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BackgroundRecent research suggests a possible role of Notch signaling pathway in development of liver fibrosis, but exact cellular and molecular mechanisms are still not well defined. Methods: We modulated Notch signaling in activated hepatic stellate cells/myofibroblasts using the model of inducible activation or inhibition of Notch signaling selective for αSMA positive cells in murine models of toxic fibrosis induced by CCl4 and cholestatic fibrosis induced by DDC supplemented feeding.ResultsOur results confirm that Notch signaling pathway is activated in both CCL4 and DDC model of liver fibrosis and that αSMA positive myofibroblasts are of activated hepatic stellate cells origin. However, neither the inhibition of canonical Notch signaling (in tamoxifen treated αSMACreER/RBP-Jfl/fl mice) nor its overactivation (in tamoxifen treated αSMACreER/NICD1 mice) changed the degree of liver fibrosis in comparison to the control groups in either of the investigated models. Furthermore, after the withdrawal of the fibrogenic treatment the degree of resolution of fibrosis was similar between the animals with Notch overactivation and controls. In addition to genetic manipulation, we investigated the effect of antibodies against NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 on the development of liver fibrosis. Treatment with antibodies had effects on thymus and spleen respectively, but failed to ameliorate liver fibrosis. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that modulation of Notch activity in activated HSC is not sufficient to change the outcome of liver fibrosis. The results obtained with inhibitory antibodies further demonstrate limitations of targeting Notch 1 and 2 receptors as antifibrotic therapy. Notch pathway remains a potential target for the treatment of liver fibrosis, but future studies should be directed to Notch 3 signaling and/or targeting different populations of cells.

ObjectiveWe compared peripheral blood (PBL) chemokine ligand/receptor profiles in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) or obesity (OB) (both involving inflammation and vascular complications) to identify their associations with cardiometabolic risk factors.Materials and methodsPBL samples from children and adolescents (12–18 years) included: healthy controls (n=29), patients with T1D (n=31) and OB subjects (n=34). Frequency of mononuclear cell populations and chemokine receptor expression (CCR2, CCR4, CXCR3, CXCR4) were determined by flow cytometry. Chemokine levels of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL10 and CXCL11 were measured by bead-based assay and CXCL12 by ELISA. Data were correlated with cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory parameters.ResultsThe proportion of CD14+ monocytes was higher in T1D, whereas the proportion of CD19+ B lymphocytes was higher and CD3+ T lymphocytes was lower in OB. The level of CCL2 was higher in T1D (241.0 (IQR 189.6–295.3) pg/mL in T1D vs 191.5 (IQR 158.0–254.7) pg/mL in control, p=0.033), CXCL11 was lower in OB (6.6 (IQR 4.9–7.7) pg/mL in OB vs 8.2 (IQR 6.9–11.3) pg/mL in control, p=0.018) and CXCL12 was lower in both diseases (2.0 (IQR 1.8–2.5) ng/mL in T1D, 2.1 (IQR 1.9–2.4) ng/mL in OB vs 2.4 (IQR 2.2–2.5) ng/mL in control, p=0.016). Numerous significant associations were found for chemokine ligand/receptor profiles and clinical data. Among these, we are suggesting the most important indicators of cardiometabolic risk in T1D: positive associations of CCR2+ monocytes with blood pressure and CCL12 levels with urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), inverse association of CXCR3+ B lymphocytes with AST but positive with triglycerides; and OB: positive associations of CXCL12 levels with triglycerides and AST/ALT, inverse association of CCR4+ and CXCR3+ monocytes with ACR. Both diseases share positive associations for CCR4+ T lymphocytes and blood pressure, inverse associations of CXCR4+ subsets with ACR and CXCR3+ T lymphocytes with lipid profile.ConclusionSignificantly changed chemokine ligand/receptor profiles were found in both T1D and OB even at a young age. Although different associations with cardiometabolic risk factors indicate disease-specific changes, overlapping pattern was found for the associations between CCR4+ T lymphocytes and vascular inflammation, CXCR4+ subsets and albuminuria as well as CXCR3+ T lymphocytes and dyslipidemia. Thus, chemokine axes might present potential therapeutic targets for disease-related morbidity.

