PUH Team (Slovenia)

A substantial body of literature documents the benefits of nature-based solutions in urban areas, while local authorities often struggle to translate these insights into practice. This gap persists because governance arrangements remain fragmented, responsibilities are distributed across multiple institutions, and decision-making is frequently constrained by short-term planning and limited long-term empirical evidence. While nature-based solutions are increasingly promoted as effective adaptive measures, it remains insufficiently understood how specific local governance conditions enable or hinder their sustained and institutionalised implementation. The aim of this paper is to examine just how governance structures operate in a specific context to shed light on the performance of water-related nature-based solutions in coastal cities and to improve knowledge regarding specific adjustments in the institutional setup or decision-making process, which could be capable of supporting the uptake of nature-based solutions in the urban context. The research draws on a set of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from the coastal city of Piran, Slovenia, representing diverse expertise and responsibilities in municipal spatial planning, water and wastewater management, environmental and cultural heritage protection, and civil society. The paper synthesises how participants understand governance barriers, how coordination occurs across institutional levels, and how knowledge from past projects informs current decisions. These empirical, locally grounded insights are compared with barriers widely discussed in the literature to assess the relevance of literature to the real-world case study and offer insights into making the literature more actionable. Preliminary findings show that strengthening communication between municipal departments, public utilities and external actors is essential for maintaining continuity beyond project-based cycles and for embedding nature-based solutions into local practice, but that the preference for nature-based solutions is often tied to the personal views rather than an institutional mandate. By providing fine-grained empirical insight into how governance barriers operate in practice, this study contributes to advancing more durable, learning-oriented water governance pathways for nature-based solutions in coastal cities. This research, part of the ongoing consortium-based European project, seeks to generate new granular insights on the operation of nature-based solutions in practice with the view of developing a more durable water governance pathway.

This paper has two objectives. The first is to present the demographic development of the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the territory of present-day Slovenia. The second objective is to identify the discrepancy between the number of permanently registered residents in the town and the number of people who actually reside or live there. The number of people actually residing in Piran is significantly lower than the number of permanently registered residents, as official statistical data do not reflect the city’s real demographic situation. The discrepancy has increased in recent decades, mainly due to the growth of secondary residences. Despite a formally stable population size, Piran is facing a long-term process of depopulation.

ABSTRACT This Special Issue on the Decade of Decadence focuses on the northern Adriatic transnational borderland from the beginning of the First World War in July 1914 to the Treaty of Rome in January 1924 when the city of Rijeka/Fiume was annexed by Italy and the Adriatic question was temporarily settled. As several recent studies have shown this decade is of fundamental importance at the global level and the northern Adriatic in these years represents a unique laboratory for studying the transformations of Europe in the twentieth century. Seen in these perspectives, these articles show how concepts of loyalty, sovereignty, nationality and citizenship did not conform to a linear process of nation-building but instead open new perspectives on Italian and Euro-Mediterranean politics, culture and societies before and after the First World War.

BackgroundBrachial artery endothelial function, measured by the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) technique, serves as a surrogate for coronary endothelial function and is recognized as an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. Despite the known benefits of physical exercise interventions (PEI) in improving endothelial function, limited evidence exists to guide practitioners on the most effective form of PEI for enhancing endothelial function. The aim of this article is to investigate the effects of different PEI modalities on brachial artery FMD, and to establish the most effective PEI through a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA).MethodsPubMed, WoS, CINAHL, EMBASE, CENTRAL and EBSCOhost search was conducted from inception to February 20th, 2025. Randomized controlled studies investigating the effects of PEI on brachial artery FMD in adults were included. Both pairwise and Bayesian NMA were conducted using random-effects model to compare different PEI modalities within primary (aerobic training, resistance training and combined training) and secondary (continuous aerobic training vs. interval aerobic training vs. dynamic resistance training vs. combined training) categorizations. The PEI effectiveness was ranked using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA).ResultsIn total, 84 studies with 3596 participants (43% females, 51.9 ± 15.1 years of age) were included in the analysis. Summarized evidence of 119 effect sizes through pairwise comparisons showed improvement in FMD (mean difference [MD], 2.24%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.90–2.58, p < 0.001) following different PEI, without difference between magnitude of the effect between healthy and asymptomatic individuals (Q, 1.27, p = 0.260). As shown in the NMA, the rank order within a primary classification showed aerobic training as the most effective (SUCRA: 89.8%, MD, 2.37%, 95% credible interval [CrI] 1.95–2.80) followed by resistance training (SUCRA: 66.0%, MD, 2.07%, 95% CrI, 1.34–2.79), and combined (aerobic and resistance) training (SUCRA: 44.1%, MD, 1.67%, 95% CrI, 0.73–2.6). Secondary NMA identified interval aerobic training as the most effective (SUCRA: 99.1%, MD, 3.07%, 95% CrI, 1.37–3.76), which showed to be more effective than continuous aerobic training (MD, 1.08%), dynamic resistance training (MD, 1.04%), and combined training (MD, 1.36%). Moreover, a negative association was found between FMD improvement and both intervention duration and overall training load, while positive associations were observed with weekly training frequency, single session duration, and weekly training duration.ConclusionsVarious PEI modalities have demonstrated effectiveness in improving brachial artery FMD, with interval aerobic exercises of higher intensities emerging as the most effective based on current evidence, followed by dynamic resistance training, continuous aerobic training and combined training. These findings have significant implications for informing future exercise guidelines aimed at both prevention and treatment of endothelial dysfunction.The study protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO online registry: ID: CRD42023453202Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40798-025-00929-3.

Abstract. This study explores the combined use of Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry for high-resolution underwater mapping in shallow coastal environments. Focusing on Slovenian waters, the methodology was tested in two case studies: the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows near Koper, and the submerged archaeological site of Fizine. By integrating MBES and optical photogrammetry, the approach combined the spatial precision of sonar data with the detailed visual reconstruction capabilities of photogrammetry. In the case of Posidonia oceanica mapping, this integration enabled the detection of broader meadow structures through MBES, while photogrammetry—both underwater and aerial—allowed for the accurate delineation of meadow boundaries, especially in shallow or visually complex areas. The complementary strengths of the two methods improved the reliability of habitat classification across varying depths and environmental conditions. At the archaeological site of Fizine, MBES provided high-resolution bathymetry and structural layout of the submerged features, while underwater photogrammetry enhanced the spatial detail, capturing fine architectural elements such as stone alignments and basin walls that were not visible in acoustic data alone. Together, the methods produced comprehensive, georeferenced models well-suited for both habitat monitoring and cultural heritage documentation.

Previous studies showed that properties of higher-threshold motor units (MUs) and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) function are preserved during short-term disuse. This study aimed to test how a longer disuse period affects MU properties, NMJ transmission, and NMJ morphology remodeling. Nine young healthy males (age: 18-29 years) underwent 21 days of horizontal bed rest. Pre- (BR0) and post-bed rest (BR21), quadriceps maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and size were assessed. We combined intramuscular electromyography (iEMG) and high-density surface electromyography (HDsEMG) recordings on the vastus lateralis to assess MU properties at 25% and 50% of MVC. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were also collected. Quadriceps MVC and size decreased at BR21. We found alterations in MU properties at both contraction intensities, including reduced discharge rate, MU potential area changes, and increased complexity. NMJ transmission was found to be reduced at BR21 at 25% MVC. This functional NMJ impairment was biochemically corroborated by an increase in serum C-terminal agrin fragment concentration, a biomarker of NMJ instability. In addition, a direct assessment of NMJ morphology revealed the presence of some denervated NMJs exclusively at BR21. In conclusion, 21-day bed rest altered MU properties across different contraction intensities and impaired NMJ transmission with initial signs of remodeling/denervation. Disuse duration appears to be a critical factor, as previous shorter studies failed to detect some of these changes. We believe these findings are clinically relevant for disuse after trauma, surgery, or illness, and may support the development of effective countermeasures.

Background: Ageing is associated with muscle morphological and functional changes whereas in sarcopenia those changes severely affect the normal quality of life. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate relationship between architectural changes and contractile properties of the sarcopenic muscle and to validate ultrasound sarcopenia index in a diagnosed sarcopenic population. Methods: Sample consisted of 705 older adults (31.6% males) aged 73.16 ± 9.10 years from 11 Slovenian regions which were classified as non-sarcopenic and sarcopenic using a revised algorithm by European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) and an algorithm by Sarcopenia Definition and Outcome Consortium (SDOC). Their proposed tests of muscle strength, muscle mass and physical performance were aquired. Muscle contractile properties were examined with tensiomyography (TMG) on vastus lateralis, biceps femoris and gastrocnemius medialis of the right leg. Additionally, on a subsample of 51 participants (47% males) aged 82.3 ± 8.2 years muscle architecture properties were assessed with ultrasonographic measurements of vastus lateralis. Muscle fascicle length (Lf) and thickness (Tm) at 35% of femur length were used to calculate Lf/Tm ratios known as ultrasound sarcopenia index (USI) as indices of muscle geometric proportion. Results: TMG-derived parameters (delay time, contraction time, radial displacement and contraction velocity) were different between non-sarcopenic and sarcopenic groups in all three assessed muscles. With EWGSOP2 classification, USI values were different (p =.008) between non-sarcopenic (n = 27; USI = 4.49 ± 1.06) and sarcopenic group (n = 12; USI = 5.41 ± 1.48). Similarly, both groups were also significantly different (p =.008) according to SDOC classification: non-sarcopenic (n = 19; USI = 4.29 ±.76) and sarcopenic group (n = 20; USI = 5.24 ± 1.47). USI was correlated with delay time (r =.388; p =.15), contraction time (r =.388; p=.015), contractile velocity (r= -.338; p=.035), and presented a trend for radial displacement (r = -.302; p =.062). Discussion: USI shows to be a reliable tool in distinguishing sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic muscles and thereforecould be used for sarcopenia diagnosis confirmation as they are non-invasive, novel and inexpensive muscle quality markers. Further, TMG-derived parameters were also correlated to USI values; however it needs to be further explored whether could be used for sarcopenia classification purposes. The study was funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding No. P5-0381 and J7-2605 – Validation of a new muscle quality marker for the diagnosis of sarcopenia). This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.

Hypokinesia triggers oxidative stress and accelerates the turnover of the glutathione system via the γ-glutamyl cycle. Our study aimed to identify the regulatory checkpoints controlling intracellular glutathione levels. We measured the intermediate substrates of the γ-glutamyl cycle in erythrocytes from 19 healthy young male volunteers before and during a 10-day experimental bed rest. Additionally, we tracked changes in glutathione levels and specific metabolite ratios up to 21 days of bed rest. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and the internal standard technique, we observed a 9 ± 9% decrease in glutathione levels during the first 5 days of bed rest, followed by an 11 ± 9% increase from the 5th to the 10th day, nearly returning to baseline ambulatory levels. The cysteinyl-glycine-to-glutathione ratio, reflecting γ-glutamyl cyclotransferase activity (a key enzyme in glutathione breakdown), rose by 14 ± 22% in the first 5 days and then fell by 10 ± 14% over the subsequent 5 days, again approaching baseline levels. Additionally, the γ-glutamyl cysteine-to-cysteine ratio, indicative of γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase activity (crucial for glutathione synthesis), increased by 12 ± 30% on day 5 and by 29 ± 41% on day 10 of bed rest. The results observed on day 21 of bed rest confirm those seen on day 10. By calculating the ratio of product concentration to precursor concentration, we assessed the efficiency of these key enzymes in glutathione turnover. These results were corroborated by directly measuring glutathione synthesis and degradation rates in vivo using stable isotope techniques. Our findings reveal significant changes in glutathione kinetics during the initial days of bed rest and identify potential therapeutic targets for maintaining glutathione levels.

This book explores the military events and diplomatic games in the later years of the Second World War through which Josip Broz Tito's Yugoslav Partisans resistance movement gained the support of the Allies and, eventually, control over Yugoslavia itself. Based on research by the author in Yugoslav, German, British, American, Italian, and Russian archives and libraries, including the unpublished war memoirs of Josip Broz Tito, the volume follows Winston Churchill’s 1943 strategic decision to shift Allied support from Draža Mihailović's Chetniks, who sought the restoration of Peter II to the Yugoslav throne, to Tito and his Communist Party. Tito and Churchill continued to face conflict over concessions regarding the monarchy, as well as the growing influence of Joseph Stalin, who began sending the Partisans large arms supplies. Pirjevec’s narrative of these tensions sheds new light on the dynamics of the wartime events leading to the start of the Cold War and the emergence of new nationalist movements in the region in the second half of the 20th century. The book celebrates Tito and his Partisans for their fight against Nazi-fascism without, however, ignoring their atrocities. This volume will appeal to readers interested in the lesser-known chapters of the Second World War and the history of Yugoslavia.