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Implementation of the project “SecUring sPORTs education thRough innovative and inclusive gender equality plans” at the Lithuanian Sports University :
No full textPurpose: The goal is to develop a cross-sectoral, innovative, inclusive, and impactful gender equality plan for Lithuanian Sports University (LSU) that explicitly addresses the issues of gender-based violence and sexual harassment at the university and in the sports sector. Project Description: Development. The SUPPORTER project at the Lithuanian Sports University was launched in 2023 by analysing the project goals and objectives and adapting them to the context of the university’s studies, research, and community activities. The main focus was on promoting an institutional, inclusive, and sustainable culture of change, addressing issues caused by inequality and promoting gender equality in the context of sport, including GBV (gender-based violence) in sport and academia. LSU researchers, lecturers, student representatives, and partners from sports organisations participated in the development of the project. Implementation. During the implementation of the SUPPORTER project, LSU organised trainings, seminars, and discussions for students, staff, and external stakeholders. Cooperation was also carried out with local communities and other participants in the education sector, in order to spread the project ideas wider than just within the university. Evaluation. The quality of the project implementation was assessed by collecting feedback from participants after the events, conducting questionnaires and discussions with students, staff, and external stakeholders. The evaluation also included the integration of project activities into study modules, research and the possibility of continuity of long-term initiatives. Dissemination. The results of the SUPPORTER project at LSU were actively disseminated both within the university and nationally. Information was shared through the university’s website, social networks, public events, and the company. The project experiences were presented at international conferences, and it is also planned to integrate the accumulated experience into new scientific research and study programmes, ensuring the continuity and development of activities. Conclusion: The SUPPORTER project at LSU has developed a Gender Equality Plan, organised trainings and discussions in a safe and inclusive physical activity environment. This has expanded knowledge about the importance of social inclusion in health-enhancing physical activity, encouraged the application of new interdisciplinary teaching methods, and practically strengthened the LSU community initiatives to promote a safe environment
S05-2: The role of movement in adolescence: the impact of short-term dance exergaming on cognitive functions and wellbeing /
No full textPurpose: The growing prevalence of sedentary lifestyles among adolescents, coupled with excessive screen time and declining levels of physical activity (PA), has become a significant public health concern (Guthold et al., 2020; WHO, 2021). These trends are often associated with cognitive decline, reduced attention spans, and increasing symptoms of psychological distress (Lukoševičiūtė & Šmigelskas, 2022; Twenge & Campbell, 2018). Simultaneously, research suggests that integrating PA with digital engagement – such as through exergaming – can yield cognitive and emotional benefits for youth (Bediou et al., 2018; Serrano et al., 2021). Dance-oriented exergames, such as Just Dance, provide an opportunity to combine physical movement with cognitive stimulation, potentially enhancing adolescents’ executive functions, memory, and psychological resilience. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a short-term intervention combining traditional functional training with dance-based exergaming on adolescents’ cognitive abilities and psychological wellbeing. Methods: A four-week experimental programme was conducted involving 63 physically active adolescents aged 13–15 years. Participants were randomly assigned to either a functional training group (FT) or a functional training plus Just Dance group (FT + JD), engaging in structured sessions three times per week. Cognitive performance was assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Trail-Making Test, Stroop Test, and Visual Digit Span Test. Psychological wellbeing was measured using the WHO-5 index. Results: Both research groups improved reaction time, while only the FT + JD group exhibited significant improvement in working memory (p < 0.05). No significant change in psychological wellbeing was observed in either group, although gender differences in wellbeing scores were present throughout the study. Conclusions: The findings indicate that supplementing traditional training with dance-based exergaming can selectively enhance cognitive functions, such as reaction speed and working memory, without necessarily influencing broader psychological wellbeing. These results highlight the potential of exergaming as an engaging, youth-friendly tool in physical education and extracurricular programmes, particularly for enhancing cognitive engagement. Further longitudinal research is needed to assess the long-term psychological impact and scalability of such interventions in educational settings. Keywords: cognitive abilities, adolescents, Just Dance, wellbeing, extracurricular activities
The impact of bed rest on human skeletal muscle metabolism /
No full textInsulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility decrease in response to bed rest, but the temporal and causal adaptations in human skeletal muscle metabolism are not fully defined. Here, we use an integrative approach to assess human skeletal muscle metabolism during bed rest and provide a multi-system analysis of how skeletal muscle and the circulatory system adapt to short- and long-term bed rest (German Clinical Trials: DRKS00015677). We uncover that intracellular glycogen accumulation after short-term bed rest accompanies a rapid reduction in systemic insulin sensitivity and less GLUT4 localization at the muscle cell membrane, preventing further intracellular glycogen deposition after long-term bed rest. We provide evidence of a temporal link between the accumulation of intracellular triglycerides, lipotoxic ceramides, and sphingomyelins and an altered skeletal muscle mitochondrial structure and function after long-term bed rest. An intracellular nutrient overload therefore represents a crucial determinant for rapid skeletal muscle insulin insensitivity and mitochondrial alterations after prolonged bed rest
Gesundheitliche und soziodemografische Determinanten der Übersterblichkeit in spanischen Pflegeheimen während der COVID-19- Pandemie: eine 2-jährige prospektive Längsschnittstudie.
