Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have gradually entered the Czech market as alternatives to vitamin K antagonists and parenteral anticoagulants since 2008. Considering the eventual changes, the aim was to evaluate drug use and expenditure patterns on anticoagulants in the Czech Republic. A retrospective utilization study was conducted retrieving data from the State Institute for Drug Control database, including reports on drug supplies from distributors with anatomical therapeutic chemical classification (ATC) codes B01AA, B01AB, B01AE, B01AF, and B01AX. The utilization on national level was expressed as the ratio of the number of defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DDD/TID). Expenditures on all anticoagulants were also assessed. Data was analyzed using PASW (version 18.0). Between January 2007 and December 2017, the national anticoagulant utilization rate increased continuously from 14.15 to 27.67 DDD/TID. The use of DOACs was 0.002 DDD/TID in 2008, increased to 6.04 DDD/TID in 2017. Warfarin utilization, after a small decrease in 2008, has shown nearly stable levels in the recent years (70.9% of all anticoagulants; mean 11.55 DDD/TID over the last 5 years), while its increase was halted by the spread of DOACs utilization (p < 0.05). In 2017, over half of the expenditures (51.1%) were due to oral anticoagulants, whereof 47.6% was related to DOACs. The results reflected a growing utilization and increasing costs of all anticoagulants, especially in DOACs at the expense of warfarin. Still, additional information regarding patient persistence and prescribing patterns is needed for a better understanding of oral anticoagulant utilization.

• Klíčová slova
• Anticoagulants, Czech Republic, DOAC, Drug utilization, Warfarin,
• MeSH
• antikoagulancia aplikace a dávkování   ekonomika   MeSH
• aplikace orální MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• databáze faktografické MeSH
• hodnocení spotřeby léčiv trendy   MeSH
• lékařská praxe - způsoby provádění ekonomika   trendy   MeSH
• lékové předpisy MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• náklady na léky trendy   MeSH
• retrospektivní studie MeSH
• výdaje na zdravotnictví trendy   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antikoagulancia MeSH

Utilization of drugs from the following groups: antibacterial, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and respiratory tract diseases in Poland and Czech Republic was analyzed. The most commonly sold drugs were among antibacterial drugs, viz., doxycycline (4.5DDD/1000 inh./day in Poland; 3.3 in Czech Republic), co-trimoxazole (Poland-2.9; Czech Republic 2.5), ampicilline and amoxicilline; among gastrointestinal drugs, ascorbic acid (Poland 42.2; Czech Republic 59.3), among respiratory drugs, sodium cromoglicate in Poland and bromhexine in Czech Republic, and among cardiovascular drugs, enalapril in Poland and diuretics with potasium sparing drug in Czech Republic. In general, the leading drugs in Poland and Czech Republic, were the same. All drugs with highest utilization were on the Essential Drug List. Some differences in drug utilization between these two countries could result from the prevalence of particular diseases in each population and physician's prescribing patterns.

• MeSH
• spotřeba léčiv * MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Polsko MeSH

• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• narkotika terapeutické užití   MeSH
• spotřeba léčiv MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Československo MeSH
• Evropa MeSH
• Názvy látek
• narkotika MeSH

UNLABELLED: While antidepressant prescription rules are established for approved indications by large-scale studies, off-label utilization naturally often lacks the validation by large scientific databases, and is at its best based on expert consensus. The aim of the present survey was to study the prescription habits of hospital psychiatrists with regard to antidepressants, comparing patients treated for depressions and anxiety disorder with patients receiving off-label antidepressant treatment. METHODS: Data on drug use for this study were based on 6 reference days from April 1999 to November 2001 in the 98-bed psychiatric hospital of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. The drug prescriptions of 174 patients were assessed. RESULTS: Whereas the diagnosis did not influence the choice between newer or older antidepressants, patients presenting an anxiety disorder were 4.5 times more likely (p<0.05) and patients with other diagnoses 8 times more likely (p<0.001) to receive an antipsychotic comedication compared to patients whose primary diagnosis was a depressive disorder. Also, patients receiving concomitantly a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic were less likely to be prescribed an older antidepressant (p<0.05). While patients with anxiety disorder and those with major depression received their antidepressants at comparable doses, patients with an off-label indication were treated preferentially with lower doses. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this survey suggest, that the prescribing hospital psychiatrists developed preferences with regard to the choice of the antidepressant class, which they then used for both registered and off-label indications. They then seemed to adapt the dose and the comedication according to the diagnosis, confirming the initial study hypothesis.

