Mineralocorticoid receptors modulate vascular endothelial function in human obesity

Abstract Obesity increases linearly with age and is associated with impaired vascular endothelial function and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. MRs (mineralocorticoid receptors) contribute to impaired vascular endothelial function in cardiovascular disease; however, their role in uncomplicated human obesity is unknown. Because plasma aldosterone levels are elevated in obesity and adipocytes may be a source of aldosterone, we hypothesized that MRs modulate vascular endothelial function in older adults in an adiposity-dependent manner. To test this hypothesis, we administered MR blockade (eplerenone; 100 mg/day) for 1 month in a balanced randomized double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over study to 22 older adults (ten men, 55--79 years) varying widely in adiposity [BMI (body mass index): 20--45 kg/m 2 ], but who were free from overt cardiovascular disease. We evaluated vascular endothelial function [brachial artery FMD (flow-mediated dilation)] via ultrasonography) and oxidative stress (plasma F 2 -isoprostanes and vascular endothelial cell protein expression of nitrotyrosine and NADPH oxidase p47 phox ) during placebo and MR blockade. In the whole group, oxidative stress (P > 0.05) and FMD did not change with MR blockade (6.39 + − 0.67 compared with 6.23 + − 0.73 %; P = 0.7). However, individual improvements in FMD in response to eplerenone were associated with higher total body fat (BMI: r = 0.45, P = 0.02; and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived percentage body fat: r = 0.50, P = 0.009) and abdominal fat (total: r = 0.61, P = 0.005; visceral: r = 0.67, P = 0.002; and subcutaneous: r = 0.48, P = 0.03). In addition, greater improvements in FMD with eplerenone were related to higher baseline fasting glucose (r = 0.53, P = 0.01). MRs influence vascular endothelial function in an adiposity-dependent manner in healthy older adults

The Effects Of Renewable Energy Policies On Landfill Gas-To-Energy Project Development

As the call for greenhouse gas mitigation becomes more and more urgent, both in the United States and in many other countries, landfill owners are encouraged to contribute to emission reduction by developing Landfill Gas-to-Energy (LFGE) projects. Since the first LFGE electricity generation project in 1982 and with the increased support for renewable sources of energy, LFGE projects have increased in number. This study examines the influence of state policies, including state grants, production tax credits, investment tax credits, and Renewable Portfolio Standards, on landfill owners' and developers' decisions to build LFGE projects. This question is addressed using econometric models such as linear probability models and various logit models. The four policy variables are shown to have no significant effect on LFGE project adoption according to the logit estimations. Variables such as the gas price, public ownership, landfill age, and amount of waste are shown to have a significant effect on increasing project adoption. The linear probability model, despite its flaws in addressing the issue, produces positive and significant results for the effects of the RPS and state grant policies on project adoption. ii

Positive Energy Districts in Europe : One size does not fit all

The success of decarbonisation will largely depend on how the policies on energy transition are introduced, implemented, and subsequently received by the targeted entities. This study uncovers possible ways of enabling a regulatory framework for achieving Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) based on the local context with a human-centred focus. We address the four prerequisites of the PED pathway and discuss cultural configurations to explore how they affect the energy transition in three of the case studies - Amsterdam, Vienna, and Lisbon - to demonstrate differences in their contexts. The analysis in this study is based on the primary data, collected via semi-structured interviews conducted with stakeholders from the observed regions. The interviews were a foresight exercise, where the participants proposed desired pathways towards the development of PEDs. Based on their different cultural configuration context, we posit that distinct approaches in energy transition are essential for the effective formation of PEDs. We argue that policy interventions on decarbonisation should be tailored to different situations and bringing the cultural perspective into policy design is one way of incorporating the differences in contexts. As the policies are implemented at different governmental levels, future research on to what extent the differences in cultural configurations play role in multi-level governance in decarbonisation will be important