Science News, March 27, 1999

People who feel unable to deal with life's stresses display an exaggerated immune reaction that may intensify their sneezing, soughing, and other physical symptoms once they've contracted a common virus, a new study suggests.
However, the researchers have not yet confirmed whether this particular immune response-a sharp rise in the production of a chemical messenger known as interleukin-6(IL-6)-magnifies coldlike respiratory symptoms or occurs in response to them.
Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University says this is the first linkage of psychological stress to an immune system change. Cohen and his colleagues previously found that high levels of mental stress increase the risk of becoming infected by respiratory viruses and developing cold symptoms.
Participants in the research were chosen by a newspaper ad, and then were quarantined in separate rooms of a hotel for eight days. On the first day, they underwent physical examinations and......

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Title: Interleukin-6
Approximate Word Count: 431
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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