The ageing of the global population is the most important medical and social demographic problem worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined healthy ageing as a process of maintaining functional ability to enable wellbeing in older age. The WHO, Member States and Partners for Sustainable Development Goals have created a Global Strategy and Action Plan for Ageing and Health for 2016-2020 and its continuation with the WHO programme The Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020-2030. The WHO has established main priorities such as supporting country planning and action, collecting better global data and promoting research on healthy ageing, aligning health systems to the needs of older people, laying the foundations and ensuring the human resources necessary for long-term integrated care, undertaking a global campaign to combat ageism, and enhancing the global network for age-friendly cities and communities. There are several reports of coordinated preventive health and social health initiatives in well developed countries. However, there is little evidence on the application of the active ageing frameworks in developing countries. Greater national capacities and closer monitoring of the progress through age-disaggregated data is needed to effectively implement the intended programmes on healthy ageing.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a one of the most common endocrine disorders, with a prevalence rate of 5–10% in reproductive aged women. It’s characterized by (1) chronic anovulation, (2) biochemical and/or clinical hyperandrogenism, and (3) polycystic ovarian morphology. PCOS has significant clinical implications and can lead to health problems related to the accumulation of adipose tissue, such as obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. There is also evidence that PCOS patients are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, and high blood pressure. Several studies have reported the association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and low-grade chronic inflammation. According to known data, inflammatory markers or their gene markers are higher in PCOS patients. Correlations have been found between increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 18 (IL-18), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), white blood cell count (WBC), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) in the PCOS women compared with age- and BMI-matched controls. Women with PCOS present also elevated levels of AGEs and increased RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) expression. This chronic inflammatory state is aggravating by obesity and hyperinsulinemia. There are studies describing mutual impact of hyperinsulinemia and obesity, hyperandrogenism, and inflammatory state. Endothelial cell dysfunction may be also triggered by inflammatory cytokines. Many factors involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, and thrombosis were proposed as cardiovascular risk markers showing the endothelial cell damage in PCOS. Those markers include asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine, plasminogen activator inhibitor-I (PAI-I), PAI-I activity, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) etc. It was also proposed that the uterine hyperinflammatory state in polycystic ovary syndrome may be responsible for significant pregnancy complications ranging from miscarriage to placental insufficiency. In this review, we discuss the most importance evidence concerning the role of the process of chronic inflammation in pathogenesis of PCOS.

PurposePremature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is defined as the cessation of the ovarian function before the age of 40 years. POI aetiology may be related to iatrogenic or endogenous factors and in many cases remains unclear. The aim of this review was to characterize the long-term consequences of POI.MethodsThe available literature regarding the long-term consequences of POI from MEDLINE has been reviewed.ResultsLack of ovarian steroids synthesis has serious consequences for women’s health. The short-term effects are similar to spontaneous menopause and refer mainly to the climacteric syndrome. In a longer perspective, POI affects a variety of aspects. It obviously and drastically reduces the chances for spontaneous pregnancies. Oestrogen loss leads also to urogenital atrophy. The most common urogenital symptoms include vaginal dryness, vaginal irritation and itching. The urogenital atrophy and hypoestrogenism interferes also with sexual functioning. Patients with POI are threatened by a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD). POI women also experience psychological distress and some studies have shown an increased risk of neurodegenerating diseases. Overall, POI women have a shortened life expectancy, mainly due to cardiovascular disease. Some studies have reported a reduced risk of breast cancer in this group of patients.ConclusionsIn conclusion there are several well-characterized health risks in POI women. With every patient, an individualized approach is required to properly recognize and prevent these risks.

The hair cycle and hair follicle structure are highly affected by various hormones. Androgens—such as testosterone (T); dihydrotestosterone (DHT); and their prohormones, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and androstendione (A)—are the key factors in terminal hair growth. They act on sex-specific areas of the body, converting small, straight, fair vellus hairs into larger darker terminal hairs. They bind to intracellular androgen receptors in the dermal papilla cells of the hair follicle. The majority of hair follicles also require the intracellular enzyme 5-alpha reductase to convert testosterone into DHT. Apart from androgens, the role of other hormones is also currently being researched—e.g., estradiol can significantly alter the hair follicle growth and cycle by binding to estrogen receptors and influencing aromatase activity, which is responsible for converting androgen into estrogen (E2). Progesterone, at the level of the hair follicle, decreases the conversion of testosterone into DHT. The influence of prolactin (PRL) on hair growth has also been intensively investigated, and PRL and PRL receptors were detected in human scalp skin. Our review includes results from many analyses and provides a comprehensive up-to-date understanding of the subject of the effects of hormonal changes on the hair follicle.

Several studies have reported the association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and low-grade chronic inflammation to be of uncertain cause: obesity, insulin resistance, or PCOS itself. The aim of the study was to investigate the WBC (white blood cell) count and CRP (C-reactive protein) concentration in women with PCOS and to determine the factors that affect their concentration. The study included 200 women aged 18-40 with PCOS and 105 healthy women as the control group, recruited in the Department of Gynaecological Endocrinology of Medical University in Warsaw from 2016 to 2018. Each patient underwent clinical, biochemical, and ultrasonographic assessments. WBC and CRP were significantly higher in the PCOS group (Z=−2,353, p=0,019 and Z=−2,453, p=0,014). WBC positively correlated with serum insulin at 0, 60, and 120 min during the oral glucose tolerance test (INS0: r=0,221, p=0,001; INS1: r=0,194, p=0,003; INS2: r=0,022, p=0,001), testosterone (r=0,130, p=0,046), androstenedione (r=0,212, p=0,001), and DHEAS (r=0,178, p=0,006) and negatively correlated with progesterone (r=−0,204, p=0,002), estradiol (r=−0,140, p=0,032), and SHBG (r=−0,308, p<0,001). CRP positively correlated with insulin concentration in 0, 60, and 120 min during the oral glucose tolerance test (INS0: r=0,343, p<0,001; INS1: r=0,276, p=0,001; INS2: r=0,320, p<001) and negatively correlated with progesterone (r=−0,194, p=0,030) and SHBG (-0,244, p=0,005). We also estimated positive correlation between BMI and serum CRP and WBC concentration. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that CRP values are positively associated with BMI (beta=0,374, p<0,001) and insulin level (INS1) (beta=0,282, p=0,004); and WBC results are negatively associated with SHGB (beta=−0,284, p<0,001) but positively associated with testosterone (beta=0,163, p=0,024) and BMI (beta=0,157, p=0,047). PCOS is associated with increased WBC and CRP concentrations. The main predicting factors of increased CRP are BMI and insulin resistance, but there is also a relationship between WBC count in PCOS and androgen concentration itself so that inflammation may be mediated not only through adiposity but also through increased androgen concentration.