British Journal of Haematology

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Relapses involving the central nervous system (CNS) are rare in children and adolescents with ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) treated with regimens including CNS prophylaxis. Early identification of patients at high-risk for CNS relapse would enable stratification and better adaptation of initial treatment especially in the light of the upcoming targeted therapies with limited CNS penetration. We analyzed clinical and histological data of all ALK+ALCL patients with CNS relapse registered in ALCL99-database with the aim to describe risk factors and outcome...

Several comorbidities predict mortality in patients with COVID-19, some of which are more prevalent in Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released from cells are nano-sized membrane-bound vesicles that carry nucleic acids and proteins and mediate intercellular communication. In COVID-19 associated comorbidities including diabetes, CVD and risk factors such as hypertension, elevated angiotensin II and obesity, levels of circulating EVs are raised and their cargo modified...

SARS-CoV-2, affecting predominantly elderlies, was recognized as a global pandemic in March 11th , 2020; clinical signs and laboratory alterations are similar to previous coronavirus epidemics with lymphocytopenia and neutrophilia observed in severe cases.

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Chronic granulomatous disease is a primary immunodeficiency due to a defect in one of six subunits that make up the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase complex. The most commonly defective protein, gp91phox , is inherited in an X-linked fashion; other defects have autosomal recessive inheritance. Bacterial and fungal infections are common presentations, although inflammatory complications are increasingly recognized as a significant cause of morbidity and are challenging to treat. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation offers cure from the disease with improved quality of life; overall survival in the current era is around 85%, with most achieving long-term cure free of medication...

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The emergence of CoVID-19 infection in the first months of 2020 resulted in a massive surge in admissions to hospitals and intensive care units due to the nature of the respiratory pathophysiology. In some countries, health care systems were rapidly overwhelmed, while in others their hospitals coped with the first wave and all patients received the level of care needed, depending upon both the containment measured and the level of development of the heath care systems.

There has been a significant surge in admissions to critical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, the demands on blood components have not been described. We reviewed their use during the first 6 weeks of the outbreak from 3rd March 2020 in a tertiary-level critical care department providing veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO). 265 patients were reviewed - 235 not requiring ECMO and 30 requiring vv-ECMO. In total, 50 patients required blood components during their critical care admission...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

COVID-19 is associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolic events (VTE). However, there is significant heterogeneity in the thromboembolic phenotypes of COVID-19 patients (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism/thrombosis). The latter might be partly attributed to the variation in VTE risk factors in COVID-19 patients including: (i) patients' characteristics; (ii) hospitalization conditions and interventions; (iii) SARS-Cov-2 specific factors (coagulopathy, endothelial injury/microthrombosis). Furthermore, there is methodological heterogeneity in relation to the assessment of VTE (indications for screening, diagnostic methodology, etc)...

With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic (Wang et al, 2020), Italy - and in particular the largest Northern regions - became disease epicenter with a dramatic raise in infections and deaths in the month of March.

To review the cumulative outcome of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) cycles performed for prevention of sickle cell disease (SCD). Couples referred for PGD for SCD between April 2012 and October 2017 were included. Ovarian stimulation was performed using a short gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol and follicle-stimulating hormone injections. The GnRH agonist was used to trigger oocyte maturation. Oocytes were fertilised using intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Trophectoderm biopsy was performed on day 5 or 6 followed by vitrification...

The UK National Cancer Research Institute initiated a prospective study (UKCRN-ID 1760) to assess the prognostic value of early fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In total, 189 patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) had baseline and post-cycle-2 PET (PET2) within a quality assurance framework. Treatment decisions were based on CT; PET2 was archived for central blinded reporting after treatment completion...

Fluconazole is one of the most commonly used drugs for antifungal prophylaxis in childhood leukaemia. However, its interaction with vincristine may induce neuropathy and the emergence of antifungal drug resistance contributes to substantial mortality caused by invasive fungal infections (IFIs). In a retrospective single-centre study, we compared tolerability and outcome of different antifungal prophylaxis strategies in 198 children with acute leukaemia (median age 5·3 years). Until 2010, antifungal prophylaxis with fluconazole was offered to most of the patients and thereafter was replaced by liposomal amphotericin-B (L-AMB) and restricted to high-risk patients only...

Most cancer cases occur in areas of low resources. The diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of cancers is especially challenging in these locations. Unique partnerships exist between non-profit organisations and pharmaceutical companies to provide free drugs to CML patients throughout the world if the diagnosis can be rigorously and unambiguously established. But there lies the rub: How do you perform molecular diagnostics in areas where even electricity is unreliable? Here we describe the evolution of testing patients from low resource areas, which, when merged with a remarkable effort to bring tyrosine kinase inhibitors to patients across the globe, have led to survival outcomes similar to cases in industrialised countries...

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