Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ): Greek translation and psychometric validation in general and clinical population.

Exposure to childhood trauma experiences shows a high prevalence worldwide, with approximately two-thirds of the general population reporting traumatic experiences during childhood. The valid psychometric assessment of childhood trauma experience represents, however, a significant challenge in clinical research and practice. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form (CTQ-SF) embodies the most valid and internationally widely used tool for the retrospective assessment of traumatic experiences during childhood to date. The purpose of this study was the Greek translation of the questionnaire and its validation in both a general and clinical population. Participants completed electronically the Greek translation of the CTQ-SF, the Early Trauma Questionnaire (ETI-SR-SF), the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-40), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS- SF), the Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) to examine psychometric properties of the questionnaire (e.g., internal consistency, concurrent, convergent and divergent validity), but also to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma exposure and psychological well-being and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The total study sample (TS) consisted of 722 adults (606 women), of which 155 declared the existence of a psychiatric diagnosis (PD) and 567 constituted the general population (GP) sample. The most common trauma types reported were emotional abuse (29.1%), emotional neglect (23.7%), and physical abuse (24.6%). The CTQ-SF questionnaire showed high levels of internal consistency based on the Cronbach α coefficient (TS = 0.92, PD = 0.92, GP = 0.92), high concurrent and convergent validity and satisfactory convergent validity. In addition, self-reported childhood trauma was highly positively correlated to negative affect and anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as negatively to psychological well-being. Our results confirm that the Greek Version of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) is a reliable and valid tool that can be used for the retrospective assessment of traumatic childhood experiences both in the general and in the clinical adult Greek population.

Tracking breastfeeding and weaning practices in ancient populations by combining carbon, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes from multiple non-adult tissues.

This paper explores the potential of combining different isotope systems from different tissues to improve resolution when reconstructing breastfeeding and weaning practices (BWP) in archaeology. Additionally, we tested whether changes in diet can be detected in deciduous teeth. Rib collagen samples from 22 infants/children from the archaeological site of Bacuranao I (Mayabeque, Cuba) were processed for nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13Cco) stable isotopes and assessed using a Bayesian model (WARN). In addition, enamel of 48 teeth from 30 infants/children were analyzed for oxygen (δ18Oen) and carbon (δ13Cen) stable isotopes. Data revealed that the timing of weaning cannot be characterized precisely by analyzing either δ18O or δ15N. While a depletion in both δ15N and δ13Cco is only evident after one year, the WARN model suggested that the weaning process started at around 3 months and ended around 1.7 years. Most teeth were enriched in δ18Oen compared to deciduous incisors, suggesting a breastfeeding signal. However, a high variability in δ18O was found between similar teeth from the same individuals. Higher enrichment in δ18Oen, and variability, was observed in tissues formed during the first six months of life. A δ13C enrichment of 1.0‰ was observed among deciduous teeth and ribs. While most individuals enriched in δ15N showed enrichment in δ13C, the δ18O values were more variable. Our data suggests that stable isotopes of deciduous teeth, especially δ13Cen, can be used to detect changes in diet during the weaning process. It is also possible that the δ18O enrichment observed in M1 is influenced by the effects of cooking techniques on weaning foods. The combination of multiple isotope systems and tissues overcome some of the limitations posed by single tissue approaches.

The molecular biology of the olive fly comes of age.

BACKGROUND: Olive cultivation blends with the history of the Mediterranean countries since ancient times. Even today, activities around the olive tree constitute major engagements of several people in the countryside of both sides of the Mediterranean basin. The olive fly is, beyond doubt, the most destructive pest of cultivated olives. The female fly leaves its eggs in the olive fruit. Upon emergence, the larvae feed on the olive sap, thus destroying the fruit. If untreated, practically all olives get infected. The use of chemical insecticides constitutes the principal olive fly control approach. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), an environmentally friendly alternative control method, had been tried in pilot field applications in the 1970's, albeit with no practical success. This was mainly attributed to the low, non-antagonistic quality of the mixed-sex released insects. Many years of experience from successful SIT applications in related species, primarily the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, demonstrated that efficient SIT protocols require the availability of fundamental genetic and molecular information. RESULTS: Among the primary systems whose understanding can contribute towards novel SIT approaches (or its recently developed alternative RIDL: Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal) is the reproductive, since the ability to manipulate the reproductive system would directly affect the insect's fertility. In addition, the analysis of early embryonic promoters and apoptotic genes would provide tools that confer dominant early-embryonic lethality during mass-rearing. Here we report the identification of several genes involved in these systems through whole transcriptome analysis of female accessory glands (FAGs) and spermathecae, as well as male testes. Indeed, analysis of differentially expressed genes in these tissues revealed higher metabolic activity in testes than in FAGs/spermathecae. Furthermore, at least five olfactory-related genes were shown to be differentially expressed in the female and male reproductive systems analyzed. Finally, the expression profile of the embryonic serendipity-α locus and the pre-apoptotic head involution defective gene were analyzed during embryonic developmental stages. CONCLUSIONS: Several years of molecular studies on the olive fly can now be combined with new information from whole transcriptome analyses and lead to a deep understanding of the biology of this notorious insect pest. This is a prerequisite for the development of novel embryonic lethality female sexing strains for successful SIT efforts which, combined with improved mass-reared conditions, give new hope for efficient SIT applications for the olive fly.