Assessing severity of OCD symptoms with the Icelandic version of the DOCS

Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinnVandasamt getur verið að mæla einkenni áráttu- og þráhyggjuröskunar (obsessive-compulsive disorder) vegna þess hversu margbreytileg svipgerð hennar er. Í þessari grein er nýlegum sjálfsmatsspurningalista, Dimensional Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DOCS) lýst, sem mælir alvarleika áráttu- og þráhyggjueinkenna ásamt því að birtar eru niðurstöður rannsóknar á próffræðilegum eiginleikum íslenskrar þýðingar listans. Þátttakendur í rannsókninni voru nemendur við Háskóla Íslands sem mættu í greiningarviðtal. Samkvæmt formlegu geðgreiningarviðtali voru 32 nemendur með áráttu- og þráhyggjuröskun (auk annarra raskana), 28 með kvíðaröskun og 22 uppfylltu ekki greiningarviðmið fyrir neina skilgreinda röskun. Þátttakendur svöruðu meðal annars öðrum spurningalista um áráttu- og þráhyggjueinkenni ásamt spurningalistum um kvíða-, depurðar-, og streitueinkenni og einkenni félagskvíða. Niðurstöður sýndu að áreiðanleiki heildarskors DOCS var góður í öllum þremur hópunum (0,88-0,89). Heildarstigatala og stigatala á fjórum undirkvörðum listans var hæst í hópi þátttakenda með áráttu- og þráhyggjuröskun og var þessi munur marktækur. Einnig reyndist samleitni- og aðgreinandi réttmæti DOCS viðunandi þar sem DOCS hafði sterkari fylgni við niðurstöðu á öðrum spurningalista fyrir áráttu- og þráhyggjueinkenni (OCI-R) heldur en spurningalista um kvíða, depurð, streitu (DASS) og félagskvíða (SPS, SIAS). Niðurstöðurnar renna stoðum undir réttmæti íslenskrar gerðar DOCS. Listinn getur gagnast í greiningu og meðferð áráttuog þráhyggjueinkenna hér á landi.Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has a heterogeneous symptom presentation that can make assessment difficult. In this article we describe a new self-report instrument for assessing severity of OCD symptoms, the Dimensional Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DOCS), and present results on the psychometric properties of the Icelandic translation of the questionnaire. Participants were 82 university students that filled out the DOCS and other questionnaires measuring OCD symptoms and symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and social phobia. All participants underwent a semi-structured assessment interview for psychiatric disorders, where 32 were diagnosed with OCD (OCDG), 28 with at least one anxiety disorder (ADG), and 22 did not meet diagnostic criteria for any psychiatric disorder (CG). Internal consistency of the DOCS total score was good in all three participants groups. The OCDG scored significantly higher on the DOCS and its subscales compared to ADG and CG. Convergent and divergent validity of the Icelandic version of the DOCS was supported by stronger correlation with other measures of OCD symptoms (the OCI-R, r=0.80) compared to measures of negative affectivity and symptoms of social phobia (r ranged from 0.12 to 0.38). Results indicate that the Icelandic version of the DOCS has good psychometric properties in clinical samples. The DOCS can be a useful instrument to assess severity of OCD symptoms in clinical settings in Iceland

Evidence for an attention bias toward disgust in contamination fear

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2019.Although attention biases are common in various anxiety disorders, there is no consensus yet regarding attentional bias in obsessive–compulsive disorder. We assessed attention bias toward images involving contamination and disgust using an emotional attentional blink paradigm in a sample of university students high (HCF) or low (LCF) in contamination fear. Neutral, general-threat-, contamination-, and disgust-related images (T1) were presented followed by a discrimination task (T2) 200, 500, or 800 ms later within a rapid serial visual presentation stream of 20 images. The HCF group was overall less accurate on the attentional blink task. Response accuracy differed by image type and lag in the two groups at the trend level and revealed a large drop in performance 200 ms following presentation of disgusting images in the HCF group. No such differences were observed at later lags in the task. There were increases in negative affect following the task for the HCF but not the LCF group, which were correlated with contamination fear scores. The results suggest that a disgust-related attention bias may be present at early stages of information processing in people with contamination fear.Peer reviewe

HLA alleles, disease severity, and age associate with T-cell responses following infection with SARS-CoV-2

Funding Information: We thank all of the participants that contributed samples for this study for their invaluable contribution to the research. We also thank our research staff at the Patient Recruitment Center for their thorough work. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Memory T-cell responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection have been extensively investigated but many studies have been small with a limited range of disease severity. Here we analyze SARS-CoV-2 reactive T-cell responses in 768 convalescent SARS-CoV-2-infected (cases) and 500 uninfected (controls) Icelanders. The T-cell responses are stable three to eight months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, irrespective of disease severity and even those with the mildest symptoms induce broad and persistent T-cell responses. Robust CD4+ T-cell responses are detected against all measured proteins (M, N, S and S1) while the N protein induces strongest CD8+ T-cell responses. CD4+ T-cell responses correlate with disease severity, humoral responses and age, whereas CD8+ T-cell responses correlate with age and functional antibodies. Further, CD8+ T-cell responses associate with several class I HLA alleles. Our results, provide new insight into HLA restriction of CD8+ T-cell immunity and other factors contributing to heterogeneity of T-cell responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection.Peer reviewe

