A new study just showed that gut bacteria from people with fibromyalgia can cause pain when transplanted into mice.

This is the strongest evidence yet that the gut microbiome plays a direct role in fibromyalgia.

Here's a full breakdown of what they found Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition.

It causes widespread pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and often depression.

But unlike arthritis or nerve injuries, FM has no clear physical cause. That's why it's called “nociplastic” pain - pain without damage.

New @amaticahealth preliminary findings: elevated NKG2A in Long COVID & ME/CFS

NKG2A is a receptor found on NK cells & some T cells. It acts as an "immune system brake" when on

This is useful for preventing damage to healthy tissue - but can prevent proper clearance of viruses @amaticahealth NKG2A works by detecting a protein on cell surfaces called HLA-E.

When HLA-E is present, NKG2A sends a signal that tells the immune cell to stop. This helps prevent the immune system from attacking the body’s own cells.

New research shows Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) share the same biological problem: their bodies struggle to use oxygen properly during exercise.

Here's a full breakdown - and what it means. Researchers studied 3 groups:

- 15 people with Long COVID

- 11 with ME/CFS

- 11 healthy people

They all did intense exercise tests while hooked up to tubes and catheters that measured heart and lung function in real time.

Reposting as important:

🔬 Mitochondria help power cells, and they constantly split (fission) and join (fusion) to stay healthy.

Surprisingly, we can track how this is going using blood RNA.

Here’s what recent research has found in humans 🧵 First, the main genes to know:

- MFN1, MFN2, OPA1 -> control fusion (joining)

- DRP1, FIS1 -> control fission (splitting)

Their RNA levels in blood tell us whether cells are leaning more toward breaking apart mitochondria or keeping them intact.

🧵 T cell exhaustion - possibly one of the drivers of chronic infections in Long COVID & ME/CFS.

What is it, what genes are involved, and how we can gain insights with available testing.

Let’s break it down. 🧵 T cells are immune cells that normally help fight infections and cancer.

But when T cells are exposed to a threat for too long - like a virus or tumor that doesn’t go away - they can enter a state called “exhaustion.”

🔬A major new study shows clear evidence of immune overactivation, energy metabolism failure, gut issues, and worsening after exercise in ME/CFS.

Importantly - patients separated into subgroups, a focus by us @amaticahealth

Let’s break it down in simple language 🧵 @amaticahealth Researchers studied 56 people with ME/CFS and 52 healthy controls. Blood samples were taken before and after an exercise challenge that typically triggers post-exertional malaise (PEM), a core symptom of ME/CFS.

They looked at immune responses, proteins, and metabolites.

🔬Viruses don’t just cause short-term illness.

Many stay in your body for life.

They speed up the aging process - in your immune system, organs, and even your DNA.

Here’s some examples, and why stopping them could help extend lifespan🧵 Common long-term viruses include:

- CMV (cytomegalovirus)

- HSV (herpes simplex, cold sores)

- EBV (Epstein-Barr, mono)

- HIV

- HBV and HCV (hepatitis B and C)

These viruses often remain in the body for years, even decades.

🔬Interesting aging study - removing a single protein (FTL1) from the brain of old mice restores memory and brain function.

It also improves how brain cells use iron and energy.

Aging reversal is hope for me losing years to chronic illness - let’s break it down.🧵 As mice age, a protein called FTL1 builds up in the hippocampus, a brain region essential for learning and memory.

FTL1 helps store iron. That’s normal. But in older mice, too much FTL1 is a problem.

🔬Most people think mast cells are only involved in allergies or rare conditions like MCAS or mastocytosis. That’s incorrect.

Research shows mast cells are active in many diseases, including neurodegenerative, autoimmune, infectious, heart, gut, and mental health conditions🧵 Mast cells sit in tissues like the skin, gut, and around blood vessels and nerves. When triggered, they release a large mix of chemicals: histamine, tryptase, chymase, cytokines (like TNF and IL-6), prostaglandins, and more.

These chemicals affect nearby cells and tissues.

A new study identifies a protein called SMPDL3B as a possible key factor in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS).

It could explain immune problems, symptom severity, and even point to new treatments.

Here’s a full breakdown - our preliminary RNA data supports this finding: 🧵 First, what is SMPDL3B?

It’s a protein found on the surface of immune cells. It plays a role in controlling inflammation and responding to viruses. It also helps manage how lipids (fats) behave in cells.

🔬 A major international study looked at what COVID-19 does to your blood vessels over time.

It found that people who had COVID - especially women - had “older” and stiffer arteries, even months later.

Here’s a simplified breakdown of what they found 🧵 The CARTESIAN study followed nearly 2,400 people from 18 countries.

They compared:
People who never had COVID
People who had mild COVID (not hospitalized)
People hospitalized with COVID
People who were in the ICU with COVID

🔬 How can blood RNA hint if someone has an ongoing bacterial infection?

