Patients with panic disorder showed greater entropy in baseline respiratory patterns, indicating higher levels of irregularity and complexity in their respiratory function. Greater respiratory entropy could be a factor in vulnerability to panic attacks.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often unrecognized, especially in mild forms and in women. Studies evaluating features associated with missed/misdiagnosis in men and women with ASD are warranted. 61 subjects (22 females, 39 males, age 28.5 ± 10.8 years) with ASD with no language/intellectual deficit were enrolled in the service for the treatment of psychiatric comorbidities in adults with ASD of the ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco in Milan (Italy). A detailed clinical history was gathered, and two self-report questionnaires (Autism Spectrum Quotient-AQ and Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum-AdAS Spectrum) were administered. 75.4% received their ASD diagnosis average eight years later than the first evaluation by mental health services. Compared to males, females showed a significantly greater delay in referral to mental health services and a significantly higher age at diagnosis of ASD. Among men, diagnostic delay inversely correlated with scores on the AdAS Spectrum total, Verbal communication, Empathy and Inflexibility and adherence to routine domains. Among women, diagnostic delay positively correlated with the Attention to detail score while the age at diagnosis of ASD positively correlated with the AdAS Spectrum Verbal communication and Restricted interests and rumination domain scores. Females were less likely to be correctly diagnosed and more likely to be misdiagnosed at first evaluation than men. Females reported significantly higher scores than men in the Hyper/Hyporeactivity to sensory input domain only among subjects who were misdiagnosed. Our findings provide gender-specific information about ASD patients seeking help for comorbid conditions and might be a primary ground for future research.

The results showed a greater effect of paroxetine on panic attacks than reboxetine, while no differences for anticipatory anxiety and avoidance were found, suggesting a different role of noradrenaline and serotonin in the treatment of PD.

The effects of short treatments (7 days) with paroxetine and with reboxetine on the reactivity to inhalations of 35% carbon dioxide (CO2)/65% oxygen (O2) were compared in 28 patients with Panic Disorder who had positive responses to 35% CO2 inhalations. A double-blind, randomized design was applied. Each patient was given the 35% CO2 challenge on days 0 (before starting the treatment) and 7. Anxiety reactivity to CO2 decreased significantly with both drugs but the decrease was significantly stronger in the group treated with paroxetine. The rate of patients whose reactivity has reduced of at least 50% after 7 days was significantly higher in the group treated with paroxetine (10/14, 71.5%) than in the one treated with reboxetine (3/14, 21.5%). These results indicate that the modulation of the serotonergic system is more relevant for CO2 hyperreactivity than the modulation of the noradrenergic one.

The reviewed studies suggest that exposure to fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram and venlafaxine in early pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations. For paroxetine, recent data call for caution in prescribing such a drug in early pregnancy. For the other SRIs, the risk remains substantially undetermined, as data are so far scanty. Given this background, large prospective cohort studies are urgently needed to better assess the risk/benefit ratio of SRIs-treatment during pregnancy.