One of the most consistent findings in the social epidemiology of mental health is the gender gap in depression. Depression is approximately twice as prevalent among women as it is among men. However, the absence of comparable data hampers cross-national comparisons of the prevalence of depression in general populations. Using information about the frequency and severity of depressive symptoms from the third wave of the European Social Survey (ESS-3), we are able to fill the gap the absence of comparable data leaves. In the ESS-3, depression is measured with an eight-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale. In the current study, we examine depression among men and women aged 18-75 in 23 European countries. Our results indicate that women report higher levels of depression than men do in all countries, but there is significant cross-national variation in this gender gap. Gender differences in depression are largest in some of the Eastern and Southern European countries and smallest in Ireland, Slovakia and some Nordic countries. Hierarchical linear models show that socioeconomic as well as family-related factors moderate the relationship between gender and depression. Lower risk of depression is associated in both genders with marriage and cohabiting with a partner as well as with having a generally good socioeconomic position. In a majority of countries, socioeconomic factors have the strongest association with depression in both men and women. This research contributes new findings, expanding the small existing body of literature that presents highly comparable data on the prevalence of depression in women and men in Europe.

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As a large international consortium of 26 countries and 110 higher-education institutions (HEIs), we successfully developed and executed an online student survey during or directly after the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study (C19 ISWS) is a cross-sectional multicountry study that collected data on higher-education students during the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020. The dataset allows description of: (1) living conditions, financial conditions, and academic workload before and during the COVID-19 outbreak; (2) the current level of mental well-being and effects on healthy lifestyles; (3) perceived stressors; (4) resources (e.g., social support and economic capital); (5) knowledge related to COVID-19; and (6) attitudes toward COVID-19 measures implemented by the government and relevant HEI. The dataset additionally includes information about COVID-19 measures taken by the government and HEI that were in place during the period of data collection. The collected data provide a comprehensive and comparative dataset on student well-being. In this article, we present the rationale for this study, the development and content of the survey, the methodology of data collection and sampling, and the limitations of the study. In addition, we highlight the opportunities that the dataset provides for advancing social science research on student well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in varying policy contexts. Thus far, this is, to our knowledge, the first cross-country student well-being survey during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a unique dataset that enables high-priority socially relevant research.

