The PANSS Institute

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are among the key agricultural crops for which germination and early growth are crucial for achieving high yields. In this study, the biostimulant potential of Angelica archangelica hydrolate, a by-product obtained during essential oil distillation, was evaluated on soybean and winter wheat seeds. Seeds were treated with hydrolate solutions at different concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, and 10%), and germination tests were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. The results show that hydrolate treatments significantly increased seedling length in both crops compared to the control. The highest growth was recorded at the 10% concentration for both soybean (5.77 cm) and wheat (3.13 cm). Lower concentrations also improved growth, though with less pronounced effects. These findings confirm that A. archangelica hydrolate positively influences germination and early seedling development, suggesting its potential use as a natural biostimulant in sustainable agriculture. Since hydrolates are environmentally safe and underexplored in agricultural practice, further research under field conditions is necessary to optimize their application and fully exploit their potential in promoting plant growth.

Despite the development of many successful pharmaceutical interventions, a significant subset of patients experience treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine and its derivatives constitute a novel therapeutic approach to treat TRD; however, standard tools, such as the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) are still being used to measure symptoms and track changes. The aim of this study was to review item-level differences between rate of data change (MADRS score) and rater-weighted perception of the most useful items for assessing change in symptoms while remotely conducting the 10-item version of the MADRS in TRD in a clinical trial of rapid-acting antidepressants. Two studies of rapid-acting antidepressants in the treatment of TRD were used to identify item-scoring trends when MADRS is administered remotely and repeatedly (733 subjects across 10 visits). Scoring trends were evaluated in tandem to a rater survey completed by 75 raters. This was completed to gain insight on MADRS items' perceived level of helpfulness when assessing change of symptoms in rapid-acting antidepressant trials. MADRS items 'Reduced sleep', 'Apparent sadness', and 'Pessimistic thoughts' were found to have the greatest average data change by visit, while raters ranked 'Reported sadness', 'Lassitude' and 'Apparent sadness' as the most helpful items when assessing symptom change. The diversion between rate of data-change ranking and rater perception of helpfulness could be related to difficulty in assessing specific items, to the novel treatment itself, and/or to the sensitivity to symptom change to which raters are accustomed in traditional antidepressant treatments.

Adverse cognitive side effects of medications impact the functioning of patients with schizophrenia. There is a lack of scales that focus on drug-induced effects on cognition, particularly in adolescents with schizophrenia. The New York Assessment for Adverse Cognitive Effects of Neuropsychiatric Treatment (NY-AACENT) was developed in response to concerns about potential drug-induced cognitive impairment in adolescents participating in psychiatric clinical trials. This study consisted of 146 randomized adolescent outpatients ages 13–17 years old, currently diagnosed with schizophrenia (Tx=98, Pl=48). The NY-AACENT consists of seven items, Working Memory, Attention/Vigilance, Verbal Learning/Memory, Visual Learning/Memory, Reasoning & Problem Solving, Speed of Processing, and Social Cognition, derived from domains identified by the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia: It measures presence/absence of symptoms, drug-relationship, and symptom severity. It has three components: a patient form, caregiver form, and clinician form. For this analysis, the summary scores from the clinician form were used. A 2x2 analysis of covariance was conducted to examine the effect of visit and treatment on severity scores when controlling for the scale items. Convergent validity was tested using Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r) between selected NY-AACENT items and conceptually-related items of the UKU side effect rating scale. Discriminant validity was assessed using the PANSS. Additionally, correlations between cognitive side effects and quality of life (QoL) were measured with the PQ-LES-Q. The two-way ANCOVA indicates a significant main effect for treatment, p < .001, and an insignificant main effect for visit, p = 0.643. The interaction between treatment and visit was significant, p = 0.002. The covariate of scale item significantly influenced the severity scores, p <.001. These results indicate that the placebo group had lower severity scores than the treatment group. Although the difference of the severity scores between the two groups fluctuate across visits, NY-AACENT tracks the valid side effects across visits. Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed by calculating the correlation coefficients between the instruments at baseline and at the last visit of the double-blind maintenance phase. Fair to good convergent validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between the NY-AACENT and UKU cognition items at both the baseline and last visit, respectively: NY-AACENT items Working Memory (r =0.71; r =0.88), Verbal Memory (r = 0.73; r = 0.88), and Visual Memory (r = 0.64; r = 0.65) were correlated with Failing Memory (UKU 1.4). Attention (r = 0.70; r = 0.72) was correlated with Concentration Difficulties (UKU 1.1) (all p values < .05). Except for two NY-AACENT items (speed of processing and social cognition) the other correlation coefficients of the NY AACENT and PQ-LES-Q were low to moderate. Discriminant validity versus the PANSS showed moderate-low or no correlations, indicating that NY-AACENT items differentially characterize cognitive side effects, rather than other symptoms of schizophrenia. The results suggest that the NY-AACENT is a valid instrument to assess cognitive side effects in adolescents under antipsychotic agents. It demonstrated strong correlations against a side effect scale and weak correlations with the disease severity scale, suggesting that the scale measures what it claims to measure. Moreover, compared to QoL measures, some item correlations were negative with non-significant p-values, indicating a potential lack of cognitive side effects on QoL, but larger studies are needed.