A homozygous loss-of-function mutation leading to CYBC1 deficiency causes chronic granulomatous disease

Publisher's version (útgefin grein) Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Mutations in genes encoding subunits of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase complex are recognized to cause chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a severe primary immunodeficiency. Here we describe how deficiency of CYBC1, a previously uncharacterized protein in humans (C17orf62), leads to reduced expression of NADPH oxidase’s main subunit (gp91phox) and results in CGD. Analyzing two brothers diagnosed with CGD we identify a homozygous loss-of-function mutation, p.Tyr2Ter, in CYBC1. Imputation of p.Tyr2Ter into 155K chipgenotyped Icelanders reveals six additional homozygotes, all with signs of CGD, manifesting as colitis, rare infections, or a severely impaired PMA-induced neutrophil oxidative burst. Homozygosity for p.Tyr2Ter consequently associates with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Iceland (P = 8.3 × 10−8; OR = 67.6), as well as reduced height (P = 3.3 × 10−4; −8.5 cm). Overall, we find that CYBC1 deficiency results in CGD characterized by colitis and a distinct profile of infections indicative of macrophage dysfunction.We wish to thank the family of the two probands, as well as all the other individuals who participated in the study and whose contribution made this work possible.Peer Reviewe

Replacing intrusive thoughts: Investigating thought control in relation to OCD symptoms.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageControl of obsessive thoughts in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves both avoidance and removal of undesirable intrusive thoughts. Thought suppression tasks tap both of these processes but experimental results have been inconsistent. Experimental tasks allowing more focused study of the processes involved in controlling intrusive thoughts may be needed. In two experiments, control over neutral, standardized intrusive and personal intrusive thoughts was investigated as participants attempted to replace them with neutral thoughts.Non-selected university students (Experiment 1: N = 61) and university students scoring high and low on self-report measure of OC symptoms (Experiment 2: N = 40) performed a computerized thought replacement task.In experiment 1 replacing personal intrusive thoughts took longer than replacing neutral thoughts. Self-reports showed that intrusive thoughts were rated more difficult to replace and were associated with greater thought reoccurrence during replacement, larger emotional reaction and more discomfort. These results were largely replicated in experiment 2. Furthermore, the high OC symptom group experienced greater overall difficulty controlling thoughts on the replacement task, experienced more reoccurrences of personal intrusive thoughts, larger emotional reactions and discomfort associated with them, and felt a greater urge to remove them.All participants were non-clinical university students, and older adults with OCD should be tested.The findings are in line with cognitive behavioural theories of OCD. They support the usefulness of thought replacement as a research paradigm to study thought control in OCD and possibly other psychological conditions characterized by repetitive thoughts.Icelandic Research Fund/100633021, Landspítali Scientific Research Fun

Council houses, Birdsville, Queensland, ca. 1966 [transparency] /

Caption from slide mount.; Mould spots. Colour loss right side.; Part of The Reverend Andrew Leslie McKay collection of photographs relating to Inland Australia, 1950-1976.; Also available in an electronic version via the internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn4181410; Collection donated by Mrs Lyn McKay, widow of Reverend Les McKay, through their daughter Dr. Judith McKay

The Icelandic version of the dimensional obsessive compulsive scale (DOCS) and its relationship with obsessive beliefs

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageThe Dimensional Obsessive Compulsive Scale (DOCS) is a self-report instrument to assess severity of OC symptoms along four thematically distinct symptom dimensions. This may carry benefits; both in assessment and for studying the link between OC related beliefs and symptoms. The validity and factor structure of the Icelandic version of the DOCS was investigated in a sample of 547 university students and the congruence between OC related beliefs and symptoms was also compared across different symptom measures (DOCS and OCI-R). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed four-factor structure and a model with a higher-order general severity factor accounting for the inter-relations between the factors. Convergent validity of the scale was supported with moderate to strong correlations with the OCI-R and the Y-BOCS-Self Report version and its symptom checklist. Divergent validity was supported with low to moderate correlations with measures of general anxiety, depression and worry. Regression analyses partly replicated previous results regarding congruence between beliefs and DOCS symptom dimensions. Results did not depend on the symptom measure used. The DOCS has good psychometric properties and may be a useful assessment instrument in both research and clinical settings, although its advantages compared to other self-report measures are not clear