From consumption to excretion: Lithium concentrations in honey bees (Apis mellifera) after lithium chloride application and time-dependent effects on Varroa destructor.

Background: Owing to its systemic mode-of-action and ease of application, lithium chloride (LiCl) is an ideal varroacide for the control of Varroa destructor infestations in honey bee colonies. To better understand how LiCl functions within a colony, we screened different parts of honey bee anatomy for lithium accumulation. We wanted to elucidate the time-dependent effects of LiCl on V.

Mite non-reproduction is not a consequence of the brood removal behavior of varroa sensitive hygiene honey bee colonies ().

A sustainable solution to the global threat of the mite is the selection of varroa-resistant honey bee () colonies. Both "mite non-reproduction" (MNR) and "varroa sensitive hygiene" (VSH) appear to be promising selection traits for achieving the goal of a resistant honey bee. MNR describes colonies that have a high number of non-reproductive mites (no offspring, no males, or delayed development of mite offspring).

Sustained success of a Caprini postoperative venous thromboembolism prevention protocol over one decade.

Background: The objective of this study was to review the long-term efficacy of a post-operative venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention program at our institution.

Methods: We performed a review of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) data at our hospital from January 2008-December 2022. The primary outcome was risk-adjusted VTE events.

Lithium chloride treatments in free flying honey bee colonies: efficacy, brood survival, and within-colony distribution.

The efficacy of various lithium chloride (LiCl) applications in eradicating the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in honey bee colonies was investigated, with a specific focus on its impact on brood development. In broodless colonies (3 weeks post queen caging), the highest efficacy of 98% was achieved with a 9-day treatment of 2.5 kg of candy spiked with 50 mM LiCl.

Defined exposure of honey bee colonies to simulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF): Negative effects on the homing ability, but not on brood development or longevity.

Urbanization and the increasing use of wireless technologies lead to higher emission rates of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in populated areas. This anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation is a form of environmental pollution and a potential stressor on bees or other flying insects. Cities often have a high density of wireless devices operating on microwave frequencies, which generate electromagnetic frequencies e.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) preselected for Varroa sensitive hygiene discriminate between live and dead Varroa destructor and inanimate objects.

Varroa destructor is one of the main causes of colony losses of the western honey bee (Apis mellifera). Many efforts exist to breed honey bees resistant to V. destructor.

Host brood traits, independent of adult behaviours, reduce Varroa destructor mite reproduction in resistant honeybee populations.

The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is an invasive species of Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) and the largest pathogenic threat to their health world-wide. Its successful invasion and expansion is related to its ability to exploit the worker brood for reproduction, which results in an exponential population growth rate in the new host. With invasion of the mite, wild honeybee populations have been nearly eradicated from Europe and North America, and the survival of managed honeybee populations relies on mite population control treatments.

Multidisciplinary Project to Prevent Postoperative Urinary Tract Infection.

Background: Postoperative urinary tract infections (UTIs) are associated with increased lengths of stay, inpatient costs, and mortality. Review of institutional data from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) NSQIP revealed opportunities to improve practices with respect to urinary catheter (Foley) insertion, catheter care, adherence to diagnosis and prevention protocols, and ACS NSQIP reporting.

Study Design: A multidisciplinary quality improvement team convened and implemented interventions based on a literature review and analysis of institutional drivers of postoperative UTI.

Implementation of a Frailty Assessment and Targeted Care Interventions and Its Association with Reduced Postoperative Complications in Elderly Surgical Patients.

Background: Older patients with frailty syndrome have a greater risk of poor postoperative outcomes. In this study, we used a RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework to implement an assessment tool to identify frail patients and targeted interventions to improve their outcomes.

Study Design: We implemented a 5-question frailty assessment tool for patients 65 years and older admitted to the general and vascular surgery services from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019.

Pesticide residues in daily bee pollen samples (April-July) from an intensive agricultural region in Southern Germany.

Insect-pollinated plants are essential for honey bees to feed their brood. In agricultural landscapes, honey bees and other pollinators are often exposed to pesticides used for cultivation. In order to gain more insight into the fluctuation of pesticide loads, 102 daily pollen samples were collected between April and July 2018 in a fruit-growing area in Southern Germany.

Two novel risk factors for postoperative venous thromboembolism: A reconsideration of standard risk assessment and prophylaxis.

Background: Postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is usually preventable with adequate prophylaxis. In an institutional study, patients with emergency operations (EO), multiple operations (MO), and perioperative sepsis (PS) were more likely to develop VTE despite standard prophylaxis.

Methods: General surgery patients in the NSQIP database from 2011 to 2014 were stratified into VTE and non-VTE groups, and statistical analyses were performed.

The impact of preoperative carbohydrate loading on patients with type II diabetes in an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol.

