there? Seems a bit odd to me..

His former boss, Professor Theoharides, has a website called mastcellmaster.com.

That website was a complete nightmare..

 

[Chandelier]

Aren’t those just him saying he worked there? I haven’t found any other sources that support his claim.

I agree, you might be onto something.
Does he mention it on his LinkedIn page?

 

[Jonathan Edwards]

But regardless, can you claim an affiliation if you no longer work there? Seems a bit odd to me.

I think his bio says he worked there for quite a time and he has some sort of honorary affiliation as a result. He doesn't work there.

 

[Utsikt]

I agree, you might be onto something.
Does he mention it on his LinkedIn page?

His employer is not verified (you can do that by providing your employee email and confirming it).

I found one post where he has a badge that honestly looks a bit dodgy. The chest badge is literally a piece of paper that looks like it has been stapled to his lab coat pocket. And the badge doesn’t match the search results for «tuft university employee badge» on google. This image of an affiliate badge uses a different layout of the names and different colours. Maybe the designs change from time to time, that would actually be a good idea from a cyber security perspective..

PS. Please don’t post photos of your badges anywhere. It makes it very easy for offensive hackers!

I think his bio says he worked there for quite a time and he has some sort of honorary affiliation as a result. He doesn't work there.

That might be it.