scholarly journals Immunological dysfunction, vaccination and Gulf War illness

2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1468) ◽  
pp. 681-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Peakman ◽  
Ania Skowera ◽  
Matthew Hotopf
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Biological Weapons ◽  
Gulf War Illness ◽  
Epidemiological Evidence ◽  
Counter Measures ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome

One candidate cause of Gulf War illness is vaccination against infectious diseases including medical counter-measures against biological weapons. One influential theory has suggested that such mass-vaccination caused a shift in immune response to a Type 2 cytokine pattern (Th2), which it was suggested was accompanied by a chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness. This article critically appraises this theory. We start by examining epidemiological evidence, which indicates that single vaccines are unlikely to be a substantial cause of Gulf War illness, but that there was a modest relationship with multiple vaccines, which was strongest in those vaccinated while deployed to the Gulf. These relationships may be affected by recall bias. We conclude by examining the results of immunological studies carried out in veterans or in a relevant setting in vitro . The balance of evidence from immunological studies on veterans returning from the War, including those developing multi-symptom illness, is that the immune response has not become polarized towards Th2. In summary, the epidemiological evidence for a multiple vaccine effect on Gulf War-related illness remains a potentially important aetiological lead, but mechanistic studies available at this stage do not identify any immunological basis for it.

scholarly journals A comparison of sex-specific immune signatures in Gulf War illness and chronic fatigue syndrome

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Smylie ◽  
Gordon Broderick ◽  
Henrique Fernandes ◽  
Shirin Razdan ◽  
Zachary Barnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Gulf War Illness ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Immune Signatures

scholarly journals Exercise modifies glutamate and other metabolic biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid from Gulf War Illness and Myalgic encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244116
Author(s):  
James N. Baraniuk ◽  
Grant Kern ◽  
Vaishnavi Narayan ◽  
Amrita Cheema
Keyword(s):  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Exercise Stress ◽  
Gulf War Illness ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Postural Tachycardia

Myalgic encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI) share many symptoms of fatigue, pain, and cognitive dysfunction that are not relieved by rest. Patterns of serum metabolites in ME/CFS and GWI are different from control groups and suggest potential dysfunction of energy and lipid metabolism. The metabolomics of cerebrospinal fluid was contrasted between ME/CFS, GWI and sedentary controls in 2 sets of subjects who had lumbar punctures after either (a) rest or (b) submaximal exercise stress tests. Postexercise GWI and control subjects were subdivided according to acquired transient postexertional postural tachycardia. Banked cerebrospinal fluid specimens were assayed using Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ® p180 kits for quantitative targeted metabolomics studies of amino acids, amines, acylcarnitines, sphingolipids, lysophospholipids, alkyl and ether phosphocholines. Glutamate was significantly higher in the subgroup of postexercise GWI subjects who did not develop postural tachycardia after exercise compared to nonexercise and other postexercise groups. The only difference between nonexercise groups was higher lysoPC a C28:0 in GWI than ME/CFS suggesting this biochemical or phospholipase activities may have potential as a biomarker to distinguish between the 2 diseases. Exercise effects were suggested by elevation of short chain acylcarnitine C5-OH (C3-DC-M) in postexercise controls compared to nonexercise ME/CFS. Limitations include small subgroup sample sizes and absence of postexercise ME/CFS specimens. Mechanisms of glutamate neuroexcitotoxicity may contribute to neuropathology and “neuroinflammation” in the GWI subset who did not develop postural tachycardia after exercise. Dysfunctional lipid metabolism may distinguish the predominantly female ME/CFS group from predominantly male GWI subjects.

scholarly journals Differential Effects of Exercise on fMRI of the Midbrain Ascending Arousal Network Nuclei in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Gulf War Illness (GWI) in a Model of Postexertional Malaise (PEM)

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
James N. Baraniuk ◽  
Alison Amar ◽  
Haris Pepermitwala ◽  
Stuart D. Washington
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽  
Seed Region ◽  
Gulf War Illness ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Control

Background: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Gulf War Illness (GWI) and control subjects underwent fMRI during difficult cognitive tests performed before and after submaximal exercise provocation (Washington 2020). Exercise caused increased activation in ME/CFS but decreased activation for GWI in the dorsal midbrain, left Rolandic operculum and right middle insula. Midbrain and isthmus nuclei participate in threat assessment, attention, cognition, mood, pain, sleep, and autonomic dysfunction. Methods: Activated midbrain nuclei were inferred by a re-analysis of data from 31 control, 36 ME/CFS and 78 GWI subjects using a seed region approach and the Harvard Ascending Arousal Network. Results: Before exercise, control and GWI subjects showed greater activation during cognition than ME/CFS in the left pedunculotegmental nucleus. Post exercise, ME/CFS subjects showed greater activation than GWI ones for midline periaqueductal gray, dorsal and median raphe, and right midbrain reticular formation, parabrachial complex and locus coeruleus. The change between days (delta) was positive for ME/CFS but negative for GWI, indicating reciprocal patterns of activation. The controls had no changes. Conclusions: Exercise caused the opposite effects with increased activation in ME/CFS but decreased activation in GWI, indicating different pathophysiological responses to exertion and mechanisms of disease. Midbrain and isthmus nuclei contribute to postexertional malaise in ME/CFS and GWI.

scholarly journals Characterising the gut microbiome in veterans with Gulf War Illness: a protocol for a longitudinal, prospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e031114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A Keating ◽  
Catherine Shaughnessy ◽  
Kelsey Baubie ◽  
Ashley E Kates ◽  
Nathan Putman-Buehler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Gulf War ◽  
Case Definition ◽  
Gulf War Illness ◽  
War Veterans ◽  
Gulf War Veterans ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Institutional Review

IntroductionApproximately 25%–35% of the 1991 Gulf War Veteran population report symptoms consistent with Gulf War Illness (GWI), a chronic, multi-symptom illness characterised by fatigue, pain, irritable bowel syndrome and problems with cognitive function. GWI is a disabling problem for Gulf War Veterans, and there remains a critical need to identify innovative, novel therapies.Gut microbiota perturbation plays a key role in the symptomatology of other chronic multi-symptom illnesses, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Given similarities between ME/CFS and GWI and the presence of gastrointestinal disorders in GWI patients, Veterans with GWI may also have gut abnormalities like those seen with ME/CFS. In this longitudinal cohort study, we are comparing the diversity (structure) and the metagenomes (function) of the gut microbiome between Gulf War Veterans with and without GWI. If we find differences in Veterans with GWI, the microbiome could be a target for therapeutic intervention to alleviate GWI symptoms.Methods and analysisParticipants answer questions about diet, exercise and lifestyle factors. Participants also complete a questionnaire (based on the Kansas case definition of GWI) regarding their medical history and symptoms; we use this questionnaire to group participants into GWI versus healthy control cohorts. We plan to enrol 52 deployed Gulf War Veterans: 26 with GWI and 26 healthy controls. Participants provide stool and saliva samples weekly for an 8-week period for microbiome analyses. Participants also provide blood samples at the beginning and end of this period, which we will use to compare measures of inflammation markers between the groups.Ethics and disseminationThe protocol was approved by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Health Sciences Institutional Review Board and the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital Research and Development Committee. Results of this study will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

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