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Introduction. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is а malignant, clonal proliferation of B or T lymphocyte precursors. Prognostic factors play an important role in the treatment of this disease. The objective of the study was to determine whether individual clinical and laboratory parameters may have a predictive significance for relapse and the disease outcome. Material and Methods. A retrospective study included 53 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated at the Institute for Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina. The following clinical and laboratory parameters were examined: gender, age at diagnosis, initial white blood cell count, peripheral blood blast percentage, bone marrow blast percentage, prednisone response on day 8 of treatment, immunophenotypic characteristics of leukemic blasts, and infiltration of the central nervous system. Relapses and lethal outcomes were analyzed as well. Results. The mean age at diagnosis was 6.4 ± 7.8 years. Prognostic factors associated with poor outcome were: age over 10 years, mature cell leukemia, and central nervous system involvement. Relapse was found in 6 children (11.3%). Lethal outcome was recorded in 7 children (13.2%). Conclusion. Treatment of childhood lymphoblastic leukemia should be based on the prognostic factors for each patient. The results of this study are consistent with the current literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Recently, there has been a need to use more readily available parameters to assess the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in children. Material and Methods. A single-center retrospective study included 30 children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection who were admitted to the Isolation Department of the Institute for Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina from April to September 2020. A complete blood count with differential was performed. Additionally, systemic inflammatory index, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and plateletlymphocyte ratio were calculated. For comparison, age- and sex-matched 30 children negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were included in the study. Results. In the period from April to September 2020, 30 laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus-19, aged 0 – 17 years, were admitted to the Institute for Child and Youth Health Care of Vojvodina. The age was not a risk factor for the development of coronavirus-19 (p = 0.707; OR: 1.018; 95% CI: 0.927 – 1.119). The comparison of hematological parameters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 status showed that hemoglobin concentration (p < 0.01) and hematocrit (p < 0.01) were lower, and the percentage of neutrophil granulocytes (p < 0.05) was higher among severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 positive children. Furthermore, it was found that some severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 positive children had a higher (p < 0.01), while others had a lower (p < 0.01) percentage of lymphocytes. The systemic inflammatory index, the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes, and the ratio of platelets to lymphocytes, were not found to be statistically significantly different (p > 0.05). Conclusion. Low hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, a high percentage of neutrophil granulocytes, and a non-physiological percentage of lymphocytes (both, low and high) may have a diagnostic significance in children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]