Accession Number:

ADA230350

Title:

Persistently Low Natural Killer Cell Activity and Circulating Levels of Plasma Beta Endorphin: Risk Factors for Infectious Disease

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

PITTSBURGH UNIV PA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Personal Author(s):

• Levy, Sandra M.
• Fernstrom, John
• Herberman, Ronald B.
• Whiteside, Theresa
• Lee, Jerry
• Ward, Maria
• Massoudi, Mehran

Report Date:

1990-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

12.0

Abstract:

Beta endorphin levels were quantitated in plasma samples obtained from normal subjects n81, 37 males and 63 females, age range 18-45 years as a component of a prospective study examining the relationship of illness morbidity to natural killer cell activity and psychological indices of stress. The present study was designed to test whether beta endorphin levels contributed additionally to the explanation of illness outcome variance. In the larger study, persistently low NK LNK activity was associated prospectively with higher illness morbidity. The findings reported here suggest that the observed LNK activity might be affected by circulating levels of plasma beta endorphin, as lower endorphin levels predicted the LNK pattern, which in turn predicted higher illness morbidity.

Descriptors:

• *CELLS
• PLASMAS(PHYSICS)
• STRESS(PSYCHOLOGY)
• MORBIDITY
• SAMPLING
• INDEXES
• INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• CIRCULATION
• RISK
• ILLNESS

Subject Categories:

• Medicine and Medical Research

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE