Experiences of stigma, discrimination and violence and their impact on the mental health of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health care workers have been exposed to COVID-19 more than people in other professions, which may have led to stigmatization, discrimination, and violence toward them, possibly impacting their mental health. We investigated (1) factors associated with stigma, discrimination, and violence, (2) the association of stigma, discrimination, and violence with mental health, (3) everyday experiences of stigmatization, discrimination, and violence. We chose a combination of a quantitative approach and qualitative content analysis to analyze data collected at three time points: in 2020, 2021 and 2022. A higher age was associated with lower odds of experiencing stigma, discrimination, and violence, whereas female gender was related to more negative experiences. The intensity of exposure to COVID-19 was associated with greater experience with stigmatization, discrimination, and violence across all three years (for example in 2022: odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 1.74, 1.18-2.55 for mild exposure; 2.82, 1.95-4.09 for moderate exposure; and 5.74, 3.55-9.26 for severe exposure, when compared to no exposure). Stigma, discrimination, and violence were most strongly associated with psychological distress in 2020 (odds ratio = 2.97, 95% confidence interval 2.27-3.88) and with depressive symptoms in 2021 (odds ratio = 2.78, 95% confidence interval 2.12-3.64). Attention should be given to the destigmatization of contagious diseases and the prevention of discrimination, violence, and mental health problems, both within workplaces and among the public.

Cost-effectiveness of the FindMyApps eHealth intervention vs. digital care as usual: results from a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Despite growing interest, the cost-effectiveness of eHealth interventions for supporting quality of life of people with dementia and their caregivers remains unclear. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of the FindMyApps intervention, compared to digital care-as-usual. FindMyApps aims to help people with dementia and their caregivers find and learn to use tablet apps that may support social participation and self-management of people with dementia and sense of competence of caregivers. METHOD: A randomised controlled trial (Netherlands Trial Register NL8157) was conducted, including people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia and their informal caregivers (FindMyApps n = 76, digital care-as-usual n = 74). Outcomes for people with MCI/dementia were Quality-Adjusted Life-Years (QALYs), calculated from EQ-5D-5L data and the Dutch tariff for utility scores, social participation (Maastricht Social Participation Profile) and quality of life (Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit), and for caregivers, QALYs and sense of competence (Short Sense of Competence Questionnaire). Societal costs were calculated using data collected with the RUD-lite instrument and the Dutch costing guideline. Multiple imputation was employed to fill in missing cost and effect data. Bootstrapped multilevel models were used to estimate incremental total societal costs and incremental effects between groups which were then used to calculate Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratios (ICERs). Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves were estimated. RESULTS: In the FindMyApps group, caregiver SSCQ scores were significantly higher compared to care-as-usual, n = 150, mean difference = 0.75, 95% CI [0.14, 1.38]. Other outcomes did not significantly differ between groups. Total societal costs for people with dementia were not significantly different, n = 150, mean difference = €-774, 95%CI [-2.643, .,079]. Total societal costs for caregivers were significantly lower in the FindMyApps group compared to care-as-usual, n = 150, mean difference = € -392, 95% CI [-1.254, -26], largely due to lower supportive care costs, mean difference = €-252, 95% CI [-1.009, 42]. For all outcomes, the probability that FindMyApps was cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of €0 per point of improvement was 0.72 for people with dementia and 0.93 for caregivers. CONCLUSION: FindMyApps is a cost-effective intervention for supporting caregivers' sense of competence. Further implementation of FindMyApps is warranted.

α7 nicotinic receptors play a role in regulation of cardiac hemodynamics.

The α7 nicotinic receptors (NR) have been confirmed in the heart but their role in cardiac functions has been contradictory. To address these contradictory findings, we analyzed cardiac functions in α7 NR knockout mice (α7-/-) in vivo and ex vivo in isolated hearts. A standard limb leads electrocardiogram was used, and the pressure curves were recorded in vivo, in Arteria carotis and in the left ventricle, or ex vivo, in the left ventricle of the spontaneously beating isolated hearts perfused following Langedorff's method. Experiments were performed under basic conditions, hypercholinergic conditions, and adrenergic stress. The relative expression levels of α and ß NR subunits, muscarinic receptors, ß1 adrenergic receptors, and acetylcholine life cycle markers were determined using RT-qPCR. Our results revealed a prolonged QT interval in α7-/- mice. All in vivo hemodynamic parameters were preserved under all studied conditions. The only difference in ex vivo heart rate between genotypes was the loss of bradycardia in prolonged incubation of isoproterenol-pretreated hearts with high doses of acetylcholine. In contrast, left ventricular systolic pressure was lower under basal conditions and showed a significantly higher increase during adrenergic stimulation. No changes in mRNA expression were observed. In conclusion, α7 NR has no major effect on heart rate, except when stressed hearts are exposed to a prolonged hypercholinergic state, suggesting a role in acetylcholine spillover control. In the absence of extracardiac regulatory mechanisms, left ventricular systolic impairment is revealed.

