Fluoxetine and infantile hypertrophic pylorus stenosis: a signal from a birth defects - drug exposure surveillance study
We report an association found in a surveillance study which systematically evaluated combinations of specific birth defects and drugs used in the first trimester of pregnancy.The database of a population-based birth defects registry (birth years 1997-2007) was systematically screened for combinations of drugs and malformations that were disproportionately present compared to the rest of the database. Combinations with at least three exposed cases and a p 0.01 (Fisher Exact test) were studied to analyse details of the malformation, timing of exposure, and additional case-control analyses.Among the significant associations found, an association between maternal use of fluoxetine and infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) was of particular interest. In total 3/178 (1.7%) of the chi...
Serotonin synthesis, release and reuptake in terminals: a mathematical model
Conclusions:
Serotonergic systems must respond robustly to important biological signals, while at the same time maintaining homeostasis in the face of normal biological fluctuations in inputs, expression levels, and firing rates. This is accomplished through the cooperative effect of many different homeostatic mechanisms including special properties of the serotonin transporters and the serotonin autoreceptors. Many difficult questions remain in order to fully understand how serotonin biochemistry affects serotonin electrophysiology and vice versa, and how both are changed in the presence of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Mathematical models are useful tools for investigating some of these questions. (Source: Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling)
