Background The SARS-CoV2 virus has been identified in abdominal cavity of the COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the potential viral transmission from any surgical created smoke in these patients is of concern especially in laparoscopic surgery. This study aimed to compare the amount of surgical smoke and surgical field contamination between laparoscopic and open surgery in fresh cadavers. Methods Cholecystectomy in 12 cadavers was performed and they were divided into 4 groups: laparoscopic approach with or without smoke evacuator, and open approach with or without smoke evacuator. The increased particle counts in surgical smoke of each group were analyzed. In the model of appendectomy, surgical field contamination under ultraviolet light and visual contamination scale between laparoscopic and open approach were compared. Results Open cholecystectomy significantly produced a greater amount of overall particle sizes, particle sizes < 5 μm and particle sizes ≥ 5 μm than laparoscopic cholecystectomy (10,307 × 103 vs 3738 × 103, 10,226 × 103 vs 3685 × 103 and 81 × 103 vs 53 × 103 count/m3, respectively at p < 0.05). The use of smoke evacuator led to decrease in the amount of overall particle sizes of 58% and 32.4% in the open and laparoscopic chelecystectomy respectively. Median (interquatile range) visual contamination scale of surgical field in open appendectomy [3.50 (2.33, 4.67)] was significantly greater than laparoscopic appendectomy [1.50 (0.67, 2.33)] at p < 0.001. Conclusions Laparoscopic cholecystectomy yielded less smoke-related particles than open cholecystectomy. The use of smoke evacuator, abeit non-significantly, reduced the particles in both open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic appendectomy had a lower degree of surgical field contamination than the open approach.

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Colorectal cancers (CRC) with KRAS mutations (KRASmut) are frequently included in consensus molecular subtype 3 (CMS3) with profound metabolic deregulation. We explored the transcriptomic impact of KRASmut, focusing on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and pathways beyond metabolic deregulation. The status of KRASmut in patients with CRC was investigated and overall survival (OS) was compared with wild-type KRAS (KRASwt). Next, we identified CMS, and further investigated differentially expressed genes (DEG) of KRASmut and distinctive pathways. Lastly, we used spatially resolved gene expression profiling to define the effect of KRASmut in the TME regions of CMS3-classified CRC tissues. CRC patients with KRASmut were mainly enriched in CMS3. Their specific enrichments of immune gene signatures in immunosuppressive TME were associated with worse OS. Activation of TGFβ signaling by KRASmut was related to reduced pro-inflammatory and cytokine gene signatures, leading to suppression of immune infiltration. Digital spatial profiling in TME regions of KRASmut CMS3-classified tissues suggested up-regulated genes, CD40, CTLA4, ARG1, STAT3, IDO, and CD274, that could be characteristic of immune suppression in TME. This study may help to depict the complex transcriptomic profile of KRASmut in immunosuppressive TME. Future studies and clinical trials in CRC patients with KRASmut should consider these transcriptional landscapes.