A pan-European epidemiological study reveals honey bee colony survival depends on beekeeper education and disease control

Reports of honey bee population decline has spurred many national efforts to understand the extent of the problem and to identify causative or associated factors. However, our collective understanding of the factors has been hampered by a lack of joined up trans-national effort. Moreover, the impacts of beekeeper knowledge and beekeeping management practices have often been overlooked, despite honey bees being a managed pollinator. Here, we established a standardised active monitoring network for 5 798 apiaries over two consecutive years to quantify honey bee colony mortality across 17 European countries. Our data demonstrate that overwinter losses ranged between 2% and 32%, and that high summer losses were likely to follow high winter losses. Multivariate Poisson regression models revealed that hobbyist beekeepers with small apiaries and little experience in beekeeping had double the winter mortality rate when compared to professional beekeepers. Furthermore, honey bees kept by professional beekeepers never showed signs of disease, unlike apiaries from hobbyist beekeepers that had symptoms of bacterial infection and heavy Varroa infestation. Our data highlight beekeeper background and apicultural practices as major drivers of honey bee colony losses. The benefits of conducting trans-national monitoring schemes and improving beekeeper training are discussed

Experimental infection of rabbits with E. coli strains and evaluation of the lesions in association with antioxidants supplementation or not

Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) is an extracellular bacterium that causes diarrhea by binding to the surface of enterocytes in a multi-step process that results in a characteristic ultrastructural apical membrane lesion (“attachment and effacement”) of the microvilli, followed by the appearance of an adherence pedestal upon which the EPEC cell is intimately attached. Vitamin E nutritional supplementation is believed to be beneficial in ameliorating the effects of diseases such as neurological and cardiovascular disorders, cancer and chronic inflammation. The most widely accepted protective role o vitamin E is related to its function as a radical chain-breaking molecule that protects cell membranes and lipoproteins from oxidative damage. Several lines of evidence indicate that vitamin E improves the inflammatory response of animals against various infections, including E. coli-induced disease. The purpose of this study was to examine whether vitamin E nutritional supplementation had an effect in bowel changes induced by EPEC. Female New Zealand white rabbits (n=105) were used. Rabbits were weaned at the age of 26 days and inoculated with bacteria at the age of 30 days. Of the 105 rabbits, 45 were treated daily throughout the experiment with an oral dose of vitamin E (60 mg/kg) commencing 10 days before the time of infection; 60 (30 of which were vitamin E treated) were infected orally with 2 ml of PBS suspension of the E22 strain (2X106 CFU/ml); 30 controls (of which 15 were vitamin E-treated) were inoculated rally with 2 ml of a suspension of the BM21 stain (109 CFU/ml); and 15 controls received orally 2 ml of sterile PBS. These treatments enabled the following five five groups (o) to be established: oE22 (n=30) received a single dose of strain E22, oE22+VE (n=30) received vitamin E and a single dose of strain E22; oBM21 (n=15) received a single dose of strain BM21; oBM21+VE (n=15) received vitamin E treatment and a single dose of strain BM21; and oS (n=15) received only PBS. From 1 to 7 days post inoculation (dpi) rabbits were humanely killed. Priority was given to morbid and severely affected rabbits at each timepoint. Multiple specimens from the sacculus rotundus, the caecum, the last 10cm of distal ileum and the first 10 cm of proximal colon were collected for electron and light microscopy. Quantitative morphometric analysis of ileal mucosal architecture and inflammation was performed with computerized image analysis (Image-pro Plus 4.1) and the measurements carried out were: Total mucosal thickness, villous height, crypt depth, villous height/crypt depth ratio, mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cells at the submucosa, base of the crypts and tip of the villi. Epithelial cell proliferation and E22 colonization were determined with mouse monoclonal antibodies against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and a sheep anti-E22 specific serum. Apoptosis was visualized with TUNEL method. Faecal shedding of E. coli from all animals was determined daily throughout the experiment. Twenty-six rabbits from each of the E22-infected groups showed soft faecal pellets at 1 dpi, progressing to diarrhoea from 2 dpi. Severe watery diarrhea, anorexia and dehydration were seen in animals from both the oE22 and oE22+VE groups from 4dpi