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PANGeA:Physical Activity and Nutrition for Quality Ageing (2007-2013)

Project Manager: Prof. Dr. Rado Pišot

European population is ageing (Lutz et al, Nature 2008).The population older than 65 years in the border regions between Slovenia and Italy is relatively high (18-20%).This is a diverse population including many motor/sports active persons, so that a 75-year-old person of today can be compared with a 55-year-old 30 years ago, on the other hand, there are also many individuals suffering from chronic diseases and weak muscular and skeletal system, for which we could also say that have aged too soon.Research has many times proved a strong impact of lifestyle on the process and consequences of ageing, whereas, the criteria of healthy ageing have not been defined yet.The global problem of ageing and the challenges of searching for healthy ageing criteria, which will enable individuals to lead quality life and be independent in their old age, have become one of the most significant problems of the modern society.Thus, the European Commission has proclaimed the year 2012 as the Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.

A few years before the EU had decided to dedicate such an extent of attention to this issue, the Institute of Kinesiology Research of the Science and Research Centre of the University of Primorska decided to explore and study the ageing criteria together with local and foreign partners and offer the society all levers in order to be able to cope with this issue based on specific findings and knowledge. Numerous scientific findings prove the exceptional efficiency of motor activities and healthy nutrition in reducing health risks and enhancing the independence of living of the older population.Appropriate information and notifying the public, which involves the cooperation of different organisations, can positively influence the quality of life of the older population.The Cross-border Cooperation Slovenia – Italy 2007-2013 Programme – PANGeA unites public institutions from participating regions that are active in the field of assuring the quality of living of the older population, institutes, universities, hospitals, municipalities and the Health Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia.Promotion, education programmes and direct physical activities will enable us to apply the knowledge on lifestyle that improves the quality of living, in practice for target groups of older citizens.We shall use the network of existing health care (hospitals), social (elderly homes) and private (fitness centres) entities, which are mainly operating in the fields of activities, which are the subject of this project.Fitness programmes for the elderly and healthy nutrition measures, which we will apply, will contribute to improved general health condition, reduce the risks of acute injuries and chronic diseases.On the other hand, we shall study the effects of permanent inactivity and develop programmes for a more efficient/faster regeneration of motor functions, and the independence after hip surgeries, which have become one of the most occurring problems that the elderly are coping with.

Project activities will strive to exceed the low coordination level between health care and other public institutions.Prior to providing information to the public, project partners will study the situation of the older population in the project area, and by interpreting the characteristics of healthy and active elderly people they will try to define the criteria of healthy ageing.The activities involving the accumulation of normative values and the implementation of intervention programmes, which will be implemented within the scope of the project, will base on organisational, promotional, science-research and subject-related integration of all project partners and other stakeholders.In this way we will establish a permanent organisation network (universities-hospitals, universities-municipalities-elderly homes, universities-private persons-pensioners’ organisations etc.), which will enable further development of the health and quality of living of the population, living in the cross-border area.

General objectives of the project:
-   Defining healthy ageing factors;
-   Setting up content-related and HR bases of the international excellence centre (SLO-ITA) in the field of health of elderly citizens;
-   Raising awareness on the significance of healthy ageing, social inclusion and mobility of less privileged populations (the elderly);
-   Reducing the costs of health care;
-   Connecting the existing health care, social and private entities and improving their mutual coordination.

The programme area includes institutes and universities that have achieved excellent results on an international level, namely in the field of medicine, space physiology, kinesiology, nutrition studies and health in general.It is well known that numerous fields of work can supplement each other when they are discussed jointly.Our work will base on merging border sciences, translating knowledge and technologies, which presents an efficient instrument, thus being the priority of numerous European programmes.We are well aware of the fact that health models, exercise and nutrition programmes are outdated, and, as the results of modern lifestyle studies show, also inefficient.Many experiences in research, the simulation of ageing (bed rest studies) and healthy ageing simulation (sportsmen – the elderly) have enabled us to acquire many findings that can be applied in health care centres, rehabilitation centres, elderly homes, fitness and wellness centres, sports clubs, and last but not least, for every individual.Despite this, the PANGeA project will need to answer some other scientific questions that refer to the impact of motor inactivity on the elderly and consequently on their health.Applications that will be guaranteed by the general objectives, are as follows:

- Programmes for minimum and optimum motor/sports activity of the elderly;
- Defined efficient procedures of data collection on the health of different target population or populations with different pathological conditions;
- Renewed rehabilitation plans for faster recuperation after surgeries of acute and chronic injuries of the hip joint;
- Food programmes for hindering catabolic processes that occur with motor inactivity;
- Establishment of motor health parks for the elderly.

Operative objectives of the project:
- Setup of a mobile health laboratory with measuring equipment and qualified measurers;
- Setup of a web portal (graphic interface, database, reporting and informing portal) about the health of inhabitants (in Slovene, Italian and English language);
- 1000 measurements of health factors of people from the entire programme area including simultaneous promotion campaigns;
- Adjustment and redefinition of health factors transferred from youngsters to the elderly by considering environmental factors;
- Organisation of 20 free training seminars for training fitness trainers for the elderly, 12 free demonstration meetings for fitness programmes for the elderly, performed at their homes, both equally distributed in all six regions;
- Organisation of six scientific meetings, intended for strengthening the project consortium.

Operative objectives are defined in accordance with achieving general project objectives.We will work in order to enhance the quality of living of inhabitants from the programme area, as well as on a more global level.Promoting and encouraging health, health monitoring, health care measures and preventive measures are the key mechanisms that will enable the programme region a coordinated development of health and social life.Less privileged groups present a large part of the entire population, which is increasing every year.Our preliminary local projects have resulted in many findings that will acquire a new dimension, when we will be able to connect these findings via a consortium.

The project has been drafted in the sense of setting up healthy ageing criteria, based on connecting interdisciplinary knowledge and the implementation of mass measurements on the elderly, thus enabling the basis for constructing a permanent network of institutions that will offer health care and rehabilitation services in order to stimulate the recovery period.Everything mentioned above can be transferred to the level of national policies, which could enable the increase of the quality of life of the elderly by synergising permanent networks (connections between hospitals and joint functional centres) on the entire programme area.  

The project also has a research focus, since joint criteria for healthy ageing will be set up by connecting universities and other public research institutions (University of Primorska, University of Trieste, University of Udine and the Ferrari University, as well as the Health Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Izola General Hospital and Valdoltra Orthopaedic Hospital) based on interdisciplinary and international knowledge.Furthermore, by introducing intervention programmes, we shall contribute to enhancing the quality of life of the elderly, whereas physical activity is the core mean of social integration.

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  • Evaluation of neuro-muscular trunk stabilization functions and development of exercise programs for lower back pain prevention

    Applied Research Project
    Project Manager: dr. Nejc Šarabon, Ph.D.
    Duration: 1.7.2011 - 30.6.2014

    Low back pain (LBP) is the most common health problem associated with the locomotor system in the developed world, affecting 70-85% of people at least once in a lifetime. LBP reduces the quality of life, being the second most common reason for absence from work and as such it is a major socio-economic problem in most developed countries (in the EU - billions €/year). The purpose of our project is to upgrade objective evaluation and preventive measures for LBP. This will be done through comprehensive investigation of alterations of neuromuscular functions (NMF) in LBP. In addition to standard statistics, we will use the methods of artificial intelligence, so as to construct predictive, expert and descriptive models for LBP. The project will be implemented over the period of three years and will be divided into three thematic sections of 12 months.

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    The first thematic section will consist of two studies in which we will verify the objectivity, reliability and validity of tests for the evaluation of NMF of the lumbar body region. The subjects will be healthy young adults of both sexes (n = 30). The aim of the first study is to develop comprehensive protocols for reliable evaluation of all key aspects of NMF of the trunk: maximal voluntary force, endurance in sustained force, automatic pre-programmed and reactive stabilizing muscle actions, kinaesthesia and balance. The aim of the second study is to investigate the existence of synergistic muscle activation patterns and develop valid methods of non-invasive monitoring/forecasting of deep muscle activations in the tasks of dynamic stabilization of the lumbopelvic region. On the basis of the results of these studies, we will determine the testing protocols for subsequent stages of the project.

    The second thematic section will comprise two studies, the aim of which will be to find the parameters of NMF of the trunk that are presumably altered in subjects (n = 120-150) of the two groups of workplaces with an increased risk of LBP (i.e., sedentary and physically demanding occupations). At the same time, our aim is to identify the parameters of the NMF of the trunk in which people with chronic LBP differ from those of similar occupations without chronic LBP. The objective of this thematic section is to develop models based on the data related to NMF of the trunk and on an objectified ergonomic assessment of the workplace that will enable us to predict the probability of LBP in various occupations. This would allow for an early detection of irregularities and risk factors for LBP as well as for early preventive measures.

    In the third thematic section, a study will be carried out on subjects suffering from chronic LBP (n = 80-90). We will investigate the efficiency of two types of exercise programmes aimed at alleviating chronic LBP. Both exercise programmes will take into account the importance of a proper selection of the contents, quality and quantity of exercise as well as the principle of gradual progression in exercise difficulty. The ultimate goal of this thematic section is to create a set of models to aid in the selection, planning and implementation of the most effective exercise methods in chronic LBP.

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  • WADA

    Target Oriented Research Project
    Project Manager: Gianni BIOLO, Ph.D.,  Rado PIŠOT, Ph.D.
    Duration: 1.9.2007 – 1.9.2009

    Metabolic detection of insulin abuse in sport

    Insulin exhibits a number of actions involving metabolic regulation, body fluid control and cell proliferation. There are, however, insulin effects which directly affect muscle size and contractility and can potentially affect sport performance.  Insulin is the main anabolic hormone. It is responsible for the shift from the muscle catabolism associated with overnight fasting to the anabolic response to feeding. Insulin has the potential to stimulate synthesis and inhibit degradation of contractile proteins. In addition, it enhances inward amino acid transport. In skeletal muscle and at the whole body level, the insulin anabolic response is enhanced by protein/amino acid feeding. Muscle glycogen stores are the primary carbohydrate source during exercise. Exercise time to exhaustion directly correlates with muscle glycogen content. The acute hypoglycemic insulin effect is largely mediated by stimulation of muscle glucose uptake. Glycogen synthesis represents a large proportion of total glucose utilization in muscle. The aim of the project is to develop methodologies to detect insulin abuse through identification of metabolic markers of exogenous insulin administration.

  • The effect of weightlessness on human organism (Bedrest)

    International Research Project
    Project Manager:Rado PIŠOT, Ph.D.
    Duration: 2006-2008

    The bed rest study is conducted with close collaboration with European space agency following research trends in space physiology study programmes. The lead Institute for Kinesiology Research organise the studies according to Helsinki declaration with obtaining appropriate Ethical approval, medical care to participant's and managing collaboration between organisations.
    In year 2001 we started this study programme with first study and continued with another three studies in 2006, 2007 and 2008. We will continue with bed rest studies in next years focusing on countermeasures and reconditioning after bed rest deconditioning. The bed rest studies are conducted together with another two co-organisers Institute of Jožef Stefan from Ljubljana and Karolinska Institute from Stockholm and research partners from University of Udine, University of Trieste, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of La Sapienza Rome, Swedish Defence Research Agency, University of Napoli, Politecnico di Torino, University of Padova, … Our research approach is holistic, where we study all human systems. Participants of the studies are carefully selected, treated with care and under strict medical supervision. After 35 days of bed rest we also assure that participants are well recovered.

    Biolo et al. 2008
    Cankar et al. 2009
    De Boer et al. 2008
    Dolenc et al. 2008
    Dolenc et al. 2008
    Pišot et al. 2008
    Plazar et al. 2008
    Rittweger et al. 2009
    Šimunič et al. 2008

  • Health status and physical performance of master athletes

    Target Oriented Research Project
    Project Manager: Boštjan ŠIMUNIČ, Ph.D., Rado PIŠOT, Ph.D., Igor MEKJAVIĆ, Ph.D., Joern RITTWEGER, Ph.D.
    Duration: 2008 –

    Longitudinal project was carried out in European Athletics Championships of Master Athletes in Ljubljana (EVACS 2008) Twelve research groups from six European countries collaborated in this study. All together of twenty-four tests were performed in competitors. Pre competition an information system application was built to collect data from different tests, generate reports and offer longitudinal concept of the study. Next measurement will be performed in their future competitions in Finland 2009 and Hungary 2010. The results are very important for understanding of impact of regular sport activity on human ageing.