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Faculty of Medicine

Department of Sport, Exercise and Health

Projects & Collaborations

8 found
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frAGILE: does function follow form in young and old adults in immobilization and retraining?

Research Project  | 1 Project Members

Phases of immobilization are accompanied by a loss of muscle strength. Initial data show that these losses are i) greater in older men than in young men and ii) greater in young women than in young men. The project now aims to investigate why the different effects occur and how a period of re-training affects these losses.


Content and objectives of the research project

Immobilization results in a decline in physical function, even over short durations. This decline can hinder everyday activities, such as walking, particularly in seniors experiencing age-related physical deterioration. Preliminary findings suggest that the impact of immobilization and the recovery process varies by age and gender. Specifically, (i) young women appear to be more affected than young men, and (ii) older men show greater performance losses compared to their younger counterparts. The underlying reasons for these disparities remain uncertain.

This study therefore aims to explore the underlying mechanisms that can explain the age- and gender-specific differences. Four groups - young men, young women, older men, and older women - will participate in a 10-day immobilization of one leg, followed by three weeks of rehabilitation training. The investigation will focus on physical functions such as strength, balance, and gait, as well as the mechanisms underlying potential differences between groups. Advanced research methods will be employed to assess muscle activity, the interplay between the nervous system and muscles, and tendon properties.


Scientific and social context of the research project

This study aims to shed light on how immobilization and re-training affect different groups, which is important in view of the ageing world population. The inclusion of different genders is fundamental, as it is not possible to draw conclusions from studies with a specific group (e.g. young men) to the population as a whole. For example, there is currently no data on immobilization effects in old women, which this study will change.


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EXCELSIOR - Exercise in Prematurely Born Preadolescents to Mitigate Cardiovascular Risk and Improve Cognitive Function

Research Project  | 2 Project Members

Premature birth, defined as the delivery of babies before the 37th week of pregnancy, presents an increasing challenge. Since the 1980s, medical advances such as specialized medication and ventilation techniques have significantly improved the survival rates of premature infants. Globally, approximately 11% of all births are premature, with Switzerland reporting about 5700 premature newborns each year.

Prematurity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Research indicates that very premature babies face a notably higher risk of heart problems. These infants often exhibit different heart shapes and functions, along with elevated blood pressure, beginning in infancy and potentially persisting into adulthood. This is partly because their blood vessels tend to be less elastic.

In addition to cardiovascular issues, premature babies frequently encounter challenges with certain cognitive tasks. Traditionally, the cardiovascular and brain functions of premature infants have been studied separately, despite the known close link between these systems in adults. Therefore, the EXCELSIOR study is exploring the impact of exercise on the small blood vessels in the eye, which can be examined through retinal vessel imaging. The objective is to determine if positive changes in these blood vessels correlate with improved cognitive performance.

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Reducing Circulating Sphingolipid Levels to Optimise Cardiometabolic Health - The SphingoFIT Randomised Controlled Trial

Research Project  | 7 Project Members

Overnutrition, reduced energy expenditure and chronic inflammation stimulate triglyceride storage. Once the triglyceride stores are saturated, lipids in excess are redirected to form sphingolipids. However, sphingolipid accumulation drives complex molecular alterations, which promote peripheral insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Failure to manage this sphingolipid overload eventually results in diabetes mellitus and coronary artery diseases. In the last decade, these pathophysiological findings found resonance in milestone clinical studies. In primary prevention, a score combining the blood level of four sphingolipids outperformed the 2019 SCORE of the European Society of Cardiology in terms of cardiovascular risk prediction. The same score predicted cardiovascular mortality beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in secondary prevention. Remarkably, sphingolipids are not limited to cardiovascular risk prediction, as they were shown to predict diabetes mellitus onset ten years before the disease was diagnosed. While the utility of sphingolipid profiling to stratify cardiometabolic risk is well-established, little is known about therapeutic modalities to lower sphingolipid levels. If circulating sphingolipids are to be measured in clinical practice, providing patients with evidence-based sphingolipid-lowering interventions is essential. As exercise is a powerful means to prevent and treat cardiometabolic diseases, exercise interventions are ideal candidates for mitigating sphingolipid levels in a cost-effective, safe, and patient-empowering manner. This 2-arm, monocentric, randomised controlled trial explores whether and to what extent an 8-week fitness-enhancing training programme can lower serum sphingolipid levels of middle-aged adults at elevated cardiometabolic risk (n= 98, 50% females). The exercise intervention will consist of supervised high-intensity interval training (three sessions weekly), while the control group will receive physical activity counselling based on current guidelines. Maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests will be performed before and after the 8-week programme to verify patients' fitness has improved. Blood will be sampled early in the morning in a fasted state before and after the 8-week programme. Participants will be provided with individualised, pre-packaged meals for the two days preceding blood sampling to minimise potential confounding. An 'omic-scale sphingolipid profiling, using high-coverage reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, will be applied to capture the circulating sphingolipidome. Classical biomarkers of cardiometabolic health (total cholesterol, low- and high-density density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, glycated haemoglobin, and the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance) and retinal vessel diameters, a novel surrogate of microvascular health, will also be assessed pre-and post-intervention. This study will inform clinicians whether and to what extent exercise can be used as an evidence-based treatment to lower circulating sphingolipid levels.

