The thalidomide analogue, CC-4047, induces apoptosis signaling and growth arrest in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo.

Purpose: Thalidomide and its analogues have shown promise in the treatment of multiple myeloma but their therapeutic potential has not been evaluated in models of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Experimental Design: We assessed the effects of the thalidomide analogue, CC-4047, on the growth and apoptosis signaling of human B cell precursor (BCP) ALL cell lines and freshly obtained childhood BCP-ALL cells grown with or without stromal cells. In addition, we studied the effects of CC-4047 on the progression and dissemination of xenotransplanted human BCP-ALL cells in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice.

Pertussis immunisation in adolescents and adults--Bordetella pertussis epidemiology should guide vaccination recommendations.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is an infectious disease that is caused by Bordetella pertussis, affects all age groups and is vaccine preventable. Recently, an increase in reported cases of pertussis in adolescents and adults has been noted in many countries despite high immunisation rates in children. Today pertussis outnumbers all other paediatric vaccine-preventable diseases in some countries.

Compliance with recommended immunizations in adolescents.

Introduction: Little is known about the completeness and timely administration of recommended standard immunizations in Germany. The goal of this study was to determine compliance with official standard immunization recommendations in adolescents attending secondary schools in the city of Erlangen, Germany.

Methods: Adolescents who were attending 5th grade (at approximately 11 years of age), 8th grade (14 years), or 10th and 11th grade (16-17 years) classes at any of the 13 of 14 schools that had agreed to participate were eligible to be enrolled.

Immunization rates and timely administration in pre-school and school-aged children.

Whereas immunization coverage has been repeatedly assessed in the Swiss population, little is known about the timely administration of universally recommended immunizations in Switzerland and elsewhere. The goal of this study was to determine compliance with official standard immunization recommendations in pre-school and school-aged children in Basel, Switzerland, focusing on coverage rates and timely administration. Of a cohort of children entering kindergarten and third-grade primary school in Basel in 2001, 310 and 310, respectively, were identified in proportion to the overall age-appropriate populations in the four city districts.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics in infants and children.

The use of fluoroquinolones in children is limited because of the potential of these agents to induce arthropathy in juvenile animals and to potentiate development of bacterial resistance. No quinolone-induced cartilage toxicity as described in animal experiments has been documented unequivocally in patients, but the risk fro rapid emergence of bacterial resistance associated with widespread, uncontrolled fluoroquinolones use in children is a realistic threat. Overall, the fluoroquinolones have been safe and effective in the treatment of selected bacterial infections in pediatric patients.

Reporting of vaccine safety data in publications: systematic review.

Purpose: To assess current reporting practices of immunisation safety data in the scientific literature.

Methods: Systematic literature search for recent prospective clinical studies on vaccines in humans. The main outcome measures were methodological differences in the assessment, definition, analysis and presentation of 'adverse events following immunisation' (AEFI).

An update on the prevention of influenza in children and adolescents.

Unlabelled: Influenza virus types A and B cause yearly outbreaks of respiratory tract infections in all age groups including children and adolescents. Complications, such as high fever, febrile convulsions, secondary bacterial infections and myositis frequently lead to hospitalisation. Safe and effective split, subunit and virosome vaccines are available from 6 months of age onwards.

Recent progress in clinical and basic pertussis research.

Unlabelled: Over the last decade, substantial progress has been made in the field of pertussis research. This includes better understanding of virulence mechanisms and their influence on the pathogenicity of Bordetella pertussis, increased awareness of the broad spectrum of disease and more insight into the host's immune response to infection, improved diagnostic tools, development, evaluation, introduction and implementation of several acellular pertussis vaccines and better understanding of the epidemiology of pertussis in adolescents and adults.

Conclusion: The major achievements in the field of pertussis research are reviewed and discussed.