Background and Aims:The occurrence of duodenal fistula following infected pancreatic necrosis(IPN)in the later stage of treatment for acute necrotizing pancreatitis presents a significant clinical challenge.It often leads to severe complications such as difficulty in administering enteral nutrition,electrolyte imbalances,abdominal bleeding,and worsening infections.This study was performed to explore the efficacy of enteral nutrition combined with step-up drainage in treating IPN complicated by duodenal fistula and to share single-center experience. Methods:The clinical data of 66 patients with IPN complicated by duodenal fistula who underwent enteral nutrition combined with step-up drainage in the Severe Pancreatitis Treatment Center of the Nanjing Eastern Theater General Hospital between January 2018 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Results:Among the 66 patients,the median time from disease onset to the development of duodenal fistula was 53(32-75)d.In 46 cases(69.7％),suspicious digestive fluid-like discharge was observed from drainage tube or double-lumen tube.The diagnosis and location of the duodenal fistula were confirmed in 49 patients(74.2％)through fistulography,while the remaining cases were confirmed via surgical exploration or endoscopy.The duodenal fistulas were mainly located in the horizontal part(33.3％)or descending part(50.0％)of the duodenum.Nutritional access was safely established through nasojejunal tube in 61 patients(92.4％),while 5 patients(7.6％)required surgery to establish the access.Twenty patients(30.3％)experienced secondary abdominal bleeding,and 14 patients(21.2％)died.Among the 52 patients who recovered,49(94.2％)healed through step-up drainage,while 3(5.8％)required surgery due to delayed healing.Of the 49 patients who underwent non-surgical treatment,10(20.4％)achieved fistula closure through drainage tube,and 39(79.6％)achieved closure through continuous lavage drainage via double-lumen tube.The median healing time for duodenal fistula in non-surgically treated patients was 41(29-80)d. Conclusion:Patients with IPN complicated by duodenal fistula are in a critical condition.Enteral nutrition combined with step-up drainage is an effective treatment for these patients.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of first-episode and recurrent acute hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was con-ducted. The clinical data of 313 patients with HTGP admitted to 26 medical centers in China in the Chinese Acute Pancreatitis Clinical Research Group (CAPCTG)-PERFORM database from November 2020 to December 2021 were collected. There were 219 males and 94 females, aged 38(32,44)years. Of the 313 patients, 193 patients with first-episode HTGP were allocated into the first-episode group and 120 patients with recurrent HTGP were allocated into the recurrent group. Observation indica-tors: (1) propensity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) comparison of severity and prognosis in the course of disease within 14 days between the two groups; (3) the association between recurrent HTGP and the risk of persistent organ failure (POF); (4) follow-up. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the cumulative recurrence rate curve and Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. The Logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis, and continuous variables were converted into categorical variables according to the mean value or common criteria. Propensity score matching was performed by 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method, with caliper value of 0.02. Paired t test or Wilcoxon rank sum test and McNemar′s test were used for comparison between matched groups. Results:(1) Propensity score matching and comparison of general data of patients between the two groups after matching. Of the 313 patients,208 cases were successfully matched, including 104 cases in the first-episode group and 104 cases in the recurrent group. After propensity score matching, there was no significant difference in demographic characteristics, severity of illness scores and laboratory test between the two groups ( P>0.05). The elimination of gender, acute physiology and chornic health evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱ score, computed tomography severity index score, systemic inflammatory response syndrome score, sequential organ failure assessment score, apolipoprotein E, C-reactive protein, creatinine, lactic acid dehydrogenase, procal-citonin confounding bias ensured comparability between the two groups. (2) Comparison of severity and prognosis in the course of disease within 14 days between the two groups. There were signifi-cant differences in POF and local complications between the first-episode group and the recurrent group ( P<0.05). (3) The association between recurrent HTGP and the risk of POF. Results of uncor-rected univariate analysis showed that there was no association between recurrent HTGP and the risk of POF ( odds ratio=0.78, 95% confidence interval as 0.46-1.30, P>0.05). Results of multivariate analysis after adjusting for covariates such as gender, age, APACHE Ⅱ score, C-reactive protein, triglyceride and total cholesterol showed that compared with first-episode HTGP, recurrent HTGP was