CfCpmd1 Regulates Pathogenicity and Sexual Development of Plus and Minus Strains in Colletotrichum fructicola Causing Glomerella Leaf Spot on Apple in China.

Colletotrichum fructicola is a devastating fungal pathogen of diverse plants. Sexually compatible plus and minus strains occur in the same ascus. However, the differentiation mechanism of plus and minus strains remains poorly understood. Here, we characterized a novel Cys2-His2-containing transcription factor CfCpmd1. The plus CfCpmd1 deletion mutant (Δ+CfCpmd1) resulted in slow hyphal growth and a fluffy cotton-like colony, and the minus deletion mutant (Δ-CfCpmd1) exhibited characters similar to the wild type (WT). Δ+CfCpmd1 led to defective perithecial formation, whereas Δ-CfCpmd1 produced more and smaller perithecia. The normal mating line was developed by pairing cultures of Δ-CfCpmd1 and plus WT, whereas a weak line was observed between Δ+CfCpmd1 and minus WT. Conidial production was completely abolished in both plus and minus mutants. When inoculated on non-wounded apple leaves with mycelial plugs, Δ-CfCpmd1 was nonpathogenic because of failure to develop conidia and appressoria, while Δ+CfCpmd1 could infect apple leaves by appressoria differentiated directly from hyphal tips, even though no conidia formed. Collectively, our results demonstrate that CfCpmd1 of C. fructicola is an important gene related to plus and minus strain differentiation, which also affects hyphal growth, sporulation, appressorium formation, and pathogenicity.

Comparison of high-flow nasal cannula and conventional oxygen therapy for high-risk patients during bronchoscopy examination: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has been proven to improve oxygenation and avoid intubation in hypoxemic patients. It has also been utilized during endoscopy examination to reduce the incidence of hypoxia. However, little is known about the effects of HFNC versus conventional oxygen therapy (COT) on oxygenation during bronchoscopy examination via nasal route; particularly, no study has compared the use of HFNC with that of COT at similar FIO2 for patients who have high-risk factors of desaturation during bronchoscopy examination. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This randomized controlled trial will be implemented in four academic centers in China. Patients who have high-risk factors including hypoxemia, hypercapnia, morbid obesity, and narrow airway will be enrolled to use HFNC or COT during bronchoscopy examination. In the HFNC group, the initial gas flow will be set at 50 L/min with a fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) at 0.45, if the patient tolerates, the flow can be increased to 60L/min at most, while in the COT group, oxygen flow will be set at 6 L/min via a conventional nasal cannula. After 5 min pre-oxygenation, the bronchoscope will be inserted via the nasal route. Vital signs, oxygenation (SpO2), and transcutaneous CO2 (PtCO2) will be continuously monitored. The primary outcome is the incidence of hypoxemia, defined as SpO2 < 90% for 10 s during bronchoscopy examination, and secondary outcomes include the need for treatment escalation and adverse events. DISCUSSION: Hypoxia is a common complication of bronchoscopy, our study attempted to demonstrate that HFNC may reduce the probability of hypoxia during bronchoscopy in high-risk patients. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and national and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.chictr.org.cn/ : ChiCTR2100055038. Registered on 31 December 2021.

Chidamide-based 3-drug combination regimen reverses molecular relapse post transplantation in AML1-ETO-positive acute myeloid leukemia.

