Glutamatergic inputs to GABAergic interneurons in the motor thalamus of control and parkinsonian monkeys.

The primate ventral motor thalamus contains a large number of GABAergic interneurons of poorly understood function and anatomical connectivity. Glutamatergic inputs to these cells arise predominantly from corticothalamic (in both basal ganglia- and cerebellar-receiving ventral motor thalamic territories; BGMT and CBMT, respectively) and cerebellothalamic terminals (in CBMT). In Parkinson's disease patients and animal models, neuronal activity is abnormal within both BGMT and CBMT. Historically, such motor thalamic dysregulation has been largely attributed to changes in inhibitory tone from the basal ganglia output nuclei, ignoring the potential role of other thalamic inputs in such processes, particularly within the CBMT, which is largely devoid of direct basal ganglia afferents. We have recently reported changes in the abundance and structural morphology of corticothalamic terminals in BGMT of parkinsonian monkeys. In this study, we assessed potential changes in the prevalence of cortical (vesicular glutamate transporter 1-positive, vGluT1-positive) and subcortical (vGluT2-positive) glutamatergic inputs in contact with GABAergic interneurons in BGMT and CBMT of MPTP-treated parkinsonian monkeys. Our findings revealed that interneurons represent a major target of both sets of glutamatergic terminals. In both BGMT and CBMT of control and parkinsonian monkeys, 29%-38% of total asymmetric axodendritic synapses (putative glutamatergic) were formed by vGluT1-positive terminals and 11%-17% of total vGluT1-positive terminals targeted dendrites of GABAergic interneurons. In CBMT, 16%-18% of asymmetric synaptic inputs on interneurons involved vGluT2-containing terminals. No major differences in the extent of glutamatergic innervation of thalamic GABAergic interneurons were found between control and parkinsonian monkeys.

Receipt of palivizumab before birth hospitalization discharge among preterm infants in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine predischarge palivizumab receipt prevalence among infants ≤ 36 weeks' gestational age. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study used hospital discharge records from the Premier Perspective database (Premier Inc., Charlotte, NC) of infants ≤ 36 weeks' gestational age who were discharged home after birth hospitalization during the November-March respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasons from 2006 to 2011. Descriptive statistics were performed and logistic regression was employed to identify differences in categorical variables. RESULTS: Among infants ≤ 36 weeks' gestational age discharged home during the RSV seasons, 21.4 to 27.0% had a record of palivizumab receipt before discharge. Among infants ≤ 30 weeks' gestational age, palivizumab receipt was 82.3 to 88.8%. Receipt varied considerably at the hospital level, from 0 to 100%. CONCLUSION: This study improves our understanding of characteristics associated with predischarge palivizumab administration. The identified gaps in recommended care can help inform future implementation of palivizumab and other interventions to help improve the health of high-risk preterm infants in the United States.