No full textBackground: Age, multimorbidity, immunodeficiency and frailty of older people living in nursing homes make them vulnerable to COVID-19 and overall mortality. Objective: To estimate overall and COVID-19 mortality parameters and analyse their predictive factors in older people living in nursing homes over a 2-year period. Method: Design: A 2-year prospective longitudinal multicentre study was conducted between 2020 and 2022. Setting: This study involved five nursing homes in Central Catalonia (Spain). Participants: Residents aged 65 years or older who lived in the nursing homes on a permanent basis. Measurements: Date and causes of deaths were recorded. In addition, sociodemographic and health data were collected. For the effect on mortality, survival curves were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate analysis using Cox regression. Results: The total sample of 125 subjects had a mean age of 85.10 years (standard deviation = 7.3 years). There were 59 (47.2%) deaths at 24 months (95% confidence interval, CI, 38.6-55.9) and 25 (20.0%) were due to COVID-19, mostly in the first 3 months. In multivariate analysis, functional impairment (hazard ratio, HR 2.40; 95% CI 1.33-4.32) was a significant risk factor for mortality independent of age (HR 1.17; 95% CI 0.69-2.00) and risk of sarcopenia (HR 1.40; 95% CI 0.63-3.12). Conclusion: Almost half of this sample of nursing home residents died in the 2‑year period, and one fifth were attributed to COVID-19. Functional impairment was a risk factor for overall mortality and COVID-19 mortality, independent of age and risk of sarcopenia
Higher blood lactate with prolongation of underwater section in submaximal front-crawl swimming /
No full textThe underwater phase (UP) is highly important for overall swimming performance in most swimming events. However, the metabolic effects of the prolonged UP remain unclear. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare the blood lactate response to submaximal front-crawl swimming with short and extended UP. Twelve (four females) junior competitive swimmers (aged 15.4 (1.4) years) undertook 200 m front-crawl swim trials in a 25 m pool at a pre-determined “anaerobic threshold” velocity on two occasions using short ( 0.05). In conclusion, extending UP of submaximal front-crawl swimming close to maximally allowed during the races substantially increases blood lactate accumulation, i.e., increases the reliance on anaerobic metabolism. Therefore, extended UP is most likely counterproductive for the performance in long-distance swimming, at least for the athletes with a FINA score of <800. On the other hand, the extension of UP could be an effective strategy to train ‘lactate tolerance’, lactate shuttling, removal, and recycling
Skeletal muscle hypertrophy rewires glucose metabolism: An experimental investigation and systematic review /
No full textBackgroundProliferating cancer cells shift their metabolism towards glycolysis, even in the presence of oxygen, to es-pecially generate glycolytic intermediates as substrates for anabolic reactions. We hypothesize that a similar metabolicremodelling occurs during skeletal muscle hypertrophy.MethodsWe used mass spectrometry in hypertrophying C2C12 myotubes in vitro and plantaris mouse muscle in vivoand assessed metabolomic changes and the incorporation of the [U-13C6]glucose tracer. We performed enzyme inhibi-tion of the key serine synthesis pathway enzyme phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh) for further mechanisticanalysis and conducted a systematic review to align any changes in metabolomics during muscle growth with publishedfindings. Finally, the UK Biobank was used to link thefindings to population level.ResultsThe metabolomics analysis in myotubes revealed insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)-induced altered metab-olite concentrations in anabolic pathways such as pentose phosphate (ribose-5-phosphate/ribulose-5-phosphate:+40%;P= 0.01) and serine synthesis pathway (serine:36.8%;P= 0.009). Like the hypertrophy stimulation withIGF-1 in myotubes in vitro, the concentration of the dipeptideL-carnosine was decreased by 26.6% (P= 0.001) duringskeletal muscle growth in vivo. However, phosphorylated sugar (glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-6-phosphate or glucose-1-phosphate) decreased by 32.2% (P= 0.004) in the overloaded muscle in vivo while increasing in the IGF-1-stimulated myotubes in