title: The relationship between the frequency of the common cold and the activities of natural killer cells.
abstract: We investigated the relationship between the frequency of the common cold and the conditions of the body's immune system among members of a generally healthy population. Self-reporting questionnaires on the frequency of the common cold and on fatigue and stress conditions were administered to a total of 67 healthy individuals aged 22 to 50. The activities of natural killer (NK) cells, which were determined by Eu(3+)-DTPA release assay, and of NK cell members in the peripheral blood of the subjects were phenotypically (CD3 CD16(+) CD56(+)) analyzed with three-color flow cytometry. The results showed that the frequency of the common cold was significantly correlated with NK activity and NK subset (CD3(-)CD16(+) CD56(+)) frequency (r=-0.34 and-0.47 respectively, P<0.01). After adjusting for age, the mean NK subset (CD3(-)CD16(+)CD56) significandy differed (F=3.384, P<0.05) among the four frequency groups for the common cold, and the frequencies of the common cold were significandy different among the four stress/fatigue groups (F=8.016, P<0.001) for the males, as evaluated by ANCOVA. These results indicate that conditions of high stress and fatigue may increase the chance of catching the common cold due to a decrease in activities of NK cells.
authors: Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, 113-8421, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Xu
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Muto
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Yabe
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Nagao
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Fukuwatart
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Okumura