Efficacy and safety of psychedelics for the treatment of mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We aim to systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness and safety of psychedelics [psilocybin, ayahuasca (active component DMT), LSD and MDMA] in treating symptoms of various mental disorders. Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, and PubMed were searched up to February 2024 and 126 articles were finally included. Results showed that psilocybin has the largest number of articles on treating mood disorders (N = 28), followed by ayahuasca (N = 7) and LSD (N = 6). Overall, psychedelics have therapeutic effects on mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Specifically, psilocybin (Hedges' g = -1.49, 95% CI [-1.67, -1.30]) showed the strongest therapeutic effect among four psychedelics, followed by ayahuasca (Hedges' g = -1.34, 95% CI [-1.86, -0.82]), MDMA (Hedges' g = -0.83, 95% CI [-1.33, -0.32]), and LSD (Hedges' g = -0.65, 95% CI [-1.03, -0.27]). A small amount of evidence also supports psychedelics improving tobacco addiction, eating disorders, sleep disorders, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder. The most common adverse event with psychedelics was headache. Nearly a third of the articles reported that no participants reported lasting adverse effects. Our analyses suggest that psychedelics reduce negative mood, and have potential efficacy in other mental disorders, such as substance-use disorders and PTSD.

Boron-based ternary MgTa2B6 cluster: a turning nanoclock with dynamic structural fluxionality.

Boron-based complex clusters are a fertile ground for the exploration of exotic chemical bonding and dynamic structural fluxionality. Here we report on the computational design of a ternary MgTa2B6 cluster via global structural searches and quantum chemical calculations. The cluster turns out to be a new member of the molecular rotor family, closely mimicking a turning clock at the subnanoscale. It is composed of a hexagonal B6 ring with a capping Ta atom at the top and bottom, whereas the Mg atom is linked to one Ta site as a radial Ta-Mg dimer. These components serve as the dial, axis, and hand of a nanoclock, respectively. Chemical bonding analyses reveal that the inverse sandwich Ta2B6 motif in the cluster features 6π/6σ double aromaticity, whose electron counting conforms to the (4n + 2) Hückel rule. The Ta-Mg dimer has a Lewis-type σ bond, and the Mg site has negligible bonding with B6 ring. The ternary cluster can be formulated as an [Mg]0[Ta2B6]0 complex. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the cluster is structurally fluxional analogous to a nanoclock, even at a low temperature of 100 K. The Ta-Mg hand turns almost freely around the Ta2 axis and along the B6 dial. The tiny intramolecular rotation barrier is less than 0.3 kcal mol-1, being dictated by the bonding nature of double 6π/6σ aromaticity. The present system offers a new type of molecular rotor in physical chemistry.

Cineole inhibits the biosynthesis of leukotrienes and prostaglandins to alleviate allergic rhinitis: Insights from metabolomics.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disease characterized by nasal congestion, rhinorrhoea, and sneezing. Cineole, a monoterpenoid compound widely present in various volatile oils, has a wide range of pharmacological activities and is of interest in allergic airway diseases for its anti-inflammatory and anti-mucus production abilities. However, the protective effects of cineole in mice with allergic rhinitis and its mechanisms have not been well investigated. In this study, the protective effect of cineole against ovalbumin-induced (OVA-induced) allergic rhinitis and its molecular mechanism is investigated by metabolomic analysis based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). OVA combined with aluminum hydroxide adjuvant is used to sensitize and establish the allergic rhinitis (AR) mouse model. The mice are randomly divided into groups of control, AR, cineole (30 mg/kg), and budesonide (38.83 µg/kg). The pharmacodynamic results show that cineole significantly reduces the levels of Th2-type cytokines and OVA-specific IgE (OVA-sIgE) in AR mice, improves nasal mucosal tissue damage and alleviates nasal symptoms compared to the untreated AR group. Metabolomic results show that arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism and tryptophan (Trp) metabolism are reprogrammed on the basis of 27 significantly altered metabolites. Further studies show that cineole inhibits the biosynthesis of pro-inflammatory lipid mediators leukotrienes (LTs) and prostaglandins (PGs) in mice by inhibiting the activity of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the arachidonic acid metabolic (AA metabolic) pathway. It also inhibits the production of Th2 cytokines and inflammatory cell infiltration, thereby alleviating symptoms such as nasal congestion and nasal leakage. These results reveal the action and molecular mechanism of cineole in alleviating AR and provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of cineole in treating AR.

Novel role of AMPK in cocaine reinforcement via regulating CRTC1.

Repeated cocaine exposure causes compensatory neuroadaptations in neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region that mediates reinforcing effects of drugs. Previous studies suggested a role for adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a cellular energy sensor, in modulating neuronal morphology and membrane excitability. However, the potential involvement of AMPK in cocaine use disorder is still unclear. The present study employed a cocaine self-administration model in rats to investigate the effect of AMPK and its target cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein-regulated transcriptional co-activator 1 (CRTC1) on cocaine reinforcement and the motivation for cocaine. We found that intravenous cocaine self-administration significantly decreased AMPK activity in the NAc shell (NAcsh), which persisted for at least 7 days of withdrawal. Cocaine reinforcement, reflected by self-administration behavior, was significantly prevented or enhanced by augmenting or suppressing AMPK activity pharmacologically and genetically, respectively. No difference in sucrose self-administration behavior was found after the same manipulations. The inhibition of AMPK activity in the NAcsh also increased the motivation for cocaine in progressive-ratio schedules of reinforcement, whereas the activation of AMPK had no effect. The knockdown of CRTC1 in the NAcsh significantly impaired cocaine reinforcement, which was rescued by pharmacologically increasing AMPK activity. Altogether, these results indicate that AMPK in the NAcsh is critical for cocaine reinforcement, possibly via the regulation of CRTC1 signaling. These findings may help reveal potential therapeutic targets and have important implications for the treatment of cocaine use disorder and relapse.

Ternary CE2Ba2 (E = As, Sb) Clusters: New Pentaatomic Planar Tetracoordinate Carbon Species with 18 Valence Electrons.

18-valence-electron (ve) rule is one important guide for us to design planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) species. Using the "polarization of ligands" strategy, the new pentaatomic ptC species CE2Ba2 (E = As, Sb) with 18 ve are designed in this work. Computer structural searches and high-level calculations reveal that the ptC CE2Ba2 (E = As, Sb) species are global minima (GMs) on the potential energy surfaces, whose C center is coordinated by the interspaced E and Ba atoms. CE2Ba2 (E = As, Sb) are also kinetically stable. Chemical bonding analyses reveal that the ptC core is stabilized by two localized C-E σ bonds, one delocalized five-center two-electron (5c-2e) σ bond and one delocalized 5c-2e π bond. One π and three σ bonds collectively conform to the 8-electron counting, which determines the stability of ptC CE2Ba2 (E = As, Sb) species. Interestingly, the delocalized 2π and 2σ electrons render the ptC systems π/σ double aromaticity. Additional 10 electrons contribute to peripheral lone pairs of E and E-Ba bonding.

Genomic and phylogenetic analysis of avian polyomaviruses isolated from parrots in Taiwan.

Avian polyomavirus (APV) is a non-enveloped virus with a circular double-stranded DNA genome approximately 5000 bp in length. APV was first reported in fledgling budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) as the causative agent of budgerigar fledgling disease, resulting in high parrot mortality rates in the 1980s. This disease has been observed worldwide, and APV has a wide host range including budgerigars, cockatoos, lorikeets, lovebirds, and macaws. Twenty APV isolates have been collected from healthy and symptomatic parrots in Taiwan from 2015 to 2019. These isolates were then amplified via polymerase chain reaction, after which the whole genomes of these isolates were sequenced. The overall APV-positive rate was 14.2%, and the full lengths of the APV Taiwan isolates varied from 4971 to 4982 bps. The APV genome contains an early region that encodes two regulatory proteins (the large tumor antigen (Large T-Ag) and the small tumor antigen (Small t-Ag)) and a late region which encodes the capsid proteins VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP4. The nucleotide identities of the VP1 and VP4 genes ranged from 98.7 to 100%, whereas the nucleotide sequence of the Large T-Ag gene had the highest identity (99.2-100%) relative to other APV isolates from the GenBank database. A phylogenetic tree based on the whole genome demonstrated that the APV Taiwan isolates were closely related to Japanese and Portuguese isolates. Recombination events were analyzed using the Recombination Detection Program version 4 and APV Taiwan isolate TW-3 was identified as a minor parent of the APV recombinants. In this study, we first reported the characterization of the whole genome sequences of APV Taiwan isolates and their phylogenetic relationships with all APV isolates available in the GenBank database.

Long non-coding RNA DILC suppresses bladder cancer cells progression.

Accumulative researches have demonstrated the critical functions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the progression of malignant tumors, including bladder cancer (BC). Our previous studies showed that lnc-DILC was an important tumor suppressor gene in both liver cancer and colorectal cancer. However, the role of lnc-DILC in BC remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we for first found that lnc-DILC was downregulated in human bladder cancer tissues. Lnc-DILC overexpression suppressed the proliferation, metastasis and expansion of bladder cancer stem cells (CSCs). Mechanically, lnc-DILC suppressed BC cells progression via STAT3 pathway. Special STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 diminished the discrepancy of growth, metastasis and self-renewal ability between lnc-DILC-overexpression BC cells and their control cells, which further confirmed that STAT3 was acquired for lnc-DILC-disrupted BC cell growth, metastasis and self-renewal. Taken together, our results suggest that lnc-DILC is a novel bladder tumor suppressor and indicate that lnc-DILC inhibits BC progression via inactivating STAT3 signaling.