IntroductionThe existence of different osteoclast progenitor (OCP) subsets has been confirmed by numerous studies. However, pathological inflammation-induced osteoclastogenesis remains incompletely understood. Detailed characterization of OCP subsets may elucidate the pathophysiology of increased osteoclast activity causing periarticular and systemic bone resorption in arthritis. In our study, we rely on previously defined OCP subsets categorized by the level of CCR2 expression as circulatory-like committed CCR2hi OCPs, which are substantially expanded in arthritis, and marrow-resident CCR2lo OCPs of immature phenotype and behavior.MethodsIn order to perform transcriptome characterization of those subsets in the context of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), we sorted CCR2hi and CCR2lo periarticular bone marrow OCPs of control and arthritic mice, and performed next-generation RNA sequencing (n=4 for each group) to evaluate the differential gene expression profile using gene set enrichment analysis with further validation.ResultsA disparity between CCR2hi and CCR2lo subset transcriptomes (863 genes) was detected, with the enrichment of pathways for osteoclast differentiation, chemokine and NOD-like receptor signaling in the CCR2hi OCP subset, and ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes and ribosome pathways in the CCR2lo OCP subset. The effect of intervention (CIA) within each subset was greater in CCR2hi (92 genes) than in CCR2lo (43 genes) OCPs. Genes associated with the osteoclastogenic pathway (Fcgr1, Socs3), and several genes involved in cell adhesion and migration (F11r, Cd38, Lrg1) identified the CCR2hi subset and distinguish CIA from control group, as validated by qPCR (n=6 for control mice, n=9 for CIA mice). The latter gene set showed a significant positive correlation with arthritis clinical score and frequency of CCR2hi OCPs. Protein-level validation by flow cytometry showed increased proportion of OCPs expressing F11r/CD321, CD38 and Lrg1 in CIA, indicating that they could be used as disease markers. Moreover, osteoclast pathway-identifying genes remained similarly expressed (Fcgr1) or even induced by several fold (Socs3) in preosteoclasts differentiated in vitro from CIA mice compared to pre-cultured levels, suggesting their importance for enhanced osteoclastogenesis of the CCR2hi OCPs in arthritis.ConclusionOur approach detected differentially expressed genes that could identify distinct subset of OCPs associated with arthritis as well as indicate possible therapeutic targets aimed to modulate osteoclast activity.

Osteoclasts, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) can be derived from a common trilineage myeloid progenitor of hematopoietic origin. Progenitor commitment is susceptible to regulation through Notch signaling. Our aim was to determine the effects of Notch modulation on trilineage progenitor commitment and functional properties of differentiated cells under inflammatory conditions. We used the conditional inducible CX3CR1CreERT2 mouse strain to achieve overexpression of the Notch 1 intracellular domain (NICD1) or to inhibit Notch signaling via deletion of the transcription factor RBP-J in a bone marrow population, used as a source of the trilineage progenitor (CD45+Ly6G−CD3−B220−NK1.1−CD11b–/loCD115+). Cre-recombinase, under the control of the CX3CR1 promoter, expressed in the monocyte/macrophage lineage, was induced in vitro by 4-hydroxytamoxifen. Differentiation of osteoclasts was induced by M-CSF/RANKL; macrophages by M-CSF; DCs by IL-4/GM-CSF, and inflammation by LPS. Functionally, DCs were tested for the ability to process and present antigen, macrophages to phagocytose E. coli particles, and osteoclasts to resorb bone and express tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP). We found that Notch 1 signal activation suppressed osteoclast formation, whereas disruption of the Notch canonical pathway enhanced osteoclastogenesis, resulting in a higher number and size of osteoclasts. RANK protein and Ctsk gene expression were upregulated in osteoclastogenic cultures from RBP-J+ mice, with the opposing results in NICD1+ mice. Notch modulation did not affect the number of in vitro differentiated macrophages and DCs. However, RBP-J deletion stimulated Il12b and Cd86 expression in macrophages and DCs, respectively. Functional assays under inflammatory conditions confirmed that Notch silencing amplifies TRAP expression by osteoclasts, whereas the enhanced phagocytosis by macrophages was observed in both NICD1+ and RBP-J+ strains. Finally, antigen presentation by LPS-stimulated DCs was significantly downregulated with NICD1 overexpression. This experimental setting allowed us to define a cell-autonomous response to Notch signaling at the trilineage progenitor stage. Although Notch signaling modulation affected the activity of all three lineages, the major effect was observed in osteoclasts, resulting in enhanced differentiation and function with inhibition of canonical Notch signaling. Our results indicate that Notch signaling participates as the negative regulator of osteoclast activity during inflammation, which may be relevant in immune and bone diseases.

