Oral or Topical Exposure to Glyphosate in Herbicide Formulation Impacts the Gut Microbiota and Survival Rates of Honey Bees.

Honey bees are important agricultural pollinators that rely on a specific gut microbiota for the regulation of their immune system and defense against pathogens. Environmental stressors that affect the bee gut microbial community, such as antibiotics and glyphosate, can indirectly compromise bee health. Most of the experiments demonstrating these effects have been done under laboratory conditions with pure chemicals. Here, we investigated the oral and topical effects of various concentrations of glyphosate in a herbicide formulation on the honey bee gut microbiota and health under laboratory and field conditions. Under all of these conditions, the formulation, dissolved in sucrose syrup or water, affected the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the bee gut in a dose-dependent way. Mark-recapture experiments also demonstrated that bees exposed to the formulation were more likely to disappear from the colony, once reintroduced after exposure. Although no visible effects were observed for hives exposed to the formulation in field experiments, challenge trials with the pathogen Serratia marcescens, performed under laboratory conditions, revealed that bees from hives exposed to the formulation exhibited increased mortality compared with bees from control hives. In the field experiments, glyphosate was detected in honey collected from exposed hives, showing that worker bees transfer xenobiotics to the hive, thereby extending exposure and increasing the chances of exposure to recently emerged bees. These findings show that different routes of exposure to glyphosate-based herbicide can affect honey bees and their gut microbiota.IMPORTANCE The honey bee gut microbial community plays a vital role in immune response and defense against opportunistic pathogens. Environmental stressors, such as the herbicide glyphosate, may affect the gut microbiota, with negative consequences for bee health. Glyphosate is usually sprayed in the field mixed with adjuvants, which enhance herbicidal activity. These adjuvants may also enhance undesired effects in nontargeted organisms. This seems to be the case for glyphosate-based herbicide on honey bees. As we show in this study, oral exposure to either pure glyphosate or glyphosate in a commercial herbicide formulation perturbs the gut microbiota of honey bees, and topical exposure to the formulation also has a direct effect on honey bee health, increasing mortality in a dose-dependent way and leaving surviving bees with a perturbed microbiota. Understanding the effects of herbicide formulations on honey bees may help to protect these important agricultural pollinators.

Association between liver enzymes and bone mineral density in Koreans: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a major health concern for both men and women, and associated fractures incur substantial economic burden. While there are a multitude of studies on bone mineral density (BMD) and liver diseases, not many studies have assessed the association between liver enzyme levels and BMD in homogeneous populations. METHODS: The current study investigated the association between serum liver enzyme levels and BMD at various sites in Koreans. Out of 21,517 surveyees of the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2012), 7160 participants' data on BMD, serum liver enzymes, and full covariate data were included for cross-sectional analysis. BMD at the femoral neck, lumbar spine, entire femur, and whole body was assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and liver enzymes included aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma(γ)-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels. Differences in participant characteristics by BMD and liver enzyme levels were analyzed, and complex sample design regression analysis adjusted for multiple covariates was performed to assess the relationship between liver enzymes and BMD. RESULTS: Negative associations were seen with GGT and BMD at all sites (P ≤ 0.02), ALT with lumbar spine (P = 0.0013), and AST with lumbar BMD (P = 0.0009). In particular, GGT presented strong negative associations with BMD in postmenopausal women and elder men. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a negative relationship between liver enzyme levels and BMD, and suggests that a significant association exists between osteoporosis/decreased BMD and liver disorders.

Analysis of medical service use of knee osteoarthritis and knee meniscal and ligament injuries in Korea: a cross-sectional study of national patient sample data.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) and meniscal and ligament injuries of the knee are the two most common knee disorders in Korea. The aim of this study was to analyze the demographic characteristics, medical service use and related costs for these disorders, and the results are expected to help inform practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers. METHODS: The present study aimed to evaluate incidence and patient characteristics, and to assess current medical service use, usual care, and medical expenses of knee disorders by analyzing 2014 national patient sample data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Data was extracted using 3% stratified sampling from all Korea national health insurance claims submitted in 2014, and analyzed. Usual care for M17 knee osteoarthritis and S83 knee meniscal and ligament injury codes of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) were determined by investigating total number of patients, sociodemographic characteristics, days in care, number of visits, and expenses. RESULTS: Knee OA showed the highest incidence in females aged ≥60 years, whereas meniscal and ligament injuries of the knee were most prevalent among patients aged <20 years and young adults. Total inpatient care expenses exceeded the cost of ambulatory care for both disorders. Ambulatory care was mainly provided at primary care clinics, with 90% of these visits made to orthopedic specialists. Medical expenses for knee OA and meniscal and ligament injuries were largely due to procedures/surgeries and injections, and procedures/surgeries and hospitalizations, respectively. Total replacement arthroplasty was the most commonly performed surgery for knee OA, while meniscectomy and cruciate ligament reconstruction were the most often performed surgeries for meniscal and ligament injuries. Intra-articular injection rates were 55% in knee OA patients and 3% in meniscal and ligament injury patients. Aceclofenac, diclofenac, and tramadol were the most frequently prescribed analgesics. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings may be used as basic data for establishing medical policies and can benefit researchers and clinicians in recognizing trends and patterns of treatment for knee disorders.

Phenyl substitution of cationic bis-cyclometalated iridium(iii) complexes for iTMC-LEECs.

A series of seven cationic bis-cyclometalated iridium(iii) complexes of the form [(C^N)2(N^N)Ir][PF6] has been designed in order to examine the effect of bulky, hydrophobic phenyl substituents on the structure-property relationship of these ionic transition metal complexes (iTMCs) in light-emitting electrochemical cells (LEECs). Capping phenyl substituents on the cyclometalating and ancillary ligands allows for individual tuning of the HOMO and LUMO energy levels, respectively, yielding an emission range from yellow to red. The complexes in this series exhibit increased quantum yields, up to 70% higher than the unoptimized, archetypal [(2-phenylpyridine)2(2,2'-bipyridine)Ir][PF6]. Among these, one complex, C3, was recently reported to produce devices with superior luminance and efficiency. Simultaneous measure of the series of complexes enabled the clear discernment of trends in device performance connected to fundamental structure-property relationships that elucidate the origin of enhanced luminance. In general, phenyl substitution of the 2-phenylpyridine ligands of the parent complex produced higher luminance and faster device response than phenyl substitution of the 2,2'-bipyridine ligand. Overall, complex design and device engineering produce competitive LEECs from simple, single-layer architectures. The synthesis, crystallographic, photophysical, and electrochemical properties of the iTMCs, along with the electroluminescence properties of the LEEC devices are reported herein.

Discerning the Impact of a Lithium Salt Additive in Thin-Film Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy.

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LEECs) from small molecules, such as iridium complexes, have great potential as low-cost emissive devices. In these devices, ions rearrange during operation to facilitate carrier injection, bringing about efficient operation from simple, single-layer devices. Prior work has shown that the luminance, efficiency, and responsiveness of iridium LEECs is greatly enhanced by the inclusion of small fractions of lithium salts, but much remains to be understood about the origin of this enhancement. Recent work with planar devices demonstrates that lithium additives in iridium LEECs enhance double-layer formation. However, the quantitative influence of lithium salts on the underlying physics of conventional thin-film, sandwich structure LEECs, which beneficially operate at low voltages and generate higher luminance, has yet to be clarified. Here, we use electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to discern the impact of the lithium salt concentration on double-layer formation within the device and draw correlations with performance metrics, such as current, luminance, and external quantum efficiency.

Influence of Lithium Additives in Small Molecule Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells.

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LEECs) utilizing small molecule emitters such as iridium complexes have great potential as low-cost emissive devices. In these devices, ions rearrange during operation to facilitate carrier injection, bringing about efficient operation from simple, single layer devices. Recent work has shown that the luminance, efficiency, and responsiveness of iridium-based LEECs are greatly enhanced by the inclusion of small amounts of lithium salts (≤0.5%/wt) into the active layer. However, the origin of this enhancement has yet to be demonstrated experimentally. Furthermore, although iridium-based devices have been the longstanding leader among small molecule LEECs, fundamental understanding of the ionic distribution in these devices under operation is lacking. Herein, we use scanning Kelvin probe microscopy to measure the in situ potential profiles and electric field distributions of planar iridium-based LEECs and clarify the role of ionic lithium additives. In pristine devices, it is found that ions do not pack densely at the cathode, and ionic redistribution is slow. Inclusion of small amounts of Li[PF6] greatly increases ionic space charge near the cathode that doubles the peak electric fields and enhances electronic injection relative to pristine devices. This study confirms and clarifies a number of longstanding hypotheses regarding iridium LEECs and recent postulates concerning optimization of their operation.