A computer-based interactive game to train persons with cognitive impairments to perform recycling tasks independently.

This study assessed the possibility of training three people with cognitive impairments using a computer-based interactive game. A game was designed to provide task prompts in recycling scenarios, identify incorrect task steps on the fly, and help users learn to make corrections. Based on a multiple baseline design, the data showed that the three participants considerably increased their target response, which improved their vocational job skills during the intervention phases and enabled them to maintain the acquired job skills after intervention. The practical and developmental implications of the results are discussed.

Broad-spectrum transgenic resistance against distinct tospovirus species at the genus level.

Thrips-borne tospoviruses cause severe damage to crops worldwide. In this investigation, tobacco lines transgenic for individual WLm constructs containing the conserved motifs of the L RNA-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) gene of Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) were generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The WLm constructs included: (i) translatable WLm in a sense orientation; (ii) untranslatable WLmt with two stop codons; (iii) untranslatable WLmts with stop codons and a frame-shift; (iv) untranslatable antisense WLmA; and (v) WLmhp with an untranslatable inverted repeat of WLm containing the tospoviral S RNA 3'-terminal consensus sequence (5'-ATTGCTCT-3') and an NcoI site as a linker to generate a double-stranded hairpin transcript. A total of 46.7-70.0% transgenic tobacco lines derived from individual constructs showed resistance to the homologous WSMoV; 35.7-100% plants of these different WSMoV-resistant lines exhibited broad-spectrum resistance against four other serologically unrelated tospoviruses Tomato spotted wilt virus, Groundnut yellow spot virus, Impatiens necrotic spot virus and Groundnut chlorotic fan-spot virus. The selected transgenic tobacco lines also exhibited broad-spectrum resistance against five additional tospoviruses from WSMoV and Iris yellow spot virus clades, but not against RNA viruses from other genera. Northern analyses indicated that the broad-spectrum resistance is mediated by RNA silencing. To validate the L conserved region resistance in vegetable crops, the constructs were also used to generate transgenic tomato lines, which also showed effective resistance against WSMoV and other tospoviruses. Thus, our approach of using the conserved motifs of tospoviral L gene as a transgene generates broad-spectrum resistance against tospoviruses at the genus level.

A single amino acid of niapro of papaya ringspot virus determines host specificity for infection of papaya.

Most strains of Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) belong to type W, causing severe loss on cucurbits worldwide, or type P, devastating papaya in tropical areas. While the host range of PRSV W is limited to plants of the families Chenopodiaceae and Cucuribitaceae, PRSV P, in addition, infects plants of the family Caricaceae (papaya family). To investigate one or more viral genetic determinants for papaya infection, recombinant viruses were constructed between PRSV P-YK and PRSV W-CI. Host reactions to recombinant viruses indicated that the viral genomic region covering the C-terminal region (142 residues) of NIaVPg, full NIaPro, and N-terminal region (18 residues) of NIb, is critical for papaya infection. Sequence analysis of this region revealed residue variations at position 176 of NIaVPg and positions 27 and 205 of NIaPro between type P and W viruses. Host reactions to the constructed mutants indicated that the amino acid Lys27 of NIaPro determines the host-specificity of PRSV for papaya infection. Predicted three-dimensional structures of NIaPros of parental viruses suggested that Lys27 does not affect the protease activity of NIaPro. Recovery of the infected plants from certain papaya-infecting mutants implied involvement of other viral factors for enhancing virulence and adaptation of PRSV on papaya.

Identification of Common Epitopes on a Conserved Region of NSs Proteins Among Tospoviruses of Watermelon silver mottle virus Serogroup.

ABSTRACT The NSs protein of Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) was expressed by a Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) vector in squash. The expressed NSs protein with a histidine tag and an additional NIa protease cleavage sequence was isolated by Ni(2+)-NTA resins as a free-form protein and further eluted after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for production of rabbit antiserum and mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The rabbit antiserum strongly reacted with the NSs crude antigen of WSMoV and weakly reacted with that of a high-temperature-recovered gloxinia isolate (HT-1) of Capsicum chlorosis virus (CaCV), but not with that of Calla lily chlorotic spot virus (CCSV). In contrast, the MAbs reacted strongly with all crude NSs antigens of WSMoV, CaCV, and CCSV. Various deletions of the NSs open reading frame were constructed and expressed by ZYMV vector. Results indicate that all three MAbs target the 89- to 125-amino-acid (aa) region of WSMoV NSs protein. Two indispensable residues of cysteine and lysine were essential for MAbs recognition. Sequence comparison of the deduced MAbs-recognized region with the reported tospoviral NSs proteins revealed the presence of a consensus sequence VRKPGVKNTGCKFTMHNQIFNPN (denoted WNSscon), at the 98- to 120-aa position of NSs proteins, sharing 86 to 100% identities among those of WSMoV, CaCV, CCSV, and Peanut bud necrosis virus. A synthetic WNSscon peptide reacted with the MAbs and verified that the epitopes are present in the 98- to 120-aa region of WSMoV NSs protein. The WSMoV sero-group-specific NSs MAbs provide a means for reliable identification of tospoviruses in this large serogroup.