Detailed characterization of medullary and extramedullary reservoirs of osteoclast progenitors (OCPs) is required to understand the pathophysiology of increased periarticular and systemic bone resorption in arthritis. In this study, we focused on identifying the OCP population specifically induced by arthritis and the role of circulatory OCPs in inflammatory bone loss. In addition, we determined the relevant chemokine axis responsible for their migration, and targeted the attraction signal to reduce bone resorption in murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). OCPs were expanded in periarticular as well as circulatory compartment of arthritic mice, particularly the CCR2hi subset. This subset demonstrated enhanced osteoclastogenic activity in arthritis, whereas its migratory potential was susceptible to CCR2 blockade in vitro. Intravascular compartment of the periarticular area contained increased frequency of OCPs with the ability to home to the arthritic bone, as demonstrated in vivo by intravascular staining and adoptive transfer of splenic LysMcre/Ai9 tdTomato-expressing cells. Simultaneously, CCL2 levels were increased locally and systemically in arthritic mice. Mouse cohorts were treated with the small-molecule inhibitor (SMI) of CCR2 alone or in combination with methotrexate (MTX). Preventive CCR2/CCL2 axis blockade in vivo reduced bone resorption and OCP frequency, whereas combining with MTX treatment also decreased disease clinical score, number of active osteoclasts, and OCP differentiation potential. In conclusion, our study characterized the functional properties of two distinct OCP subsets in CIA, based on their CCR2 expression levels, implying that the CCR2hi circulatory-like subset is specifically induced by arthritis. Signaling through the CCL2/CCR2 axis contributes to OCP homing in the inflamed joints and to their increased osteoclastogenic potential. Therefore, addition of CCL2/CCR2 blockade early in the course of arthritis is a promising approach to reduce bone pathology.

The available treatments for cholestatic liver fibrosis are limited, and the disease often progresses to liver cirrhosis. Tamoxifen is a selective modulator of estrogen receptors, commonly used in breast cancer therapy. A recent in vitro study showed that tamoxifen deactivates hepatic stellate cells, suggesting its potential as an antifibrotic therapeutic, but its effects in vivo remain poorly investigated. In the present study, we show that tamoxifen protects against the cholestatic fibrosis induced by a diet supplemented with 0.025% 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC). Mice fed with a DDC-supplemented diet for four weeks and treated with tamoxifen developed a significantly milder degree of liver fibrosis than vehicle-treated mice, as evidenced by a lower percentage of Sirius red-stained area (60.4% decrease in stained area in male and 42% decrease in female mice, p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively) and by lower hydroxyproline content. The finding was further confirmed by qPCR analysis, which showed a lower expression of genes for Col1a1, Acta2, Sox9, Pdgf, and Krt19, indicating the inhibitory effect on hepatic stellate cells, collagen production, and biliary duct proliferation. The degree of protection was similar in male and female mice. Tamoxifen per se, injected into standard-diet-fed mice, increased the expression of genes for Il6 (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001 in male and female mice, respectively) and Tgfβ (p < 0.01 for both sexes), and had no adverse effects. We showed that tamoxifen sex-independently protects against cholestatic DDC-induced liver fibrosis. The increased expression of Il6 and Tgfβ seems to be a plausible protective mechanism that should be the primary focus of further research.

