Basal ganglia: Uniting circuit logic between matrix and striosome.

A new study has identified a novel direct-indirect circuit architecture connecting the striosome compartment of the striatum with midbrain dopamine neurons. This circuit has the potential to integrate limbic and sensorimotor functions and to exert substantial control over biological reinforcement leaning.

Welcoming new neighbors: Minnesota's rapid response model to address the urgent health needs of Afghan newcomers, 2021-2022.

As a result of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in fall 2021, 1,260 Afghan evacuees arrived in Minnesota between October 2021 and February 2022. Several contextual factors including an overtaxed health system under duress from COVID-19 and uncertain benefit eligibility prompted a coordinated public health response to appropriately address the acute and pressing medical concerns of our new neighbors. This community case study describes the State of Minnesota's cross-sectoral response that created a welcoming environment, identified public health concerns, and addressed acute medical needs.

Synaptic alterations in pyramidal cells following genetic manipulation of neuronal excitability in monkey prefrontal cortex.

Unlabelled: In schizophrenia, layer 3 pyramidal neurons (L3PNs) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are thought to receive fewer excitatory synaptic inputs and to have lower expression levels of activity-dependent genes and of genes involved in mitochondrial energy production. In concert, these findings from previous studies suggest that DLPFC L3PNs are hypoactive in schizophrenia, disrupting the patterns of activity that are crucial for working memory, which is impaired in the illness. However, whether lower PN activity produces alterations in inhibitory and/or excitatory synaptic strength has not been tested in the primate DLPFC.

An open-source MRI compatible frame for multimodal presurgical mapping in macaque and capuchin monkeys.

Background: High-precision neurosurgical targeting in nonhuman primates (NHPs) often requires presurgical anatomical mapping with noninvasive neuroimaging techniques (MRI, CT, PET), allowing for translation of individual anatomical coordinates to surgical stereotaxic apparatus. Given the varied tissue contrasts that these imaging techniques produce, precise alignment of imaging-based coordinates to surgical apparatus can be cumbersome. MRI-compatible stereotaxis with radiopaque fiducial markers offer a straight-forward and reliable solution, but existing commercial options do not fit in conformal head coils that maximize imaging quality.

Infections with long latency in international refugees, immigrants, and migrants seen at GeoSentinel sites, 2016-2018.

Background: The continued increase in global migration compels clinicians to be aware of specific health problems faced by refugees, immigrants, and migrants (RIM). This analysis aimed to characterize RIM evaluated at GeoSentinel sites, their migration history, and infectious diseases detected through screening and diagnostic workups.

Methods: A case report form was used to collect data on demographics, migration route, infectious diseases screened, test results, and primary infectious disease diagnosis for RIM patients seen at GeoSentinel sites.

Understanding COVID-19 Health Disparities With Birth Country and Language Data.

Introduction: Understanding of COVID-19-related disparities in the U.S. is largely informed by traditional race/ethnicity categories that mask important social group differences.

Innovative Approaches to Improve COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing Among Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants: Lessons Learned from a Newly Established National Resource Center.

Effective COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) among refugee, immigrant, and migrant (RIM) communities requires innovative approaches to address linguistic, cultural and community specific preferences. The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) is a CDC-funded initiative to support state and local health departments with COVID-19 response among RIM communities, including CICT. This note from the field will describe NRC-RIM and initial outcomes and lessons learned, including the use of human-centered design to develop health messaging around COVID-19 CICT; training developed for case investigators, contact tracers, and other public health professionals working with RIM community members; and promising practices and other resources related to COVID-19 CICT among RIM communities that have been implemented by health departments, health systems, or community-based organizations.

Computational complexity drives sustained deliberation.

Economic deliberations are slow, effortful and intentional searches for solutions to difficult economic problems. Although such deliberations are critical for making sound decisions, the underlying reasoning strategies and neurobiological substrates remain poorly understood. Here two nonhuman primates performed a combinatorial optimization task to identify valuable subsets and satisfy predefined constraints.

Cost-effectiveness of treatment strategies for populations from strongyloidiasis high-risk areas globally who will initiate corticosteroid treatment in the USA.

Background: The risk of developing strongyloidiasis hyperinfection syndrome appears to be elevated among individuals who initiate corticosteroid treatment. Presumptive treatment or treatment after screening for populations from Strongyloides stercoralis-endemic areas has been suggested before initiating corticosteroids. However, potential clinical and economic impacts of preventative strategies have not been evaluated.

Evaluation of Preferred Language and Timing of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Disease Outcomes.

Importance: Beyond traditional race and ethnicity demographic characteristics, additional discrete data variables are needed for informed health interventions in the US.

Objective: To examine whether COVID-19 vaccine uptake patterns and associated disease outcomes differ among language preference groups.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cohort study of 851 410 individuals aged 18 years or older in a large multispecialty health system in Minnesota and western Wisconsin was conducted between December 15, 2020, and March 31, 2022.

Transplantation and immigration: Comparing infectious complications and outcomes between foreign-born and US-born kidney transplant recipients in Minnesota.

Background: Foreign-born kidney transplant recipients (FBKTRs) are at increased risk for reactivation of latent infections that may impact outcomes. We aimed to compare the etiology of infections and outcomes between FBKTR and United States KTRs (USKTR).

