title: Stress buffering effects of oxytocin on HIV status in low-income ethnic minority women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Elevated perceptions of psychosocial stress and stressful life events are linked to faster disease progression in individuals living with HIV and these associations may be stronger for women from ethnic minority populations. Levels of neurohormones such as oxytocin (OT), cortisol, and norepinephrine (NE) have been shown to influence the effects of psychosocial stress in different populations. Understanding how intrinsic neuroendocrine substances moderate the effects of stressors in minority women living with HIV (WLWH) may pave the way for interventions to improve disease management.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined circulating levels of plasma OT as a moderator of the effects of stress on disease status (viral load, CD4+ cell count) in 71 low-income ethnic minority WLWH.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At low levels of OT, there was an inverse association between stress and CD4+ cell counts. Counter-intuitively, at high levels of OT there was a positive association between stress and CD4+ cell counts. This pattern was unrelated to women's viral load. Other neuroendocrine hormones known to down-regulate the immune system (cortisol, norepinephrine) did not mediate the effects of OT and stress on immune status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  OT may have stress buffering effects on some immune parameters and possibly health status in low income ethnic minority WLWH reporting elevated stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, United States. efekete@psy.miami.edu
authors.forename: Erin M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Fekete
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Antoni
authors.forename: Corina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Armando J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mendez
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szeto
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klimas
authors.forename: Mahendra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schneiderman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine; D008016:Life Change Events; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000652:urine; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D011203:Poverty; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine