The second half of the first millennium ce in Central and Eastern Europe was accompanied by fundamental cultural and political transformations. This period of change is commonly associated with the appearance of the Slavs, which is supported by textual evidence^1,2 and coincides with the emergence of similar archaeological horizons^3–6. However, so far there has been no consensus on whether this archaeological horizon spread by migration, Slavicisation or a combination of both. Genetic data remain sparse, especially owing to the widespread practice of cremation in the early phase of the Slavic settlement. Here we present genome-wide data from 555 ancient individuals, including 359 samples from Slavic contexts from as early as the seventh century ce. Our data demonstrate large-scale population movement from Eastern Europe during the sixth to eighth centuries, replacing more than 80% of the local gene pool in Eastern Germany, Poland and Croatia. Yet, we also show substantial regional heterogeneity as well as a lack of sex-biased admixture, indicating varying degrees of cultural assimilation of the autochthonous populations. Comparing archaeological and genetic evidence, we find that the change in ancestry in Eastern Germany coincided with a change in social organization, characterized by an intensification of inter- and intra-site genetic relatedness and patrilocality. On the European scale, it appears plausible that the changes in material culture and language between the sixth and eighth centuries were connected to these large-scale population movements.

The aim of the study was to analyse the association between the degree of air pollution (suspended particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, benzopyrene levels) in the location of residence during childhood and adolescence and the age at menarche. The research was carried out in the period from 2015 to 2018 in Poland. Anthropometric measurements were performed, and questionnaire data were collected from 1,257 women, aged 19–25 years. The average levels of subjects’ exposure to analysed air pollutants, i.e., particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitric oxide and benzene during childhood-adolescence was assessed from the data acquired by the Polish Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection. Negative relationships between age at menarche and suspended particulate matter as well as nitrogen levels were found. A similar trend was observed in an analysis of the relationship between age at menarche and the complex air pollution index. The tendency for age at menarche to decrease together with worsening air quality was also visible after adjusted for socioeconomic status. Girls exposed to high suspended particulate matter levels were characterised by higher risk of early age at menarche. High levels of air pollution are related to younger age at menarche and the risk of the menstruation onset below 11 years.

The aim: to determine whether socio-economic status has an effect on the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity in young women. Methods: The sample included 1129 female students aged 20–24 years from the south of Poland. BMI was calculated from measured weight/height and SES was assessed based on information received from surveyed women. Results: 11.1% of the surveyed students were classified as underweight, 6.5% as overweight and 0.5% were obese. The risk of underweight increased together with the increasing level of parent's education, it was also higher among women who prior to studying had lived in a town/city rather than in a village. In the case of a self-rated financial situation, a negative relationship was observed. For students who rated their situation as very good or good, the risk of underweight was lower than in students who evaluated their situation as average or below average. No significant relationship between the socio-economic factors and the risk of overweight was found. Conclusions: The results indicate that the prevalence of thinness was higher than the prevalence of overweight and obesity, especially in students from high status families.

Objectives: To examine associations between sleep duration as well as time of going to sleep and anthropometric indices related to the amount and distribution of adiposity. Material: A total of 969 female university students, aged 19–24 years. Methods: Participants self-reported their sleep duration. Body weight, height, and waist circumference were measured. BMI, WHR and WHtR were calculated. Statistical analyses of results involved logistic regression models. Socioeconomic status and level of stress were added as covariates. Results: In 15% of the sample, sleep was too short (8 h). Compared to women who followed the recommended sleep duration, among short sleepers, both underweight and overweight were more frequent, while long sleepers were more likely to be overweight. A higher prevalence of abdominal obesity and increased risk of metabolic syndrome were observed in both short and long sleepers than in recommended sleepers. Irregular sleep times were connected with higher OR, both for BMI < 18.5 and BMI > 25, for WC > 80, and WHtR below 0.4 and above 0.5. Irregular sleep times also led to an increased risk of metabolic diseases prevalence. Conclusions: Both too long and too short sleep increases the risk of overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity and, as a consequence, the risk of metabolic syndrome in young women.