The aim of this study was to analyze the transcriptome of TER119–CD31–CD45–CD51+CD200+CD105– population (further, CD200+), potential early osteocondroprogenitors, whose frequency is reduced in the joints of mice with antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) [1]. A population defined by similar surface markers has been previously identified as murine skeletal stem cells in bone [2]. In order to confirm their identity this population was compared to TER119–CD31–CD45–CD51+CD200–CD105+ (further, CD105+) cells, which possibly represent committed progenitors, or other non-progenitor population such as synovial fibroblasts. In order to asses changes in CD200+ population in inflammatory setting, it was also compared to the same population from healthy mice. AIA was induced by immunization of mice with methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA) and subsequent intra-articular injection of mBSA, while non-immunized mice were injected with phosphate-buffered saline at all timepoints. Ten days after intra-articular injection, knee joints were harvested and synovial cells were released by collagenase digestion. Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, 200–500 cells from selected populations were sorted directly into cell lysis buffer, RNA was reversely transcribed, and first strand cDNA product was amplified. cDNA amplicons were used for library preparation. Bioinformatics analysis was performed using cutadapt [3], HISAT2 [4], Samtools [5] and StringTie [6] tools, and egdeR [7], limma [8], and ClusterProfiler [9] Bioconductor packages. In addition to access to raw data at the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus repository, this article also provides sample similarity analysis, tables of differentially expressed genes, graphic visualisations of differential expression and gene set enrichment analysis performed on publicly available GO terms. Interpretation of osteochondroprogenitor phenotype of CD200+ population based on analysis of presented data is provided in the article “What do we know about bone morphogenetic proteins and osteochondroprogenitors in inflammatory conditions?” [10]. Reuse of this data may help researchers elucidate alterations of synovial stromal and osteochondroprogenitor populations in inflammatory settings and define their role in structural damage in rheumatoid arthritis.

The execution of housing renewal works is a prerequisite for guaranteeing an appropriate housing standard. Housing renewal also reflects on the external image of the residential environment. The efficiency of the conducting of these activities depends on several factors. In this paper, we present an analysis of the housing renewal situation in Ljubljana Municipality. The analysis is based on the results of two research projects conducted in this area in the last decade. The discussion is premised on two major aspects, namely, housing type and the main actors involved in management, maintenance and renewal activity. In the first part of the paper, we present an analysis of renewal activities in Ljubljana Municipality, with a simultaneous comparison with the situation in Slovenia as a whole. We use empirical findings to show how much renewal work has been accomplished in the past, how much is planned in the near future and the main obstacles encountered in this area. The second part of the paper focuses on refurbishment activity in the mulfi-family housing sector. Here, we identify two major actors, i.e. housing managers and homeowners. We discuss in detail the problems encountered by either of the two actors and an attempt is made at identifying the main factors that impact on the efficiency of the performance of housing management, maintenance and renewal activity.

Selitve oz. mobilnost gospodinjstev ima pozitivne učinke na makro ravni, saj je povezana z optimalno porazdelitvijo gospodinjstev znotraj sklada stanovanj in pomeni iskanje ravnovesja med ponudbo in povpraševanjem. V tem članku predstavljava stanovanjske strategije prebivalcev Ljubljane s posebnim poudarkom na ekonomskem statusu in finančnih zmožnostih selivcev. Na ta način poskušava ugotoviti, kako uspešno deluje stanovanjski trg v Ljubljani. Analizirava tudi (pretekle in prihodnje) finančne strategije selivcev ter na podlagi teh identificirava njihove potrebe ter v sklepu predlagava možne ukrepe za pomoč pri stanovanjski mobilnosti in izboljševanju stanovanjskih razmer Ljubljančanov. Vir podatkov je Stanovanjska anketa 2005.

Prenovitvena dela so pomembna za zagotovitev primerne kakovosti bivanja, vplivajo pa tudi na zunanjo podobo bivalnega okolja. Pri tem je uspešnost izvajanja teh dejavnosti odvisna od mnogih dejavnikov. V središču naše analize so razmere v Mestni občini Ljubljana, ki jih analiziramo na podlagi dveh raziskav, narejenih na to temo v zadnjem desetletju. Kot osnovno izhodišče za obravnavo problematike v tem prispevku izpostavljamo dva glavna dejavnika, in sicer tip stanovanjske stavbe, v kateri živi določeno gospodinjstvo, ter glavne akterje na področju upravljanja, vzdrževanja in prenove. Tako v članku najprej predstavljamo analizo aktivnosti na področju prenove v Mestni občini Ljubljana ter slednjo primerjamo s Slovenijo. Ugotavljamo, v kolikšni meri so že bila izvedena prenovitvena dela v zadnjem času, koliko anketiranci slednja še načrtujejo v bližnji prihodnosti ter kakšne so glavne ovire. Drugi del članka pa se osredotoči na večstanovanjske stavbe in dva glavna akterja pri prenovi – upravniki ter lastniki stanovanj. Predstavimo glavne probleme, s katerimi se srečujeta obe strani pri izvajanju prenovitvenih dejavnosti.