Objective: We aimed to explore a new method to reverse early relapse in patients with AML1-ETO-positive acute myeloid cell transplantation. Methods: A chidamide-based 3-drug combination regimen was used in our center to treat patients with AML1-ETO-positive AML post transplantation but negative flow cytometry results. A retrospective analysis was performed of the survival rate and possible influencing factors of patients with relapse treated with this regimen in our center from January 2018 to January 2022. Results: The overall response rate was 95.8% (23/24), and the median number of treatment courses was 4 (range, 3-12 courses). The total molecular complete response (MCR) was 79.1% (19/24) after all treatments, and the molecular complete response was 37.5% (9/24) after one cycle of treatment but reached 58.3% (14/24) after four cycles; overall, the proportion of MCR increased gradually with the increase in treatment cycles. The projected 5-year overall survival rate was 73.9%. The projected 5-year leukemia-free survival rate was 64.8%, and the projected 1-year cumulative relapse rate was 35.5%. The incidence of grade II-IV graft-versus-host diseases (GVHD) was 29.2% (7/24), and that of grade III-IV GVHD was 20.8% (5/24), which could be effectively controlled by glucocorticoid therapy combined with calcineurin inhibitors The total incidence of chronic GVHD was 29.2% (7/24), and all cases were localized chronic GVHD. The total infection rate was 33.3% (8/24), mainly involving bacterial and fungal infections, and the incidence of life-threatening infections was 4.17% (1/24). The treatment-related mortality rate was 0%; and the total mortality rate was 20.8% (5/24). Nausea and vomiting, thrombocytopenia, and neutropenia were common adverse reactions, all of which were Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade 2-3 events and reversible after drug withdrawal. In terms of immunity, Th1 cell counts gradually increased, Th17 cell counts gradually decreased, and the Th1/Th17 ratio gradually increased after treatment. The CD8+ T lymphocyte count increased gradually, while the CD4+ T lymphocyte count did not change significantly. Conclusion: Our chidamide-based 3-drug combination regimen led to a high remission rate and tolerable adverse reactions in patients with AML1-ETO-positive post-transplant relapse, and most patients can achieve long-term survival with this regimen.

Stabilization of UCA1 by N6-methyladenosine RNA methylation modification promotes colorectal cancer progression.

BACKGROUND: UCA1 is frequently upregulated in a variety of cancers, including CRC, and it can play an oncogenic role by various mechanisms. However, how UCA1 is regulated in cancer is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to determine whether RNA methylation at N6-methyladenosine (m6A) can impact UCA1 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: qRT-PCR was performed to detect the level of UCA1 and IGF2BP2 in CRC samples. CRISPR/Cas9 was employed to knockout (KO) UCA1, METTL3 and WTAP in DLD-1 and HCT-116 cells, while rescue experiments were carried out to re-express METTL3 and WTAP in KO cells. Immunoprecipitation using m6A antibody was performed to determine the m6A modification of UCA1. In vivo pulldown assays using S1m tagging combined with site-direct mutagenesis was carried out to confirm the recognition of m6A-modified UCA1 by IGF2BP2. Cell viability was measured by MTT and colony formation assays. The expression of UCA1 and IGF2BP2 in TCGA CRC database was obtained from GEPIA ( http://gepia.cancer-pku.cn ). RESULTS: Our results revealed that IGF2BP2 serves as a reader for m6A modified UCA1 and that adenosine at 1038 of UCA1 is critical to the recognition by IGF2BP2. Importantly, we showed that m6A writers, METTL3 and WTAP positively regulate UCA1 expression. Mechanically, IGF2BP2 increases the stability of m6A-modified UCA1. Clinically, IGF2BP2 is upregulated in CRC tissues compared with normal tissues. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that m6A modification is an important factor contributing to upregulation of UCA1 in CRC tissues.

M6A modification of circNSUN2 promotes colorectal liver metastasis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are playing emerging role in the pathogenesis of cancers, but the mechanisms still unknown. In the recent issue of the Nature Communications, Chen and colleagues have demonstrated that YTHDC1 facilitates N6-methyladenosine modified circNSUN2 cytoplasmic export and the circNSUN2/IGF2BP2/HMGA2 complex stabilizes HMGA2 to promote colorectal liver metastasis. These discoveries not only expand our understanding of circRNAs biology in tumor, but also demonstrate that m6A modification plays a key role for circRNAs in RNA metabolism. Therefore, these findings indicate that circRNAs may be a new approach for therapeutic target of cancers.

Epigenetic Therapy Promotes the Ratio of Th1/Th17 Lineage to Reverse Immune Evasion and Treat Leukemia Relapse Post-allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Non-APL AML Patients.