vitro. The systematic review revealed that 10 metabolites linked to muscle hypertrophy weredirectly associated with glycolysis and its interconnected anabolic pathways. We demonstrated that labelled carbonfrom [U-13C6]glucose is increasingly incorporated by ~13% (P= 0.001) into the non-essential amino acids inhypertrophying myotubes, which is accompanied by an increased depletion of media serine (P= 0.006). The inhibitionof Phgdh suppressed muscle protein synthesis in growing myotubes by 58.1% (P<0.001), highlighting the importanceof the serine synthesis pathway for maintaining muscle size. Utilizing data from the UK Biobank (n= 450 243), wethen discerned genetic variations linked to the serine synthesis pathway (PHGDHandPSPH) and to its downstream en-zyme (SHMT1), revealing their association with appendicular lean mass in humans (P<5.0e-8).ConclusionsUnderstanding the mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle mass will help in developing effective treat-ments for muscle weakness. Our results provide evidence for the metabolic rewiring of glycolytic intermediates intoanabolic pathways during muscle growth, such as in serine synthesis
Cell‐free DNA kinetics in response to muscle‐damaging exercise: A drop jump study /
No full textWhat is the central question of this study? How do plasma cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) levels change in response to primary and secondary muscle damage when muscle‐damaging exercise is performed without metabolic stress? What is the main finding and its importance? In this study, we found that cfDNA concentration increases following severe primary and secondary muscle damage after 50 drop jumps. However, acute postexercise increases in cfDNA were higher than following secondary muscle damage and were more correlated with variables related to primary muscle damage (low‐frequency fatigue). This suggests that muscle‐damaging exercise causing no accumulation of metabolites can lead to acute and delayed increases in cfDNA levels. However, they are more sensitive to primary muscle damage
Psychological stress among university students in wartime: a longitudinal study /
No full textBackground and Aim of Study: War has an extremely negative effect on people’s psyches. This is especially true for student youth. They have to build personal lives and continue their studies in these difficult and traumatic conditions. The aim of the study: to identify the peculiarities of the dynamics of psychological trauma, and the manifestations of depression, anxiety and stress among students in wartime. Material and Methods: The study involved university students from Ukraine and European Union countries in 2022-2024. Respondents aged 20-50 years were divided into 4 groups. Group 1 consisted of 107 students, including 64 (59.8%) males and 43 (40.2%) females, living in areas where there was no hostilities or shelling (November 2022). Group 2 consisted of 103 students, including 52 (50.5%) males and 51 (49.5%) females, living in the area of active hostilities (November 2022). Group 3 consisted of 112 students, including 41 (36.6%) males and 71 (63.4%) females, living in areas where there was no hostilities or shelling (March 2024). Group 4 consisted of 115 students, including 30 (26.1%) males and 85 (73.9%) females, living in the area of active hostilities (March 2024). The study involved the development of the author’s questionnaire and the adapted psychological test on the DASS-21, which is available on the Google Forms platform. The technique was found to have adequate internal consistency. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.807. Results: Longitudinal studies have shown that university students in wartime are characterised by a tendency to increase psychogenics related to martial law, communication and safety. A closer look at the dynamics of psychopathological symptoms revealed a trend towards increased depression and anxiety, as well as a stabilisation of acute stress indicators in all groups. This indicates a serious deterioration in the mental health of the students and a further chronicisation of their neurotic disorders. Conclusions: The negative impact of the war in Ukraine on the mental health of student youth requires the active implementation of psychological support measures and psychoprophylaxis in accordance with individual psychodiagnostic findings
Factors of DanceSport studio customers loyalty: the case of adult amateurs.