onwards. Daily monitoring of E22 faecal shedding revealed no statistically significant differences between the oE22 and oE22+VE groups. To investigate the effect of vitamin E nutritional supplementation on bacterial colonization, epithelial cells bearing immunohistochemically labeled E22 in tissue samples from the ileum and sacculus rotundus were quantified. Although the oE22+VE group constantly showed lower numbers of colonized epithelial cells than did the oE22 group, statistically significant differences were evident only in ileal sections at 4 and 7 dpi. However the overall effect of vitamin E on EPEC colonization of ileum and sacculus rotundus was not significant. At necropsy, moderate to severe gross lesions were found in the same propotion of rabbits (26/30) in both the E22-infected groups. Most animals showed terminal ileitis and typhlitis. Consistently, there was moderate to severe hyperaemia, submucosal oedema, enlargement of Peyer’s patches and mesenteric lymph nodes, and haemorrhages in the caecal serosa. ................................Tα εντεροπαθογόνα (EPEC) στελέχη της E. coli είναι εξωκυτταρικά βακτήρια τα οποία προκαλούν διάρροια εξαιτίας της προσκόλλησης τους στην κυτταρική μεμβράνη των επιθηλιακών κυττάρων του εντέρου. Η διαδικασία αυτή είναι πολύπλοκη και έχει ως αποτέλεσμα την προσκόλληση (του βακτηρίου) και την εξάλειψη (attachment and effacement) των μικρολαχνών των κυττάρων και εμφάνιση κυτταρικών προσεκβολών με τη μορφή βάθρων προσκόλλησης στα οποία είναι σταθερά προσκολλημένα τα βακτήρια. Αναφορικά με τη χορήγηση βιταμίνης Ε ως συμπλήρωμα διατροφής πιστεύεται ότι αυτή είναι ευεργετική και βελτιώνει την κατάσταση του οργανισμού σε νευρολογικά νοσήματα, σε καρδιαγγειακές διαταραχές, σε νεοπλασματικές νόσους και χρόνιες φλεγμονές. Ο ευρύτερα αποδεκτός, προστατευτικός, ρόλος της βιταμίνης Ε σχετίζεται με τη λειτουργία της ως μόριο το οποίο διακόπτει την παραγωγή ελεύθερων ριζών και προστατεύει τις κυτταρικές μεμβράνες και τις λιποπρωτεΐνες από την οξειδωτική βλάβη. Αρκετές ευρενητικές εργασίες δηλώνουν ότι η βιταμίνη Ε βελτιώνει τη φλεγμονώδη αντίδραση των ζώων σε περιπτώσεις λοιμώξεων, συμπεριλαμβανομένης και της μόλυνσης από E. coli. Σκοπός της παρούσας ερευνητικής εργασίας ήταν να εξετασθεί εάν η βιταμίνη Ε, ως πρόσθετο διατροφής, είχε κάποια επίδραση στις αλλοιώσεις που δημιουργούνταν από το EPEC Ε22 στον εντερικό βλεννογόνο. Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν 105 θηλυκά κουνέλια Νέας Ζηλανδίας. Ο απογαλακτισμός των κουνελιών έγινε σε ηλικία 26 ημερών και ο ενοφθαλμισμός τους με βακτήρια έγινε σε ηλικία 30 ημερών. Από τα 105 κουνέλια που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν: σε 45 κουνέλια χορηγήθηκε με οισοφαγικό καθετήρα βιταμίνη Ε (Tad-Vet, Veterin) σε ημερήσια δόση 60mg/kg σ.β. ξεκινώντας 10 ημέρες πριν από την πειραματική μόλυνση και σε όλη τη διάρκεια του πειραματισμού; σε 60 κουνέλια (30 από αυτά ελάμβαναν βιταμίνη Ε) χορηγήθηκαν με οισοφαγικό καθετήρα 2 ml εναιωρήματος του παθογόνου στελέχους E.coli Ε22 (2 x 106 CFU/ml); σε 30 κουνέλια μάρτυρες (από τα οποία 15 είχαν λάβει βιταμίνη Ε) χορηγήθηκαν με οισοφαγικό καθετήρα 2 ml εναιωρήματος του απαθογόνου στελέχους E.coli ΒΜ21 (109 CFU/ml); και σε 15 κουνέλια μάρτυρες χορηγήθηκαν 2 ml αποστειρωμένου φυσιολογικού ορού. Τελικά τα 105 πειραματόζωα χωρίσθηκαν στις ακόλουθες πέντε ομάδες (ο): «οΕ22» (n=30) στην οποία χορηγήθηκε το παθογόνο στέλεχος της E.coli Ε22, «οΕ22+VE» (n=30) στην οποία χορηγήθηκε βιταμίνη Ε και το παθογόνο στέλεχος της E.coli Ε22, «οΒΜ21» (n=15) στην οποία χορηγήθηκε το απαθογόνο στέλεχος της E.coli ΒΜ21, «οΒΜ21+ VE» (n=15) στην οποία χορηγήθηκε βιταμίνη Ε και το απαθογόνο στέλεχος της E.coli ΒΜ21 και «οS» (n=15) στην οποία χορηγήθηκε μόνο αποστειρωμένος φυσιολογικός ορός. Ευθανασία των πειραματόζωων πραγματοποιήθηκε από την 1 έως 7 ημέρα μετά τη μόλυνση (ημμ), και κάθε ημέρα επιλέγονταν για ευθανασία τα ζώα που είχαν τα εντονότερα κλινικά συμπτώματα ή ήταν ετοιμοθάνατα. Πολλαπλά ιστοτεμάχια από το sacculus rotundus, το τυφλό έντερο, τα τελευταία 10 cm του ειλεού και τα πρώτα 10 cm του κόλου συλλέχθηκαν για το οπτικό και ηλεκτρονικό μικροσκόπιο. Η αρχιτεκτονική δομή του εντερικού βλεννογόνου και η φλεγμονώδης αντίδραση εκτιμήθηκαν με τη χρήση ηλεκτρονικού προγράμματος ανάλυσης και βελτίωσης φωτογραφιών (Image-pro Plus 4.1). Οι μορφομετρικές αναλύσεις που έγιναν ήταν: ολικό πάχος βλεννογόνου, ύψος λάχνης, βάθος κρύπτης, αναλογία ύψους λάχνης/βάθος κρύπτης, αριθμός μονοπύρηνων και πολυμορφοπύρηνων ουδετερόφιλων κυττάρων στον υποβλεννογόνιο χιτώνα, στη βάση της κρύπτης και στην κορυφή της λάχνης. Ο βαθμός πολλαπλασιασμού των επιθηλιακών κυττάρων και ο αποικισμός τους από το εντεροπαθογόνο στέλεχος της E. coli E22 προσδιορίσθηκαν με τη χρήση μονοκλωνικού αντισώματος έναντι του PCNA και ειδικού αντιορού προβάτου έναντι του εντεροπαθογόνου στελέχους της E. coli E22. Ο βαθμός απόπτωσης των επιθηλιακών κυττάρων εκτιμήθηκε με τη μέθοδο TUNEL. ...........................