To reverse the early-stage relapse post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, we investigated the safety and efficacy of a new epigenetic regimen (chidamide and decitabine plus thymalfasin simultaneously) on acute myeloid leukemia patients (excluding acute promyelocytic leukemia). Twenty-four patients were enrolled in this observational study during April 2015 to May 2018. The most common adverse event was reversible CTCAE grade 2 thrombocytopenia (20/24). Strikingly, all 24 patients had response to this epigenetic regimen accompanied with decreased measurable residual disease. The overall survival rate is 79.2% (19/24), with a relapse-free survival rate of 79.2% (19/24). During this regimen treatment, Th1 cells and CD3+CD4-CD8+T cells increased, and Th17 cells decreased gradually. The status of high Th1 and low Th17 cells was still observed on the 3rd month after discontinuation of this regimen. Interestingly, the significantly elevated ratio of Th1/Th17 seemed to reflect the treatment-related immune effect, which may be a valuable marker to be monitored in the early-relapse stage for evaluating the efficacy and prognosis.

LINC00346 promotes pancreatic cancer progression through the CTCF-mediated Myc transcription.

Although multiple factors are known to contribute to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression, the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in PDAC remains largely unknown. In this study, we present data that long intergenic non-coding RNA 346 (LINC00346) functions as a promoting factor for PDAC development. We first show that LINC00346 is highly expressed in pancreatic tumor specimens as compared to normal pancreatic tissue based on interrogation of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pancreatic adenocarcinoma dataset. Of significance, this upregulation of LINC00346 is associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), respectively. We further show that knockout (KO) of LINC00346 impairs pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, tumorigenesis, migration, and invasion ability. Importantly, these phenotypes can be restored by LINC00346 re-expression in KO cells (i.e., rescue experiment). RNA precipitation assays combined with mass spectrometry analysis indicate that LINC00346 interacts with CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), a known transcriptional repressor of c-Myc. This interaction between LINC00346 and CTCF prevents the binding of CTCF to c-Myc promoter, relieving the CTCF-mediated repression of c-Myc. Thus, LINC00346 functions as a positive transcriptional regulator of c-Myc. Together, these results suggest that LINC00346 contributes to PDAC pathogenesis by activating c-Myc, and as such, LINC00346 may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for PDAC.

Emerging roles of lncRNAs in the post-transcriptional regulation in cancer.

Accumulating evidence indicates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can play a pivotal role in regulation of diverse cellular processes. In particular, lncRNAs can serve as master gene regulators at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels, leading to tumorigenesis. In this review, we discuss latest developments in lncRNA-meditated gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, including gene splicing, mRNA stability, protein stability and nuclear trafficking.

Harmine suppresses bladder tumor growth by suppressing vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2-mediated angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis is a vital step during the process of oncogenesis of a lot of tumors, with no exception in bladder cancer. One of the useful strategies for the development of new drugs against cancer is targeting angiogenesis. In the present study, we found that a small-molecule natural product, which belonged to the ß-carboline alkaloid, named harmine, could strongly inhibit tumor angiogenesis thus exhibiting its ideal treatment efficacy in bladder cancer. In vivo study verified that harmine had the effect of inhibition on human bladder tumor xenograft growth. The inhibitory effect of harmine to bladder cancer growth was coordinated by the effects shown on angiogenesis. To further explore the pharmacological activities of harmine, we tested harmine's influence on blood vessel formation and found that harmine effectively blocked the microvessel sprouting in rat aortic ring assay when stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Furthermore, harmine inhibited human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation as well as chemotactic motility, and when we treated HUVEC cell with harmine, the formation of capillary-like structures was also restrained. Moreover, harmine induced bladder cancer cell apoptosis through triggering the caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway and the downstream vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) kinase pathway was down-regulated, thus suppressing tumor development signals. Herein, our study demonstrated that natural product harmine might have potential in curing human bladder tumor because of its pharmacological function on tumor angiogenesis, trigged by VEGFR2 signaling pathways.

