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BackgroundIn 2015, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) created a new hospital improvement program to enhance the performance of pediatric care in US hospitals. The Children's Surgery Verification (CSV) Quality Improvement Program is predicated on the idea that pediatric surgical patients have improved outcomes when treated at children's hospitals with optimal resources. Achieving ACS level I CSV designation at pediatric trauma centers may lead to greater benefits for pediatric trauma patients; however, the specific benefits have yet to be identified. We hypothesize that achieving the additional designation of ACS level I CSV is associated with decreased narcotic use perioperatively and improved efficiency when managing pediatric patients with femur fractures.Study designThis study is a retrospective analysis of traumatic pediatric orthopaedic femur fractures treated at a verified level I pediatric trauma center before and after CSV designation (2010 to 2014 vs 2015 to 2019). Efficiency parameters, defined as time from admission to surgery, duration of surgery, and duration of hospital stay, and narcotic administration in oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) were compared.ResultsOf 185 traumatic femur fractures analyzed, 80 occurred before meeting ACS level I CSV criteria, and 105 occurred after. Post-CSV, there was a significant decrease in mean wait time from admission to surgery (16.64 hours pre-CSV, 12.52 hours post-CSV [p < 0.01]) and duration of hospital stay (103.49 hours pre-CSV, 71.61 hours post-CSV [p < 0.01]). Narcotic usage was significantly decreased in both the preoperative period (40.61 OMEs pre-CSV, 23.77 OMEs post-CSV [p < 0.01]) and postoperative period (126.67 OMEs pre-CSV, 45.72 OMEs post-CSV [p < 0.01]).ConclusionsAchieving ACS level I CSV designation is associated with increased efficiency and decreased preoperative and postoperative narcotic use when treating pediatric trauma patients.

The role of tetraheme cytochrome c3 (CycA) in the metabolism of the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough (DvH) was investigated by deletion of the cycA gene using a marker-exchange deletion strategy. A highly abundant periplasmic cytochrome, CycA has the important function of transferring electrons from periplasmic hydrogenases (Hyd, Hyn, Hys) to transmembrane complexes which transport the electrons to the cytoplasm where sulfate is reduced. Previous studies have indicated that during its interaction with periplasmic hydrogenases, CycA is also involved in the reduction of toxic metals. Growth of the cycA mutant strain on lactate as the electron donor and sulfate as the terminal electron acceptor showed that, despite its abundance, CycA is not essential for DvH growth. However, the rate of growth of the mutant strain was significantly lower, and the extent of growth less, than rates and extents of growth of the wild type and complement strains on lactate/sulfate medium. This indicates that a portion of the electrons generated from cytoplasmic lactate oxidation are transported by CycA for energy production, possibly in a hydrogen cycling mechanism employed to generate ATP. Failure of the mutant strain to grow on either formate or H2, with sulfate or sulfite as electron acceptors, further indicated that CycA may be the only redox partner of periplasmic hydrogenases. The cycA mutant strain also did not grow as well as either the wild type or complement strains on medium supplemented with pyruvate/sulfate. Final growth on pyruvate/sulfate was comparable, but the mutant grew more slowly than the wild type and complement strains. Interestingly, the mutant grew better than the wild type or complement strains on pyruvate alone, possibly due to the release of H2 and/or CO2 in concentrations which may be somewhat inhibitory to wild type growth.

Amitraz is a formamide exhibiting both acaricidal and insecticidal activity and is frequently used by beekeepers to protect honeybee colonies against Varroa destructor mites. The aim of this apiary trial was to evaluate the impact of honeybee colony fumigation with amitraz on the level of contamination of honey stored in combs.

The effects to honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) during and after exposure to flowering maize (Zea mays L.), grown from seeds coated with clothianidin and imidacloprid was assessed in field-realistic conditions. The experimental maize crops were adjacent to the other flowering agriculture plants. Honey bee colonies were placed in three differently protected maize fields throughout the blooming period, and thereafter they were transferred to a stationary apiary. Samples of pollen loads, bee bread, and adult bees were collected and analyzed for neonicotinoid residues. To ensure high specificity and sensitivity of detection of the analyzed pesticides, a modified QuEChERS extraction method and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry were used. Clothianidin was detected only in the samples of pollen loads. Their residue levels ranged from 10.0 to 41.0 ng/g (average 27.0 ng/g). Imidacloprid was found in no investigated sample. No negative effects of neonicotinoid seed-treated maize on the development and long-term survival of honey bee colonies were observed. The low proportion of Zea mays pollen in total bee-collected pollen during the maize flowering period was noted. The findings suggest that maize plants are less attractive forage for honey bees than phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.), buckwheat (Fagopyrum Mill.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), goldenrod (Solidago L.), and vegetation from Brassicaceae family.

Celem badań była ocena skuteczności amitrazu (preparat Biowar 500, Biowet Puławy, 500 mg substancji czynnej/pasek) w zwalczaniu Varroa destructor w rodzinach pszczelich.

Celem badań prowadzonych w latach 2009 - 2011 było sprawdzenie różnic w wykorzystaniu nektarowego i pyłkowego pożytku rzepakowego przez rodziny pszczele z pasieki stacjonarnej (usytuowanej stale na tym terenie) i wędrownej - przywiezionej na pożytek w odpowiednim terminie i ustawionej na tym samym terenie co pasieka stacjonarna. W związku z tym w każdym roku trwania doświadczenia przygotowywano w dwóch typach pasiek (stacjonarnej i wędrownej) po 8 rodzin pszczelich. Rodziny pszczele z pasieki wędrownej przywożono na plantację w momencie zakwitnięcia ok. 10% kwiatów rzepaku. W tym czasie zakładano dennicowe poławiacze pyłku. Obnóża pyłkowe odbierano codziennie, oddzielnie z każdej rodziny pszczelej. Po zakończeniu pożytku odwirowywano miód oddzielnie z poszczególnych rodzin, ważono go i pobierano próbki potrzebne do wykonania analizy pyłkowej. W trakcie prowadzenia badań monitorowano warunki atmosferyczne.

W latach 2010 - 2011 w Oddziale Pszczelnictwa Instytutu Ogrodnictwa w Puławach przeprowadzono badania, których celem była ocena wpływu węzy zafałszowanej parafiną na odbudowę plastrów, wychów czerwiu i rozwój rodzin pszczelich. Na potrzeby doświadczenia przygotowywano we własnym zakresie węzę z wosku pszczelego w różnym stopniu zafałszowaną (10%, 30%, 50%) parafiną techniczną (LTP 56/25) firmy LOTOS S.A.

Celem badań była ocena narażenia rodzin pszczelich na toksyczne oddziaływanie pozostałości systemicznych insektycydów neonikotynoidowych zastosowanych w warunkach polowych do chemicznej ochrony upraw rzepaku.