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OBJECTIVES The article focuses on main topics related to disease, death, and dying in communication between parents and their adolescent children with this diagnosis. METHODS We conducted qualitative research comprising 13 interviews with parents who lost their adolescent child to cancer. We used a semi-structured interview and interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS Results introduced 6 basic topics: mutual protection, openness in the communication about cancer and death, making treatment decisions together, talks at the time of passing, hope, and spiritual experience. CONCLUSION Adolescents appreciate age-appropriate, open communication about their disease. Talking about the disease and its prognosis appears to be the way from mutual protection to open truthfulness. Openness also includes the participation of adolescents in further treatment. For some parents, it makes sense to constantly protect the child from the fact of death. Caregivers should support discussions about death between parents and their terminally ill adolescent children and accept individual decisions to talk about death (Tab. 1, Ref. 25).

The precise diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia is essential for correct prognosis assessment and therapy regimen selection. At present, immunophenotyping, cytogenetics and molecular screening are major and complementary methods utilized in a routine leukemia diagnostics. The aim of this study was to validate the application of multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for molecular diagnosis of the most common pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia-associated fusion transcripts. Our data show that screening of bone marrow and/or peripheral blood by RT-PCR, consisting of multiplex and monoplex PCR, confirmed results of real-time quantitative PCR (RT qPCR). This screening may provide a reliable, specific and sensitive method amenable to standard laboratory practice and a cost-effective alternative to more complex and expensive RT qPCR techniques.

BACKGROUND Although the iron is an essential element for the physiological functions of cells, tissues and organs, it is also an important inductor of reactive oxygen species (ROS). MATERIAL AND METHODS Three groups of human spleen with autoimmune thrombocytopenia (AITP), hereditary spherocytosis (HS) and reference samples stained by haematoxylin and eosin, Perls' reaction for nonheme Fe(III) iron and Alcian blue for glycoconjugates detection were studied. RESULTS Positive Perls' reaction in both AITP and HS groups was seen. Higher positivity in the HS than in AITP group was observed. HS group showed a higher amount of acidic glycoconjugates deposits than AITP group. Iron overload in HS and AITP leads to overproduction of ROS. CONCLUSION We suggest that acidic glycoconjugates deposits are involved in antioxidant defence by elimination and restriction of iron as a ROS inducer (Fig. 4, Ref. 19).