In situ tumor vaccine has become an important strategy in cancer immunotherapy owing to its ability to induce immune responses locally and overcome tumor heterogeneity. However, the abnormal structure and mechanical properties of the tumor’s physical microenvironment significantly limit the efficiency of vaccine delivery and immune efficacy. In this review, the key factors in the tumor’s physical microenvironment, including solid pressure, interstitial fluid pressure, matrix stiffness, and tissue microstructure, are systematically discussed. Their obstructive roles in immune cell infiltration, antigen presentation, and immune activation are analyzed. The potential of approaches, such as radiotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, extracellular matrix degradation agents, nanomaterials, and hydrogel delivery platforms, in reshaping the tumor’s physical microenvironment is explored. This review aims to offer theoretical and practical guidance for optimizing in situ vaccine strategies through the regulation of the tumor’s physical microenvironment, ultimately advancing the precision and effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.

Objective To observe the value of intratumoral and peritumoral CT radiomics for evaluating KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.Methods Totally 245 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma were retrospectively enrolled and divided into mutant group(n=139)and wild group(n=106)according to KRAS gene status,also divided into training set(n=171)and test set(n=74)at a ratio of 7∶3.Clinical data were compared between groups,and clinical factors were screened with logistic regression analysis to establish a clinical model.Based on enhanced venous phase CT images,intratumoral volume of interest(VOI),peritumoral VOI,and intratumoral+peritumoral VOI were delineated,radiomics features were extracted,and radiomics models were constructed.The combination model was constructed based on the best radiomics model combined with clinical factors.The value of each model for evaluating KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma was analyzed.Results Significant differences of patients’gender and carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)were found between mutant group and wild group(both P＜0.05),which were independent impact factors of KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma(both P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of clinical model for evaluating KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma in training set and test set was 0.633 and 0.658,respectively.Intratumoral+peritumoral 3 mm model was the best radiomics model,with AUC of 0.921 and 0.894 in training set and test set,respectively.AUC of the combination model in training set and test set was 0.949 and 0.956,respectively.In training set,significant differences of AUC were found between clinical model and intratumoral+peritumoral 3 mm model,also between clinical model and combination model(both P＜0.001),while in test set,significant differences of AUC were found between each two models(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Intratumoral+peritumoral 3 mm radiomics based on enhanced venous phase CT could help to evaluate KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.Combining with patients’gender and CEA could further improve efficacy of this model.

Objective:To detect gene mutations in a pedigree with dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DDEB) .Methods:A 20-year-old male proband presented with repeated blisters, ulceration, pigmentation, scars on the limbs, and deformation of the nails/toenails after birth. There were 5 patients in the 3-generation family, and they all presented with typical skin lesions. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 14 members of the pedigree (including the 5 patients) and 100 unrelated healthy controls. Whole-exome sequencing was performed in the proband to identify relevant mutation sites, which were then confirmed in the family by Sanger sequencing.Results:Genetic testing indicated that the proband and the other 4 patients all carried a missense mutation (c.7885G>A) in exon 107 of the COL7A1 gene, resulting in the substitution of glycine by arginine at amino acid position 2629 (p.G2629R). The mutation was identified neither in the 9 healthy relatives nor in the 100 unrelated healthy controls. The mutation co-segregated with DDEB in the family, and was not included in databases such as Pubmed, HGMD or ClinVar, suggesting it was a novel missense mutation. The amino acid encoded by this mutation may alter the structure of type Ⅶ collagen, thereby affecting its function.Conclusion:A novel missense mutation was identified in exon 107 of the COL7A1 gene in the family with DDEB, expanding the spectrum of mutations in the COL7A1 gene.

Objective To observe the value of intratumoral and peritumoral CT radiomics combined with clinical features for preoperative predicting lymphovascular invasion(LVI)of early lung adenocarcinoma.Methods Totally 252 patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱa lung adenocarcinoma were retrospectively enrolled and were divided into positive group(n=63)and negative group(n=189)according to LVI or not,also into training set(n=201)and test set(n=51)at a ratio of 8∶2.Clinical data and CT findings being significantly different between groups were included in multivariate logistic regression analysis to screen independent predictors of early lung adenocarcinoma LVI and to construct CT-clinical model.The best radiomics features were extracted and screened in ROI of tumor(ROI1)and outward of 3(ROI2),5(ROI3)and 7 mm(ROI4)with automatic delineation and expanding algorithm,respectively.K-nearest neighbor(KNN),support vector machine(SVM),decision tree(DT),random forest(RF)and logistic regression(LR)algorithms were used to construct radiomics models.The best classifier algorithm and ROI which could provide more effective radiomics information were selected to construct the best radiomics model,which was used to construct the combined model combining with CT-clinical model.Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn,and the areas under the curves(AUC)were calculated to evaluate the efficacy of the above models for preoperative predicting early lung adenocarcinoma LVI.Results Solid lesion and CT-N+stage were both independent risk factors for early lung adenocarcinoma LVI(both P＜0.05).Peritumor 5 mm volume(GTPV5)was obtained based on ROI3,and the best radiomics model was the model established based on 14 optimal radiomics feature selected from RFGTPV5.AUC of CT-clinical model,RFGPTV5 model and combined model for preoperative predicting early lung adenocarcinoma LVI was 0.875,0.908 and 0.917 in training set,while was 0.831,0.853 and 0.862 in test set,respectively.Conclusion Intratumoral and peritumoral CT radiomics combined with clinical features had good efficacy for preoperative predicting LVI of early lung adenocarcinoma.Intratumor and peritumor 5 mm ROI could provide more valuable information.

