Publications by authors named "Harrison O"

Anxiety is one of the most common and debilitating mental health disorders, and is related to changes in interoception (perception of bodily states). While anxiety is more prevalent in women than men, gender differences in interoception-anxiety associations are often overlooked. Here, we examined gender-specific relationships between anxiety and interoception in the breathing domain, utilising multicentre data pooled from four study sites (N = 175; 51% women).

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Allostatic self-efficacy (ASE) represents a computational theory of fatigue and depression. In brief, it postulates that (i) fatigue is a feeling state triggered by a metacognitive diagnosis of loss of control over bodily states (persistently elevated interoceptive surprise); and that (ii) generalization of low self-efficacy beliefs beyond bodily control induces depression. Here, we converted ASE theory into a structural causal model (SCM).

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To date, 770 million people worldwide have contracted COVID-19, with many reporting long-term "brain fog". Concerningly, young adults are both overrepresented in COVID-19 infection rates and may be especially vulnerable to prolonged cognitive impairments following infection. This calls for focused research on this population to better understand the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment post-COVID-19.

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Aim: Mental wellbeing has been one of the most prominent health concerns in Aotearoa New Zealand and has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we explored factors associated with anxiety and happiness in a mid-pandemic climate in Aotearoa.

Methods: Analyses were performed on the anxiety and happiness scores from the wellbeing survey in December 2020 (Statistics NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa; 30,000 responders contacted for the Household Labour Force Survey).

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  • - The study investigates the distribution and genetic data of Haemophilus influenzae in hospitalized patients in Surabaya, Indonesia, focusing on its role in severe diseases like septicaemia and meningitis.
  • - Researchers used culture-based methods and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to analyze ten collected isolates, discovering that most were nonvaccine-preventable non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) strains.
  • - Results identified four new sequence types (STs) and highlighted the presence of significant virulence genes, confirming a diverse population of NTHi in the region compared to global strains.
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Formaldehyde has been found to decrease virus concentrations in feed and ingredient matrices. Continued research is needed to identify the appropriate inclusion levels and application time for different viruses in these matrices. The objective was to evaluate different inclusion levels of formaldehyde when applied either pre- or postinoculation of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (), type 2 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (), and Seneca Valley virus 1 () to complete feed or soybean meal.

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  • Commensal species are commonly found in the oropharynx as part of the healthy microbiome but can also lead to serious diseases like meningococcal disease.
  • Clinical microbiology labs often use MALDI-TOF MS for species identification but can misidentify certain bacteria, which highlights the need for genomic surveillance to verify these results.
  • A study in Belgium analyzed 119 bacterial isolates using genome sequencing and different identification methods, revealing discrepancies in MALDI-TOF MS results and demonstrating the significance of comprehensive genomic analysis for correctly identifying and understanding these species.
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  • This study focuses on developing a core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) scheme for a pathogenic bacterium found in the human nasopharynx, addressing its genetic diversity.
  • To create and validate the cgMLST scheme, researchers analyzed a mix of complete reference genomes and high-quality draft genomes, resulting in a refined list of core genes essential for its metabolism and genetic functions.
  • The findings demonstrate that the core genome allelic profile effectively represents the genetic relationships among different isolates, thereby improving our understanding of this pathogen's population structure for future genomic analysis.
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Development of a vaccine against gonorrhoea is a global priority, driven by the rise in antibiotic resistance. Although Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) infection does not induce substantial protective immunity, highly exposed individuals may develop immunity against re-infection with the same strain. Retrospective epidemiological studies have shown that vaccines containing Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) provide a degree of cross-protection against Ng infection.

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Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD) syndrome patients are uniquely susceptible to all renal tumour subtypes. The underlying mechanism of carcinogenesis is unclear. To study cancer development in BHD, we used human proximal kidney (HK2) cells and found that long-term folliculin knockdown was required to increase their tumorigenic potential, forming larger spheroids in non-adherent conditions.

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Background: Hand hygiene is recognized as the leading measure to prevent the cross-transmission of microorganisms and to reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and practice of hygiene among dental health workers even in the wake of Lassa fever.

Method: This questionnaire-based descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in four public hospitals in Edo state.

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Introduction: Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide, and psychotherapeutic techniques can be employed to help manage and mitigate symptoms. While the available therapies are numerous, key strategies often involve cognitive and/or embodiment techniques. Within body-centered methods, breathing-oriented approaches are particularly prevalent, using either attention towards or active control of breathing.

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Induction of commensal-specific immunity contributes to tissue homeostasis, yet the mechanisms underlying induction of commensal-specific B cells remain poorly understood in part due to a lack of tools to identify these cells. Using phage display, we identified segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) antigens targeted by serum and intestinal antibodies and generated B cell tetramers to track SFB-specific B cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissues. We revealed a compartmentalized response in SFB-specific B cell activation, with a gradient of immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG1, and IgG2b isotype production along Peyer's patches contrasted by selective production of IgG2b within mesenteric lymph nodes.

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Cytokine expression during T cell differentiation is a highly regulated process that involves long-range promoter-enhancer and CTCF-CTCF contacts at cytokine loci. Here, we investigated the impact of dynamic chromatin loop formation within the topologically associating domain (TAD) in regulating the expression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-22 (IL-22); these cytokine loci are closely located in the genome and are associated with complex enhancer landscapes, which are selectively active in type 1 and type 3 lymphocytes. In situ Hi-C analyses revealed inducible TADs that insulated Ifng and Il22 enhancers during Th1 cell differentiation.

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  • Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a serious problem that isn't treated enough, and using online therapy could help people get better access to treatment like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
  • In a study with 77 adults using a 12-week guided smartphone program for BDD, they sent a lot of messages to their coaches to get support.
  • The researchers found three main ways people interacted with their coaches and discovered that younger users tended to communicate less while older users communicated more, and this affected how well they followed the treatment.
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Introduction: Interoception, the perception of the internal state of the body, has been shown to be closely linked to emotions and mental health. Of particular interest are interoceptive learning processes that capture associations between environmental cues and body signals as a basis for making homeostatically relevant predictions about the future. One method of measuring respiratory interoceptive learning that has shown promising results is the Breathing Learning Task (BLT).

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Background: Major depressive disorder affects approximately 1 in 5 adults during their lifetime and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Yet, a minority receive adequate treatment due to person-level (eg, geographical distance to providers) and systems-level (eg, shortage of trained providers) barriers. Digital tools could improve this treatment gap by reducing the time and frequency of therapy sessions needed for effective treatment through the provision of flexible, automated support.

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Reminiscence-based interventions focus on recalling autobiographical memories and reflective reasoning to develop a healthy and adaptive view of oneself and one's life. This study aimed to replicate the effects of a three-session, group-based, positive-memory version of cognitive-reminiscence therapy (CRT) on psychological resources and mental well-being and extend the findings to anticipated pleasure. The participants (= 75, = 43.

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  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a serious, long-lasting condition, and smartphone cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) shows promise in treating it while overcoming barriers like cost and stigma.
  • A study analyzed data from a trial of 80 participants who either received immediate or delayed access to a 12-week smartphone CBT program, focusing on changes in BDD severity and treatment outcomes.
  • Results indicated that immediate CBT led to better symptom improvement, influenced by factors like gender identity, initial treatment confidence, and lower baseline severity, but the study had limitations including a small sample size and lack of diversity.
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The somatosensory nervous system surveils external stimuli at barrier tissues, regulating innate immune cells under infection and inflammation. The roles of sensory neurons in controlling the adaptive immune system, and more specifically immunity to the microbiota, however, remain elusive. Here, we identified a mechanism for direct neuroimmune communication between commensal-specific T lymphocytes and somatosensory neurons mediated by the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the skin.

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Mosaic alleles formed through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) have been instrumental to the rising incidence of ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal infections. Although interspecies HGT of regions of the gene between and commensal species has been described, knowledge concerning which species are the most common contributors to mosaic alleles is limited, with most studies examining only a small number of alleles. Here, we investigated the origins of recombinant alleles through analyses that incorporated 1700 alleles from 35 513 isolates, comprising 15 different species.

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African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly infectious virus known to cause substantial mortality and morbidity in pigs. The transmissibility and severity of disease within pigs, as well as the potentially resultant catastrophic trade ramifications, warrant its status as a foreign animal disease of substantial concern to the United States. The ASFV virus can survive for extended periods of time outside its host, and its greatest concentration is often observed in blood and organs, products that are frequently used as raw materials to manufacture porcine-derived ingredients fed to animals in the United States.

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Unlabelled: The somatosensory nervous system surveils external stimuli at barrier tissues, regulating innate immune cells under infection and inflammation. The roles of sensory neurons in controlling the adaptive immune system, and more specifically immunity to the microbiota, however, remain elusive. Here, we identified a novel mechanism for direct neuroimmune communication between commensal-specific T lymphocytes and somatosensory neurons mediated by the neuropeptide Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) in the skin.

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