Feasibility of Enceladus plume biosignature analysis: Successful capture of organic ice particles in hypervelocity impacts

Enceladus is a compelling destination for astrobiological analyses due to the presence of simple and complex organic constituents in cryovolcanic plumes that jet from its subsurface ocean. Enceladus plume capture during a flyby or orbiter mission is an appealing method for obtaining pristine ocean samples for scientific studies of this organic content because of the high science return, reduced planetary protection challenges, and lower risk and expense compared to a landed mission. However, this mission profile requires sufficient amounts of plume material for sensitive analysis. To explore the feasibility and optimization of the required capture systems, light gas gun experiments were carried out to study organic ice particle impacts on indium surfaces. An organic fluorescent tracer dye, Pacific Blue™, was dissolved in borate buffer and frozen into saline ice projectiles. During acceleration, the ice projectile breaks up in flight into micron‐sized particles that impact the target. Quantitative fluorescence microscopic analysis of the targets demonstrated that under certain impact conditions, 10–50% of the entrained organic molecules were captured in over 25% of the particle impacts. Optimal organic capture was observed for small particles (d ~ 5–15 µm) with velocities ranging from 1 to 2 km s$^{−1}$. Our results reveal how organic capture efficiency depends on impact velocity and particle size; capture increases as particles get smaller and as velocity is reduced. These results demonstrate the feasibility of collecting unmodified organic molecules from the Enceladus ice plume for sensitive analysis with modern in situ instrumentation such as microfluidic capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis with ppb organic sensitivity

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine: Brussels, Belgium. 15-18 March 2016.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

The generation gap in numbers: Parent-child disagreement on youth's emotional and behavioral problems

Objective: To evaluate discrepancies between parent and child reports on youth's emotional and behavioral problems in a representative, community based sample of Greek 18-year-olds, and to identify associated factors. Methods: A total of 2,927 completed pairs of parent-child questionnaires were studied, including the child behavior checklist (CBCL) and the youth self-report (YSR). Linear regression analysis was used to identify both child and parental characteristics significantly associated with parent/child disagreement on scores for youth's Internalising, Externalising and Total problems scales for both genders separately. Results: Although there was a strong correlation between scores on the YSR and CBCL corresponding scales, parent/child discrepancies were more likely to occur when the later: had good academic performance, were dissatisfied from their self-image or their life. Parental factors that influence discrepancies in parent/child scale scores were: low paternal education for both genders, father being the informant for boys, and maternal stress and lack of awareness of leisure activities for girls. Conclusion: The associations found highlight the contributions of both parents and children to the discrepancies on emotional and behavioral problems in adolescence. This study may facilitate constructive parenting practices through generations. © Springer-Verlag 2008

Inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity-epidemiology and correlations: A nationwide Greek study from birth to 18 years

We examined the prevalence of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]-like symptoms) at 7 and 18 years in a Greek birth cohort, and associated factors. Information was derived from a representative sample of 2695 Greek individuals followed-up from birth to18 years through 3 questionnaire surveys (1983, 1990, 2001). At 7 years, the prevalence of hyperactivity was 7%, inattention 9.5%, and impulsivity 7% for all children, while a significant decrease was observed at 18 years. Adverse perinatal factors, poor academic performance, fights or quarrels with peers, comorbidity, and a higher frequency of physical punishment and accidents during childhood were found to be associated with ADHD-like symptoms at 7 years. Factors identified to be related with these symptoms at 18 years included male gender, maternal stress, smoking during pregnancy, physical punishment, and psychological problems in childhood. These longitudinal findings provide significant information for health and educational planning in Greece and other countries. © 2011 The Author(s)

Can we be optimistic about asthma in childhood? A Greek cohort study

Objective. To examine the prevalence and natural course of asthma from childhood to adolescence in a population-based, Greek birth cohort and to identify associated factors. Methods. Longitudinal information on asthma symptoms, physician diagnosed and treated, was available for 2133 children at 7 and 18 years of age. Results. The prevalence of current asthma was 9.0% and 5.0% at 7 and 18 years, respectively. The prevalence of lifetime asthma was 26.3% at 18 years. More than half of the children (58.2%) with early onset asthma were asymptomatic at 7 years and only 7.6% continued to have symptoms during adolescence. However, in 48.2% of those with late onset asthma, symptoms persisted up to 18 years. Logistic regression analyses showed that male gender, family history of atopy, active adolescent smoking and maternal smoking were significantly positively associated with lifetime asthma at 18 years. In addition, smoking during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk for persistence of asthma symptoms at 18 years. Asthma during childhood and active adolescent smoking were positively associated, and daily consumption of fruit and vegetables was negatively associated with current asthma at 18 years of age. Finally, children who were breastfed had a lower risk for lifetime asthma at 7 years. Conclusion. The prevalence of asthma symptoms at 7 and 18 years of age was low throughout Greece. Our results suggest that, among others, nutrition is an important correlate of asthma in Greek children

A novel combined bioactivity / chemoactivity holistic approach for the evaluation of dietary supplements

There is increasing evidence that the excessive generation of free radicals in the human body plays a major role in the pathophysiology and development of various diseases, closely associated with oxidative damage. In this frame, the consumption of antioxidant nutrients through food or dietary supplements may prevent from the harmful effects of free radicals on human cells. This work proposes a holistic approach consisting of distinct methodologies, suitable to evaluate the antioxidant and chemoprotective activity of three novel dietary supplements, each one containing active substances with complementary properties. In the first step, this approach includes in vitro studies to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the dietary supplements by measuring the parameters of free radical scavenging capacity, of reducing power activity, as well as, their ability to protect biomolecules from oxidation. Furthermore, the evaluation of their antimutagenic and antigenotoxic effects is also presented. SubsequentlySub, the specific effects of the dietary supplements were examined in three cancer cell lines (HepG2, HeLa, MKN45), by measuring redox biomarkers such as glutathione, reactive oxygen species and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, using flow cytometry and spectrophotometry. Our results indicate that all the dietary supplements exhibit high antioxidant, antimutagenic, antigenotoxic and lipid protective activity. The most prominent result is their capability to induce oxidative damage on cancer cells via the critical decrease of the levels of their intracellular glutathione, as well as the increase of ROS and lipid peroxidation levels after the administration of non-cytotoxic concentrations. We suggest that the proposed methodology could constitute a valuable tool for the characterization of dietary supplements based on their chemical and functional properties. © 2021 Elsevier Lt