Tandem autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for embryonal brain tumors in infants and very young children.

Withdrawal of radiotherapy in patients with brain tumors under four years decreases chance for cure. AutoHSCT in a series of pilot studies demonstrated a potential to improve outcomes in these patients. The study included 50 patients with median age of 39 months (7-53).

Extracorporeal Photopheresis in Children with Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

Chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) remains a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). It significantly decreases survival and quality of life. The present study demonstrates retrospective data on extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in children with cGVHD.

[Microbiological degradation of benz(a)pyrene in soil].

Several microbial clones that could grow on the benz(a)pyrene medium were identified from the soils contaminated with petroleum products. It was shown that benz(a)pyrene could be degraded by the obtained cultures that selectively utilized the carcinogenic molecules of benz(a)pyrene in the presence of other sources of carbohydrate. The authors give recommendations on the biodestruction of benz(a)pyrene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under natural conditions in order to improve the oncoecological situation.