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients who underwent kidney transplantation between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2018 at two transplant centers in Minnesota.

Costs of malaria treatment in the United States.

We estimated inpatient and outpatient payments for malaria treatment in the USA. The mean cost per hospitalized patient was significantly higher than for non-hospitalized patients (e.g.

Use of Point-of-Care Handheld Ultrasound for Splenomegaly in United States-Bound Refugees: A Novel Technology with Far-Reaching Implications.

Ultrasound (US) is an invaluable clinical tool. New point-of-care US technology holds great promise for hard-to-reach and mobile populations such as refugees. The implementation of US in unique and challenging settings has been hindered by cost, fragility of equipment, need for uninterrupted electricity, training, and difficulty in sharing data/image files impeding quality assurance.

Food and Drug Administration Approval of Artesunate for Severe Malaria: Enough to Achieve Best Practice?

Intravenous artesunate has been the global standard of care for severe malaria for over 2 decades. Yet, until recently, artesunate has only been available to patients through an expanded-access protocol from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In May 2020, the Food and Drug Administration approved artesunate, allowing US hospitals to stock the drug and ensuring prompt treatment for this life-threatening infection.

Low Use of Standard-of-Care Antiparasitic Drugs and Increased Estimated Outpatient Payments for Treating Schistosomiasis in the United States, 2013-19.

Drug utilization and payment estimates for standard-of-care treatment of schistosomiasis have not been reported previously in the United States. This study estimates the utilization of praziquantel (standard-of-care drug) among patients with schistosomiasis and outpatient payments among those who were treated with praziquantel, and investigates the factors associated with praziquantel use from 2013-19 using IBM's MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters database. Claims data showed that only 21% of patients with schistosomiasis diagnoses were treated with praziquantel.

Low Treatment Rates of Parasitic Diseases with Standard-of-Care Prescription Drugs in the United States, 2013-2019.

To assess appropriate drug treatment of parasitic diseases in the United States, we examined the treatment rates of 11 selected parasitic infections with standard-of-care prescription drugs and compared them to the treatment rates of two more common bacterial infections (Clostridioides difficile and streptococcal pharyngitis). We used the 2013 to 2019 IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters and MarketScan® Multi-State Medicaid databases, which included up to 7 years of data for approximately 88 million and 17 million individuals, respectively, to estimate treatment rates of each infection. The number of patients diagnosed with each parasitic infection varied from 57 to 5,266, and from 12 to 2,018, respectively, across the two databases.

Quantitative single-cell transcriptome-based ranking of engineered AAVs in human retinal explants.

Gene therapy is a rapidly developing field, and adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are a leading viral-vector candidate for therapeutic gene delivery. Newly engineered AAVs with improved abilities are now entering the clinic. It has proven challenging, however, to predict the translational potential of gene therapies developed in animal models due to cross-species differences.

Machine learning sequence prioritization for cell type-specific enhancer design.

Recent discoveries of extreme cellular diversity in the brain warrant rapid development of technologies to access specific cell populations within heterogeneous tissue. Available approaches for engineering-targeted technologies for new neuron subtypes are low yield, involving intensive transgenic strain or virus screening. Here, we present Specific Nuclear-Anchored Independent Labeling (SNAIL), an improved virus-based strategy for cell labeling and nuclear isolation from heterogeneous tissue.

Cross-Sectional Assessment of the Association of Eosinophilia with Intestinal Parasitic Infection in U.S.-Bound Refugees in Thailand: Prevalent, Age Dependent, but of Limited Clinical Utility.

The most common causes of eosinophilia globally are helminth parasites. Refugees from high endemic areas are at increased risk of infection compared with the general U.S.

Healthcare worker perspectives on COVID-19 vaccines: Implications for increasing vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers and patients.

Objective: To understand COVID-19 vaccine perspectives among healthcare workers serving diverse communities.

Methods: A dual English/Spanish survey was distributed to healthcare workers in the United States from 3/12/2021-4/22/2021 by the Migrant Clinicians Network, Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center, and social media advertisement to general primary care workers.

Results: 517 responses were at least 50% complete and included in the analysis.

Trends in Pricing and Out-of-Pocket Spending on Entecavir Among Commercially Insured Patients, 2014-2018.

This cross-sectional study of health claims from patients with private insurance examines trends in the cost of entecavir prescribed for chronic hepatitis B treatment.

Disease Surveillance Among U.S.-Bound Immigrants and Refugees - Electronic Disease Notification System, United States, 2014-2019.

Problem/condition: Each year, approximately 500,000 immigrants and tens of thousands of refugees (range: 12,000-85,000 during 2001-2020) move to the United States. While still abroad, immigrants, refugees, and others who apply for admission to live permanently in the United States must undergo a medical examination. This examination identifies persons with class A or B conditions.

Transcriptional and anatomical diversity of medium spiny neurons in the primate striatum.

Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) constitute the vast majority of striatal neurons and the principal interface between dopamine reward signals and functionally diverse cortico-basal ganglia circuits. Information processing in these circuits is dependent on distinct MSN types: cell types that are traditionally defined according to their projection targets or dopamine receptor expression. Single-cell transcriptional studies have revealed greater MSN heterogeneity than predicted by traditional circuit models, but the transcriptional landscape in the primate striatum remains unknown.