• MeSH
• antidepresiva terapeutické užití   MeSH
• depresivní poruchy farmakoterapie   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• psychiatrie MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• spotřeba léčiv MeSH
• ústavy pro duševně nemocné MeSH
• úzkostné poruchy farmakoterapie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antidepresiva MeSH

To the Editor, Drug utilization is an important field of drug policy and an integral part of public health internationally. This area of research attracts increasing interest but the pioneering work was done 50 years ago when the first drug consumption report from six European countries for the period of 1966-1967 showed great differences in drug utilization between population groups (WHO, 1968). These results gave important stimulus for creation of Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and technical unit of measurement called the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) which is specified as "the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults" that dealt with the objections against traditional units of measurement in drug utilization studies (WHO, 2016). The ATC/DDD methodology has in the meantime proved its suitability in drug utilization monitoring and research. As mentioned previously, consumption of pharmaceuticals is often used as a basis for comparison between countries. Based on our professional expertise, we decided to analyze the consumption of cardiovascular medicines by DDD in the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic within all ATC groups reported to OECD (OECD, 2016a). According to OECD indicator results, the Slovak Republic showed in 2014 a higher pharmaceutical consumption by DDD in ATC group C (cardiovascular system) compared to the Czech Republic (OECD, 2016a).

• MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• spotřeba léčiv * MeSH
• zdravotní politika * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Slovenská republika MeSH

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae belongs to important nosocomial pathogens causing mainly hospital-acquired infections. Beta-lactam antibiotics are frequently used in the treatment of infections caused by K. pneumoniae, but by their selection pressure the bacteria become resistant. Excessive use of third-generation cephalosporins is a risk factor for the occurrence and spread of ESBL-producing bacterial strains. The goal of this study was to describe the utilization of third-generation cephalosporins and to analyse their selection pressure on K. pneumoniae in the University Hospital in Olomouc. METHODS: Data on the utilization of antibiotics in the hospital were obtained for the period 1997-2005 from the computerized database and expressed in defined daily doses per 100 bed-days (DBD). The data were processed according to the ATC/DDD system. Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were isolated from clinical material obtained from hospitalized patients. RESULTS: Consumption of third-generation cephalosporins, which was 1.79 DBD in 1997, decreased to 0.93 in 1999, remained stable until 2002, and then increased to 2.40 DBD in 2005. During the 9-year period analysed, a total of 9564 strains of K. pneumoniae were isolated. The ESBL-positive K. pneumoniae strains frequency increased from 8% to 18%. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing utilization of third-generation cephalosporins was associated with a statistically and clinically significant increased incidence of ESBL-positive K. pneumoniae strains.

• MeSH
• beta-laktamasy analýza   metabolismus   MeSH
• beta-laktamová rezistence * MeSH
• cefalosporiny aplikace a dávkování   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• databáze faktografické MeSH
• hodnocení spotřeby léčiv MeSH
• infekce bakteriemi rodu Klebsiella farmakoterapie   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• infekce spojené se zdravotní péčí mikrobiologie   MeSH
• Klebsiella pneumoniae účinky léků   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mikrobiální testy citlivosti MeSH
• nemocnice univerzitní MeSH
• retrospektivní studie MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Názvy látek
• beta-laktamasy MeSH
• cefalosporiny MeSH

Editorial note concerning the "Utilization of Electrochemical Sensors and Biosensors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology" special issue.

