The direct and indirect impact of international migration on the population ageing process: A formal analysis and its application to Poland

Persistent immune injury induced by short-term decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) exposure to female middle-aged Balb/c mice

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), widely used in various industries for its excellent flame-retardant performance, could be enriched in humans and is closely associated with immune impairment. In addition, immune system is gradually declined and becoming more sensitive to environmental pollutants in the ageing process. Therefore, the immunotoxicity of BDE-209 (4, 40, and 400 mg/kg/day) to middle-aged mice and its recovery and susceptibility was first to be comprehensively investigated in this study. The results showed that BDE-209 exposure could lead to oxidative injury to immune organs (spleen, thymus, and liver), impair humoral (immunoglobulins), cellular (lymphopoiesis), and non-specific immunity, and disturb the expressions of the genes related to Th1/Th2 balance (T helper cells) in the middle-aged mice. In addition, Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) indicated that BDE-209-induced immune impairment was challenging to self-regulated, and even exacerbated after 21 days of recovery and oxidative injury in immune organs could be the main reason. Furthermore, factorial analysis showed that middle-aged mice exposed to BDE-209 suffered from greater immune impairment than adult mice, and the immune impairment in aged mice is more difficult to be self-repaired than that in adult mice. It can be seen that the aged tend to suffer from BDE-209-induced persistent immune impairment and health threats.

Urban Ageing in Europe—Spatiotemporal Analysis of Determinants

The aim of this study was to identify determinants of the population ageing process in 270 European cities. We analyzed the proportion of older people: men and women separately (aged 65 or above) in city populations in the years 1990–2018. To understand territorially-varied relationships and to increase the explained variability of phenomena, an explanatory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) were applied. We used ArcGIS and GeoDa software in this study. In our research, we also took into account the spatial interactions as well as the structure of cities by size and level of economic development. Results of the analysis helped to explain why some urban areas are ageing faster than others. An initial data analysis indicated that the proportion of the elderly in the population was spatially diversified and dependent on gender, as well as the size and economic development of a unit. In general, elderly individuals were more willing to live in larger and highly developed cities; however, women tended to live in large areas and men in medium-sized to large urban areas. Then, we conducted the urban ageing modelling for men and women separately. The application of GWR models enabled not only the specification of the city population ageing determinants, but also the analysis of the variability in the strength and direction of dependencies occurring between the examined variables in individual cities. Significant differences were noted in the analysis results for specific cities, which were often grouped due to similar parameter values, forming clusters that divided Europe into the eastern and western parts. Moreover, substantial differences in results were obtained for women and men.

Challenges of Regional Development in the Context of Population Ageing. Analysis Based on the Example of Opolskie Voivodeship

Demographic changes, primarily the problem of progressive ageing, are one of the key challenges to development in Poland. The Opolskie voivodeship belongs to the regions characterised by extremely unfavourable demographic phenomena. This is because some population changes here have a broader dimension than on average in Poland and in the EU. Thereby, they have far-reaching as well as complex economic and social consequences in the region. Due to the fact that demographic processes are determined in the long term, and it is extremely difficult to influence them in the short term, the adaptation of social and economic spheres and, at the same time, the use of specific opportunities resulting from these changes, seems a useful strategy for regional development policy. Therefore, in the context of senioral policy, complex, coherent and diversified activities in the sphere of growth of professional activity of elderly people, support for life-long learning, improvement of seniors’ living conditions, including the development of health infrastructure, and seniors’ integration in society prove to be necessary. The multidimensional concept of the ‘silver economy’ creates specific opportunities for using the possibilities resulting from population ageing, and minimising the unfavourable consequences of this process, in the Opolskie voivodeship. However, the implementation of this concept demands the consideration of several determinants and barriers, that consequently affect its effective functioning. The direct objective of the paper is to present the current and projected demographic situation of Opolskie voivodeship, and on its basis, to determine the challenges resulting from the ageing of society for regional development.