Pojem ranljive skupine označuje družbene skupine, ki imajo v primerjavi z drugimi skupinami manj virov in so zato prikrajšane že v izhodiščnem položaju. Eno od področij, na katerem je ranljivost lahko usodna za celotno življenje posameznikov in njihovih družin, je prav gotovo stanovanjsko področje. Na stanovanjsko ranljivost vplivajo tako institucionalni in strukturni, kot osebni in odnosni dejavniki ter je povezana z različnimi družbenimi skupinami. V članku analiziramo stanovanjske razmere ranljivih skupin v Mestni občini Ljubljana. Podrobneje je opisan njihov ekonomski položaj in njihove stanovanjske strategije, ki ponazarjajo kakšne možnosti imajo ranljive skupine za izboljšanje svojega stanovanjskega položaja in reševanje stanovanjskih težav. Pri tem se osredotočimo na naslednje ranljive skupine: enostarševske družine, družine z otroci, starejši in revni. Rezultati analize kažejo, da bi bili potrebni specifični inštrumenti podpore ranljivim skupinam tudi v lastniškem stanovanju, članek pa opozarja tudi na nevarnost razraščanja nekakovostnih in poceni najemnih stanovanj.

Članek je namenjen pregledu ključih značilnosti MOL glede stanovanjske oskrbe .Na stanovanjsko situacijo v mestu pomembno vplivajo predvsem značilnosti sklada stanovanj in značilnosti gospodinjstev ter njihovo razmerje. Pri značilnostih sklada stanovanj gre predvsem za vprašanje kakovosti stanovanj, cenovne dosegljivosti, ustreznosti željam stanovalcev. Druga pomembna dimenzija je značilnost gospodinjstev. Namreč, trendi v Evropi in v Sloveniji gredo v smeri povečevanja števila gospodinjstev, ki pa postajajo vse manjša. Ustrezna stanovanjska politika naj bi skrbela za to, da je pravo razmerje med gospodinjstvi in stanovanji, tj. da stanovanja ustrezajo potrebam in številu gospodinjstev, zaradi česar je potrebno stanje in trende spremljati z ustreznimi podatki. Na podlagi podatkov iz Stanovanjske ankete 2005 v članku obravnavamo stanovanjske razmere v MOL v primerjalni perspektivi (glede na Maribor, Slovenijo in nekatera druga evropska mesta), ter na treh ravneh: sklad stanovanj; prebivalstvo, ter stanovanjske razmere.

Mobility of households has positive effects on a macro level, as it is linked to the optimal distribution of household in the housing fund and indicates an equilibrium of supply and demand. In the article housing strategies of household in city of Ljubljana are presented. Special emphasis is given to the economic status and financial ability of households (for moving). Through this the authors try to discern how well the housing market in Ljubljana is functioning. Furthermore, past and future financial strategies of movers are analysed and on the basis of this analysis future needs of households are identified. In the conclusion the authors present some possible measures to aid households and promote housing mobility and (consequently) also housing conditions of inhabitants of Ljubljana. The data source is Housing survey 2005.

Background: As the European population ages, it becomes increasingly important to promote and facilitate healthy and active ageing and age-friendly societies. Professionals across a range of disciplines and sectors need knowledge and skills to support both. Objective: This scoping review aims to identify and map the literature on learning needs, learning outcomes and respective curricula in healthy and active ageing and age-friendly society concepts. Inclusion criteria: Studies focused on the teaching/learning process in healthy and active ageing and/or age-friendly society, of any design type, are eligible. Included studies may focus on undergraduate, postgraduate or continuing education and on any aspect of the educational process, such as needs analysis, content delivery, learner satisfaction/acceptability, or education outcome. Methods: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for conducting scoping reviews. Four electronic databases, PubMed, EBSCO (Academic Search Complete), Scopus and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), will be searched, limited to studies published from 1st January 2000. Text language will be limited to English, German, Greek, Portuguese, Finnish, and Slovenian. Google Scholar and Research Gate will be searched for grey literature, limited to the first 50 results of each. Title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening will be undertaken independently by at least two reviewers. The JBI extraction tool will be adapted for data extraction. Quality assessment will be conducted using a tool developed by Hawker and colleagues. A narrative synthesis will outline the data in relation to the aims and objectives outlined.