• Klíčová slova
• Utilization of Electrochemical Sensors and Biosensors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
• Publikační typ
• úvodníky MeSH

OBJECTIVE: To determine the patterns of consumption in calcium channel blockers (CCB) groups in the Czech Republic between 1992 and 1999 and make a comparison with selected countries. METHODS: This was part of a drug utilization study using WHO methodology [Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification/defined daily doses (ATC/DDD)]. The wholesale data collected by drug distributors were used. Utilization was calculated as the DDDs for 1000 inhabitants per day. In focus was the consumption of short-acting nifedipine. Comparison with wholesale data from Finland, Norway, Germany and Australia was made. RESULTS: There was a decreasing tendency to use short-acting nifedipine in the Czech Republic over the period 1993-1999. Four years after publication of warning evidence, short-acting nifedipine still accounted for 23% of all calcium channel blockers in our country. The abundance of second-generation CCBs increased from less than 1% in 1993 to 43% in 1999. The consumption of short-acting nifedipine in the Czech Republic and Germany is probably three times more frequent than in Nordic countries and Australia. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of short-acting nifedipine in the Czech Republic 4 years after recognition of its risks still remains very high. This suggests that implementation of clinical trial results to clinical practice is very slow and ineffective.

• MeSH
• blokátory kalciových kanálů * MeSH
• hodnocení spotřeby léčiv * MeSH
• lékařská praxe - způsoby provádění statistika a číselné údaje   trendy   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• medicína založená na důkazech MeSH
• nifedipin * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• srovnávací studie MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• blokátory kalciových kanálů * MeSH
• nifedipin * MeSH

Metallic magnesium is a promising high-capacity anode material for energy storage technologies beyond lithium-ion batteries. However, most reported Mg metal anodes are only cyclable under shallow cycling (≤1 mAh cm-2) and thus poor Mg utilization (<3%) conditions, significantly compromising their energy-dense characteristic. Herein, composite Mg metal anodes with high capacity utilization of 75% are achieved by coating magnesiophilic gold nanoparticles on copper foils for the first time. Benefiting from homogeneous ionic flux and uniform deposition morphology, the Mg-plated Au-Cu electrode exhibits high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.16% over 170 h cycling at 75% Mg utilization. Moreover, the full cell based on Mg-plated Au-Cu anode and Mo6S8 cathode achieves superior capacity retention of 80% after 300 cycles at a low negative/positive ratio of 1.33. This work provides a simple yet effective general strategy to enhance Mg utilization and reversibility, which can be extended to other metal anodes as well.

• Klíčová slova
• High reversibility, High utilization, Magnesiophilic coating, Magnesium batteries, Magnesium metal anodes,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The demographic and epidemiological profile of motor neuron disease (MND) in Czechia remains unknown, highlighting a critical gap; this study aims to examine the epidemiology of MND using population-based data. We conducted a 10-year retrospective study (2012-2022) to analyze prevalence, incidence, mortality, and healthcare utilization, including Riluzole treatment and multidisciplinary care. Our epidemiological findings were compared with the Global Burden of Disease estimates to highlight the importance of real-world data. Based on the data from 4583 patients with MND, the mean annual age-standardized incidence is 3.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.73 - 4.09) per 100,000 individuals, and the mean annual age-standardized prevalence is 10.43 (95% CI 9.91 - 10.95) per 100,000 individuals. The incidence and mortality rates are stable, whereas the prevalence slowly increases. A total of 58.9% of the patients are male. Median survival time is 4.27 years. Most patients, 63.7%, die in hospital, followed by home 27.9%. From healthcare services, physiotherapy and rehabilitation are the most frequently utilized, with 67% of patients benefiting. Only 6.2% of patients use genetic counseling. Riluzole is used by 43% of patients with MND. Comparing incidence and prevalence rates with Global Burden Data estimates and local studies from European countries, we identified differences highlighting the need for real-world data. This study provides crucial real-world data on MND epidemiology and healthcare consumption in Czechia, shedding light on a previously under-researched area. These insights could navigate healthcare resource use and evidence-based policies, improving outcomes for patients and caregivers while deepening understanding of MND in Europe.

• Klíčová slova
• Motor neuron disease, National Health Information System, epidemiology, healthcare utilization, real-world data,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• incidence MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• onemocnění motorického neuronu * epidemiologie   terapie   MeSH
• pacientův souhlas se zdravotní péčí * statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• retrospektivní studie MeSH
• riluzol terapeutické užití   MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři nad 80 let MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• riluzol MeSH