[The prospects for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia of being cured has increased in the Czech Republic in the 21st century to 90% - outcome of the ALL-IC BFM 2002 trial].

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent childhood malignancy. Treatment has been unified in the middle of 1980 in the Czech Republic. In 2002-2007 children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were treated in an international randomized trial ALL-IC BFM 2002 in the Czech Republic.

Inhibitors incidence rate in Czech previously untreated patients with haemophilia A has not increased since introduction of recombinant factor VIII treatment in 2003.

Our objective was to assess the incidence of inhibitors development in Czech Republic since the introduction of recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) and to look for the factors potentially influencing this parameter. It is to be expected that inhibitors risk may be increased after the introduction of recombinant products. Data of Czech National Haemophilia Programme registry entered from 2003 till 2013 were analysed.

Human immunoglobulin (KIOVIG®/GAMMAGARD LIQUID®) for immunodeficiency and autoimmune diseases: an observational cohort study.

Aim: To document the therapeutic efficacy and safety of Human Normal Immunoglobulin 10% Liquid (KIOVIG(®)/GAMMAGARD LIQUID(®) [IVIG 10%]) under clinical routine conditions.

Patients & Methods: Subjects received IVIG 10% according to the prescribing information and were followed for 6 ± 1 weeks to 12 ± 2 months depending on indication. Efficacy, adverse events, infusion rates and duration and dose were recorded.

Combination of prednisolone and low dosed dexamethasone exhibits greater in vitro antileukemic activity than equiactive dose of prednisolone and overcomes prednisolone drug resistance in acute childhood lymphoblastic leukemia.

Introduction: Glucocorticoids, particularly prednisone/ prednisolone and dexamethasone, play a prominent role in the treatment of pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia due to their ability to induce apoptosis in susceptible cells. Current therapeutic protocols use prednisone for both the prophase and the induction phase of the therapy because the greater antileukemic activity of dexamethasone is compromised by its high frequency of serious adverse reactions.

Aim: To compare, for the first time, the in vitro antileukemic activity of prednisolone alone to that of a combination of prednisolone and dexamethasone using dexamethasone at a very low and presumably safe dosage (1/50 w/w).

Minimal residual disease in peripheral blood at day 15 identifies a subgroup of childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia with superior prognosis.

Background: Most minimal residual disease-directed treatment interventions in current treatment protocols for acute lymphoblastic leukemia are based on bone marrow testing, which is a consequence of previous studies showing the superiority of bone marrow over peripheral blood as an investigational material. Those studies typically did not explore the prognostic impact of peripheral blood involvement and lacked samples from very early time points of induction.

Design And Methods: In this study, we employed real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis to examine minimal residual disease in 398 pairs of blood and bone marrow follow-up samples taken from 95 children with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the ALL IC-BFM 2002 protocol.

Dysfibrinogenemia in childhood: two cases of congenital dysfibrinogens.

A 2-year-old asymptomatic boy and his relatives were investigated for a suspected fibrinogen mutation after coagulation tests revealed a decreased functional fibrinogen level (family A). Eight-year-old and 1-year-old asymptomatic brothers were investigated for a suspected fibrinogen mutation after coagulation tests revealed a decreased functional fibrinogen level and prolonged thrombin time (family B). To identify whether genetic mutations were responsible for these dysfibrinogens, DNA extracted from the blood was analyzed.

Long-term serial echocardiographic examination of late anthracycline cardiotoxicity and its prevention by dexrazoxane in paediatric patients.

Unlabelled: The authors conducted an 8-year prospective non-randomised study to determine whether dexrazoxane (ICRF-187) would reduce late anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity in patients treated in childhood for haematological malignancy. The authors examined prospectively 75 patients (40 male/35 female) aged 2-17 years (median 6.5 years) at the time of diagnosis.