Background:Gut microflora influences neural development through complex mechanisms. Feeding practices, especially breastfeeding influence gut microbiome and thereby play a pivotal role in immune and neural development. Current understandings of the role of healthy distal gut microflora in the development of immune and neural systems provide insights into immunological mechanisms as one of the possible etiologies in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studies have shown that optimal breastfeeding is associated with lower odds of being at-risk for ASD and children with ASD are suboptimally breastfed.Methods:The feeding practices of children with ASD (n = 30) was compared to their typically developing siblings as matched controls (n = 30). Information regarding feeding practices was collected from mothers through a semi-structured questionnaire.Results:About 43.3% of children with ASD received exclusive breastfeeding, whereas 76.7% of their typically developing siblings were exclusively breastfed. Exclusive breastfeeding was associated with lower odds for ASD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.166; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.025–0.65), while early introduction of top feeds was associated with higher odds (OR = 6; 95% CI = 1.33–55.19). Difficulties in breastfeeding were attributed to child-related factors in 13.2% of the children.Conclusion:Children with ASD are suboptimally breastfed compared to their typically developing siblings. Exclusive breastfeeding may confer protection in vulnerable children. Further studies on larger prospective sample are required to establish the association.
Mirtazapine is a novel tetracyclic antidepressant which enhances noradrenergic and serotonergic transmission by blocking central α2-adrenergic auto- and hetero-receptors. Due to favorable safety and adverse effect profile, it is often viewed as a promising agent for treatment of depression. Particularly, its anxiolytic and sleep-improving properties have led to its favorable positioning for the management of depression with insomnia. Our objective is to describe a case of depression with treatment-emergent nightmares induced by mirtazapine. A 21-year-old female medical student was diagnosed with moderate depression with prominent insomnia and initiated on tablet mirtazapine 7.5 mg subsequent to a failed trial of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. On each of the next 7 days, she developed nightmares that were quite distressing and terrifying. As per the patient's request, tablets were stopped. The side effect abated within 2 days of stopping the agent, and this close temporal relationship suggests a causal role for mirtazapine in inducing the adverse reaction. Nightmares are usually associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and literature is inconsistent about the effect of mirtazapine on REM sleep parameters. Nevertheless, clinicians need to be forewarned about the possibility of developing treatment-limiting REM sleep phenomena such as nightmares when using antidepressants without prominent REM suppressant properties such as mirtazapine. The putative mechanisms behind these rare adverse reactions are discussed.
Literature reveals that psychological stress is related to hemostatic mechanisms and that excess stress can lead to prothrombotic events. Patients with chronic bleeding disorders report increased levels of subjective distress. The psychobiological link between stress and bleeding tendencies is rarely investigated when compared to the wealth of the studies on stress and clotting mechanisms. We present the case of a female with recurrent depressive disorder in whom episodic stress precipitated acute bleeding spells. An extensive hematopathological investigation revealed that she had von Willebrand factor deficiency. Our report adds to the literature that, apart from inducing procoagulant states, stress can precipitate bleeding episodes in patients with certain bleeding diatheses such as von Willebrand factor deficiency. The case also highlights that adequate pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions can yield adequate remission of both depression and bleeding spells.
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