Influence of different magnetic forces on the effect of colonic anastomosis in rats

BACKGROUND Despite much work having been conducted on magnetic compression anastomo-sis(MCA)in the digestive tract,there are no reports on the influence of magnetic force on the anastomosis.AIM To investigate the effect of different magnetic force magnets on the MCA of the digestive tract.METHODS Two groups of magnets of the same sizes but different magnetic forces were designed and produced.A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into two groups(powerful magnet group and common magnet group),with 12 rats in each group.Two types of magnets were used to complete the colonic side-to-side anastomosis of the rats.The operation time and magnet discharge time were recorded.The anastomotic specimens were obtained 4 wk after the operation and then the burst pressure and diameter of the anastomosis were measured,and the anastomosis was observed via the naked eye and subjected to histological examination.RESULTS The magnetic forces of the powerful and common magnet groups at zero distance were 8.26 N and 4.10 N,respectively.The colonic side-to-side anastomosis was completed in all 24 rats,and the operation success rate and postoperative survival rate were 100%.No significant difference was noted in the operation time between the two groups.The magnet discharge time of the powerful magnet group was slightly longer than that of the common magnet group,but the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.513).Furthermore,there was no statistical difference in the burst pressure(P=0.266)or diameter of magnetic anastomosis(P=0.095)between the two groups.The gross specimens of the two groups showed good anastomotic healing,and histological observation indicated good mucosal continuity without differences on healing.CONCLUSION In the rat colonic side-to-side MCA model,both the powerful magnet with 8.26 N and the common magnet with 4.10 N showed no significant impact on the anastomosis establishment process or its effect.

Impact of cigarette smoking on recurrence of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis

AIM To investigate the impact of cigarette smoking on the recurrence rate and recurrence-free survival in patients with hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis(HLAP).METHODS A total of 863 patients were admitted to our hospital for acute pancreatitis(AP) from January 2013 to March2016, of whom 88 diagnosed with HLAP were enrolled in this retrospective study. Demographic data, medical history, previous episodes of pancreatitis, consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, as well as biochemical and hematological data were carefully recorded for univariate and multivariate analyses. During followup, the information on current smoking status and recurrent AP was gathered. Recurrence-free survival(RFS) was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences between groups were compared using the log-rank test.RESULTS No significant differences were observed between the three groups in age or medical history of hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or AP. The current smokers had a remarkably higher recurrence rate and a greater incidence of repeated episodes of AP(50.0% and 77.8%, respectively) than non-smokers(9.8% and 39.0%), and these two percentages were reduced to 9.1% and 36.4% for patients who gave up smoking. The median follow-up time was 13.5 mo and HLAP recurred after hospital discharge in 23(26.1%) patients. Multivariate analysis identified current smoking(HR = 6.3, P = 0.020) as an independent risk factor contributing to HLAP recurrence. Current smokers had significantly worse RFS than non-smokers(23 mo vs 42 mo), but no significant difference was documented between ex-smokers(34 mo) and non-smokers. The RFS was not significantly different between light and heavy smokers.CONCLUSION Smoking is associated with worse RFS and an increased rate of HLAP recurrence. Continued smoking correlates with a compromised survival and smoking cessation should be recommended.