Purification and serological analyses of tospoviral nucleocapsid proteins expressed by Zucchini yellow mosaic virus vector in squash.

A plant viral vector engineered from an in vivo infectious clone of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) was used to express the nucleocapsid proteins (NPs) of tospoviruses in planta. The open reading frames (ORFs) of NPs of different serogroups of tospoviruses, including Tomato spotted wilt virus, Impatiens necrotic spot virus, Watermelon silver mottle virus, Peanut bud necrosis virus, and Watermelon bud necrosis virus (WBNV), were in frame inserted in between the P1 and HC-Pro genes of the ZYMV vector. Six histidine residues and an NIa protease cleavage site were added at the C-terminal region of the inserts to facilitate purification and process of free form of the expressed NPs, respectively. Approximately 1.2-2.5 mg/NPs 100 g tissues were purified from leaf extracts of zucchini squash. The expressed WBNV NP was used as an immunogen for the production of highly specific polyclonal antisera and monoclonal antibodies. The procedure provides a convenient and fast way for production of large quantities of pure NPs of tospoviruses in planta. The system also has a potential for production of any proteins of interest in cucurbits.

Serological Comparison and Molecular Characterization for Verification of Calla lily chlorotic spot virus as a New Tospovirus Species Belonging to Watermelon silver mottle virus Serogroup.

ABSTRACT Calla lily chlorotic spot virus (CCSV) isolated from central Taiwan was recently identified as a tospovirus serologically but distantly related to Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV). To clarify the serological relationship between the two viruses, rabbit polyclonal antibody (PAb) to CCSV and mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to WSMoV NP or CCSV NP were produced in this investigation, using purified nucleocapsid protein (NP) as immunogens. The PAb to CCSV NP reacted stronger with the homologous antigen than with the heterologous antigen, with much lower A(405) readings in indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and low-intensity banding in immunoblotting. MAbs produced to CCSV NP or WSMoV NP reacted specifically with the homologous antigens but not with the heterologous antigens in both ELISA and immunoblot analyses. The CCSV S RNA was determined to be 3,172 nucleotides in length, with an inverted repeat at the 5' and 3' ends and two open reading frames encoding the NP and a nonstructural (NSs) protein in an ambisense arrangement. A typical 3'-terminal sequence (5'-AUUGCUCU-3') that is shared by all members of the genus Tospovirus also is present in the CCSV S RNA. The CCSV NP and NSs protein share low amino acid identities of 20.1 to 65.1% and 19.9 to 66.1%, respectively, with those of reported tospoviruses. Phylogenetic dendrogram analysis indicates that CCSV is a distinct member in the genus Tospovirus. The results provide evidence that CCSV is a new species in the genus Tospovirus and belongs to WSMoV serogroup.

Oral administration of a mite allergen expressed by zucchini yellow mosaic virus in cucurbit species downregulates allergen-induced airway inflammation and IgE synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Sublingual-swallow immunotherapy in house dust mite-related asthma has a good safety profile and improves respiratory function and bronchial hyperreactivity. Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) is envisaged as a promising viral vector for expressing large quantity of foreign proteins in cucurbit species. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate whether oral feeding of dust mite allergen expressed by ZYMV in a cucurbit species can suppress allergen-induced inflammation and IgE synthesis. METHODS: An infectious plant virus clone, p35SZYMV2-26, that contains the full-length cDNA to the genomic RNA of a Taiwan isolate of ZYMV, driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, was engineered as an in vivo viral vector to express Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus group 5 allergen (Der p 5) in cucurbit species. Female BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally sensitized with Escherichia coli bacteria-expressed Der p 5 and orally treated with the virus-expressed Der p 5 (vDer p 5) extracted from the recombinant virus-infected squash plants. Der p 5-specific immunoglobulins were measured by ELISA, and bronchoalveolar lavage assays were used to measure airway inflammation. RESULTS: Infectivity assays and immunoblotting revealed that large quantities of free-form vDer p 5 are produced in the recombinant virus-infected squash plants. The recombinant virus carried and expressed the Der p 5 allergen in squash plants for at least 1 year after numerous passages. In animal tests, squash extract containing vDer p 5 inhibited Der p 5-specific IgE synthesis and airway inflammation. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that oral feeding with allergen produced by the plant viral vector provides a novel approach for the therapy of allergic asthma.