Energy refurbishment of public buildings under cultural heritage protection in Serbia Constraints and Potentials

By harmonizing national legislation to European codes concerning energy efficiency in building sector, Serbia took commitment to improve energy efficiency of national government buildings. Following the Directive 2012/27/EU principles, refurbishment of this part of building stock is recognized as a leading example in long-therm process of applying energy efficiency regulations at national level. Initial steps in implementation of adopted energy efficiency principles were made in Serbia during 2015, when first energy certificates for three most valuable buildings of national authorities (Government building, The National Assembly, and the Palace of Serbia) were issued. This paper will present results obtained during energy-assessment and energy-certification process of this particular buildings, showing at the same time their specificity, that pretty much traces possible category and range of proposed energy refurbishment scenarios

Energy refurbishment of public buildings under cultural heritage protection in Serbia: Constraints and potentials

By harmonizing national legislation to European codes concerning energy efficiency in building sector, Serbia took commitment to improve energy efficiency of national government buildings. Following the Directive 2012/27/EU principles, refurbishment of this part of building stock is recognized as a leading example in long-therm process of applying energy efficiency regulations at national level. Initial steps in implementation of adopted energy efficiency principles were made in Serbia during 2015, when first energy certificates for three most valuable buildings of national authorities (Government building, The National Assembly, and the Palace of Serbia) were issued. This paper will present results obtained during energy-assessment and energy-certification process of this particular buildings, showing at the same time their specificity, that pretty much traces possible category and range of proposed energy refurbishment scenarios

The involvement of Akt, mTOR, and S6K in the in vivo effect of IGF-1 on the regulation of rat cardiac Na+/K+-ATPase

Background We previously demonstrated that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) regulates sodium/potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na+/K+-ATPase) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) via phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K). Taking into account that others’ work show that IGF-1 activates the PI3K/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway in many different cells, we here further questioned if the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/ribosomal protein p70 S6 kinase (S6K) pathway stimulates Na+/K+-ATPase, an essential protein for maintaining normal heart function. Methods and results There were 14 adult male Wistar rats, half of whom received bolus injections of IGF-1 (50 μg/kg) for 24 h. We evaluated cardiac Na+/K+-ATPase expression, activity, and serum IGF-1 levels. Additionally, we examined the phosphorylated forms of the following proteins: insulin receptor substrate (IRS), phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK-1), Akt, mTOR, S6K, and α subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase. Additionally, the mRNA expression of the Na+/K+-ATPase α1 subunit was evaluated. Treatment with IGF-1 increases levels of serum IGF-1 and stimulates Na+/K+-ATPase activity, phosphorylation of α subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase on Ser23, and protein expression of α2 subunit. Furthermore, IGF-1 treatment increased phosphorylation of IRS-1 on Tyr1222, Akt on Ser473, PDK-1 on Ser241, mTOR on Ser2481 and Ser2448, and S6K on Thr421/Ser424. The concentration of IGF-1 in serum positively correlates with Na+/K+-ATPase activity and the phosphorylated form of mTOR (Ser2448), while Na+/K+-ATPase activity positively correlates with the phosphorylated form of IRS-1 (Tyr1222) and mTOR (Ser2448). Conclusion These results indicate that the Akt/mTOR/S6K signalling pathway may be involved in the IGF-1 regulating cardiac Na+/K+-ATPase expression and activit

Effect of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Fatty Acid Composition and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 in Adult Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients: A Pilot Study

Objective: Metabolic changes in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) impair vasodilation, and this leads to tissue hypoxia and microvascular pathology. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can significantly improve the outcome of ischemic conditions in IDDM patients and reduce vascular complications. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of HBOT on plasma fatty acid (FA) composition, and expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) in IDDM patients. Methods: Our study included 24 adult IDDM patients diagnosed with peripheral vascular complications. The patients were exposed to 10 sessions of 100% oxygen inhalation at 2.4 atmosphere absolute for 1 hour. Blood samples were collected at admission and after HBOT for measurement of metabolic parameters, FA composition and IGFBP-1. Measurement of plasma FA composition was determined by gas chromatography. Expression of IGFBP-1 in the serum was estimated by Western blot analysis. Results: HBOT decreased blood levels of total cholesterol (p<0.05), triglycerides (p<0.05) and low-density lipoprotein (p<0.05). HBOT increased plasma levels of individual FAs: palmitic acid (p<0.05), palmitoleic acid (p<0.05), docosapentaenoic acid (p<0.05) and docosahexaenoic acid (p<0.01), and decreased levels of stearic acid (p<0.05), alpha linolenic acid (p<0.05) and linoleic acid (p<0.01). Expression of IGFBP-1 (p<0.01) was increased, whereas the level of insulin (p<0.001) was decreased in the serum after HBOT. Conclusions: Our results indicate that HBOT exerts beneficial effects in IDDM patients by improving the lipid profile and altering FA composition. © 2019 Canadian Diabetes Associatio