associated with a higher risk of POF ( odds ratio=2.22, 95% confidence interval as 1.05-4.71, P<0.05). Results of subgroup analysis showed that age<40 years was associated with an increased risk of POF ( odds ratio=3.31, 95% confidence interval as 1.09-10.08, P<0.05). (4) Follow-up. Twelve of the 313 patients died during hospitalization, including 9 cases in the first-episode group and 3 cases in the recurrent group. The rest of 301 surviving patients, including 184 cases in the first-episode group and 117 cases in the recurrent group, were followed up for 19.2(15.5, 21.9)months. Results of follow-up showed that for 184 survived patients of the first-episode group, 164 cases were followed up and 24 cases experienced recurrence, for 117 survived patients of the recurrent group,29 cases experienced recurrence, showing a significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=4.67, P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with first-episode HTGP, patients with recurrent HTGP are more prone to POF and local complications, and are more prone to recurrence after discharge. The risk of POF in recurrent HTGP patients is 2.22 times that of those with first-episode, and the risk is higher in patients with age <40 years.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of n-butyl cyanoacrylate (NBCA) in treating great saphenous vein(GSV) incompetence.Methods:60 patients (60 limbs) with GSV incompetence were randomly divided into NBCA glue group (30 cases) and radiofrequency ablation(RFA) group in 30 cases. The clinical outcomes, venous clinical severity score(VCSS), and quality of life using the Aberdeen varicose vein questionnaire(AVVQ) were evaluated. The primary endpoint is the occlusion rate of GSV at 3 months after surgery.Results:For the two groups, the occlusion rate of GSV was 100% immediately after surgery and at 3 months follow-up. AVVQ and VCSS were improved in the two groups( P<0.05). In terms of complications, the NBCA group had scleroma in 3 cases, pain and skin redness in 1 case respectively, but no ecchymosis and numbness. In the RFA group, numbness occurred in 1 case, skin redness in 2 cases, scleroma in 3 cases, ecchymosis and pain in 4 cases respectively. The incidence of ecchymosis and total complications in the NBCA group was significantly lower than that in the RFA group( P<0.05). No DVT or other adverse event occurred in both groups. Conclusion:NBCA and RFA have the same short-term closure rate. Furthermore, the NBCA treatment requires less equipment, no use of tumescent anesthetic, and has lower incidence in terms of complications than that of RFA.

Objective:To explore the therapeutic characteristics of population with gout achieving treat-to-target (T2T) indicators through real-world research and evaluate their safety.Methods:A total of 3 287 patients diagnosed with gout by rheumatologists in 21 first-class tertiary hospitals in 10 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China from January 2015 to December 2021 were included in this polycentric cross-sectional study. The database included patients′ general information, disease characteristics, and clinical application of traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment measures. SPSS and Excel software were used for data analysis. Frequency analysis, cluster analysis, and factor analysis were used to summarize the characteristics and rules of treatment measures for patients with gout who achieved the target after treatment. The occurrence of adverse events (AE) was recorded during treatment.Results:After treatment, 691 visits (7%) achieved the serum urate (SUA) target, and the most frequent use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) was febuxostat, followed by benzbromarone. The most common treatment options were following: GroupⅠ: traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction-TCM external treatment-physical exercise-proprietary Chinese medicine; GroupⅡ: ferulic acid-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); Group Ⅲ: allopurinol-sodium bicarbonate-benzbromarone; Group Ⅳ: glucocorticoid-colchicine; Group Ⅴ: febuxostat. A total of 5 898 visits (60%) chieved manifestations of joint pain VAS scores target, and the most frequently used drug to control joint symptoms was NSAIDs. The frequency of use of drugs to control joint symptoms were 2 118 times (usage rate reached 35.9%), while the frequency of ULT were 2 504 times (usage rate reached 42.5%), which was higher than the joint symptom control drug. The most common treatment options were following: Group Ⅰ: proprietary Chinese medicine-TCM decoction-TCM external treatment-physical exercise; Group Ⅱ: NSAIDs-colchicine hormones; Group Ⅲ: allopurinol, Group Ⅳ: benzbromarone; Group Ⅴ: febuxostat. A total of 59 adverse events occurred during treatment.Conclusion:The proportions of gout patients who reach target serum urate level & good control of joint symptoms are both very low, and ULT and anti-inflammatory prescription patterns are very different from international guidelines, so it is necessary to strengthen the standardized management of gout patients. At the same time, life intervention measures account for a certain proportion of the treatment plans for the T2T population, and further exploration is needed.