Antitumor Activity of Asiaticoside Against Multiple Myeloma Drug-Resistant Cancer Cells Is Mediated by Autophagy Induction, Activation of Effector Caspases, and Inhibition of Cell Migration, Invasion, and STAT-3 Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that plant-derived molecules may prove extremely beneficial in the development of chemotherapy for deadly cancer types. Multiple myeloma is a rare and incurable type of cancers. Very little research has been directed towards the development of chemotherapy for the management of multiple myeloma. Here, the anticancer effects of a plant-derived triterpenoid, Asiaticoside, were examined against the drug-resistant myeloma cell line KM3/BTZ. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cell viability was determined by CCK-8 assay and autophagy was checked by transmission electron microscopy. ROS levels were determined by flow cytometery. Cell migration and invasion were examined by Transwell assay. Protein expression was assessed by Western blotting. RESULTS The results showed that Asiaticoside inhibits the growth of the KM3/BTZ cells and exhibited an IC50 of 12 µM. Further, it was observed that the anticancer effects of Asiaticoside are due to the induction of autophagy allied with upsurge of the expression of LC3-II. Moreover, the expression of the effector caspases in the KM3/BTZ cells was also altered. Asiaticoside also caused accretion of the ROS in the KM3/BTZ cells and inhibited their migratory and invasive properties via modulation of the STAT-3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS Asiaticoside may prove useful in the management and treatment of the multiple myeloma and needs further investigation.

Quantitative assessment of the degree of differentiation in colon cancer with dual-energy spectral CT.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate dual-energy spectral CT imaging in evaluating the degree of differentiation in colon cancer. METHODS: Forty-seven colon cancer patients underwent spectral CT during arterial phase (AP) and portal venous phase (PP), and were characterized pathologically differentiated to well-differentiated (A, n = 18) and poorly differentiated or undifferentiated carcinoma group (B, n = 29). Lesion iodine concentration (IC) was measured and normalized to that of aorta (NIC). CT numbers were measured and the slope (λ HU) of the spectral HU curve was calculated. These parameters were statistically compared between the two groups. ROC curves were used to evaluate their diagnostic efficacies. RESULTS: There were significant differences in IC (1.01 ± 0.20 vs. 1.59 ± 0.57 mg/ml), NIC (0.12 ± 0.03 vs. 0.19 ± 0.09), λ HU (1.41 ± 0.29 vs. 2.03 ± 0.85), and CT number at 70 keV (48.61 ± 9.03HU vs. 63.97 ± 15.86HU) between groups A and B in AP (p < 0.05), but no difference in PP. Using IC = 1.13 mg/ml in AP as the threshold, one obtained a sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 71.4% for differentiating well-differentiated from poorly differentiated or undifferentiated carcinoma. These values were statistically higher than those (64.7% and 62.3%) using CT number at 70 keV. CONCLUSION: Spectral CT imaging parameters (IC, NIC, and λ HU) in AP provide improved accuracy for evaluating the degrees of differentiation in colon cancer than CT number at 70 keV.

Bone Marrow MicroRNA-335 Level Predicts the Chemotherapy Response and Prognosis of Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of microRNA-335 (miR-335) in determining the treatment response and prognosis in adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients receiving the cytarabine (Ara-C)-based chemotherapy.A total of 204 adult AML patients were collected. The miR-335 levels in serum and bone marrow samples from these patients were determined. All patients received Ara-C-based standard induction chemotherapy regimens. The treatment response to Ara-C-based chemotherapy was evaluated. All patients were followed for prognostic analyses.The levels of miR-335 in bone marrow and serum samples from adult AML patients achieving complete response were significantly higher than those without. The serum miR-335 level was not associated with the chemotherapy response and prognosis in these AML patients. In contrast, high bone marrow miR-335 level was significantly associated with a poor treatment response and also predicted a worse prognosis indicated by the relapse-free survival and overall survival periods in adult AML patients receiving Ara-C-based chemotherapy.Our finding suggests that bone marrow miR-335 level may be used as a marker to predict the chemotherapy response and prognosis in adult AML patients.

Cloning, expression, and characterization of prophenoloxidase from Antheraea pernyi.