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Transdiagnostic sleep intervention combined with physical activity counseling (SLEEPAC) in adolescent psychiatric patients: A blended care approach

Research Project  | 3 Project Members

Background and rationale.

Mental health disorders are the leading cause of disability in adolescents worldwide. 70 to 80% of individuals with mental disorders experience sleep disturbances. Preliminary evidence from adult studies suggest that treating sleep disturbances in these patients can improve mental health outcomes. Moreover, regular physical activity (PA) is increasingly promoted as a remedy for sleep and other mental health problems. Thus, combining sleep therapy and PA counseling may synergistically improve mental health outcomes in adolescent psychiatric patients. Guidance on how to address sleep disturbances and PA counselling among this population in routine clinical care has the potential to improve clinical and psychosocial outcomes.


Overall objectives.

To improve psychopathology in adolescent psychiatric outpatients with comorbid sleep disturbances by testing a novel behavioral intervention (SLEEPAC) that improves both sleep and PA levels. This multi-component intervention combines CBT-I, circadian treatment, and PA counseling and will be compared against treatment as usual (TAU).


Specific aims.

With the prospect of further developing and fine-tuning transdiagnostic treatment protocols for young psychiatric patients with comorbid sleep disturbances, the objectives of the proposed study are twofold: (1) To test the efficacy of a novel transdiagnostic blended care e-health sleep (CBT-I + circadian treatment) and PA therapy and to test its efficacy against TAU. The primary endpoint is severity reduction of psychopathology. Improvements of sleep health and regular PA levels will be investigated as secondary outcomes. (2) To evaluate the prognostic value of sleep neurophysiological biomarkers (high-density sleep-EEG) on intervention efficiency, thereby advancing current approaches in precision psychiatry.


Methods.

The proposed study will recruit 140 psychiatric outpatients with comorbid sleep problems from our partner clinics in Basel and Bern (KJP-UPD Bern, UKBB Basel). Inclusion criteria: aged 13-18 years, presence of sleep problems in addition to a psychiatric diagnosis. Adolescents will be serially randomized over 1,5 years into one of 2 intervention arms: (a) SLEEPAC; or (b) TAU. The intervention will be delivered in 6 sessions over 12 weeks. Data will be collected at 3 time points: Baseline, post-intervention, and 6-months follow-up. Psychopathological load will be assessed via Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. The composite sleep health score is based on self-reported sleep quality, -quantity, and timing, complemented by 7-day sleep tracker (Oura Ring Gen3). PA will be assessed objectively via the same device (Oura Ring was selected due to prior compliance issues among this population with Actigraph). Primary biomarkers are the micro-architectural features of sleep assessed by a high-density sleep-EEG, such as sleep spindles, slow wave activity, and REM-latency. Secondary biomarkers include heart rate variability, and fitness.


Expected results.

The proposed study aims to further develop and fine-tune transdiagnostic treatment protocols (i.e. for multiple psychiatric disorders) in adolescent psychiatric outpatients with sleep disturbances. Testing the potential of sleep treatments for improving psychopathology in young psychiatric patients is a promising and highly novel approach. Thus, it is expected that both SLEEPAC and TAU will improve psychopathology in youth, with SLEEPAC resulting in superior effects than TAU alone.

Impact. The onset of mental health disorders is often during adolescence, requiring countermeasures at an early developmental stage. Since sleep disturbances are a diagnostic feature for many psychiatric disorders, treating sleep problems transdiagnostically may positively impact other health outcomes. PA counseling may complement the benefits of the sleep intervention, working in concert to improve mental health outcomes.

