BACKGROUND: Compound betamethasone injection has been widely used to treat intervertebral disc herniation, but its precise mechanism remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE: To explore effects of local injection of compound betamethasone on substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide in spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of rat models undergoing autologous transplantation of nucleus pulposus.
METHODS: A total of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups: blank group, model group, sham surgery group, and western medicine group, with 9 rats in each group. After 1 week of adaptive feeding, rat models of autologous transplantation of nucleus pulposus were established in the model and western medicine groups. At 3, 7 and 12 days after surgery, the rats were given 128.25 μL saline in the model and sham surgery groups. The rats in the western medicine group were administered Betamethason Compound Injection 13.5 μL + 2% Lidocaine Injection 67.5 μL. At 12 hours after final administration, L4-6 segments of the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion were obtained, and substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide contents in L4-6 segments of the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion were determined using immunofluorescence staining.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Significant differences in mean fluorescence intensity of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide were detected in rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion in each group (P < 0.01). Further paired comparison showed that compared with the blank and sham surgery groups, substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide contents were significantly higher in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion in the model group (P < 0.01), which verified that models could be replicated and were reliable. Compared with the model and sham surgery groups, substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide contents were significantly lower in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion of rats in the western medicine group (P < 0.01). Above results confirmed that Compound Betamethasone Injection for treating lumbar intervertebral disc herniation eliminated substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide in dorsal root ganglion possibly by inhibiting dorsal root ganglion neuron synthesis and secreting substance P and reduced their transmission to the spinal cord, resulting in inhibiting and lessening pain.

IL-1有IL-1α和IL-1β两种亚型，其受体家族包括I型和II型两种受体形式（IL1R1和IL1R2）以及一种受体辅助蛋白 （IL1RAP）。在IL1RAP帮助下，IL-1α和IL-1β均可与ILR1形成IL-1/IL1R1/IL1RAP复合物，激活下游信号转导通路，发挥生物学 作用； IL1R2由于缺少胞内TIR结构域无法介导IL-1信号通路，而能通过与IL1R1竞争性结合抑制IL-1的作用。IL1R2起初被认 为是一种IL-1的诱捕受体，但在后续的研究中发现其在多种肿瘤中有异常表达，且多数呈现异常上调状态，仅在少数肿瘤中低表 达，其表达与许多肿瘤的发生发展以及预后有着重要关联。本文针对IL1R2在肿瘤发生发展中的作用方面的相关研究进展进行 综述。

Objective:To compare the consistency of tomographic infrared spectrum analysis with conventional infrared spectrum analysis for the composition analysis of large-volume of urinary stones in vitro.Methods:Postoperative urinary stone specimens collected from 105 patients admitted to Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from January 2019 to June 2021 were analyzed, including 81 (77.14%) kidney stones, 16 (15.24%) ureteral stones, and 8 (7.62%) bladder stones. All stones measured ≥0.8 cm in maximum diameter on preoperative imaging. Eighty-four specimens, which were mainly stone fragments, were collected from percutaneous nephrolithotomy and ureteroscopic lithotripsy. These 84 specimens were analyzed and retested for stone composition using conventional infrared spectrum analysis by random multiple sampling. Other 21 renal stone specimens were obtained by laparoscopic lithotomy or standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy after November 1, 2020. These 21 specimens had a maximum diameter of ≥0.8 cm measured postoperatively. Based on intraoperative observation, stone specimens with typical layered structures were chosed. Then, all 21 samples were analyzed and retested by conventional infrared spectrum analysis and tomographic infrared spectrum analysis, respectively. When using tomographic infrared spectrum analysis, we need to take two maximum cross sections with a vertical spacing of these sections >2 mm, then perform multiple points sampling according to the morphological stratification of the first section. If the section's structure was homogeneous, we equidistantly took 2 to 3 samples from the center to the periphery. Otherwise, every layer needed to take a stone sample according to the stratification. Putting all the results of one section together, we obtained complete tomographic infrared spectrum analysis data. Take another coaxial cross-section of the same specimen for retesting. We recorded the characteristics of the three-dimensional distribution of stone composition in 21 stone specimens. Meanwhile, we compared the consistency of the results of conventional infrared spectrum analysis and tomographic infrared spectrum analysis for the same sample.Results:The consistency rate of the conventional infrared spectrum analysis was 56.19% (59/105), and that of tomographic infrared spectrum analysis was 80.95% (17/21). The difference in consistency between two methods was statistically significant ( χ2=4.447, P=0.035). Among 21 specimens, the consistency rate of conventional infrared spectrum analysis was 38.10% (8/21), which was significantly lower than that of tomographic infrared spectrum analysis ( χ2=7.814, P=0.005). Regarding the characteristics of the three-dimensional distribution of the components, the color and crystal morphology of five common types of stone components were different, and layered structure in the cross-section of the stones were observed. When the calculi were of the same composition, they were displayed in different morphology. We observed a trending change in the composition ratio between sublayers from the center to the edge in some compound-composition stones. Conclusions:For the composition analysis of larger-volume urinary stones, tomographic infrared spectrum analysis showed a higher consistency of retesting than conventional infrared spectrum analysis, and the three-dimensional distribution of stone composition had some characteristic features.