Objective To observe the value of contrast-enhanced CT radiomics combined with clinical and hematology indicators for predicting lymph node(LN)metastasis(LNM)of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods Totally 218 ESCC patients were retrospectively enrolled.Stage pN1 and pN2 were clustering as LNM(n=90),while stage pN0 were taken as non-LNM(n=128).The patients were divided into training set(n=174)and test set(n=44)at the ratio of 8∶2.In training set,clinical and LN imaging features which could be used to independently judge LNM were screened and a clinical-imaging model was constructed.The hematological indicators that might be associated with ESCC LNM were screened,and a hematological model was constructed.Radiomics features in LN ROI and ESCC volume of interest(VOI)were extracted based on venous-phase contrast-enhanced CT images,and those might be associated with LNM were screened,and a radiomics model was constructed.Finally a combined model was constructed based on all the above features.The efficacy of each model for diagnosing LNM was evaluated with the area under the curve(AUC)of receiver operating characteristic curves,and the clinical net benefit was evaluated using decision curve analysis(DCA).Results Body mass index(BMI)and internal necrosis of target LN were both independent judging factors for ESCC LNM(both P＜0.05),and AUC of clinical-imaging model for diagnosing LNM in training and test sets was 0.747 and 0.687,respectively.Seven hematological indicators were included in hematological model,and AUC in training and test sets was 0.623 and 0.583,respectively.Ten LN radiomics features and 15 ESCC radiomics features were included in radiomics model,and AUC in training and test sets was 0.769 and 0.745,respectively.AUC of the combined model for diagnosing LNM in training and test sets was 0.822 and 0.739,respectively,better than other models in training set(all P＜0.05),but no significantly different in test set(all P＞0.05).DCA showed that combined model had higher net gain than the other models in 0.55-0.80 threshold probability interval.Conclusion Combined model based on venous-phase contrast-enhanced CT radiomics and clinical and hematology indicators could relatively effectively evaluate ESCC LNM,which might bring some promotions in clinical benefit.

Purpose To explore the ultrasound features and early diagnostic clues of fetal myocardial non-compaction.Materials and Methods The clinical data and echocardiographic data of four fetuses who underwent fetal echocardiography in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2015 to February 2023 and were confirmed to have myocardial non-compaction by pathological finding or postnatal examination were collected,and analyzed.Results A total of four fetuses diagnosed as myocardial non-compaction by prenatal ultrasound:two involved the left ventricle with isolated lesions,and apical myocardial non-compaction was confirmed by postnatal echocardiography;two involved the biventricles,and both of which were pathologically confirmed after induction of labor.The prenatal ultrasound of fetal myocardial involvement in four cases showed that:(1)the affected myocardium showed a bilayer structure:the outer layer was compacted myocardium,which showed thin and compacted homogeneous hypoechoic;the inner layer was loose and thickened non-compacted myocardium with enhanced echogenicity;(2)color Doppler flow imaging:the non-compacted myocardium showed sieve mesh blood flow with ventricular communication.Some cases were associated with cardiac enlargement and arrhythmia.Conclusion Prenatal echocardiography can diagnose fetal myocardial non-compaction with a characteristic echographic presentation.Localized myocardial thickening and echogenic enhancement,cardiac enlargement and arrhythmia may be important clues to identify fetal myocardial non-compaction.

The emerging and re-emerging arthropod-borne infectious diseases pose a serious threat to global public health security. Field and laboratory studies of arthropods of medical importance are essential and critical for the prevention and control of arthropod-borne infectious diseases. Various institutions or universities in China have been conducting research in the field or laboratory study of arthropods of medical importance, but up to 2023, it is still lacking detailed biosafety guidelines or recommendations that can guide the related work for arthropods of medical importance. In order to proactively address potential biosafety issues in the field or laboratory activities related to arthropods of medical importance, improve the standardization of arthropod biosafety classification, operations, and protection, and ensure the safety of practitioners, an expert consensus on the biosafety recommendation of arthropods of medical importance in field and laboratory has been developed, aiming to guide the future work of arthropods and ensure the national biosafety and biosecurity of China.