title: Stress hormone stability: processing of blood samples collected during parabolic flight. A pre-flight comparison of different protocols.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Compare different protocols for blood processing to be used during parabolic flights.
  
  
  METHODS
  Measurement of cortisol (COR), prolactin (PRL), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), epinephrine (EP) and norepinephrine (NOR) concentrations stored at different temperatures and intervals before analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  COR, PRL and NOR showed no changes in concentration between analysis protocols. ACTH dropped by 60% when not analysed within 24 h.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A standardised processing protocol that includes a 4-h delay following blood collection is suitable for the assessment of serum stress hormone concentrations.
authors: Institute of Motor Control and Movement Technique, Department of Exercise Neuroscience, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Köln, Germany. schneider@dshs-koeln.de
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Schneider
authors: Vera
authors: V
authors: Brümmer
authors: Heather
authors: H
authors: Carnahan
authors: Adam
authors: A
authors: Dubrowski
authors: Christopher D
authors: CD
authors: Askew
authors: Heiko K
authors: HK
authors: Strüder
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D018489:Space Motion Sickness / Q000097:blood; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014893:Weightlessness
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine