1. The relationship between braking rate of force development, braking force impulse, push-off force distribution and jump performance : an exploratory studyŽiga Kozinc, Darjan Smajla, Daichi Nishiumi, Norikazu Hirose, Nejc Šarabon, 2026, original scientific article Keywords: jump, force, power
Published in RUP: 14.05.2026; Views: 0; Downloads: 0
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3. Body ownership illusions in immersive virtual reality : a implications for musculoskeletal rehabilitationManca Zupančič Opara, Nejc Šarabon, 2026, review article Keywords: avatar, embodiment, musculoskeletal pain, predictive coding, Proteus effect, psychosocial barriers, VR
Published in RUP: 26.04.2026; Views: 260; Downloads: 5
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4. Religion, spirituality, and health values among young adults in Slovenia : a qualitative studyMirko Prosen, Mojca Baša, Ines Batista Križaj, Andrejka Presl, Sabina Ličen, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: This study explores how young adults in Slovenia perceive religion and spirituality and how they relate these dimensions to health, values, and health-related habits. In modern secular societies, religion and spirituality are increasingly seen as influencing health indirectly, mainly through personal values, identity, and coping strategies. However, little is known about how young adults themselves experience this relationship. A qualitative descriptive approach was used, with data collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 participants aged 18–34. Interviews were conducted in late 2025, recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis supported by Atlas.ti software. The trustworthiness of the study was ensured through established qualitative research criteria. Five key themes emerged: personal perspectives on religion and spirituality, the influence of family and socio-cultural environment, religion as a source of moral values, perceptions of the relationship between religion and health, and the role of religion in coping with stress and supporting mental well-being. Participants generally viewed religion as a personal and selective aspect of life with limited influence on physical health behaviors. Instead, its importance was mainly related to mental well-being and stress management. The findings indicate that religion and spirituality functioned primarily as psychosocial resources rather than direct determinants of health behaviors among young adults in Slovenia.
Keywords: religion, spirituality, young adults, health values, health habits, health behaviors
Published in RUP: 20.04.2026; Views: 272; Downloads: 6
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5. Health and well-being of military nurses in high-reliability, high-stress environments : a qualitative study in the slovenian armed forcesZlatko Kvržić, Mirko Prosen, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Aim: To investigate how female military nurses experience high-reliability, high-stress environments and how these conditionsshape their well-being.Background: Military nursing involves complex demands that extend beyond clinical care, including dual professional roles,operational unpredictability, and gendered expectations. These pressures can undermine physical, psychological, and social well-being, yet the lived experiences of military nurses, particularly women, remain underexplored.Design: A qualitative descriptive design was used.Methods: Ten female military nurses were recruited through purposive sampling and interviewed individually in semi-structuredonline interviews. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Trustworthiness was ensured through reflexive coding,an audit trail, and adherence to COREQ guidelines.Results: Five overarching categories captured the factors shaping well-being: organisational and structural demands; high-stressoperational environments; emotional and psychological burden; coping and resilience; and gendered identity and work–familybalance. Participants described constrained autonomy, communication gaps, and role ambiguity within hierarchical structures.Psychological pressures were heightened by moral tensions, responsibility for colleagues, and expectations of emotional control.Coping relied mainly on informal peer support, as formal services were rarely used due to stigma. Gendered norms and familyresponsibilities further influenced well-being and career decisions.Conclusion: Military nurse well-being is shaped less by individual resilience and more by organisational culture, operationaldemands, and gendered expectations. Addressing these systemic factors is essential for sustaining the military nursing workforce.Implication for Nursing: Strengthening leadership support, communication, psychological safety, and professional autonomymay improve working conditions and support nurses’ well-being in demanding operational contexts.Implications for Health Policy: Policies should promote supportive organisational cultures, reduce stigma around help-seeking,and facilitate work–family reconciliation to sustain and retain the military nursing workforce.
Keywords: military medicine, occupational health, psychological stress, qualitative research, work–family conflict, work environment
Published in RUP: 17.04.2026; Views: 302; Downloads: 8
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6. Lower-limb damping characteristics during various repetitive jumping forms : reliability and sensitivity analysisMarko Kapeleti, Marc Elmeua González, Igor Zlatović, David Nikolić, Oskar Cvjetičanin, Nejc Šarabon, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: An essential aspect of jumping performance is the ability to control impact forces. One of the key measures of this ability is the damping ratio, a dimensionless parameter that quantifies the rate at which oscillations decay following a disturbance. This study aims to assess the intra-session and inter-session reliability of damping ratios at different lower-limb anatomical landmarks and evaluate their sensitivity in detecting differences between various repetitive jumping forms, with an emphasis on establishing a specific methodological approach. Twenty-three physically active male and female students performed maximal countermovement jumps (CMJs) and bilateral (BL) and unilateral (UL) hopping (HOP). Ten wireless inertial measurement units recorded inertial data of five bilateral lower-limb anatomical landmarks. Results showed that the damping ratios during CMJ and HOPUL demonstrated good reliability, whereas in HOPBL were moderately reliable. The damping ratios of nearly all the anatomical landmarks differed between the jumping forms. CMJ had the highest values, HOPBL the lowest, and HOPUL values in between, likely due to variations in joint stiffness and amplitude displacement, as well as stretch‒shortening cycle reliance. Methodologically, using 20 repetitions in an intra-session trial and averaging left and right sides for inter-session reliability and inter-jump sensitivity, damping ratios are acceptably reliable and sufficiently sensitive for biomechanical analysis of different repetitive jumping forms. This metric could potentially be a valuable tool in developing theoretical nonlinear multibody mass‒spring‒damper models and could enhance biomechanical analysis with practical applications in sports training and rehabilitation.
Keywords: stretch–shortening cycle, stiffness, impact absorption, oscillation, intraclass, correlation coefficient
Published in RUP: 13.04.2026; Views: 244; Downloads: 9
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7. Myotonometric assessment of achilles tendon and gastrocnemius stiffness in recreationally active young adults : reliability, impact of sex, and links to linear sprintMatic Sašek, Petra Brnelić, Žiga Kozinc, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: This study examined the relationship between passive Achilles tendon (AT) and gastrocnemius (GAS) stiffness, measured by myotonometry, and 40-m sprint performance across acceleration and maximal velocity phases, while accounting for sex differences. Twenty-one student athletes (10 males, 11 females) underwent bilateral passive stiffness assessments of the AT and GAS using MyotonPRO, followed by 40-m sprint testing with 10, 20, 30, and 40 m splits. Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV). Sex differences were examined with independent t-tests. Partial correlations controlling for sex were used to assess associations between passive stiffness and sprint performance. Passive stiffness and sprint variables demonstrated excellent within-session reliability (ICC = 0.95–0.99; CV < 5%). Males showed significantly greater passive GAS stiffness bilaterally (p = 0.006–0.049) and faster sprint times at 30 m (p = 0.040) and 40 m (p < 0.001), while passive AT stiffness did not differ significantly between sexes. Partial correlations indicated that greater passive AT stiffness in both legs was associated with faster sprint times at 10 m (r = -0.46 and -0.58, p = 0.008 and 0.043) and 20 m (r = -0.49 and -0.58, p = 0.008 and 0.029). No associations were observed at 30 m or 40 m, nor between passive GAS stiffness and sprint performance. Myotonometry provides reliable measures of AT and GAS stiffness. Greater passive AT stiffness is associated with faster acceleration sprint performance independent of sex.
Keywords: stiffness, muscle, tendon, sprint
Published in RUP: 06.04.2026; Views: 230; Downloads: 9
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8. Prosthetic memory and film-induced dark tourism in the specific post-conflict context : a divergent young adults’ perspectiveMetod Šuligoj, Jasna Hartman, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: The present postmodernist study explores how widely accessible films depicting tragic historical sites/events influence prosthetic memories and film-induced dark tourism among Western Balkan (the ‘region of memory’) young adult new-age platform users with no personal war experience. A heterogeneous list of ten internation - ally known historical films, compiled with the help of informants, was the basis for discussion in three nationally diverse focus groups (Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian- Herzegovinian) and then compared with a comparison group from a less stressed environment. The results of the content analysis with triangulation are discussed, and explaining the missing prosthetic memory, factual knowledge and film-induced dark tourism nexus among young adults in a peculiarly toxic post-conflict atmosphere. The study thus identifies historical film and dark tourism abstainers and explains deviations not pre - viously reported in studies of the above concepts, taking into account the specific social environment and age group.
Keywords: prosthetic memory, learning history, dark tourism, film-induced tourism, post-conflict society, young adults
Published in RUP: 02.04.2026; Views: 335; Downloads: 5
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9. Occupational and non-occupational device-measured movement behaviours and low back pain : a compositional isotemporal substitution analysisKaja Kastelic, Nejc Šarabon, Michael David Burnard, Željko Pedišić, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Background: Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep were shown to be independently associated with low back pain (LBP). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the associations between 24-hour movement behaviour compositions and the occurrence, severity, and estimated level of LBP impact on an individual’s life. Methods: A convenience sample of 197 adults (40% females, 37 ± 11 years of age) were asked to wear an activPAL accelerometer for at least 7 consecutive days to assess their time-use composition consisting of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), light- intensity physical activity (LPA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and sleep and to complete a questionnaire on LBP and sociodemographic characteristics. Compositional isotemporal substitution analyses were conducted separately for the non-domain-specific and domain- specific (including occupational and non-occupational domains) movement behaviour compositions. Results: Reallocating time from MVPA to any other movement behaviour or from sleep to LPA was associated with a higher LBP impact score. For example, reallocating 60 min/day from MVPA to LPA was associated with on average 17 points (95% CI: 6 to 28) higher LBP impact score (on a 0-70 scale). We did not find significant associations between the domain- specific time-use composition and LBP impact score (p = 0.060). We also did not find significant associations of the time-use compositions with occurrence and severity of LBP (p- value range: 0.067 to 0.649). Conclusion: Our study suggests that LBP sufferers with higher MVPA and sleep better cope with LBP. The differences in the LBP impact scores associated with theoretical reallocations between movement behaviours may be deemed clinically important. Future longitudinal and experimental studies in population-representative samples are needed to confirm our findings.
Keywords: musculoskeletal health, physical behaviours, time-use epidemiology
Published in RUP: 30.03.2026; Views: 325; Downloads: 8
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10. Targeting skeletal muscle melatonin-MT2 signaling to attenuate the obesity-cancer axis : a metabolic perspectiveMihaela Jurdana, Lovro Žiberna, 2026, review article Abstract: Obesity and metabolic syndrome promote malignancies through chronic inflammation and sustained activation of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling. Skeletal muscle is central to this tumor-promoting milieu because it governs insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, lipid oxidation, and endocrine crosstalk. This narrative review explores whether melatonin signaling in skeletal muscle, particularly via melatonin receptor 2 (MT2), represents a modifiable node within the obesity–cancer axis. Experimental evidence indicates that melatonin activates MT2-linked Gi/o and calcium-sensitive pathways converging on phosphoinositide 3-kinase–protein kinase B (PI3K–Akt), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II–adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase–peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (CaMKII–AMPK–PGC-1α) signaling. These pathways enhance insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial function, and lipid partitioning while reducing myosteatosis and cellular stress. By improving muscle quality, melatonin may lower systemic insulin and IGF-1 drive and inflammatory adipokine tone that fuel tumor-promoting PI3K–Akt–mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. However, human evidence remains limited and timing-dependent. Melatonin exposure in the fed state or near carbohydrate intake may worsen glycemia, particularly in carriers of melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) risk alleles. Chronobiology-informed, genotype-guided trials with detailed muscle phenotyping and cancer-relevant endpoints are warranted.
Keywords: melatonin, melatonin receptor 1, melatonin receptor 2, melatonin receptor 1A gene, melatonin receptor 1B gene, skeletal muscle, insulin resistance, myosteatosis, sarcopenic obesity, myokines, obesity-related cancer
Published in RUP: 26.03.2026; Views: 316; Downloads: 21
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