Certain RNA patterns can indicate whether bacteria are present and how the immune system is responding

Potentially useful for identifying bacterial persistence in Long COVID & ME/CFS 🧵 So some base information - what is the test?

The test is whole blood RNA Sequencing ~ 20,000 results per patient, with roughly 1500 pathways insights!

All RNA mentioned below are contained in the test.

Join here:

amaticahealth.com/me-cfs-long-co…

🔬 How can blood RNA hint if someone has an ongoing bacterial infection?

Certain RNA patterns can indicate whether bacteria are present and how the immune system is responding

Potentially useful for identifying bacterial persistence in Long COVID & ME/CFS 🧵 So some base information - what is the test?

The test is whole blood RNA Sequencing ~ 20,000 results per patient, with roughly 1500 pathways insights!

All RNA mentioned below are contained in the test.

Join here:

amaticahealth.com/me-cfs-long-co…

🔬Interesting new brainstem and cerebellum study in Long COVID - new imaging findings from 2025

A new brain imaging study of Long COVID patients reveals major damage in key parts of the brain responsible for movement, balance, and automatic body functions like heart rate and sleep.

Let’s break it down. 🧵 The researchers scanned the brains of 44 Long COVID patients (15 bedridden) and 14 healthy people using high-resolution MRI.

They focused on a part of the brain called the brainstem, and the nearby cerebellar peduncles - which connect the cerebellum to the brain.

🔬New study shows SARS-CoV-2 causes direct damage to heart cell mitochondria - even months after recovery - helping potentially explain Long COVID heart symptoms like chest pain, palpitations & fatigue.

Been waiting to have time to read this paper. Let’s break it down. 🧵 Researchers studied 5 people who had COVID-19 weeks or months earlier. They all had new or unusual heart problems, like chest pain, irregular heartbeat, or even cardiac arrest.

Each patient had a heart biopsy (a sample of heart tissue examined under a microscope).

🔬Interesting new study: Researchers exposed lab-grown human muscle tissues to blood serum from people with ME/CFS and Long COVID.

After 48 muscles:
- Produced less force
- Fatigued faster
- Lost their ability to hold peak strength

Let’s breakdown the full paper 🧵 Cohort: 4 ME/CFS patients, 5 Long COVID patients, 4 healthy controls (all female).
Method: Researchers grew 3D muscle tissues from human cells, exposed them to patient serum for 48–144h, and tested strength, gene activity (using RNA-seq), structure, and metabolism.

Many new faces, so I thought I’d share my story and how @amaticahealth came to be.

I developed Long COVID in 2021 after a Delta infection, almost immediately experiencing neurological symptoms like vertigo and visual snow syndrome (VSS). My condition worsened rapidly after my physician recommended intense exercise, leading to a major crash from which I never recovered.

🔬New @BhupeshPrusty paper breakdown - very cool paper:

The study finds that people with ME/CFS & Long COVID have antibodies in their blood that may directly interfere with mitochondria (how human cells create energy and regulate inflammation)

In simple language all findings 🧵 So some basic knowledge first:

Our immune systems make antibodies (also called IgG). These are proteins that help the body fight off infections.

In some people, antibodies don’t shut off properly and may begin to affect the body’s own cells. This is called autoimmunity.

🔬One of the main questions in Long COVID & ME/CFS

Autoimmunity vs Viral Persistence

- the virus never fully left, or
- the immune system started attacking the body

Our new @amaticahealth blood-RNA test may help insights into which is happening.

Let’s look at some markers 🧵 So some base information - what is the test?

The test is whole blood RNA Sequencing ~ 20,000 results per patient, with roughly 1500 pathways insights!

mRNA are messengers from our dna that help make proteins and this is what we test.

Video explaining:

amaticahealth.com/me-cfs-long-co…

🔬First Decode ME gene - RABGAP1L

RABGAP1L is a protein that helps control how cells move and recycle materials. It turns off other proteins that guide tiny packages inside the cell. These packages carry waste, used-up parts, or germs to places where they can be broken down. How it fights infection:

By turning Rab proteins off at the right time, RABGAP1L moves invading bacteria and viruses into compartments where they are broken down. Loss or reduction of RABGAP1L lets more influenza virus and Streptococcus pyogenes survive and replicate in cells.

🔬Simplified breakdown of the Decode ME results:

DecodeME identifies 8 gene regions linking immune response, mitochondrial energy control, and brain-cell signalling to ME/CFS

Genomic evidence the disease is biological.

Let’s breakdown everything in depth 🧵 Study Cohort:

15,579 people with doctor-diagnosed ME/CFS + 259,909 UK Biobank controls (no ME/CFS).

85 % were women, average age ≈ 52 y.