[Results of the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia according to the Berlin-Moscow-91 protocol in 1991-2000]. / Rezul'taty lecheniia ostrogo limfoblastnogo leikoza u detei po protokolu Moskva-Berlin-91 v 1991-2000 gg.

The report deals with the results of application of an original protocol--the Berlin-Moscow-91 (BM-91)--for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. The researchers' major concern was to improve survival and cut down side-effects incidence as well as to prevent and successfully manage occult neuroleukemia as a potential source of relapse. Patients aged 5 months-15 years received the BM-91 and ALL BFM-90m treatment first at one clinic and later at several centers. Out of 852 children with primary diagnosis of ALL admitted to Russian hematological hospitals (March 2, 1991-November 3, 2000), 687 were included into the study; 329 received the MB-91 protocol. Nine-year recurrence-free survival was 73% while overall survival--80%. Toxic side-effects after L-asparaginase were reported in 27 (7.9%). It is concluded that good results in childhood ALL treatment can be achieved without resorting to high-dosage chemotherapy and radiation in most cases.

[Treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children according to the ALL-BFM-90m protocol in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus]. / Lechenie ostrogo limfoblastnogo leikoza u detei po protokolu OLL-BFM-90m v Rossiiskoi Federatsii i Respublike Belarus'.

Prognosis for children treated according to the BFM-90m protocol (Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster Group) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) improved significantly as compared with previous modalities. Methotrexate was used in the dose of 1,000 mg/m2, 36 h. The paper presents the 10-year results for this modification. Patients aged 0-15 years were treated at hematological hospitals of Moscow, other Russian towns and in Minsk, Belarus, (July 5, 1990-November 11, 2000). BFM-90m treatment was given to 682 children out of 1,326 with primary diagnosis of ALL; a comparative trial of the MB-91 protocol hed been carried out at the same clinics since 1991. During 10 years, recurrence-free survival was 72% while overall survival--77%. Toxicity of side-effects was tolerable. The BFM-90m treatment showed significantly better results in both countries.

Distribution of the adult lactase phenotypes in Turkey.

The adult lactase phenotype, lactose absorber or malabsorber, was determined using the lactose tolerance test with breath hydrogen assay in a group of young, healthy, male Turks. Out of a total of 470 subjects, 135 (28.7%) were lactose absorbers and 335 (71.3%) lactose malabsorbers. The frequency of the 'lactase suppression gene' in this population sample was 0.844 (S.D. 0.012). The frequency of lactase suppression in Turkey is intermediate between that in southeast Europe and that in agricultural Arab populations and thus compatible with a genetic cline extending from Europe to southwest Asia.