Enhanced Luminance of Electrochemical Cells with a Rationally Designed Ionic Iridium Complex and an Ionic Additive.

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LEECs) offer the potential for high efficiency operation from an inexpensive device. However, long turn-on times and low luminance under steady-state operation are longstanding LEEC issues. Here, we present a single-layer LEEC with a custom-designed iridium(III) complex and a lithium salt additive for enhanced device performance. These devices display reduced response times, modest lifetimes, and peak luminances as high as 5500 cd/m(2), 80% higher than a comparable device from an unoptimized complex and 50% higher than the salt-free device. Improved device efficiency suggests that salt addition balances space charge effects at the interfaces. Extrapolation suggests favorable half-lives of 120 ± 10 h at 1000 cd/m(2) and 3800 ± 400 h at 100 cd/m(2). Overall, complex design and device engineering produce competitive LEECs from simple, single-layer architectures.

OCULAR INVOLVEMENT IN HEMOPHAGOCYTIC SYNDROME: A NOVEL FUNDUSCOPIC MANIFESTATION AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.

PURPOSE: Hemophagocytic syndrome (HS) is a rare disease with a spectrum of ocular findings. The authors report a unique funduscopic presentation of HS in a neonate and a discussion of diagnosis, typical features, management, and outcome. METHODS: Single case report with retrospective analysis of the published literature of patients with HS and ocular findings from 1950 to present using the key terms hemophagocytic, lymphohistiocytosis, ocular, and ophthalmic. Literature search from 1950 to the present was performed through PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane database. Requirement for inclusion was that the article or abstract was written in English. RESULTS: A 4-week-old neonate with HS demonstrated bilateral discrete white dots within the retina, which resolved incompletely over the course of the next months but showed increased pigmentation. CONCLUSION: With so few documented ophthalmic cases of HS in existence, the ocular findings at this point can be seen as diverse and variable. However as more cases are reported, hopefully this will allow for increased recognition of the ophthalmic manifestations and sequelae and in turn lead to improved treatment of this disease.

Electrochemical modification of indium tin oxide using di(4-nitrophenyl) iodonium tetrafluoroborate.

Optoelectronic applications often rely on indium tin oxide (ITO) as a transparent electrode material. Improvements in the performance of such devices as photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes often requires robust, controllable modification of the ITO surface to enhance interfacial charge transfer properties. In this work, modifier films were deposited onto ITO by the electrochemical reduction of di(4-nitrophenyl) iodonium tetrafluoroborate (DNP), allowing for control over surface functionalization. The surface coverage could be tuned from submonolayer to multilayer coverage by either varying the DNP concentration or the number of cyclic voltammetry (CV) grafting scans. Modification of ITO with 0.8 mM DNP resulted in near-monolayer surface coverage (4.95 × 10(14) molecules/cm(2)). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the presence of 4-nitrophenyl (NO2Ph) moieties on the ITO surface through the detection of a NO2 nitrogen signal at 405.6 eV after grafting. Further XPS evidence suggests that the NO2Ph radicals do not bond to the surface indium or tin sites, consistent with modification occurring either through bonding to surface hydroxyl groups or through strong physisorption on ITO. CV in the presence of an electroactive probe and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to investigate the electronic effects that modification via DNP has on ITO. Even at submonolayer coverage, the insulating organic films can reduce the current response to ferrocene oxidation and reduction by more than 25% and increase the charge transfer resistance by a factor of 10.

Surgical technique for excisional bleb revision using a rotational conjunctival flap for a large conjunctival defect.

Bleb dysesthesia is a common but under recognized late complication of trabeculectomy, sometimes requiring surgical revision if conservative measures fail. We describe in detail a surgical technique for closure of a large conjunctival defect following bleb excision for refractory dysesthesia. Two subconjunctival 5-fluorouracil injections were given to improve bleb function. Eight months post-operatively, the intraocular pressure is well controlled on two agents, and the patient has had resolution of dysesthesia.