Prophenoloxidase (PPO) is an essential enzyme in insect innate immunity because of its role in humoral defense. In this study, we have cloned a full-length cDNA of Antheraea pernyi prophenoloxidase (ApPPO) with an open-reading frame encoding 683 amino acids, and the deduced amino acid sequence of ApPPO exhibited a high similarity with those of lepidoptera. The expression of ApPPO was inducible so that the mRNA level was significantly upregulated in the microbial challenged tissues, including fat body, hemocytes, and midgut. To better investigate the enzymatic and immunological properties of ApPPO, recombinant ApPPO (rApPPO) was produced in Escherichia coli. Several functional verification experiments were performed after studying the enzymatic properties. It was found that rApPPO could be stimulated by the microbial challenged larvae hemolymph and then killed bacteria in the radial diffusion assay. Furthermore, rApPPO also induced the transcription of cecropins after injected into the larvae 24 h later.

A novel pattern recognition protein of the Chinese oak silkmoth, Antheraea pernyi, is involved in the pro-PO activating system.

In this paper, we firstly reported a C-type lectin cDNA clone of 1029 bps from the larvae of A. Pernyi (Ap-CTL) using PCR and RACE techniques. The full-length cDNA contains an open reading frame encoding 308 amino acid residues which has two different carbohydrate-recognition domains (CRDs) arranged in tandem. To investigate the biological activities in the innate immunity, recombinant Ap-CTL was expressed in E. coli with a 6-histidine at the amino-terminus (Ap-rCTL). Besides acted as a broad-spectrum recognition protein binding to a wide range of PAMPs and microorganisms, Ap-rCTL also had the ability to recognize and trigger the agglutination of bacteria and fungi. In the proPO activation assay, Ap-rCTL specifically restored the PO activity of hemolymph blocked by anti- Ap-rCTL antibody in the presence of different PAMPs or microorganisms. In summary, Ap-rCTL plays an important role in insect innate immunity as an pattern recognition protein.

Management of pterygoid venous plexus hemorrhage during resection of a large juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: a review of 27 cases.

We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 27 patients who experienced intraoperative bleeding during resection of a large (Fisch type III or IV) juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA). Of this group, 16 patients had a type III JNA and 11 had a type IV tumor. The degree of hemorrhaging during excision of these JNAs varied greatly among individual patients. The amount of blood lost ranged from 200 to 5,000 ml (mean: 1,800) in the type III cases and from 700 to 8,000 ml (mean: 2,850) in the type IV cases. In 5 of these cases, both intraoperative observations and imaging data suggested that an important factor in the blood loss was damage to the pterygoid venous plexus (PVP). The PVP communicates with the cavernous sinus, ophthalmic vein, maxillary vein, and facial vein; no valve exists between these veins. In patients with a large JNA, the PVP is usually compressed by or adherent to the tumor. When a PVP is seriously damaged during removal of a JNA, hemorrhaging can be very profuse. Therefore, a suitable surgical approach and appropriate hemostatic procedures should be used to prevent or manage PVP hemorrhage as effectively as possible. We also describe in greater detail 5 typical cases of JNA excision that did (n = 3) and did not (n = 2) involve PVP damage.

[The immune response of human keratinocytes to Trichophyton rubrum conidia is partially mediated by toll-like receptor-2, 4, dectin-1 and cytokines].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Trichophyton rubrum exposure on the expressions of toll-like receptor-2 (TLR-2), TLR-4 and dendritic cell associated C-type lectin-1 (Dectin-1) and cytokine secretions in human keratinocytes cell line HaCaT. METHODS: The mRNA of TLR-2,4, and dectin-1 in the HaCaT co-cultured with the conidia of Trichophyton rubrum conidia for 24 h was measured with real-time PCR. The mean fluorescence intensity and the percentage of cells positive for TLR-2, 4, and dectin-1 was detected during the co-culture using flow cytometry. The cytokine secretion profiles in the cell culture supernatant was analyzed using a cytokine antibody array. RESULTS: The TLR-2,4, and dectin-1 mRNA expressions, mean fluorescence intensity and percentage of positive cells for TLR-2,4, and dectin-1 all increased in HaCaT cells in response to Trichophyton rubrum conidia exposure. The results of cytokine antibody array demonstrated obviously increased secretions of IL-8, I-309, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-13 in the culture supernatant of HaCaT cells in response to Trichophyton rubrum exposure. CONCLUSION: The immune responses and immunological recognition of human keratinocytes to Trichophyton rubrum conidia are partially mediated by up-regulating the expressions of TLR-2, TLR-4 and dectin-1 and secretions of multiple cytokines.