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This study aimed to determine the changes in health behaviors among students of a French university during the COVID-19 lockdown. An online retrospective survey was distributed to Rouen-Normandy University students at the end of the COVID-19 lockdown (13th March–11th May 2020). Voluntary university students were included. Data collected were on socio-demographics, academic environment, COVID19 concerns, tobacco smoking, binge drinking, cannabis use, and physical activity in the periods before and during COVID-19 lockdown. The survey was completed by 3671 university students (mean age 20.9 ± 2.47 years, 72.9% female). Significantly favorable changes between the periods before and during COVID-19 were reported for tobacco smoking (18.5% vs. 14.8%), binge drinking (35.9% vs. 9.3%) and cannabis use (5.6% vs. 3.2%) and unfavorable changes for moderate (79.4% vs. 67.9%) and vigorous physical activity (62.5% vs. 59.1%). After logistic regression, factors associated with unfavorable changes in tobacco smoking and with favorable changes in vigorous physical activity were the worry of not validating the academic year and stress related to changes in the mode of teaching, respectively. For each health behavior, unfavorable changes were associated with higher depression levels, and male gender. Then as a decrease, mainly in binge drinking was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown, care must be taken to prevent university students from resuming binge drinking after the end of the lockdown. Health-promotion strategies directed at adopting or maintaining positive mental health and promoting physical activity should be developed for university students to better manage future lockdown periods.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a large family of proteases involved in many cell-matrix and cell-cell signalling processes through activation, inactivation or release of extracellular matrix (ECM) and non-ECM molecules, such as growth factors and receptors. Uncontrolled MMP activities underlie the pathophysiology of many disorders. Also matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) or stromelysin-1 contributes to several pathologies, such as cancer, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, and has also been associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. However, based on defined MMP spatiotemporal expression patterns, the identification of novel candidate molecular targets and in vitro and in vivo studies, a beneficial role for MMPs in CNS physiology and recovery is emerging. The main purpose of this review is to shed light on the recently identified roles of MMP-3 in normal brain development and in plasticity and regeneration after CNS injury and disease. As such, MMP-3 is correlated with neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth and guidance in the developing CNS and contributes to synaptic plasticity and learning in the adult CNS. Moreover, a strict spatiotemporal MMP-3 up-regulation in the injured or diseased CNS might support remyelination and neuroprotection, as well as genesis and migration of stem cells in the damaged brain. Keywords: central nervous system, development, matrix metalloproteinase-3, plasticity, regeneration, repair. Matrix metalloproteinases: an overviewMatrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes that remodel the pericellular environment by degrading all protein constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Besides, they also regulate many cell signalling pathways and homeostatic systems by cleavage and release of various guidance and adhesion molecules, receptors, growth factors, cytokines, etc., through either activation or inactivation. The MMP family, a subgroup of the metzincins, constitutes more than 20 mammalian members, which are all Zn 2+ -dependent endopeptidases. Based on their substrate specificity and domain organization, MMPs are classified into collagenases, gelatinases, stromelysins, membrane-type MMPs, matrilysins and 'other MMPs' (Nagase et al. 2006).MMP activities are kept under tight control. First of all, MMP expression can be regulated at the transcriptional level by growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, hormones, epigenetic processes and cell-cell/cell-ECM interactions. Membrane-trafficking and subsequent release of MMPs at the cell surface can be regulated by SNARE proteins (Kean et al. 2009). MMPs are synthesized as proenzymes with a 'cysteine switch', the disruption of the interaction between the cysteine residue in the propeptide and the Zn 2+ ion in the catalytic site, as a pre-requisite for activation. This disruption can be achieved by organomercurial compounds, heavy metals, denaturating agents or oxidants, as well as through removal of the propeptide by proteases (Van Wart and Birk...

International research consistently finds gender differences in depression, but do women genuinely experience more complaints or are the findings contaminated by group-specific elements unrelated to depression but affecting its measurement? The study of gender differences in depression depends on the measurement quality of the instrument used to evaluate depression. In the present study we test the measurement equivalence of a shorter version of a commonly used instrument in mental health research, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D), using data from the Belgian sample of the third round of the European Social Survey (N = 1794). Evidence for measurement invariance can be established within the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis framework. This method allows us to evaluate a nested hierarchy of hypotheses to test different levels of cross-group measurement invariance: configural, metric, scalar and residual invariance, and clarifies under what conditions meaningful comparisons between the male and female respondents can be made. The best fitting factor model is then used to estimate the 'true' prevalence of depressive symptoms for both groups. In our study measurement equivalence is established at all levels, indicating that the current depression scale allows defensible quantitative gender comparisons. Our data also confirm the epidemiological finding that women report more complaints of depression than men.

BackgroundCOVID-19 may have a profound impact on sexual health, reproductive health and social life across the world. Shelter in place regulations that have extended across the globe may influence condomless sex, exacerbate intimate partner violence and reduce access to essential reproductive health services. Population representative research is challenging during shelter in place, leaving major gaps in our understanding of sexual and reproductive health during COVID-19. This International Sexual Health And ReproductivE health (I-SHARE) study protocol manuscript describes a common plan for online national surveys and global comparative analyses.MethodsThe purpose of this cross-sectional study is to better understand sexual and reproductive health in selected countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitate multinational comparisons. Participants will be recruited through an online survey link disseminated through local, regional and national networks. In each country, a lead organisation will be responsible for organising ethical review, translation and survey administration. The consortium network provides support for national studies, coordination and multinational comparison. We will use multilevel modelling to determine the relationship between COVID-19 and condomless sex, intimate partner violence, access to reproductive health services, HIV testing and other key items. This study protocol defines primary outcomes, prespecified subanalyses and analysis plans.ConclusionThe I-SHARE study examines sexual and reproductive health at the national and global level during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will use multilevel modelling to investigate country-level variables associated with outcomes of interest. This will provide a foundation for subsequent online multicountry comparison using more robust sampling methodologies.