Objective To investigate the efffect of carboxy-methyl-chitosan (CM-chitosan) on NF-kB activation and iNOS expression in IL-1β-induced rat chondrocytes, and the mechanism is explored. The statistical treatment was ANOVA. Methods The chondrocytes derived from knee joint of rats were cultured in vitro. 10 ng/ml IL-1β with or without CM-chitosan of varied concentrations (100, 200, 300 μg/ml) was added into the culture medium. Inducible NO synthase (iNOS) was examined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. The expression of NF-κBn and NFκBc as well as I-κB were examined by Western blotting. Results CM-chitosan could significantly decrease iNOS expression of IL-1β-induced chondrocytes. Degradation of I-κB and NF-κB nuclear translocation were reversed by carbox-ymethyl-chitosan. Conclusion The study has demonstrated that CM-chitosan can inhibit the synthesis of inflammatory mediators in rat chondrocytes when stimulated with IL-1β through a NF-κB-dependent mechanism.

Objective:To explore the radiation protection effect of a novel integrated radiation protection device for computed tomography and evaluate its influence on image quality.Methods:According to the radiation protection principle and CT model, a novel integrated CT radiation protection device was designed and developed. Under the normal operation condition of CT scanner, the radiation dose rate of 7 monitoring points around CT scanner before and after the use of radiation protection device was measured and the effective protection rate was calculated. Before and after using the protective device, the water equivalent phantom was scanned with CT respectively, CT value and signal-to-noise ratio were measured and calculated, and the image quality was evaluated subjectively with the 3-point system. The paired t-test was used to compare the difference of radiation dose rate, average CT value and signal-to-noise ratio of CT surrounding environment before and after using the protective device, and the Mann Whitney U-test was used to compare the difference of subjective scores of CT image quality of water model before and after using the protective device. Results:The radiation dose rates of the 7 monitoring points after the use of the novel CT radiation protection device was significantly lower than those before radiation protection device was used, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), and the effective protection rate was more than 50%; the average CT value, signal-to-noise ratio and subjective score in the range of water equivalent phantom before and after the use of the radiation protection device were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The novel integrated CT radiation protection device can significantly reduce the radiation dose rate of the surrounding environment when the CT machine is running and has no effect on the image quality.

Glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS) are composed of oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and microglia. They contribute more than half of the total cells of the CNS, and are essential for neural development and functioning. Studies on the fate specification, differentiation, and functional diversification of glial cells mainly rely on the proper use of cell- or stage-specific molecular markers. However, as cellular markers often exhibit different specificity and sensitivity, careful consideration must be given prior to their application to avoid possible confusion. Here, we provide an updated overview of a list of well-established immunological markers for the labeling of central glia, and discuss the cell-type specificity and stage dependency of their expression.
Neuroglia/metabolism* ; Central Nervous System ; Oligodendroglia/metabolism* ; Astrocytes/metabolism* ; Microglia