Transcribed from CDC site 14.3.2003
 
"CDC National Center for Infectious Diseases
Chronic fatigue Syndrome
Hot Topics

Report of a Meeting: Towards Understanding of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Medically Unexplained Fatigue

"During February 23-26, 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CFIDS Association of America cosponsored a meeting, Towards understanding of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Medically Unexplained Fatigue, at the Banbury Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York.
 
"The objective of the meeting was to identify gaps in current approaches to the study of medically unexplained fatigue. In particular, will further progress require paradigm shifts, new technologies, or simply more work in currently established directions?
 
"The first morning focused on chronic fatigue and the state of the science.

"Presentations and discussion reviewed the spectrum of ailments in medically unexplained fatiguing illnesses, the magnitude of medically unexplained fatigue as a public health problem, cognitive behaviourial and emotional factors in chronic fatigue, neuroendocrine perturbations in chronic fatigue and acute infection-immunologic perturbations and chronic fatigue. The afternoon session was concerned with influences on the structure and function of the brain. Presentations covered the relevance of the neurohypophyseal system, communication between the brain and the immune system, and immunologic stress, the brain and CFS.
 
"The second day began with a session on infection, immunity, sex, and the brain. There were presentations and discussion concerning neuroendocrine regulation of immunity, maternal infection, fetal brain development and health, chronic consequences of persistent infection, and immunity. This was followed by a series of talks and discussion on analytical approaches searching for markers applicable to medically unexplained fatigue. This encompassed what psychopharmacology tells us about the pathophysiology of medically unexplained fatigue, biomarker discovery in illness with no lesion, sex (male vs. female) as a determinant of disease, and microchimerism.
 
"The third day involved discussion of presentations and preparation of a report on future research directions to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of medically unexplained fatigue.
 
"Meeting Participants
 
"Invited participants included
Jack C de la Torre (University of California, San Diego, CA),
Birgitta Evengard (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden),
Carol Artlett (Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA),  
Anthony Cleare (Guy's King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, London UK),
Mary Ann Fletcher (University of Miami School Medicine, Miami, FL),
Eleanor Hanna (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD),
Leonard A. Jason (De Paul University, Chicago, IL),
Kevin D Karem (CDC, Atlanta, GA),
Andrew Lloyd (University of New South  Wales, Sydney, Australia),
Ian Hickie (St George Hospital, Sydney, Australia),
James F. Jones (National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO),
Kimberly Kenny (CFIDS Association of America, Charlotte, NV),
Steven F Maier(University of Colorado , Boulder, CO ),
Andrew H. Miller (Emory University, Atlanta, GA),
Paul H. Patterson(California Institute of Technology, Pasadena,CA),
Mangalathu Rajeevan (CDC Atlanta GA),
Sharon Shriver (Penn State University, university, PA),
Estha M. Sternberg (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD),
Dimitris Papanicolaou ( Emory University, Atlanta, GA),
Charles L. Raison (Emory University, Atlanta, GA),
William Reeves (CDC, Atlanta, GA),
Celia D. Sladek (University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO),
Elizabeth R. Unger ( CDC, Atlanta, GA),
Suzanne Vernon (CDC, Atlanta, GA),
Simon Wessley (Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK),
Peter D. White ( St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. UK),
Ute Vollmer-Conna (University of New South Wales , Sydney, Australia) and
Toni Whistler (CDC, Atlanta, GA).
 
"This page last reviewed March 6 2003."     
 
(End of transcription.)
 
Comments
 
The report provides the clearest illustration of the lack of scientific precision of terminology. Chronic fatigue syndrome is the "hot topic" title. Terms wander between medically unexplained fatigue (7 x), chronic fatigue (4 x), medically unexplained fatiguing illnesses (2 x), CFS ( 2x )—unexplained scientific ambiguity, or unexplained  deliberate broadening?

Isn't the fatigue of MS medically unexplained?
 
And why 'medically unexplained fatigue' and not "medically unexplained" pain, nausea, intractable headache, paresis?
 
There was no response to earlier requests for a more thorough detailed report of presentations of individual participants. Were Proceedings printed?
 
Has a report prepared on future research directions (day 3) been made available ?
 
What were the meeting costs of the co-sponsors?
 
The Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation is hoping to record Government funding and project titles for ME/CFS research world wide, backdated as far as possible. Any help with information would be appreciated—send information to our website.
 
Chris Hunter

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