Population mental health, help-seeking and associated barriers following the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of repeated nationally representative cross-sectional surveys in Czechia.

This study investigated the Czech adults' mental health following the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential influence of data collection methodology on prevalence estimates. Separately, it investigated changes in help-seeking and associated barriers. Data from representative surveys on Czech adults, conducted in November 2017 (n = 3,306), in May (n = 3,021) and November 2020 (n = 3,000), and in November and December 2022 (n = 7,311), were used. Current mental disorders were assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the treatment gap was established in individuals scoring positively. In help-seeking individuals, encountering barriers was investigated. In 2017 and 2022, 20.02 % and 27.22 % of individuals had at least one mental disorder, respectively. The 2022 panel sampling and online and telephone interviewing estimates (34.29 % and 26.7 %) were substantially higher than those from household sampling and personal interviewing (19.9 %). Prevalence rates based on household sampling and personal interviewing were broadly consistent in 2017 and 2022. The treatment gap was around 80 % from 2017 to 2022. More than 50 % of individuals encountered structural barriers in help-seeking in 2022. This study showed that prevalence rates were still elevated in 2022, but suggests that data collection methodology influenced the estimates. Separately, the treatment gap remained consistently very high, and encountering structural barriers in help-seeking was common.

Depression in healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic: results from Czech arm of HEROES Study.

The pandemic due to COVID-19 brought new risks for depression of health care workers, which may have differently influenced men and women. We aimed to investigate (1) whether health care workers in Czechia experienced an increase in depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) which factors contributed the most to this change, and (3) whether the magnitude of the associations differed by gender. We studied 2564 participants of the Czech arm of the international COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) Study. Online questionnaire was administered to health care workers in summer 2020 (wave 0) and spring 2021 (wave 1). Depression was defined by reaching 10 or more points on the Patient Health Questionnaire. Logistic regression investigated the association of participant´s characteristics with depression and multivariable decomposition for non-linear models assessed, to what extent the characteristic explained the change in depression occurrence. The prevalence of depression increased twice during the pandemic (11% in wave 0 and 22% in wave 1). Stress accounted for 50% of the difference, experience of death due to COVID-19 for 15% and contact with COVID-19 patients for 14%. Greater resilience and sufficient personal protective equipment were strongly associated with lower occurrence of depression. The protective association of resilience with depression was stronger in men than in women. We conclude that interventions to promote mental health of health care workers in future health crisis should aim at decreasing stress and enhancing resilience. They should be delivered especially to individuals who have contact with the affected patients and may face their death.

The dementia-friendly community and its implications for healthcare.

Principal goal of the article is to inform health care professionals about the concept of dementia-friendly community (DFC) reflecting the contemporary thinking of living with dementia, i.e. dementia as a disability, equal human rights, a sense of meaning. Experiences from abroad and from the Czechia are discussed with special attention to implementation of this concept in the health care facilities. The National Action Plan for Alzheimer´s Disease 2020-2030 (NAPAN) is presented, which shows that the Czech Government, ministries, specialists, care providers, informal careers and even the people with dementia worked together on the improvement in this field. The purpose of this paper is to bring the principles of DFC closer to the physicians and other health care professionals and support friendly and helpful approach to people living with dementia when providing health care to them. The multidisciplinary cooperation of GPs, geriatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists etc. is emphasized. An example of a regional project in Middle Bohemia is presented looking for criteria and ways of evaluation of the effect of DFC.

Blood-feeding adaptations and virome assessment of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae guided by RNA-seq.

