[Treatment of acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) in the child]. / Tratamiento de la leucemia linfoide aguda (LLA) en el niño.

PURPOSE: To analyse the results of the therapy administered to children with ALL in Cuba. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four-hundred and twenty-five children (aged below 15 years), diagnosed of ALL in 8 different Cuban hospitals between 1973 and 1991, were evaluated. Five different therapeutic regimes were used: three "classic" GLATHEM protocols in the first period (1973-1981) and two intensive BFM-like protocols in the second period (1982-1991). The Kaplan-Meier method was applied for survival analysis, and the differences were evaluated by the log-rank and Mantel-Cox methods. RESULTS: Two-hundred and sixty-five patients were included in the first period, 81 with low-risk disease, 133 with standard risk and 51 with poor-risk leukaemia. The second period comprised 160 cases, 50 of low-risk, 83 with standard risk and 27 with poor-risk leukaemia. The disease-free survival probability at 60 months was 35% for the first group and 55% for the second (p < 0.0001). The 60-month survival (SV) as a whole was 45% for the "classic" treatments and 60% for the BFM-like protocols (p < 0.01). The disease-free survival (DFS) probability for each prognostic group was as follows: 50% for low-risk, 43% for standard risk, and 25% for poor-risk (p < 0.001) and the probability of survival as a whole was, respectively, 65%, 49% and 28% (p < 0.001). as for this compilation, 172 patients were out of any treatment for periods ranging between 14 and 168 months. CONCLUSIONS: 1) The percentage of remissions was similar for both groups of treatments. 2) The results attained with BFM-like protocols were better than those of the "classic" therapy with regard to the SV and DFS differences. 3) Significant differences can be appreciated between good- and poor-prognosis groups for both types of treatment.

[Incorporation of transferrin into the erythron in anemic and polycythemic conditions]. / Incorporación de la transferrina al eritrón en estados anémicos y policitémicos.

A ferrokinetic study was performed in 79 patients, 25 with absolute polycythaemia, 19 with relative polycythaemia and 35 presenting anaemia of different aetiology. The incorporation of transferrin into the erythron (ITE) was estimated on each case. The mean ITE values found in absolute primary and secondary polycythaemia and in secondary polycythaemia were, respectively, 281 +/- 85, 181 +/- 99 and 74 +/- 19 mumol/L tb/d (i.e., micromoles per litre of total blood per day). The mean ITE in iron deficiency anaemia was 110 +/- 43 mumol/L tb/d, in haemolytic anaemia this was 274 +/- 151 mumol/L tb/d, and in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes such values was 116 +/- 49 mumol/L tb/d. Significant differences were found for each group of patients with respect to a normal control group. Such findings are in accordance with the pathophysiology of the different pathologies studied. The values found in haemolytic anaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes are similar to those reported by others. The results of this study stress the advantages of evaluating the erythropoietic activity of the bone marrow by means of the ITE.

[Psychogeriatrics and psychoballet]. / Psicogeriatria y psicoballet.

Third age within humanity has a very important place at world level and it is 11% of total population in our country. Because of the importance that our Ministry of Public Health gives to this determined population move us to carry on this paper, therefore, 26 psychogeriatric patients were selected at random, to who direct attention was offered in elemental ballet techniques. These patients are under the medical care required because of their mental affection, but they also attend to the occupational therapeutical area at the Psychiatric Hospital, Havana, where an adequate therapeutical treatment is given to them, from Monday to Friday at 8:00 a.m. until 10 a.m., and during the year in the performance of this activity we were able to observe a remarkable improvement in such patients, who have improved their interpersonal relationships, and doses of psychopharmaceuticals have been decreased.