Objective:To investigate clinical outcome and the risk factors for death in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients complicated with acute kidney injury (AKI).Methods:The clinical data of 232 AP patients complicated with AKI admitted to the Center of Severe Pancreatitis of Jinling Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University School of Medicine from January 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into survival group ( n=162) and death group ( n=70) based on the survival status. The two groups' clinical characteristics, biochemical indexes, and renal function indexes were compared. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the independent risk factors for death in AP patients complicated with AKI. Results:Sixteen patients(6.9%) among the 232 had AKI Ⅰ, 15(6.5%) had AKI Ⅱ, and 201(86.6%) had AKI Ⅲ. Forty-one patients (17.7%) became AKI with a disease course <7 days, 184 patients (79.3%) gradually progressed to acute kidney disease with a disease course of 7-90 days, and 7 patients (3.0%) eventually progressed to chronic kidney disease with a disease course >90 days. Renal replacement treatment (RRT) was administered in 179 patients (77.2%), lasting an average of 14 (7-25) days. 138 patients (59.5%) had their renal function recovered while they were hospitalized, including 9 patients (6.5%) who did so within 7 days, 69 patients (50.0%) within 30 days, and 127 patients (92.0%) within 90 days. The average recovery time was 16 (7-28) days. Seventy patients (30.2%) died during hospitalization, including 8(3.5%) within 7 days, 42(18.1%) within 30 days, and 68(29.3%) within 90 days. Univariate analysis revealed that the proportions of biliary etiology, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), serum cystatin C, sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA) score, AKI Ⅲ proportion, number of patients undergoing RRT, and duration of AKI were significantly higher in the death group compared to the survival group. The number of patients complicated by infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) and having surgical intervention was also significantly greater than that in the survival group, while the proportion of patients whose renal function recovered was much lower than that in the survival group. The differences were all statistically significant (all P value <0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that SOFA( OR=1.182, 95% CI 1.000-1.396, P=0.049), and IPN( OR=8.403, 95% CI 3.748-18.838, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for death. Conclusions:SOFA score and IPN at admission were independent risk factors for death in AP patients with AKI. Vigilance should be given as soon as possible to improve the outcome of patients through clinical intervention.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)is a major histological subtype of esopha-geal cancer with a poor prognosis.Although several serum metabolomic investigations have been reported,ESCC tumor-associated metabolic alterations and predictive biomarkers in sera have not been defined.Here,we enrolled 34 treatment-naive patients with ESCC and collected their pre-and post-esophagectomy sera together with the sera from 34 healthy volunteers for a metabo-lomic survey.Our comprehensive analysis identified ESCC tumor-associated metabolic alterations as represented by a panel of 12 serum metabolites.Notably,postoperative abrosia and parenteral nutrition substantially perturbed the serum metabolome.Furthermore,we performed an examina-tion using sera from carcinogen-induced mice at the dysplasia and ESCC stages and identified three ESCC tumor-associated metabolites conserved between mice and humans.Notably,among these metabolites,the level of pipecolic acid was observed to be progressively increased in mouse sera from dysplasia to cancerization,and it could be used to accurately discriminate between mice at the dysplasia stage and healthy control mice.Furthermore,this metabolite is essential for ESCC cells to restrain oxidative stress-induced DNA damage and cell proliferation arrest.Together,this study revealed a panel of 12 ESCC tumor-associated serum metabolites with potential for monitor-ing therapeutic efficacy and disease relapse,presented evidence for refining parenteral nutrition composition,and highlighted serum pipecolic acid as an attractive biomarker for predicting ESCC tumorigenesis.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and influencing factors of mortality in patients with intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC).Methods:The retrospective case-control study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 203 IAC patients who were admitted to 7 medical centers from June 2018 to June 2020 were collected, including 54 cases in Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 31 cases in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, 25 cases in Beijing Hospital, 25 cases in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 24 cases in China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 22 cases in General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command of Chinese PLA and 22 cases in Chongqing University Cancer Hospital. There were 130 males and 73 females, aged (64±15)years. Observation indicators: (1) candida infection and treatment of IAC patients; (2) analysis of influencing factors for mortality of IAC patients. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were expressed as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by Logistic regression model. Results:(1) Candida infection and treatment of IAC patients: 134 cases of candida albicans were cultured in the initial abdominal drainage fluid or intraoperative abdominal specimens of 203 patients, and 49 cases were treated with fluconazole. Of 69 cases infected with non candida albicans, 13 cases were treated with fluconazole. The resistance rate of candida albicans to fluconazole was 5.91%(12/203). Of 203 patients, there were 68 cases with infections shock, 53 cases with renal failure, 84 cases with respiratory failure and 63 cases with multiple organ failure, respectively. There were 148 of 203 patients admitted to intensive care unit for 9 days(range, 3-20 days), and the total hospital stay was 28 days(range, 17-50 days). Of 203 patients, 86 cases were cured and discharged, 50 cases were improved and transferred to local hospitals, 32 cases gave up treatment and discharged automatically, 19 cases died, 16 cases had no follow-up data. The mortality was 25.12%(51/203). (2) Analysis of influencing factors for mortality of IAC patients. Results of univariate analysis showed that acute physiology and chronic health evaluation score, sequential organ failure assessment score, the Cr, bilirubin, albumin, procalcitonin, and PLT on the first day of candida positive culture, of the lowest value in a week and the highest in a week, heart disease, diabetes, infections shock, renal failure, respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, anti-fungal therapy were the related factors for mortality of IAC patients ( t=-2.322, Z=-2.550, -2.262, -4.361, t=2.085, Z=-3.734, -5.226, -2.394, -5.542, t=3.462, Z=-4.957, -5.632, 3.670, -5.805, t=3.966, Z=-3.734, -5.727, χ2=4.071, 4.638, 27.353, 18.818, 13.199, 26.251, 13.388, P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the bilirubin, procalcitonin on the first day of candida positive culture and infections shock were independent risk factors for mortality of IAC patients ( odds ratio=1.021, 1.022, 6.864, 95% confidence interval as 1.010-1.033, 1.001-1.044, 1.858-25.353, P<0.05). Conclusions:The common fungus of IAC was candida albicans, and fluconazole can be used as the initial empirical treatment. The prognosis of patients with abdominal candidiasis is poor. Bilirubin, procalcitonin on the first day of candida positive culture and infections shock are indepen-dent risk factors for mortality of IAC patients.

In recent years,with the change of lifestyle in China, hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) has been the second leading cause of acute pancreatitis (AP). Recent studies have shown that HTG has long-lasting influences on AP onset (including recurrence), AP severity, as well as pancreatic regeneration. However, the underlying mechanisms of HTG-AP is still unclear, mainly focusing on free fatty acid, microcirculation disturbance, calcium overload, oxidative stress, gene polymorphism and so on. However, there is lack of effective intervention for the diagnosis and treatment of HTG-AP, which needs further study.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and safety of stent-assisted percutaneous endoscopic necrosectomy (SAPEN) in the treatment of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN). Methods: The patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) who received the treatment of SAPEN for IPN were sequentially included from January 2018 to September 2018 in the Eastern Theater General Hospital of People′s Liberation Army. The demographic and clinical data were analyzed. The mortality and incidence of major organ dysfunctions were used as the primary observation endpoints. Results: A total of 40 IPN patients were enrolled including 27 men and 13 women. The percutaneous covered stent placement procedures were successful in all cases; the median number of SAPEN operations was 1 (range 1-3), and no operation-related complications occurred. 32 patients were successfully cured by SAPEN, and the treatment effective rate was 80.0%. 5 patients (12.5%) required further open surgery after SAPEN. 12 patients developed new important organ dysfunction and 6 patients eventually died. Conclusions SAPEN was an effective and feasible minimally invasive method for the treatment of IPN, but its technical advantages still need to be further validated in large scale studies.

Objective To evaluate the long-term follow-up results of foam sclerosing agent in the treatment ofincompetent perforating vein.Methods 153 cases (316 incompetent perforating veins)received the treatment of foam sclerotherapy.The closure of perforating branches was followed up by ultrasound.Results 12 cases (27 incompetent perforating veins) were lost to follow up.289 incompetent perforating veins got follow up,The median follow-up time was 17 months (11-36 months).Closure rate was 100％ in vessels less than 3 mm in diameter,while that was 76％ invessels with the diameter between 3-5 mm.Closure rate was 16％ in vessels larger than 5 mm in diameter.Conclusion The long-term efficacy of the foam sclerosing agent in the treatment of incompetent perforating vein depends on the diameter of the vein.