Dermanyssus gallinae is a blood-feeding mite that parasitises wild birds and farmed poultry. Its remarkably swift processing of blood, together with the capacity to blood-feed during most developmental stages, makes this mite a highly debilitating pest. To identify specific adaptations to digestion of a haemoglobin-rich diet, we constructed and compared transcriptomes from starved and blood-fed stages of the parasite and identified midgut-enriched transcripts. We noted that midgut transcripts encoding cysteine proteases were upregulated with a blood meal. Mapping the full proteolytic apparatus, we noted a reduction in the suite of cysteine proteases, missing homologues for Cathepsin B and C. We have further identified and phylogenetically analysed three distinct transcripts encoding vitellogenins that facilitate the reproductive capacity of the mites. We also fully mapped transcripts for haem biosynthesis and the ferritin-based system of iron storage and inter-tissue trafficking. Additionally, we identified transcripts encoding proteins implicated in immune signalling (Toll and IMD pathways) and activity (defensins and thioester-containing proteins), RNAi, and ion channelling (with targets for commercial acaricides such as Fluralaner, Fipronil, and Ivermectin). Viral sequences were filtered from the Illumina reads and we described, in part, the RNA-virome of D. gallinae with identification of a novel virus, Red mite quaranjavirus 1.

Development and validation of a universal mental health literacy scale for adolescents (UMHL-A).

Mental health literacy (MHL) grows in importance as the prevalence of mental health conditions rises worldwide. There is a need for valid MHL measures especially among adolescents. The current study aims to develop and validate a Universal mental health literacy scale for adolescents (UMHL-A), a self report scale to assess MHL of children between ages 10 and 14 across all four components within Kutcher's framework for MHL. The development of the UMHL-A was initiated by a literature review and followed by item generation. Then, we tested the face and content validity of the scale via a delphi study, focus groups and cognitive interviews with the target group. Next with a convenience sample, we established the factor structure and construct validity of the scale using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Lastly, we tested the scale convergent validity with other measures. The final form of the scale was refined on a representative sample of Czech asolescents. The UMHL-A scale comprises 17 items measuring four components of MHL. The scale has substantial methodological advantages in comparison to existing measures of MHL, especially considering its brevity and comprehensive coverage of MHL. Further studies are needed to test its application and validity globally.

Lyme disease transmission by severely impaired ticks.

It has been demonstrated that impairing protein synthesis using drugs targeted against tRNA amino acid synthetases presents a promising strategy for the treatment of a wide variety of parasitic diseases, including malaria and toxoplasmosis. This is the first study evaluating tRNA synthetases as potential drug targets in ticks. RNAi knock-down of all tested tRNA synthetases had a strong deleterious phenotype on Ixodes ricinus feeding. Our data indicate that tRNA synthetases represent attractive, anti-tick targets warranting the design of selective inhibitors. Further, we tested whether these severely impaired ticks were capable of transmitting Borrelia afzelii spirochaetes. Interestingly, biologically handicapped I. ricinus nymphs transmitted B. afzelii in a manner quantitatively sufficient to develop a systemic infection in mice. These data suggest that initial blood-feeding, despite the incapability of ticks to fully feed and salivate, is sufficient for activating B. afzelii from a dormant to an infectious mode, enabling transmission and dissemination in host tissues.

Risk and protective factors of neurocognitive disorders in older adults in Central and Eastern Europe: A systematic review of population-based studies.

BACKGROUND: A wide range of potentially modifiable risk factors, indicating that the onset of neurocognitive disorders can be delayed or prevented, have been identified. The region of Central and Eastern Europe has cultural, political and economic specifics that may influence the occurrence of risk factors and their link to the cognitive health of the population. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to systematically review population-based studies from Central and Eastern Europe to gather evidence on risk and protective factors for neurocognitive disorders. METHODS: We searched the electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Embase. The search was performed on 26th of February 2020 and repeated at the end of the review process on 20th May 2021. RESULTS: We included 25 papers in a narrative synthesis of the evidence describing cardiovascular risk factors (n = 7), social factors (n = 5), oxidative stress (n = 2), vitamins (n = 2), genetic factors (n = 2) and other areas (n = 7). We found that there was a good body of evidence on the association between neurocognitive disorders and the history of cardiovascular disease while there were gaps in research of genetic and social risk factors. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the epidemiological evidence from this region is insufficient and population-based prospectively followed cohorts should be established to allow the development of preventive strategies at national levels.