Abstract Background Whilst observational studies establish that lower plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels are associated with higher risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), establishing causality has proven challenging. Since vitamin D is modifiable, these observations have substantial clinical and public health implications. Indeed, many health agencies already recommend supplemental vitamin D. Here, we explore causality in a large Mendelian randomisation (MR) study using an improved genetic instrument for circulating 25-OHD. Methods We developed a weighted genetic score for circulating 25-OHD using six genetic variants that we recently reported to be associated with circulating 25-OHD in a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis. Using this score as instrumental variable in MR analyses, we sought to determine whether circulating 25-OHD is causally linked with CRC risk. We conducted MR analysis using individual-level data from 10,725 CRC cases and 30,794 controls (Scotland, UK Biobank and Croatia). We then applied estimates from meta-analysis of 11 GWAS of CRC risk (18,967 cases; 48,168 controls) in a summary statistics MR approach. Results The new genetic score for 25-OHD was strongly associated with measured plasma 25-OHD levels in 2821 healthy Scottish controls (P = 1.47 × 10− 11), improving upon previous genetic instruments (F-statistic 46.0 vs. 13.0). However, individual-level MR revealed no association between 25-OHD score and CRC risk (OR 1.03/unit log-transformed circulating 25-OHD, 95% CI 0.51–2.07, P = 0.93). Similarly, we found no evidence for a causal relationship between 25-OHD and CRC risk using summary statistics MR analysis (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.69–1.19, P = 0.48). Conclusions Despite the scale of this study and employing an improved score capturing more of the genetic contribution to circulating 25-OHD, we found no evidence for a causal relationship between circulating 25-OHD and CRC risk. Although the magnitude of effect for vitamin D suggested by observational studies can confidently be excluded, smaller effects sizes and non-linear relationships remain plausible. Circulating vitamin D may be a CRC biomarker, but a causal effect on CRC risk remains unproven.

Stanovanje spada med osnovne človekove dobrine in pravice. Njegova vloga je mnogostranska, saj omogoča zadovoljevanje številnih človekovih potreb, poleg tega stanovanje ni omejeno le na ozek bivalni prostor, ampak vključuje tudi širše bivalno okolje, v katerem posameznik prebiva. Odnos posameznika do stanovanja in bivalnega okolja se skozi njegovo življenje spreminja. Zlasti v času starosti naj bi dobilo stanovanje še poseben pomen. Kot kažejo raziskave, želijo starejši zato čim dalj časa ostati v svojem bivalnem okolju, saj naj bi bili nanj navezani. Da bi ugotovili, ali spoznanja o navezanosti starejših na lastno bivalno okolje držijo tudi za Slovenijo, smo v članku analizirali, koliko so na svoje stanovanje in širše bivalno okolje navezani starejši v Sloveniji in kako so z bivanjem v njem zadovoljni. Mnenja starejših smo pridobili z anketiranjem, statistično analizo pa smo opravili s programom SPSS, in sicer na podlagi izračuna več statističnih testov povezanosti. Analiza je potrdila našo predpostavko, da so tudi slovenski starejši na svoj dom oziroma domače okolje zelo navezani in da so z bivanjem v njem zadovoljni. Pokazalo se je še, da so med starejšimi glede tega nekatere razlike, ki so odvisne od tega, koliko so ljudje stari, kje živijo in koliko časa že bivajo v svojem domu.

Housing is a basic human good and right. It plays a versatile role, allowing people to fulfil a number of needs, and it is not limited only to one’s immediate living space, but also includes an individual’s wider living environment. People’s relationship toward housing and their living environment changes over the course of their lives. Especially in old age, housing becomes more important. Research shows that the elderly want to remain in their home environments as long as possible because they are closely attached to them. In order to determine whether these findings also apply to Slovenia, this article analyses how attached the elderly in Slovenia are to their homes and wider living environment and how satisfied they are with living there. The elderly’s views were obtained with a survey, and a statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software, based on the calculation of various statistical correlation tests. The analysis confirmed the assumption that the Slovenian elderly are also very attached to their homes or home environments and are satisfied with living there. In addition, the analysis showed some differences among the elderly in this regard depending on their age, where they live and how long they have been living in their current homes.