Lacrimal hyposecretion: a surgical complication of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate lacrimal hyposecretion in the surgical management of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) and discuss how to prevent and treat this expected surgical complication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six cases of JNA were extirpated surgically in the last 3 years in our department. The clinical signs, results of the total tear secretion test (Schirmer I test), imaging studies, surgical findings, and pathologic changes in these cases are reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Three of the 6 cases developed an irritated dry eye on the affected side postoperatively as a result of lacrimal hyposecretion, caused by damage to or partial removal of the pterygopalatine ganglion and vidian nerve. On follow-up for 1 to at least 2 years, the clinical signs disappeared in 2 cases, whereas there was no improvement in 1 case. CONCLUSIONS: If a JNA originates near the pterygopalatine foramen adjacent to the pterygopalatine ganglion and vidian nerve, these may be damaged or partially removed intraoperatively. The consequent lacrimal hyposecretion can be a temporary or permanent complication. SIGNIFICANCE: A few reports have described lacrimal hyposecretion as a surgical complication of JNA; there have been no articles reporting the prognosis of this complication or the related pathologic findings of the involved pterygopalatine ganglions. Prevention of this complication remains a clinical challenge.

[Preparation and biological activity of poly (gamma-glutamic acid) -cisplatin conjugate].

Preparation of a poly (gamma-glutamic acid)-cisplatin conjugate was introduced and its in vitro antitumor effect was investigated. Poly (gamma-glutamic acids) was obtained by using fermentation methods. The hydrolyzed small molecular weight of poly (gamma-glutamic acids) was prepared by acid hydrolysis. The interaction between poly (gamma-glutamic acids) -cisplatin conjugate (PGA-CDDP) and DNA was investigated by PCR model. MTT assay was used to investigate the in vitro anticancer activity of the conjugate. Apoptosis assay of the conjugate was investigated by FCM assay and the in vivo toxicity was also proceeded. The results showed that the poly (gamma-glutamic acids) -cisplatin conjugate was obtained successfully and its yield is 10% - 12%. It has obvious antitumor effects on human liver tumor BEL7404 cells, human lung tumor H446 cells and human colon tumor RKO cells. At the same time, it also has apoptosis effects on the three kinds of tumor cell lines. The in vivo toxicity of PGA-CDDP was examined in normal mice and the results showed that the in vivo toxicity of this conjugate was significantly lower than that of free CDDP. In conclusion, the poly (gamma-glutamic acids) -cisplatin conjuate could be used as a potential clinic antitumor drug. The poly (gamma-glutamic acids) obtained by fermentation can be used as a valuable drug carrier system.

Complications of high intensity focused ultrasound in patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors.

AIM: To analyze the local and systemic complications of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors. METHODS: From Aug 2001 to Aug 2004, 17 patients with recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors were enrolled in this study. Real-time sonography was taken, and vital signs, liver and kidney function, skin burns, local reactions, and systemic effects were observed and recorded before, during, and after HIFU. CT and MRI were also taken before and after HIFU. RESULTS: All 17 patients had skin burns and pain in the treatment region; the next common complication was neurapraxia of the stomach and intestines to variable degrees. The other local and systemic complications were relatively rare. Severe complications were present in two patients; one developed a superior mesenteric artery infarction resulting in necrosis of the entire small intestines, and the other one suffered from a perforation in terminal ileum due to HIFU treatment. CONCLUSION: Although HIFU is a one of noninvasive treatments for the recurrent and metastatic abdominal tumors, there are still some common and severe complications which need serious consideration.