Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (SM) is a non-fermenting, Gram-negative bacillus. Its intrinsic resistance to many beta-lactams makes for challenging treatment decisions. A preprint of the latest Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidance on managing SM infections was published in December 2022 providing a recommendation for combination therapy including trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) and a second agent. An evaluation of the impact on SM treatment practices following this guidance was conducted at our institution. Methods: A list of 130 patients with non-urine SM cultures from December 2021-August 2023 was generated using a pharmacovigilance platform. Patients were excluded if on comfort measures or discharged to hospice prior to therapy completion, no directed antibiotics were given, or any history of prior SM infection. Twenty-five patients were randomly selected from the pre- and post-guidance periods (before and one month after December 1, 2022) for a total of 50 patients. Data was collected via manual chart review. The primary endpoint was frequency of combination antibiotic therapy in each time period. Secondary endpoints included treatment success (defined as resolution of infection symptoms and lack of infection recurrence), in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, and 30-day infection recurrence. Results: Overall, baseline characteristics were similar between groups, the median age was 65 years, 64% of patients were male, 20% were immunocompromised based on prespecified criteria, the median Charlson comorbidity index was 5 (21% estimated 10-Year survival), and 76% of SM cultures were pulmonary isolates. Displayed in figure 1, combination therapy was given in 6 of 25 cases (24%) in the post-guidance group and zero patients in the pre-guidance group. Secondary endpoints of treatment success and all-cause mortality were similar between groups. Duration of therapy was similar between combination and non-combination therapy regimens (median 9 vs 10 days). Among patients who received combination therapy, all had ID consultation, 4 (66.7%) were admitted to the ICU, and 2 (33.3%) had treatment success. Conclusions: Patients treated for SM infection at our institution in the post-IDSA guidance period were more likely to receive combination therapy. A higher rate of treatment success was not observed in the post-IDSA guidance arm for SM infections. Limitations of this study include its small sample size and retrospective design, leading to inability to distinguish colonization from true infection. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the impact of combination antibiotic therapy on outcomes.

Previous studies indicate that “hesitation” and “skepticism” are important barriers to the development of renewable energy industries in the United States. We examine whether key pecuniary and nonpecuniary characteristics of bioenergy crops underlie the hesitation argument. Based on a stated choice experiment, we find that Midwestern producers appreciate certain crop attributes that are found in switchgrass, but not in conventional crops. We also find that producers would be willing to grow switchgrass-like crops for net margins between $222/acre/year and $247/acre/year in marginal counties. We argue that farmers’ hesitation and skepticism toward bioenergy crops can be overcome.

This special issue considers the relationship of the life sciences to both public policy and public administration. This makes sense because the bureaucratic process and public administration are deeply involved in the policy process and the development of substantive public policy. The two subjects are intertwined. And a biological perspective can illuminate many aspects of both. That is the focus of this issue.

Acifluorfen, lactofen, chlorimuron, thifensulfuron, imazethapyr, and imazaquin were evaluated for control of Palmer amaranth, common waterhemp, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed at three application timings in field and greenhouse experiments. Results from field studies indicated that most herbicides provided greater than 90% control of common waterhemp, redroot pigweed, and tumble pigweed regardless of time of application. Palmer amaranth was the most difficult species to control, and only thifensulfuron and imazethapyr provided greater than 80% control at all application timings. In the greenhouse experiment, herbicides were applied when pigweeds averaged 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm in height. Results were similar to the field experiment, except that common waterhemp was more difficult to control.

Recent agricultural economics literature has largely analyzed consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for many credence attributes, including place of origin, organic, locally grown, environment-friendly, fair trade, and animal welfare. In this study, we instead attempt to analyze why consumers value “locally grown,” which is a credence attribute receiving increasing attention in the market. Specifically, we propose a distinction between the direct effect and the indirect effect of “locally grown” on consumers’ attitudes towards agri-food products to explain consumers’ preferences for locally grown products. We collect data from an experiment with university students and analyze the data with a structural equation modeling methodology.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a complex neurobehavioral disorder principally characterized by motor and vocal tics. However, features of obsessive-compulsive and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders are often present. The basal ganglia and associated brain structures have been implicated in the pathophysiology of TS, as well as in these related conditions. Specifically, it is believed that the neuroanatomically and functionally defined basal ganglia thalamocortical loops are involved in TS. These loops are composed of a sequence of connections originating in the cortex and passing in series through the striatum (caudate and putamen), globus pallidus, and thalamus before returning to the cortical areas of origin. This review concentrates on the neuroimaging findings in Ts, particularly as they relate to alterations in components of the basal ganglia thalamocortical circuits. These neuroimaging data suggest that the major abnormalities in TS involve striatal or cortical dysfunction, as well as dysfunction of dopaminergic systems that regulate basas ganglia neurotransmission.