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Frailty is a still-evolving concept of a complex phenomenon. There are several algorithms and strategies for assessing frailty syndrome, but currently, no universally accepted definition or measurement protocol has been determined. Consequently, the biological cause(s) of frailty are also poorly defined. Much circumstantial experimental data point to the dysregulation of several key physiological systems, including the neuroendocrine, musculoskeletal, metabolic and immune/inflammatory systems, resulting from alterations in functional reserves. Immune dysregulation and inflammation as causes of frailty have gained some support from the results of longitudinal studies, but a true causal relationship has not been established. This chapter will describe the immune/inflammatory alterations found in frailty and their putative causal relationships with this state., (2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

A number of recent research reports have reported significant relationships between seasonal mood change (seasonality) and personality. However, some of the results are difficult to interpret because of inherent methodological problems, the most important of which is the use of samples drawn from the southern as opposed to the northern hemisphere, where the phenomenon of seasonality may be quite different. The present study examined the relationship between personality and seasonality in a sample from the northern hemisphere (minimum latitude = 49 degrees N). A total of 297 adults drawn from the general population (112 male and 185 female subjects) completed the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire, and the results obtained confirmed most of the previously reported relationships and showed that these are reliable across (i) different hemispheres, (ii) different measures of personality and (iii) clinical and general population samples. However, the impact of the relationship seems to be more apparent than real, with personality accounting for just under 15% of the total variance.