Aim To observe the expression of migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the enteric neurons,and to explore the nervous regulation on MIF activity in experimental colitis.Methods Colitis was induced in sensitized rat and mouse by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene(DNCB)enema.MIF activity was measured both in the mesentery lymphocyte(by MTT)and in the enteric neurons(by immunofluorescence double staining).6-OHDA was intraperitonealy (ip) administered to mouse before DNCB treatment.Norepinephrine(NE) was added to lymphocyte culture in vitro during MIF preparation.Results The expression of MIF protein in enteric neuron was increased in DNCB-induced colitis in rat.ip 6-OHDA in colitis mouse(38～150 mg?kg-1) resulted in a further increase of MIF activity than ip vehicle in colitis mouse (P

Objectives In order to develop a rapid microsatellite genotyping assay for inter-strain differentiation of Candida albicans isolates and understand the transmission characteristics of the infections. Methods DNA was extracted from C. albicans isolates from genitals, anal canals and oral cavities of 39 women and 27 men with genital candidiasis. The microsatellite sequences in stabel genes(CDC3, EF3 and HIS3) were amplified by a fluorescence labeled PCR. Fluorescent signals were read with an automatic se- quencer, and the data were collected with GeneScan software followed by genotyping with Genotyper soft- ware to analyze polymorphic microsatellite loci. Results Combined analysis of the 3 microsatellite markers showed 18 gene allele associations in C. albicans from genital sites of all men and women, including 10 in women, 11 in men and 3 in both. The allele associations of dominant pathogenetic strains for both sexes were 116:124, 122:131,160:200, which covered 50% of pathogenetic infection. Three common allele associations for both sexes covered 71% of all infections. Genitals and anal canals shared strains of same allele associations in 80% of women and in only 3.8% of men. The strains of same allele associations were identified in both genitals and mouth in 2.7% of women but in none of men. In their genital sites 71% of couples shared the same allele strains, of which 80% were the dominant pathogenetic strains identified in both sexes. Conclusions The improved microsatellite genotyping assay is useful for rapid differentiation, identification of infective source, and contact tracing of C. albicans infection. There are pathogenetic C. albi- cans strains with predominant allele associations in genital infections.

Objective:To explore a simplified and efficient early prediction model for severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and to construct both logistic regression and decision tree models. The aim is to identify high-risk individuals, guide clinical treatment, and improve patient outcomes.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 412 patients with acute pancreatitis admitted to the Emergency and Gastroenterology Departments of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University and its High-tech Branch from November 2020 to September 2023. LASSO regression was employed to identify factors significantly associated with SAP, followed by the construction of a multivariate logistic regression model and a decision tree model. The predictive performance of these models was evaluated and compared to the bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP).Results:Among the 412 patients, the incidence of SAP was 12.14% ( n=50). Seven variables significantly associated with SAP severity were identified by LASSO regression, including respiratory rate at admission, pain score at admission, pleural effusion, fibrin degradation products, C-reactive protein, serum creatinine, and serum albumin. The logistic regression model incorporated four variables: pleural effusion, pain score at admission, serum creatinine, and serum albumin. In the training set, the model demonstrated a sensitivity of 0.528, specificity of 0.984, accuracy (95% CI) of 0.928 (0.892-0.955), Kappa value of 0.606, and AUC (95% CI) of 0.920 (0.862-0.979). In the testing set, the model showed a sensitivity of 0.643, specificity of 0.925, accuracy (95% CI) of 0.891 (0.822-0.941), Kappa value of 0.519, and AUC (95% CI) of 0.923 (0.861-0.985). The decision tree model comprised three branches and four terminal nodes, indicating that serum creatinine, serum albumin, and pleural effusion could effectively predict SAP occurrence. In the training set, the decision tree model had a sensitivity of 0.500, specificity of 0.973, accuracy (95% CI) of 0.914 (0.876-0.944), Kappa value of 0.544, and AUC (95% CI) of 0.812 (0.731-0.894). In the testing set, the model exhibited a sensitivity of 0.500, specificity of 0.925, accuracy (95% CI) of 0.875 (0.802-0.928), Kappa value of 0.412, and AUC (95% CI) of 0.709 (0.565-0.853). The DeLong test revealed that in the training set, the AUC of the logistic regression model was significantly greater than that of the decision tree model ( P<0.01) and the BISAP score ( P<0.001), while the AUC difference between the decision tree model and the BISAP score was not statistically significant ( P=0.762). In the testing set, the AUC of the logistic regression model was again greater than that of the decision tree model ( P<0.01) and the BISAP score ( P=0.018), whereas the AUC of the decision tree model was lower than that of the BISAP score ( P=0.017). Conclusions:Both the logistic regression and decision tree models demonstrate good predictive value for SAP, and their combined use may provide valuable guidance for clinical practice.