This themed issue of Social Inclusion provides a timely opportunity to reflect on how contemporary research is addressing the multi-dimensional issue of homelessness around the world. The papers presented here provide a wide range of new evidence on homelessness including theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions. They draw on a range of national experiences in Europe and beyond, and addressing the issue of social inclusion and social exclusion of homeless or previously homeless people from a range of perspectives and approaches. It is hoped that the contributions to this themed issue will prove influential in terms of both scholarship and potential to enhance policy making and service delivery to some of our most excluded citizens.

Privatisation of a large share of the housing stock was characteristic of all central and eastern European countries, which left the majority of these countries with an impoverished social housing sector and therefore little opportunity for housing most vulnerable groups. Even though it was envisaged that this sector would gradually develop, this has not happened in Slovenia. This article analyses the acceptability of a limited number of alternative housing solutions. The alternatives were evaluated by applicants for social housing in the Municipality of Ljubljana. The survey was carried out by post and targeted unsuccessful applicants for social housing, with 1,048 respondents. On the basis of hierarchical cluster analysis, we identified three distinctive groups of applicants in relation to the acceptability of alternative housing options: those preferring shared homeownership (and social rental housing), those open to all alternatives, and those with a strong preference for social rental housing. Our findings thus demonstrate that applicants for housing vary significantly in their readiness and means to more actively engage in their housing solutions, but only if there are opportunities available.

Privatizacija velikega dela najemnih stanovanj, ki je bila značilna za vse srednje- in vzhodnoevropske države, je imela za posledico to, da se je sektor socialnih stanovanj zelo zmanjšal in za najbolj ranljive skupine pustil le malo priložnosti za stanovanje. Čeprav je bilo predvideno postopno povečanje, v Sloveniji do tega ni prišlo. V tem članku analiziramo za nekaj izbranih možnosti, koliko bi bile te za prosilce za socialna stanovanja v Mestni občini Ljubljana sprejemljive kot alternativa socialnemu stanovanju. To smo ugotavljali s poštno anketo, na katero je odgovorilo 1.048 prosilcev, ki so se prijavili na razpis za socialno stanovanje in na njem niso bili uspešni. Z uporabo hierarhičnega razvrščanja v skupine smo glede na odnos do ponujenih stanovanjskih možnosti prosilce razvrstili v tri skupine: tiste, ki so izbrali so/lastništvo in/ali socialno stanovanje; tiste, ki so bili odprti do vseh možnosti, in tiste, ki bi sprejeli le socialno stanovanje. Naši rezultati kažejo, da se prosilci močno razlikujejo glede pripravljenosti in sredstev za aktivnejšo udeležbo pri dostopu do stanovanja, seveda če le imajo take priložnosti.

The need and availability of informal carers are the most important determinants of care arrangements for older people requiring care. In the present study, we focus on the role of predisposing, enabling factors as well as need in predicting the distribution of care arrangements of social home care users in Slovenia. We not only included individual factors but also community factors and, even more importantly, we addressed the organisational factors which have an effect on formal care usage. In a case study in Slovenia we showed that, apart from need for and availability of an informal care network, which were the strongest predictors of care arrangements (no care, informal care only, formal care only, mixed care) across the activities of daily living, organisational factors such as the temporal availability of social home care and the number of users were the second most important predictors of care arrangements of social home care users. The implications for the conceptual framework for studying care arrangements within national studies as well as in cross-national studies are discussed.

The article gives an overview of key aspect of housing in Municipality of Ljubljana. The characteristics of households, of housing and their relation influence the housing situation in the city. Characteristic of housing refer mainly to quality of the dwellings, affordability and correspondence to the wishes of the inhabitants. The second important dimensions are households and their characteristics. In Europe and Slovenia increase in number of household can be observed, which in turn are becoming smaller. The housing policy has a role in establishing a balance between households and housing, i.e. ensuring that housing corresponds to the needs of individual households and to their number. For achieving this, knowledge and appropriate data are of vital importance. In the article we present the results of the Housing survey 2005. We observe housing conditions in a comparative perspective (Ljubljana in comparison to Maribor, Slovenia and selected European cities) and according to three dimensions: housing fund, households and housing conditions.