endif
"additions to HTML groups
-syn region htmlItalic start="\\\@<!\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs\*" keepend oneline
-syn region htmlItalic start="\\\@<!_\ze[^\\_\t ]" end="[^\\_\t ]\zs_" keepend oneline
-syn region htmlBold start="\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*" keepend oneline
-syn region htmlBold start="__\ze\S" end="\S\zs__" keepend oneline
-syn region htmlBoldItalic start="\*\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*\*" keepend oneline
-syn region htmlBoldItalic start="___\ze\S" end="\S\zs___" keepend oneline
+syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs\*\ze\_W" keepend
+syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs_\ze[^\\_\t ]" end="[^\\_\t ]\zs_\ze\_W" keepend
+syn region htmlBold start="\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*" keepend
+syn region htmlBold start="__\ze\S" end="\S\zs__" keepend
+syn region htmlBoldItalic start="\*\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*\*" keepend
+syn region htmlBoldItalic start="___\ze\S" end="\S\zs___" keepend
" [link](URL) | [link][id] | [link][] | ![image](URL)
syn region mkdFootnotes matchgroup=mkdDelimiter start="\[^" end="\]"
syn region mkdCode start="<code[^>]*>" end="</code>"
syn region mkdFootnote start="\[^" end="\]"
syn match mkdCode /^\s*\n\(\(\s\{8,}[^ ]\|\t\t\+[^\t]\).*\n\)\+/
+syn match mkdCode /\%^\(\(\s\{4,}[^ ]\|\t\+[^\t]\).*\n\)\+/
syn match mkdCode /^\s*\n\(\(\s\{4,}[^ ]\|\t\+[^\t]\).*\n\)\+/ contained
syn region mkdListItemLine matchgroup=mkdListItem start="^\s*\%([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\s\+" end="$" contains=@mkdNonListItem,@Spell
syn region mkdNonListItemBlock start="\(\%^\(\s*\([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\s\+\)\@!\|\n\(\_^\_$\|\s\{4,}[^ ]\|\t+[^\t]\)\@!\)" end="^\(\s*\([-*+]\|\d\+\.\)\s\+\)\@=" contains=@mkdNonListItem,@Spell