No full textThe object of the research: Factors of dance studio customer loyalty. Relevance of the research. Interest in physical activity and health is rapidly increasing, so various sports organizations play an important role in meeting the needs of modern people: sports clubs, centers where you can enjoy various sports programs (Lee, 2017). Also, dance studios are becoming more and more popular, where not only professional athletes are trained, but also amateurs - visitors who want to engage in physical activity through dance. And this creates added value not only for their health, but from a cultural and social point of view. For such organizations to be successful, customer loyalty research is essential. One of the main factors in the successful growth of a dance studio and increasing its attractiveness to consumers is meeting the needs and expectations of consumers. Any sports organization is created to attract and retain customers or participants. Research confirms that in order to create a profitable organization, it is very important to form a loyal customer (Komskienė and Urbonavičiūtė, 2014), because attracting a new customer is more expensive than keeping an existing one. Visitors to dance studios often come with similar needs, but they are different due to psychological, social and demographic factors, so their priorities may differ. Therefore, this study will investigate what factors determine the loyalty of different dance studio customers. After finding out, it is possible to properly manage not only the internal processes of the organization, which will ensure the promotion of loyalty, but also external communication, attracting new customers. Customer loyalty is an extremely important factor in the success of a dance studio and must be researched. Aim - to find out what are the factors that determine the loyalty of dance studio customers in the case of adult amateurs of DanceSport. Research tasks: 1. To distinguish the theoretical factors determining the loyalty of dance studio customers. 2. To create a theoretical model of the factors determining the loyalty of dance studio customers. 3. To reveal the most important factors determining customer loyalty in the case of amateur adult dancers. Conclusions: 1. After analyzing the literature, it was determined that the loyalty of dance studio customers is determined by: the quality of the service, the perceived value of the classes by the customers, the image of the organization, convenience, communication, social relationships, traditions, personal acquaintance of the customers and their internal motives related to the personal attitude towards studio/coach. 2. By combining the three theories: AIDA, the evolution of customer loyalty, and the relationship between relative customer attitudes and behaviors, a general theoretical model of customer loyalty is revealed that explains the superiority of customer loyalty. The model reveals that different factors determining loyalty: price, quality, reliability, empathy, effective communication, community, traditions are active in the stages of AIDA and determine repeat purchase and becoming a loyal customer. 3. The most important factors of DanceSport studio customers (adult amateurs) loyalty change with time and experience. In the beginning, the most important factors are practical (location, price, effective communication), personal (appropriate nature of the activity, the impression of a sense of community, the name and fame of the trainer) and even the factor of chance. However, it is only later that the most important factors become emotional (good training atmosphere, way of relaxing), social (coach and administrator/leader social skills, sense of community) and perceived quality (coach experience, result for younger visitors). Some personal factors (maintenance of physical activity) also remain important
The effects of blood flow restriction and high-intensity strength training on strength and rate of force development in elderly.
No full textAging is associated with decline in physical capacity and loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength and rate of force development. Blood flow restriction training can increase muscle mass and strength as effectively as high-intensity strength training, but whether such training increases the rate of force development in older adults is not clear. Aim: To evaluate the effects of blood flow restriction and high-intensity strength training on strength and rate of force development in elderly. Objectives: To evaluate the effects of blood flow restriction and high-intensity strength training on strength and rate of force development and compare between groups. Hypothesis: Blood flow restriction and high-intensity strength training will improve strength and rate of strength development in older adults. High-intensity strength training will improve performance more than blood flow restriction training. Methods: The subjects (39 men over 60 years of age) were divided into control and two experimental groups: the blood flow restriction group and the high intensity group. Subjects in both groups performed leg press, seated leg extension, and supine leg curl. Blood flow restriction group performed 4 sets of 12 repetitions (cuff pressure 120-180 mmHg), and the high-intensity group performed 4 sets of 6 repetitions. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (Nm), rate of force development (Nm/s) and isokionetic force (Nm) at 60°/s and 180°/s were measured with an isokinetic dynamometer. Results: The maximum voluntary isometric force of the blood flow restriction and high-intensity groups increased significantly (p0.05). Isokinetic force of the knee extensors and flexors of subjects with blood flow restriction did not change at the speed of 60°/s and 180°/s, but the high-intensity group significantly increased at both speeds during extension and during 60°/s flexion (all p<0.05). Results of control group did not change significantly. Conclusions: Blood flow restriction and high-intensity strength training significantly increased maximal isometric force of the knee extensors, but isokinetic force significantly increased only in high-intensity group at 60°/s and 180°/s during extension and 60°/s during flexion. The rate of force development did not change significantly