RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is permitted in Switzerland under its limited medical use program. Data from patients in this program represent a unique opportunity to analyze the real-world practice of PAT. AIMS: This study compared the subjective effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin between patients undergoing PAT and healthy volunteers. For the patients, it also investigated the relationship between antidepressant effects and six measures of acute drug effects. METHODS: We compared data on acute psychedelic drug effects between 28 PAT patients with data from 28 healthy participants who participated in a randomized, double-blind crossover trial. All participants received varying doses of psilocybin and LSD. Subjective effects were assessed on an hourly basis during the acute drug effects, and the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) was completed retrospectively. For patients, depressive symptoms were assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). RESULTS: Ratings of overall drug effect and mystical experience were similar across groups. Compared with healthy controls, patients reported lower ratings of ego dissolution. Patients showed a significant decrease in MADRS scores, and the greatest predictor of antidepressant outcome was relaxation during the PAT session. We did not observe a relationship between mystical-type experiences and antidepressant effects. Most patients experienced mild adverse effects which resolved within 48 h. CONCLUSION: PAT reduced depressive symptoms in this heterogeneous patient group. Patients may experience more challenging psychedelic effects and reduced ego dissolution. Hourly assessment of drug effects may predict clinical outcomes better than retrospectively assessed mystical experiences, and the impact of relaxation during PAT should be investigated further.
RESUMEN
The 2-electron reduced form of the polyoxometalate silicotungstic acid (H4[SiW12O4]) is shown to be an effective and selective hydrogenation agent for a range of nitroarenes without the need for any co-catalyst. The ease of generation of the active species and its recyclability suggest that a new approach to this important class of chemical conversions is possible.
RESUMEN
The electrolysis of water using renewable energy inputs is being actively pursued as a route to sustainable hydrogen production. Here we introduce a recyclable redox mediator (silicotungstic acid) that enables the coupling of low-pressure production of oxygen via water oxidation to a separate, catalytic hydrogen production step outside the electrolyzer that requires no post-electrolysis energy input. This approach sidesteps the production of high-pressure gases inside the electrolytic cell (a major cause of membrane degradation) and essentially eliminates the hazardous issue of product gas crossover at the low current densities that characterize renewables-driven water-splitting devices. We demonstrated that a platinum-catalyzed system can produce pure hydrogen over 30 times faster than state-of-the-art proton exchange membrane electrolyzers at equivalent platinum loading.
RESUMEN
Electron-coupled-proton buffers (ECPBs) allow H2 and O2 evolution to be separated from each other in time during the electrolysis of water. Natural photosynthetic systems achieve an analogous feat during water splitting and employ a range of intermediate redox mediators such as quinone derivatives to aid this process. Drawing on this natural example, we show that a low molecular weight quinone derivative is capable of decoupling H2 evolution from O2 evolution at scale during electrochemical water splitting. This work could significantly lower the cost of ECPBs, paving the way for their more widespread adoption in water splitting.