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Increasing habitual walking by promoting purposeful activities in the neighbourhood: effects of a personalized, GIS-based intervention for mobility-limited and chronically ill older adults (MOBITEC-Routes)

Research Project  | 7 Project Members

Background

There is growing evidence that even low-intensity physical activity (e.g., walking at a “normal” pace) produces substantial health benefits. Walking is “universally accessible”, even for mobility-limited and chronically ill older people. To date, little consideration has been given to the environment and individual preferences of older people when promoting walking. A personalized approach based on geographic information systems (GIS) could help address the problem of low long-term adherence to walking programs.

Objective

MOBITEC-Routes aims to investigate the effects of an individualized GIS-based intervention on walking, physical activity, physical function, life space, participation in social activities, and quality of life.

Methods

In the target group of chronically ill, mobility limited older people (aged 65 years and older), the experimental intervention will be compared with a control intervention in a randomized controlled trial.

Outlook

If successful, the personalized GIS-based approach can be easily implemented in preventive health promotion.

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Effects of Physical exercise timing On strength and Cardiometabolic Health - a double-blind RCT (EPOCH)

Research Project  | 1 Project Members

The skeletal muscle system is mainly associated with physical appearance or athletic performance, although it is in fact a key organ system that is integral to human health. In older adults, peak strength is a strong and independent predictor for all-cause morbidity and mortality, for the prevention of falls, as well as cardiometabolic health in patients with prediabetes and diabetes. Thus, sustaining strength is important to autonomy and cardiovascular and cardiometabolic health. Physical activity and exercise are effective to sustain muscle mass and strength in older adults. The American College of Sports Medicine provides detailed recommendations for frequency, intensity, type, and duration of exercise but not for the time of day the exercises should be performed, hus ignoring the relevance of the circadian system. There is strong evidence for diurnal variations in maximum strength and endurance capacity indicating that in the long-term exercising at different times of the day might lead to different physical adaptations. The goal of this study is to investigate if exercising at one time of the day as compared to another time of the day results in larger improvements in strength, cardiometabolic health and gene expression. Participants will be randomly allocated to a non-exercising control group, a group exercising at one time of the day, or a group exercising at another time of the day for 12-weeks. Chrono Exercise is a new and innovative intervention. The results of this study are expected to have far reaching impact with the potential to revolutionize exercise therapy to combat age-related strength and health decline by prescribing personalized chrono exercise.

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Basel Reproducibility Network

Research Networks of the University of Basel  | 10 Project Members

Das Basel Reproducibility Network hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, offene, transparente und reproduzierbare akademische Forschung in allen Disziplinen der Universität Basel zu fördern. Das interdisziplinäre Netzwerk bringt Forschende aus verschiedenen Fakultäten zusammen, um Best Practices in den Bereichen Forschungsmethodik, statistische Analyse, offene Daten und wissenschaftliche Kommunikation zu fördern. Das Netzwerk organisiert Weiterbildungsaktivitäten, Seminare und Workshops zu Schlüsselthemen der Reproduzierbarkeit, wie z.B. robuste statistische Methoden, Vorregistrierung von Studien, Open-Source-Entwicklung und verantwortungsvoller Datenaustausch.

Durch die Vernetzung von Forschenden, die an der Optimierung der Zuverlässigkeit von Forschungsresultaten interessiert sind, bietet das Netzwerk eine Plattform für die Entwicklung innovativer Projekte, die gemeinsame Nutzung von Ressourcen und die Umsetzung von Strategien zur Verbesserung der Qualität und Wirkung von Forschungsergebnissen. Das Basel Reproducibility Network arbeitet mit nationalen und internationalen Initiativen zusammen und trägt so zu den Bestrebungen der gesamten wissenschaftlichen Community bei, die Herausforderungen der Reproduzierbarkeit in der Forschung anzugehen.

Am Forschungsnetzwerk sind Forschende der medizinischen, naturwissenschaftlichen, psychologischen und wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultäten der Universität Basel beteiligt.


The Basel Reproducibility Network aims to foster open, transparent, and reproducible academic research across all disciplines at the University of Basel. This interdisciplinary network brings together researchers from various faculties to promote best practices in research methodology, statistical analysis, open data, and scientific communication. The network organizes educational activities, seminars, and workshops to address key issues in reproducibility, such as robust statistical methods, preregistration of studies, open-source development, and responsible data sharing.

By connecting researchers interested in improving research reliability, the network provides a platform for developing innovative projects, sharing resources, and implementing strategies to enhance the quality and impact of research outputs. The Basel Reproducibility Network collaborates with national and international initiatives, contributing to the broader scientific community's efforts to address the challenges of research reproducibility.

Researchers from the Faculties of Medicine, Science, Psychology and Business and Economics at the University of Basel are involved in the research network.