Association Between Season of Birth and Cognitive Aging in Older Adults: Pan-European Population-Based Study on 70,000 Individuals.

BACKGROUND: Several early-life factors have been associated with higher risk of developing dementia. It is unclear whether season of birth (SOB) can affect cognitive aging in older adults or not. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study the association of SOB with the level of cognitive performance as well as with the rate of cognitive decline. METHODS: We studied 70,203 individuals who participated in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe. Cognition was measured with tests on verbal fluency and immediate and delayed recall. We assessed the association of SOB with the level of cognitive performance using multiple linear regression and with the rate of cognitive decline using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: When compared to individuals born in winter and adjusted for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, being born in summer was associated with a higher level of delayed recall (B 0.05; 95%CI 0.01 to 0.09) and verbal fluency (B 0.15; 95%CI 0.00 to 0.29) and being born in fall with a higher level of immediate recall (B 0.04; 95%CI 0.01 to 0.08) and verbal fluency (B 0.15; 95%CI 0.01 to 0.29). Individuals born in summer had a higher yearly decline in delayed recall (B -0.005; 95%CI -0.009 to 0.000), while the scores in delayed recall in participants born in spring showed an inverse trend (B 0.005; 95%CI 0.000 to 0.010). CONCLUSION: Individuals born in winter seem to carry a life-long disadvantage in a lower level of cognitive performance; however, being born in winter does not seem to affect the rate of cognitive decline.

Cardiac nicotinic receptors show ß-subunit-dependent compensatory changes.

Nicotinic receptors (NRs) play an important role in the cholinergic regulation of heart functions, and converging evidence suggests a diverse repertoire of NR subunits in the heart. A recent hypothesis about the plasticity of ß NR subunits suggests that ß2-subunits and ß4-subunits may substitute for each other. In our study, we assessed the hypothetical ß-subunit interchangeability in the heart at the level of mRNA. Using two mutant mice strains lacking ß2 or ß4 NR subunits, we examined the relative expression of NR subunits and other key cholinergic molecules. We investigated the physiology of isolated hearts perfused by Langendorff's method at basal conditions and after cholinergic and/or adrenergic stimulation. Lack of ß2 NR subunit was accompanied with decreased relative expression of ß4-subunits and α3-subunits. No other cholinergic changes were observed at the level of mRNA, except for increased M3 and decreased M4 muscarinic receptors. Isolated hearts lacking ß2 NR subunit showed different dynamics in heart rate response to indirect cholinergic stimulation. In hearts lacking ß4 NR subunit, increased levels of ß2-subunits were observed together with decreased mRNA for acetylcholine-synthetizing enzyme and M1 and M4 muscarinic receptors. Changes in the expression levels in ß4-/- hearts were associated with increased basal heart rate and impaired response to a high dose of acetylcholine upon adrenergic stimulation. In support of the proposed plasticity of cardiac NRs, our results confirmed subunit-dependent compensatory changes to missing cardiac NRs subunits with consequences on isolated heart physiology.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In the present study, we observed an increase in mRNA levels of the ß2 NR subunit in ß4-/- hearts but not vice versa, thus supporting the hypothesis of ß NR subunit plasticity that depends on the specific type of missing ß-subunit. This was accompanied with specific cholinergic adaptations. Nevertheless, isolated hearts of ß4-/- mice showed increased basal heart rate and a higher sensitivity to a high dose of acetylcholine upon adrenergic stimulation.

Functional characterization of the insulin signaling pathway in the hard tick Ixodes ricinus.