Background: We aimed to determine the effects of preoperative carbohydrate-loading (CHO) as part of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway on patients with/without type II diabetes (DMII).

Methods: Retrospective review of ERAS patients with CHO, including 80 with DMII, 275 without DMII in addition to 89 patients with DMII from the previous (non-ERAS) year. Outcomes included glucose-levels, insulin requirements, and complications.

The I COUGH Multidisciplinary Perioperative Pulmonary Care Program: One Decade of Experience.

Background: Surgical quality improvement programs can provide meaningful benefits for patient outcomes, but sustainability of initial success is rarely described. In response to data that revealed a greater than predicted likelihood of postoperative pulmonary complications in one hospital, the study team designed a standardized program to improve care. This study offers a long-term perspective of the effort, including special challenges and lessons learned about sustaining success.

Clothianidin seed-treatment has no detectable negative impact on honeybee colonies and their pathogens.

Interactions between multiple stressors have been implicated in elevated honeybee colony losses. Here, we extend our landscape-scale study on the effects of placement at clothianidin seed-treated oilseed rape fields on honeybees with an additional year and new data on honeybee colony development, swarming, mortality, pathogens and immune gene expression. Clothianidin residues in pollen, nectar and honeybees were consistently higher at clothianidin-treated fields, with large differences between fields and years.

Pesticide residue survey of pollen loads collected by honeybees (Apis mellifera) in daily intervals at three agricultural sites in South Germany.

In agricultural landscapes honeybees and other pollinators are exposed to pesticides, often surveyed by residue analysis of bee bread. However, bee bread is a mixture of pollen pellets of different plants collected over a longer time period. Therefore, pesticide content in the hive varies with plant species and time of pollen collection.

The role of epistatic interactions underpinning resistance to parasitic Varroa mites in haploid honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones.

The Red Queen hypothesis predicts that host-parasite coevolutionary dynamics can select for host resistance through increased genetic diversity, recombination and evolutionary rates. However, in haplodiploid organisms such as the honeybee (Apis mellifera), models suggest the selective pressure is weaker than in diploids. Haplodiploid sex determination, found in A.

Sublethal effects of clothianidin and Nosema spp. on the longevity and foraging activity of free flying honey bees.

Neonicotinoids alone or in combination with pathogens are considered to be involved in the worldwide weakening of honey bees. We here present a new approach for testing sublethal and/or synergistic effects in free flying colonies. In our experiment individually marked honey bees were kept in free flying mini-hives and chronically exposed to sublethal doses of the neonicotinoid clothianidin.

Author Correction: Lithium chloride effectively kills the honey bee parasite Varroa destructor by a systemic mode of action.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Spermatozoa production in male Varroa destructor and its impact on reproduction in worker brood of Apis mellifera.

Reproduction in Varroa destructor exclusively takes place within the sealed honey bee brood cell and is, therefore, limited by the duration of the postcapping period. Oogenesis, ontogenetic development and mating must be optimized to ensure the production of as many mated daughter mites as possible. One adult male mite has to mate with up to five sister mites and transfer 30-40 spermatozoa to each female.

Lithium chloride effectively kills the honey bee parasite Varroa destructor by a systemic mode of action.

Honey bees are increasingly important in the pollination of crops and wild plants. Recent reports of the weakening and periodical high losses of managed honey bee colonies have alarmed beekeeper, farmers and scientists. Infestations with the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor in combination with its associated viruses have been identified as a crucial driver of these health problems.

The virulent, emerging genotype B of Deformed wing virus is closely linked to overwinter honeybee worker loss.

Bees are considered to be threatened globally, with severe overwinter losses of the most important commercial pollinator, the Western honeybee, a major concern in the Northern Hemisphere. Emerging infectious diseases have risen to prominence due to their temporal correlation with colony losses. Among these is Deformed wing virus (DWV), which has been frequently linked to colony mortality.

Evaluation of a Standardized Risk-Based Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Protocol in the Setting of Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery.

Background: An elevated odds ratio for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prompted development of a Caprini risk assessment and risk-based prophylaxis protocol for all general surgery patients. This system includes pre- and postoperative prophylactic heparin as well as extended courses of low molecular weight heparin for high-risk patients. This study evaluated the safety of this chemoprophylaxis program in thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

Negligible cytotoxicity induced by different titanium dioxide nanoparticles in fish cell lines.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO-NPs) have a wide number of applications in cosmetic, solar and paint industries due to their photocatalyst and ultraviolet blocking properties. The continuous increase in the production of TiO-NPs enhances the risk for this manufactured nanomaterial to enter water bodies through treated effluents or agricultural amendments. TiO-NPs have shown very low toxicity in a number of aquatic organisms.