AM₁-receptor-dependent protection by intermedin of human vascular and cardiac non-vascular cells from ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

Intermedin (IMD) protects rodent heart and vasculature from oxidative stress and ischaemia. Less is known about distribution of IMD and its receptors and the potential for similar protection in man. Expression of IMD and receptor components were studied in human aortic endothelium cells (HAECs), smooth muscle cells (HASMCs), cardiac microvascular endothelium cells (HMVECs) and fibroblasts (v-HCFs).

Linoleic acid increases monocyte chemotaxis and adhesion to human aortic endothelial cells through protein kinase C- and cyclooxygenase-2-dependent mechanisms.

The effects of polyunsaturated n-6 linoleic acid on monocyte-endothelial interactions were investigated with particular emphasis on the expression of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM)-1 and the role of protein kinase C (PKC) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). As a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids may favour atherosclerosis in hyperglycaemia, this study was performed in both normal and high-glucose media using human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC). The HAEC were preincubated with normal (5 mM) or high (25 mM) D-glucose for 3 days before addition of fatty acids (0.

Nucleotide sequence variation in salmonid alphaviruses from outbreaks of salmon pancreas disease and sleeping disease.

We compared 18 salmonid alphaviruses (SAV) including the reference F93-125 salmon pancreas disease virus (SPDV) and S49p sleeping disease virus (SDV) isolates by nucleotide sequence analyses of regions within the E1, nsP4 and nsP3 genes, and found these to comprise 3 distinct groups, which we have designated Subtypes 1, 2 and 3: Subtype 1, which comprised SAVs with sequences closely similar to the reference SPDV isolate, included SAVs from pancreas disease (PD) outbreaks in farmed salmon in Ireland and Scotland over a 10 yr period; viruses from recent outbreaks of sleeping disease (SD) in freshwater-reared trout farmed in England, Scotland and France were closely similar to and were grouped with the reference SDV isolate in Subtype 2; 3 viruses isolated from PD-affected salmon in Norway were genetically different from viruses belonging to Subtypes 1 and 2 and have been assigned to Subtype 3; 1 virus isolated from PD-affected salmon in the Western Isles, Scotland, in 2003 showed consistent nucleotide sequence differences from SAV Subtypes 1, 2 and 3, but was more closely related to the Subtype 1 SAVs. The occurrence of the different subtype SAVs appeared to have a geographical basis, which may prove useful in future molecular epidemiology studies of SAV-induced disease outbreaks.

Longitudinal serological surveys of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., using a rapid immunoperoxidase-based neutralization assay for salmonid alphavirus.

Longitudinal serological surveys for salmon pancreas disease virus (SPDV), the causal agent of pancreas disease (PD), were conducted on multiple caged populations of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., on two farms over a 77-week period (farm 1, freshwater and marine stages) and a 36-week period (farm 2, marine stage only), using a microtitre-based virus neutralization (VN) assay. Collected sera were also screened for viraemia with SPDV, and pancreas, heart and muscle tissues were examined for lesions consistent with PD.

Detection and antigenic characterization of salmonid alphavirus isolates from sera obtained from farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., and farmed rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum).

A simple method of detecting the presence of the salmonid alphaviruses (SAVs), salmon pancreas disease virus (SPDV) and sleeping disease virus (SDV), from serum samples is described. Using a 96-well tissue-culture plate format, test sera are diluted in medium and added to chinook salmon embryo (CHSE-214) cells. After incubation for 3 days at 15 degrees C, plates are fixed and stained using a monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based immunoperoxidase (IPX) detection system, and virus-infected cells are observed microscopically by white light.