Exploring the diagnostic potential of immune biomarker coexpression in Gulf War Illness

Methods Mol Biol. 2012:934:145-64. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-071-7_8.

Abstract

Complex disorders like Gulf War Illness (GWI) often defy diagnosis on the basis of a single biomarker and may only be distinguishable by considering the coexpression of multiple markers measured in response to a challenge. We demonstrate the practical application of such an approach using an example where blood was collected from 26 GWI, 13 healthy control subjects, and 9 unhealthy controls with Chronic Fatigue at three points during a graded exercise challenge. A 3-way multivariate projection model based on 12 markers of endocrine and immune function was constructed using a training set of n = 10 GWI and n = 11 healthy controls. These groups were separated almost completely on the basis of two coexpression patterns. In a separate test set these same features allowed for discrimination of new GWI subjects (n = 16) from unhealthy (n = 9) and healthy control subjects with a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 90%.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Chronic Disease
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cytokines / blood*
  • Cytokines / immunology
  • Exercise Test*
  • Fatigue / blood
  • Fatigue / complications
  • Fatigue / diagnosis
  • Fatigue / immunology
  • Female
  • Gulf War
  • Humans
  • Least-Squares Analysis
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Biological
  • Persian Gulf Syndrome / blood*
  • Persian Gulf Syndrome / complications
  • Persian Gulf Syndrome / diagnosis*
  • Persian Gulf Syndrome / immunology

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Cytokines