Isolation and characterization of immortalized porcine aortic endothelial cell lines

Primary porcine endothelial cells have a limited life span in culture. After four to five passages, they tend to de-differentiate and eventually reach senescence. The aim of this work was to establish immortalized porcine aortic endothelial cell lines (AOCs) to facilitate in vitro studies of different pathological process involving the endothelium. Primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) were transfected with a plasmid containing the SV40 genome and selected on the basis of morphological and phenotypical features. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated uptake of acetylated low density lipoproteins (Ac-LDL) and constitutive expression of SLA class I, CD29, CD31, CD41/61, CD80/86, CD46, SWC3, and LAMP-1 antigens by all analyzed lines and showed little differences to primary cells. The functional similarity between primary and immortalized endothelial cells was demonstrated in a cytotoxicity assay using a human natural killer cell line (NKL) as effector. The AOCs cell lines should be valuable tools for in vitro study of the human immune response against pig endothelial cells. In addition, they would be very useful to gain insight in the pathogenesis of some viral haemorrhagic diseases of pig such as African swine fever (ASF) or classical swine fever (CSF).     

Isolation of Neospora caninum from the brain of a naturally infected adult dairy cow

Neospora caninum was isolated from the brain of a 2-year-old dairy cow that had aborted confirmed N. caninum-infected fetuses on two occasions. The cow had an indirect fluorescent antibody titer of 1:1600 to N. caninum. The cow was killed 24 days after its second abortion and the brain was bioassayed for N. caninum in nude mice. Multifocal areas of perivascular cuffing and glial nodules were observed in the cerebrum and mesencephalon of the cow, but N. caninum was not identified in histological sections of the brain. All three nude mice inoculated with brain homogenate of the cow, developed emaciation and paralysis. Microscopical examination of the nude mice revealed systemic N. caninum infection with demonstrable tachyzoites in various organs. The parasites isolated from fresh mouse brain were transferred successfully into Vero cell cultures. PCR procedure on the purified tachyzoites obtained from the Vero cell cultures amplified the specific DNA sequence for N. caninum.     

Effect of Water Quality Parameters on the Migration of Vinyl Chloride Monomer from Unplasticized PVC Pipes

The migration of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) from unplasticizedpolyvinyl chloride (uPVC) pipes was investigated using locallymanufactured pipes. Specimens of 33 cm long were used throughoutthe research. The investigation was carried out under differentconditions of water temperature, pH and total dissolved solidsconcentration and at different durations of exposure. The VCMconcentration in the water was evaluated using the gaschromotography (GC)/head-space technique. A VCM concentration ofmore than 2.5 ppb was detected after 30 days of exposure at45 °C. The initial VCM concentration in the uPVC pipewas predicted using equations derived from Fick's first law ofdiffusion. Water tenperature did not affect the migration ofVCM, unless it was raised to high values (i.e. 45 °C).Total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH of water were found toaffect the release of VCM from uPVC pipes. Diffusion rate of VCMwas predicted as a function of pH or TDS values.     

Potato Production and Breeding in China

China is the world’s leading producer of potatoes, growing 22% of all potatoes. Production continues to rise, owing to increases in both land devoted to potato production and yield per hectare. Most potato production occurs in the northern and southwest regions of the country. The processing of coarse starch is the most important component of the potato processing industry in China, but other processing industries, such as crisps and French fries, are expanding. Major production constraints include inadequate germplasm resources for cultivar development, the lack of high quality seed potatoes, and limited access to equipment for mechanized cultivation, planting, fertilizing, spraying, and harvesting. Additional weaknesses in storage and transportation technologies must be addressed, as they are the major constraints for the healthy development of the potato industry. The introduction and improvement of these technologies will ensure the sustainable development of the potato industry in China.