Posts by:
Gabriella True

Fluoxetine promotes IL-10-dependent metabolic defenses to protect from sepsis-induced lethality
Gallant RM, Sanchez KK, Joulia E, Snyder JM, Metallo CM, Ayres JS. Fluoxetine promotes IL-10-dependent metabolic defenses to protect from sepsis-induced lethality. Sci Adv. 2025 Feb 14;11(7):eadu4034. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adu4034. Epub 2025 Feb 14. PMID: 39951524; PMCID: PMC11827869.
  • SSRIs Overview: Among the most prescribed drugs globally, primarily used to enhance serotonergic signaling in the brain.
  • Beyond the Brain: SSRIs also impact immune and metabolic functions.
  • Infection Protection: Studies show SSRIs, including fluoxetine, protect against infections like sepsis and COVID-19, though mechanisms remain unclear.
  • Key Findings on Fluoxetine:Protection is independent of peripheral serotonin.
    • Increases circulating interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels.
    • IL-10 prevents sepsis-induced hypertriglyceridemia and associated cardiac issues (glucose oxidation impairment, lipid accumulation, ventricular stretch, potential cardiac failure).
  • Therapeutic Potential: Fluoxetine’s “off-target” effects offer a protective immunometabolic mechanism with possible clinical applications.
Eight cases of pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome: clinical characteristics

Tang AW, Swedo SE, Pasternack M, Murphy T, et al. Eight cases of pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome: clinical characteristics. Developmental Neuroscience. 2025;47(4):287–302. doi:10.1159/000543969

Please read more in depth blog – When PANS and IBD Co-Occur: What This Case Series Suggests

  • Identifies a subgroup of children with PANS characterized by the triad of PANS symptoms, joint complaints, and family history of autoimmunity (including psoriasis).

  • Suggests this subgroup may be at increased risk for inflammatory bowel disease and other immune-mediated disorders.

  • Recommends a low threshold for evaluation of gastrointestinal inflammation using biomarkers such as hemoglobin, CRP, fecal calprotectin, and endoscopy when indicated.

  • Reports that PANS symptoms may improve with effective treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

  • Notes high prevalence of joint complaints and autoimmune family history, suggesting shared immune mechanisms with psoriasis and arthritis.

  • Proposes that treatments used in inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis warrant study for potential application in PANS.

Frequency and impact of paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome/paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections diagnosis in Canada

Rachel Goren, Ari Bitnun, Asif Doja, Peter J Gill, Ronald M Laxer, Deborah M Levy, Tamara Pringsheim, Paul Sandor, Eluen Ann Yeh, Colin Wilbur, Sefi Kronenberg, Michelle Shouldice, Frequency and impact of paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome/paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections diagnosis in Canada, Paediatrics & Child Health, 2024;, pxae092, https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxae092

In a Canadian study, a significant percentage of children diagnosed with PANDAS/PANS had OCD and/or tics, with the majority experiencing at least two neuropsychiatric symptoms, and healthcare utilization was high, including emergency visits and inpatient admissions

  • The Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program estimated that the prevalence of PANS/PANDAS was 1 in 60,115 (0.0017%) for children ages 3 through 18 years
  • The core diagnostic criteria of OCD, tics, or acute food refusal was absent in 12% of cases with 22% reporting sudden symptom onset
  • Infection was associated with onset or exacerbation in less than 1 out of every 3 cases
  • Most of the population exhibited 2+ neuropsychiatric symptoms with significant health care utilization amongst cases