Comparing DNA Methylation Landscapes in Peripheral Blood from [ME/CFS] and Long COVID Patients, 2025, Peppercorn et al

[jnmaciuch]

Being mindful of confirmation bias and limitations of this study, I just realized that IRF2BPL is in the same family as IRF2BP2, through which malate/malic acid has been found to downregulate IL-1B response in macrophages under certain pH and ER stress conditions…like you’d also expect to find in active muscle.

Discussion here:https://www.s4me.info/threads/malat...lation-of-inflammation-2024-chen-et-al.43873/

Obviously I’d wait for a more robust study before running away with any conclusions, but just thought it was an interesting connection to note given how much malic acid helps me avoid PEM. The question I can’t answer though is why the effect of malic acid seems to be somewhat dependent on stimulants in me and the handful of others that reported an effect if it is mediated through IRF2BPs

 

[Nightsong]

Now published in Int. J. Mol. Sci. -

https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/14/6631

 

[forestglip]

I put the results section from the preprint and the final paper in a diff checker (left hand side is preprint):
https://www.diffchecker.com/lt6Xaxmg/

They didn't add anything there that makes it clearer that the chart is basically meaningless.

 

[Utsikt]

I put the results section from the preprint and the final paper in a diff checker (left hand side is preprint):
https://www.diffchecker.com/lt6Xaxmg/

They didn't add anything there that makes it clearer that the chart is basically meaningless.

That’s a neat website! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Hutan]

I really despair.
The peer review process is completely worthless and the authors concerned seemed to have lacked either insight or integrity on this.

 

[ME/CFS Skeptic]

I really despair.
The peer review process is completely worthless and the authors concerned seemed to have lacked either insight or integrity on this.

Yes quite disappointing. This paper goes against all basic statistical principles. Hard to take the authors seriously after this.

 

[OrganicChilli]

Yes quite disappointing. This paper goes against all basic statistical principles. Hard to take the authors seriously after this.

The same authors published this ME/CFS book: https://www.s4me.info/threads/me-cfs-springer-protocols.44162/

 

[Hutan]

Complaints can be sent to:
Research Integrity and Publication Ethics team
publication.ethics@mdpi.com

Well, I've sent a letter of concern about the data analysis issue and conclusions drawn from it, while expressing my appreciation of the investigation and effort. It's really difficult as I know Warren Tate does mean well and he is for the most part highly appreciated by people with ME/CFS in New Zealand. And of course we want younger researchers working on ME/CFS to have wonderful careers. There's no glory in criticising a small team valiantly trying to help people with ME/CFS with hardly any funding.

And yet, you know, truth, accuracy does matter a bit, for this paper, for later papers by this team and for other papers that will be assessed by the same editorial team and peer reviewers.