[Better rights for sick children].

Recognizing that healthy children are the future of Europe and the rights of every child to equitable access to health care which is appropriate, child-oriented and of good quality must be respected; The health and well-being of children are priority goals shared by all member states within the general context of human rights and the specific framework of children's rights; Investments in children's health and wellbeing ensures better outcome for the entire lifespan and may reduce the burden on health and welfare systems, since a significant number of avoidable physical and socio-psychological problems in adult life have their origin in infancy and childhood Effective and efficient child-friendly healthcare contributes to social cohesion

[Children who die--is the millennium goal within reach?].

Background: At the beginning of the new millennium the world's leaders agreed on eight MDG's (Millennium Development Goals). This paper addresses the fourth goal: The number of children who die before their fifth birthday should be reduced by two thirds from 1990 to 2015.

Material And Methods: The article is based on literature identified through a non-systematic search in Medline and publications from WHO and UNICEF available on the internet.

Symposium on Better Medicines for Children: report from the 25th International Congress of Pediatrics, Athens, Greece.

A symposium on Better Medicines for Children at the 25th International Congress of Pediatrics in Athens, Greece, in August 2007 drew attention to the worldwide needs for suitable and available medicines for children, and described recent forward action in this important area.

Acute leukaemia in children with Down syndrome: a population-based Nordic study.

To determine the epidemiology and outcome of children with Down syndrome (DS) diagnosed with acute leukaemia in the Nordic countries, data registered in the Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (NOPHO) population-based leukaemia registry were analysed. Of 3494 children with acute leukaemia diagnosed between July 1984 and December 2001, 136 patients (3.9%) with DS were identified.

Treatment stratification based on initial in vivo response in acute myeloid leukaemia in children without Down's syndrome: results of NOPHO-AML trials.

Three consecutive protocols for childhood acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) have been used in the Nordic countries since 1984: the Nordic Society for Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (NOPHO)-AML84 was of moderate intensity, NOPHO-AML88 of high intensity with upfront loading and aggressive consolidation. NOPHO-AML93 utilized the same treatment blocks as NOPHO-AML88, but after the first block those children with a hypoplastic non-leukaemic bone marrow were allowed to recover from aplasia. Poor responders received intensified induction therapy.