Epstein-Barr virus induced gene-2 upregulation identifies a particular subtype of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (2019) Kerr

Provisionally accepted

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2019.00059/full

full paper here:
http://sci-hub.tw/https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2019.00059/full

I haven't read it all but not sure if I've posted it in the correct forum?:

"EBV reactivation is a model for psychological stress and triggering of CFS/ME"

 

That section talks about how "Psychological stress triggers release of glucocorticoids which activate EBV lytic infection through the upregulation of the immediate early BZLF1 gene expression" and explains how EBV reactivation has been seen in students and in military recruits - I think it's safely away from psychosocial research.

Just for interest, in checking his background, I found (or re-discovered - I, at least, can't remember it) this letter he wrote that was published by the BMJ in response to the article "Pressure grows on Lancet to review “flawed” PACE trial".

https://www.bmj.com/content/362/bmj.k3621/rr-11

 

From my presentation at EUROMENE (Sept. 2018) i propose the EBI2 as a target due to its association with Oxysterols. Slides 27 and 28 :





and

 

This is a review article titled to sound as if it is a data paper. As a review article it is poor. It is muddled and incorrect at almost every stage. It is impossible to work out what pathogenic mechanism is being proposed if any.

The mention of psychological stress is very strange. I don't think this is away from psychosocial research at all - certainly no further than Wessely or White who acknowledge the importance of viral initiation. The suggestion here is that psychological stress is of key importance in the causation of ME, yet it is also claimed that this indicates that ME is caused by viruses. The arguments seem to me incoherent. There is no evidence that I know of that psychological stress leads to reactivity of EBV infection.

We desperately need biomedical research but it has to be of a minimum standard. I don't think this reaches that minimum.