Objective:To compare the clinical effects of 4 kinds of neurocutaneous perforator flap with vascular anastomosis for repair of hand and foot wounds.Methods:From January, 2005 to September, 2019, 112 patients with hand and foot wounds were treated, there were 78 cases of fingers, 11 cases of first web, 5 cases of palm, 6 cases of hand and 12 cases of foot. The defect area was 2.0 cm×1.5 cm-21.0 cm×12.0 cm. All 112 cases were repaired by neurocutaneous perforator flaps anastomosed with blood vessels. Types of flap were applied: Radial collateral artery perforator flap (with posterior cutaneous nerve of forearm) in 30 cases. The flap area was 5.0 cm×2.0 cm-13.0 cm×6.0 cm. Superficial peroneal artery flap (without superficial peroneal nerve) anastomosed with blood vessels in 15 cases. The flap area was 2.5 cm×2.0 cm-9.0 cm×6.0 cm. Lateral superficial sural artery perforator flap (with superior sural cutaneous nerve) in 26 cases. The flap area was 2.5 cm×1.8 cm-7.0 cm×5.0 cm. Peroneal artery perforator flap (with middle and lower sural nerve) in 41 cases. The flap was harvested with area of 2.5 cm×1.8 cm-23.0 cm ×14.0 cm to repair the wounds of feet, back of hands, first web, palm and fingers. CTA images were observed in 40 clinical patients, and the occurrence rate of radial collateral artery, superficial peroneal artery, superficial lateral sural artery, and peroneal artery were measured. Anastomosis cutaneous nerve in 97 cases, and no cutaneous nerve anastomosis 15 cases (superficial peroneal artery flap).Results:The peroneal artery perforator flap (41 cases) and radial collateral artery perforator flap (30 cases) were harvested. The incidence of perforator vessels was both 100%, and incidence of superficial sural artery was 80.8% (21/26 cases). In the other 19.2% (5/26 cases), the superficial medial sural artery was replaced by too thin vessels. The utilization rate of superficial peroneal artery was 60.0% (9/15 cases), the other 40.0% (6/15 cases) were converted to peroneal artery perforator flap. All flaps survived except 1 case of superficial perforator flap of lateral sural artery, which underwent necrosis at the distal end and healed after dressing change. One hundred and one cases were followed-up, including 90 cases for repairing soft tissue defects in hands and 11 cases in feet. The followed-up time ranged from 12 to 120 months, with an average of 36.6 months. There were 40 cases with excellent function, 45 cases with good function and 5 cases with fair function. There were 78 cases of cutaneous nerve anastomosis of hand flap, and the sensory function was above S 3 level. There were 12 cases without anastomosis of cutaneous nerve of hand flap, and the sensory function reached S 3 level in 3 cases and S 2 level in 9 cases. In 11 cases, the cutaneous nerve was anastomosed to repair the soft tissue defect of the foot, and the sensory function was above S 3 level. The radial collateral artery perforator flaps were relatively bulky and needed to be treated by fat removal. The other 3 kinds of three flaps were not bulky. Conclusion:The perforating vessels of peroneal artery and radial accessory artery have larger diameter and easy to harvest. The superficial peroneal artery and the lateral superficial sural artery are relatively small in caliber, especially the superficial peroneal artery. Among the 4 kinds of cutaneous nerve nutrient vascular flaps, the radial accessory artery perforator flap was the most bloated. Sensory nerve innervation flaps were found in the upper segment of lateral sural cutaneous nerve, posterior forearm cutaneous nerve and middle and lower segment of sural nerve. The superficial peroneal artery perforator flap was accompanied by superficial peroneal nerve that did not send cutaneous branches into the flap. The upper segment of superficial peroneal nerve was only a passing nerve.