Cancer pain ... who cares? : International and national patterns of evidence-based global guide-lines recommendations for physicians on the Web (2011 vs. 2018)

Purpose: Although pain is a common event during treatment of cancer, its assessment and management remains suboptimal in everyday clinical practice at global level. Methods: Considering both the important role of Internet in daily life and that clinical guidelines are important for translating evidence in clinical practice, we performed a prospective study to scrutinize the magnitude of updated evidence-based cancer-pain guideline recommendation for physicians on the web. Changes over-time at a global level were scrutinized at two time points: 2011 for baseline and 2018 at first follow-up. Both anesthesiology and oncology societies were analyzed. Results: In 2011 we scrutinized 181,00 WebPages and 370 eligible societies were identified; 364 of these were eligible for analyses both in 2011 and 2018. The magnitude of cancer pain updated and evidence-based guideline recommendations on the web for health care providers was extremely low at global level and at any time point considered 1.1% (4/364) in 2011 and 4.7% (17364) in 2018. Continental and intercontinental patterns, National's highest developmental index, oncology tradition and economic-geographic areas were not found to influence cancer pain web-guideline provision. In 2018, pain & supportive care societies provided the highest rate of updated evidence-based cancer-pain guidelines for clinicians. Only 3/25 medical oncology societies and 1/34 radiation oncology societies, provided own or e-link (to other societies) evidence-based guidelines in their websites. Conclusions: Major medical oncology and radiation oncology societies - at global level - fail to produce updated cancer pain recommendations for their physicians, with most of these providing no or inconsistent or outdated guidelines

Cancer pain ... who cares? : International and national patterns of evidence-based global guide-lines recommendations for physicians on the Web (2011 vs. 2018)

Purpose: Although pain is a common event during treatment of cancer, its assessment and management remains suboptimal in everyday clinical practice at global level. Methods: Considering both the important role of Internet in daily life and that clinical guidelines are important for translating evidence in clinical practice, we performed a prospective study to scrutinize the magnitude of updated evidence-based cancer-pain guideline recommendation for physicians on the web. Changes over-time at a global level were scrutinized at two time points: 2011 for baseline and 2018 at first follow-up. Both anesthesiology and oncology societies were analyzed. Results: In 2011 we scrutinized 181,00 WebPages and 370 eligible societies were identified; 364 of these were eligible for analyses both in 2011 and 2018. The magnitude of cancer pain updated and evidence-based guideline recommendations on the web for health care providers was extremely low at global level and at any time point considered 1.1% (4/364) in 2011 and 4.7% (17364) in 2018. Continental and intercontinental patterns, National's highest developmental index, oncology tradition and economic-geographic areas were not found to influence cancer pain web-guideline provision. In 2018, pain & supportive care societies provided the highest rate of updated evidence-based cancer-pain guidelines for clinicians. Only 3/25 medical oncology societies and 1/34 radiation oncology societies, provided own or e-link (to other societies) evidence-based guidelines in their websites. Conclusions: Major medical oncology and radiation oncology societies - at global level - fail to produce updated cancer pain recommendations for their physicians, with most of these providing no or inconsistent or outdated guidelines

Risk indicators affecting honeybee colony survival in Europe : one year of surveillance

The first pan-European harmonized active epidemiological surveillance program on honeybee colony mortality (EPILOBEE) was set up across 17 European Member States to estimate honeybee colony mortality over winter and during the beekeeping season. In nine Member States, overwinter losses were higher and statistically different from the empirical level of 10 % under which the level of overwinter mortality was considered as acceptable with usual beekeeping conditions. In four other countries, these losses were lower. Using multivariable Poisson regression models, it was showed that the size of the operation and apiary and the clinically detected varroosis, American foulbrood (AFB), and nosemosis before winter significantly affected 2012-2013 overwinter losses. Clinically detected diseases, the size of the operation and apiary, and the non-participation to a common veterinary treatment significantly affected 2013 summer losses. EPILOBEE was a prerequisite to implement future projects studying risk factors affecting colony health such as multiple and co-exposure to pesticides