1st Edition

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome A Biological Approach

Edited By Patrick Englebienne, Kenny De Meirleir Copyright 2002
    312 Pages 5 Color & 42 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex, debilitating disorder, yet few current scientific biomedical books are available on the subject. The nonspecific symptoms, lack of diagnostic tests, and uncertainty as to the cause or causes of CFS make the disease that much more baffling. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach represents a monumental step in the journey to a unified understanding of CFS and establishes a scientific basis for treatment.

    The book provides a rare treatise on current state of the art with respect to the worldwide scientifically documented basis of CFS and acknowledges the many as yet undiscovered or undefined pathogenic mechanisms involved in the production of symptoms. The authors, reflecting their clinical and basic research backgrounds, outline future research imperatives and direct clinicians toward appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

    Because of the multifactorial aspects of the disease, the book addresses various fields of the biomedical sciences, such as protein biochemistry, virology, and pharmacology. Many recent, biological discoveries help us better understand the physiology of this disease and improve the specificity of its diagnosis by laboratory tests. This book summarizes these advances and discusses insights that support CFS as a distinct and specific physical disease. Overall, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Biological Approach provides a firm foundation understanding of CFS, opening the way for better diagnosis and design of new therapies

    Introduction
    Interferon and the 2-5A/Pathway, L. Bastide, E. Demettre, C. Martinand-Mari, and B. Lebleu
    Ribonuclease L: Overview of a Multifaceted Protein, P. Englebienne, C.V. Herst, S. Roelens, A. D'Haese, K. El Bakkouri, K. De Smet, M. Frémont, L. Bastide, E. Demettre, and B. Lebleu
    A 37-kDa RNase L: A Novel Form of RNase L Associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, R.J. Suhadolnik, S.E. Shetzline, C. Martinand-Mari, and N.L. Reichenbach
    Ribonuclease L Inhibitor: A Member of the ATP-Binding Cassette Superfamily, P. Englebienne, C.V. Herst, A. D'Haese, K, De Meirleir, L, Bastide, E, Demettre, and B, Lebleu
    The 2-5A Pathway and Signal Transduction: A Possible Link to Immune Dysregulation and Fatigue, P. Englebienne, C.V. Herst, M. Frémont, T. Verbinnen, M. Verhas, and K. De Meirleir
    Immune Cell Apoptosis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, M. Frémont, A. D'Haese, S. Roelens, K. De Smet, C.V. Herst, and P. Englebienne
    RNase L, Symptoms, Biochemistry of Fatigue and Pain, and Co-Morbid Disease, N.R. McGregor, P. De Becker, and K. De Meirleir
    CFS Etiology, the Immune System, and Infection, K. De Meirleir, P. De Becker, J. Nijs, D.L. Peterson, G. Nicolson, R. Patarca-Montero, and P. Englebienne
    Current Advances in CFS Therapy, P. De Becker, N.R. McGregor, K. De Smet, and K. De Meirleir
    From Laboratory to Patient Care, K. De Meirleir, D.L. Peterson, P. De Becker, and P. Englebienne
    Index

    Biography

    Patrick Englebienne, Kenny De Meirleir