Ticks are blood-feeding arachnids transmitting a variety of pathogens to humans and animals. A unique trait in tick physiology is their ability to engorge and digest large amounts of host blood, ensuring their high reproductive potential. Activation of the blood digestive machinery in the tick gut, as well as processes controlling maturation of ovaries, are triggered upon blood meal uptake by still largely unknown mechanisms. Sensing of the nutritional status in metazoan organisms is facilitated by the evolutionarily conserved Insulin Signaling Pathway (ISP) and the interlinked Target of Rapamycin (TOR) pathway. Recently, we have identified three components of these pathways in the hard tick Ixodes ricinus midgut transcriptome, namely a putative insulin receptor (InR), and the downstream intracellular serine/threonine kinases AKT and TOR. In this study, we primarily focus on the molecular and functional characterization of the I. ricinus insulin receptor (IrInR), the first InR characterized in Chelicerates. A phylogenetic analysis across the major Arthropod lineages demonstrated that ticks possess only one gene encoding an InR-related molecule. Tissue expression profiling by quantitative PCR in semi-engorged I. ricinus females revealed that the IrInR, as well as AKT (IrAKT) and TOR (IrTOR) are expressed in various organs, with the highest expression being detected in ovaries. We have further evaluated the impact of RNAi-mediated knock-down (KD) of IrInR, IrAKT, and IrTOR on tick blood-feeding and reproductive capacity. Weights of engorged IrInR KD females and laid egg clutches were reduced compared to the control group, and these quantitative parameters clearly correlated with the efficiency of RNAi-KD achieved in individual ticks. The most striking phenotype was observed for IrAKT KD that impaired tick feeding and completely aborted egg production. A recombinant extracellular fragment of the IrInR α-subunit was used to produce antibodies in experimental rabbits to assess its potential as a protective antigen against tick feeding and reproduction. Our data clearly indicate the functionality of the ISP in ticks and demonstrate the need for further investigation of specific roles played by the endogenous insulin-like peptides in tick physiological processes.

Educational inequalities in mental disorders in the Czech Republic: data from CZEch Mental health Study (CZEMS).

PURPOSE: We aimed to study the association of educational attainment with occurrence of mental disorders in the Czech Republic. METHODS: Data were derived from the CZEch Mental health Study (CZEMS), a cross-sectional study of community-dwelling individuals. Mental disorders were assessed with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), and information on completed education was acquired as a part of a paper and pencil interview. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of educational attainment with all mental disorders as well as with specific groups (affective, anxiety, alcohol use and substance use disorders), stepwise adjusting for socio-demographic, social and health-related characteristics. RESULTS: We studied 3175 individuals (average age 50 years, range 18-96 years; 54% women). Compared to individuals with higher education, those educated below high school graduation had higher odds of mental disorders (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.58-1.71), even after adjustment for all covariates (OR 1.64; 95% CI 1.21-2.23). Education showed the strongest association with alcohol use disorders, even when covariates were adjusted for, but was not related to anxiety disorders. The association of education with affective as well as substance use disorders was explained by covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions aimed at reducing the burden of mental disorders should target individuals with low education. Strategies to improve population mental health need to go hand in hand with policies to enhance education as well as reduce alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic.

Trajectories of depressive symptoms and associated patterns of cognitive decline.

The aim was to investigate the pattern and rate of cognitive decline across distinctive trajectories of depressive symptoms in older adults. In this prospective multinational cohort study on 69,066 participants (on average 64 years at baseline, 55% women), assessments of cognitive functions (immediate recall, delayed recall, verbal fluency) and depressive symptoms (EURO-D scale) were conducted at 2-year intervals. The trajectories of depressive symptoms were obtained using latent growth mixture modelling, cognitive decline was assessed using smoothing splines and linear mixed effects models. Four distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: constantly low (n = 49,660), constantly high (n = 2999), increasing (n = 6828) and decreasing (n = 9579). Individuals with increasing and constantly high depressive symptoms showed linear cognitive decline, while those with constantly low and decreasing depressive symptoms had fluctuating cognition. Participants with increasing depressive symptoms had the fastest decline, while those with decreasing symptoms were spared from decline in cognition. This study suggests that the pattern as well as the rate of cognitive decline co-occurs with specific patterns of changes in depressive symptoms over time. The most pronounced cognitive decline is present in individuals, in whom depressive symptoms increase late in life. Unique mechanisms of cognitive decline may exist for subgroups of the population, and are associated with the trajectory of depressive symptoms.

Adherence to the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in Czech Psychiatric Hospitals: A Nationwide Evaluation Study.

This study sought to evaluate the quality of care in Czech psychiatric hospitals and adherence to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Each psychiatric hospital was evaluated by a team comprising a service user, a psychiatrist, a social worker, a human rights lawyer, and a researcher, all trained in using the World Health Organization's QualityRights Toolkit. We conducted content analysis on internal documents from psychiatric hospitals, observed everyday practices, and conducted 579 interviews across public psychiatric hospitals between 2017 and 2019. We found that none of the CRPD articles as assessed by the QualityRights Toolkit was fully adhered to in Czech psychiatric hospitals. We recommend both facility- and system-level interventions to improve CRPD adherence in the Czech context and in the wider region of Central and Eastern Europe. To achieve this, substantial investments are required.

