Disentangling Short-Run COVID-19 Price Impact Pathways in the US Corn Market

Despite this focus on pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, fewer empirical studies have sought to isolate short-term price impacts in food and nonfood agricultural commodity markets.1 Understanding the drivers of short-term commodity price impacts is critical to understanding future susceptibility to major market shocks and to informing policies related to shock mitigation. Declines in ethanol production reached an estimated 2 billion gallons lost from March to November 2020, leading to a corresponding decline of 700 million bushels of corn usage and a loss of billions of dollars of ethanol producer surplus (Renewable Fuels Association, 2020b;Schmitz, Moss, and Schmitz, 2020). Increases in corn-based ethanol production that started in 2005 have linked agricultural commodity prices and energy markets as US ethanol production increased rapidly from 3.9 billion gallons in 2005 to 13.3 billion by 2010 and 15.8 billion by 2019 (Chakravorty, Hubert, and Nøstbakken, 2009;Wright, 2011;Roberts and Schlenker, 2013;Asgari, Saghaian, and Reed, 2020;US Department of Agriculture, 2021). Given that over 90% of US ethanol is used in mixtures of E10 gasoline and the US market reached a 10% "blend wall" in 2016, any reduction in gasoline use will cause proportional decreases in ethanol use (US Energy Information Administrationa, 2020;US Department of Agriculture, 2021).

Association of E484K Spike Protein Mutation With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection in Vaccinated Persons: Maryland, January-May 2021.

Among 9048 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 between January and May 2021 in Maryland, in regression-adjusted analysis, SARS-CoV-2 viruses carrying the spike protein mutation E484K were disproportionately prevalent among persons infected after full vaccination against COVID-19 compared with infected persons who were not fully vaccinated (aOR, 1.96; 95% CI: 1.36-2.83).

Defining and Addressing Gaps in Care for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be a chronic and disabling illness with a lifetime prevalence of 2%, twice that of schizophrenia. Although effective treatments exist, OCD often remains underdetected and undertreated. METHODS: The authors performed a scoping review of the literature (of articles in PubMed and PsycINFO published from January 1, 2000, to February 1, 2020) to define gaps in OCD diagnosis and treatment among U.S. adults. Interventions at the patient, clinician, and health care system levels used to address these gaps are described, and promising approaches from around the world are highlighted. RESULTS: Of 102 potential studies identified in the search, 27 (including five non-U.S. studies) were included. The studies revealed that lack of clinician and patient knowledge about OCD and misdiagnosis contributes to its underdetection. Suboptimal prescribing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications and limited use of exposure and response prevention, as a first-line psychotherapy, contribute to OCD undertreatment. Digital health technologies show promise in increasing OCD detection and delivery of evidence-based care and in ensuring continuity of care (including during the COVID-19 pandemic). CONCLUSIONS: Given the significant rates of disability, morbidity, and mortality associated with OCD, addressing gaps in OCD care will reduce the U.S. burden of mental illness. Further research is needed to determine how the use of digital health technologies can increase the detection and management of OCD.

Linked Clusters of SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.351 - Maryland, January-February 2021.

In late January 2021, a clinical laboratory notified the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.351 had been identified in a specimen collected from a Maryland resident with COVID-19 (1). The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 lineage was first identified in South Africa (2) and might be neutralized less effectively by antibodies produced after vaccination or natural infection with other strains (3-6). To limit SARS-CoV-2 chains of transmission associated with this index patient, MDH used contact tracing to identify the source of infection and any linked infections among other persons. The investigation identified two linked clusters of SARS-CoV-2 infection that included 17 patients. Three additional specimens from these clusters were sequenced; all three had the B.1.351 variant and all sequences were closely related to the sequence from the index patient's specimen. Among the 17 patients identified, none reported recent international travel or contact with international travelers. Two patients, including the index patient, had received the first of a 2-dose COVID-19 vaccination series in the 2 weeks before their likely exposure; one additional patient had a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection 5 months before exposure. Two patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, and one died. These first identified linked clusters of B.1.351 infections in the United States with no apparent link to international travel highlight the importance of expanding the scope and volume of genetic surveillance programs to identify variants, completing contact investigations for SARS-CoV-2 infections, and using universal prevention strategies, including vaccination, masking, and physical distancing, to control the spread of variants of concern.