Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of infantile neuroblastoma (NB) and the factors that affect prognosis.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data collected from 44 cases of NB who received treatment in The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from March 2008 to March 2017 to summarize the clinical characteristics of NB and the factors that affect prognosis.Results:Among the 44 cases, 21 were male and 23 were female, with a median age of 5.5 months (range, 0 days-12 months). Four cases had stage I NB, seven cases stage II NB, five cases stage III NB, 15 cases stage IV NB, and 13 cases stage IVs NB. The tumors were located in the adrenal glands and retroperitoneum ( n = 26, 59.1%), posterior mediastinum ( n = 15, 34.1%), pelvis ( n = 2, 4.5%), and neck ( n = 1, 2.3%). The median follow-up time was 90 months (range, 2-144 months). The 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates were 93.2% and 90.9%, respectively. Among 35 cases who survived more than 5 years, 30 cases survived healthily, 5 cases survived with tumor, and 4 cases died. Bone marrow metastasis, bone metastasis, and the extent of tumor resection greatly affect the prognosis of NB ( χ2 = 6.92, 12.19, 4.70, all P < 0.05). Conclusion:The overall prognosis of NB is good in infants. NB mainly occurs in the abdomen. The survival rate of infants with stage IVs NB is lower than that of infants with stages I, II, and III NB. The prognosis of NB occurring in the abdomen is poorer than that occurring in other regions. Bone marrow metastasis, bone metastasis, and the extent of tumor resection are adverse factors affecting the prognosis.

Objective To screen and identify mRNAs targeted by human cytomegalovirus-encoded miR-US33-1-5p (HCMV miR-US33-1-5p) for understanding the biological functions of HCMV miR-US33-1-5p. Methods Potential target mRNAs of HCMV miR-US33-1-5p were screened out by using hybrid-PCR, a simple and effective method. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay System was used to identify the binding abili-ties of HCMV miR-US33-1-5p to 3′-UTRs of these potential target mRNAs. Results Twelve potential mRNAs targeted by HCMV miR-US33-1-5p were screened out in human embryo lung fibroblast cells infected with HCMV. Luciferase activities of 3′-UTRs of seven target mRNAs were significantly down-regulated. Conclusion Proteins encoded by these target mRNAs are involved in virus replication,immune system reg-ulation,protein synthesis,cell cycle regulation,energy metabolism and so on. Identification of mRNAs tar-geted by HCMV miR-US33-1-5p is helpful for further studies on biological functions of miR-US33-1-5p.