Poor Unstable Midgut Microbiome of Hard Ticks Contrasts With Abundant and Stable Monospecific Microbiome in Ovaries.

Culture-independent metagenomic methodologies have enabled detection and identification of microorganisms in various biological systems and often revealed complex and unknown microbiomes. In many organisms, the microbiome outnumbers the host cells and greatly affects the host biology and fitness. Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites with a wide host range. They vector a number of human and animal pathogens and also directly cause major economic losses in livestock. Although several reports on a tick midgut microbiota show a diverse bacterial community, in most cases the size of the bacterial population has not been determined. In this study, the microbiome was quantified in the midgut and ovaries of the ticks Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus microplus before, during, and after blood feeding. Although the size of bacterial community in the midgut fluctuated with blood feeding, it was overall extremely low in comparison to that of other hematophagous arthropods. In addition, the tick ovarian microbiome of both tick species exceeded the midgut 16S rDNA copy numbers by several orders of magnitude. This indicates that the ratio of a tick midgut/ovary microbiome represents an exception to the general biology of other metazoans. In addition to the very low abundance, the tick midgut diversity in I. ricinus was variable and that is in contrast to that found in the tick ovary. The ovary of I. ricinus had a very low bacterial diversity and a very high and stable bacterial abundance with the dominant endosymbiont, Midichloria sp. The elucidation of this aspect of tick biology highlights a unique tissue-specific microbial-invertebrate host interaction.

Changes in depressive symptoms of older adults in the Czech Republic.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the rising burden of depression is due to its increasing prevalence or better detection. We aimed to study trends in depressive symptoms in older individuals from the Czech Republic. METHODS: We used data from the Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe. Depressive symptoms, defined by 4 or more points on the EURO-D scale, alone or in combination with pharmacological treatment, were compared between participants in 2006/2007 (cohort 1) and in 2015 (cohort 2). Binary logistic regression assessed the association of cohort 2 with depressive symptoms, step-wise adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms (defined by EURO-D) was 28% in cohort 1 and 22% in cohort 2 (p < 0.001). Cohort 2 was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms, adjusting for all covariates (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.63-0.94). Defined by EURO-D scale or pharmacological treatment, the prevalence was 30% in cohort 1 and 26% in cohort 2 (p < 0.001). Cohort 2 was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms, adjusting for age and sex, but not in the fully adjusted model (OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.73-1.07). The difference in depressive symptoms between cohorts was associated in particular with increased length of education and higher household net worth. LIMITATIONS: Information about pharmacological treatment has been reported inaccurately. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms has decreased in older adults in the Czech Republic. Additional increase in education and socioeconomic resources of the population could further reduce the depressive symptoms in the population.

[Mice lacking individual molecular forms of cholinesterases]. / Mysi s absenciou jednotlivých molekulových foriem cholínesteráz.

UNLABELLED: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) represent a small family of enzymes called cholinesterases. These enzymes are in the organisms either soluble or anchored through anchoring proteins collagen Q (ColQ) and proline-rich membrane anchor (PRiMA). Knowledge of molecular biology and genetics of cholinesterase and their anchoring proteins resulted in the preparation of mutant mice with the absence of different molecular forms of cholinesterases. So far a number of mutant mice were prepared with a genetic modification on the genes encoding cholinesterases or anchoring proteins. The mice with mutation in the genes encoding the cholinesterases are: the mice with the absence of AChE, mice with the absence of BChE, mice with a deletion of exon 5 and 6 in the AChE gene and mice with the absence of AChE in muscles. The mice with a mutation in the genes encoding anchoring proteins include the mice with the absence of AChE and BChE anchored by ColQ and mice with the absence of AChE and BChE anchored by PRiMA. The study of adaptation changes results from the absence of cholinesterases led to the enrichment of existing knowledge about cholinesterases and the cholinergic nervous system. KEY WORDS: absence of cholinesterases mutant mice acetylcholinesterase butyrylcholinesterase.