PurposeThe aim of this study was to gain a deeper insight into patients’ perception of chronic heart failure (CHF) symptoms by analyzing their compliance with nonpharmacological recommendations.Patients and methodsThis was a prospective, single-center survey-based registry. Patients included in this study were hospitalized between December 2014 and January 2016 at the 1st Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Lord’s Transfiguration, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, and had been diagnosed with CHF at least 3 months prior to inclusion. Participants were divided according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class into mild CHF (NYHA I and II) and severe CHF (NYHA III and IV), and according to age into young (<50 years), middle-aged (50–70 years) and old (>70 years). The survey included information about the patients’ sex, age, education, length of the illness and 12 questions about their perception of CHF. This study included 201 patients. The mean age was 58±15 years.ResultsThe younger the patients, the more often they thought that CHF is curable. The patients presenting with severe CHF tended to think that CHF is incurable significantly more often than those with mild CHF. Most of the patients considered loss of appetite, cough and vomiting the least alarming symptoms. Significantly more patients with severe CHF exercised less and reported reduced sexual activity more often in comparison to the mild CHF patients. Most of the young patients reported no changes to their sexual activity, body mass index (BMI) or exercise after diagnosis of CHF. Most of the old patients exercised less than before diagnosis of CHF. Significantly more middle-aged patients reduced their BMI, quit smoking and reported lower sexual activity after diagnosis of CHF in comparison to the other groups.ConclusionPatients need to be better educated about the nature of CHF and the importance of lifestyle changes.

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<b><i>Background:</i></b> <i>BCR/ABL1</i>-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a newly recognized high-risk subtype of ALL, characterized by the presence of genetic alterations activating kinase and cytokine receptor signaling. This subtype is associated with inferior outcomes, compared to other B-cell precursor ALL. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> The recognition of <i>BCR/ABL1</i>-like ALL is challenging due to the complexity of underlying genetic alterations. Rearrangements of <i>CRLF2</i> are the most frequent alteration in <i>BCR/ABL1</i>-like ALL and can be identified by flow cytometry. The identification of <i>BCR/ABL1</i>-like ALL can be achieved with stepwise algorithms or broad-based testing. The main goal of the diagnostic analysis is to detect the underlying genetic alterations, which are critical for the diagnosis and targeted therapy. <b><i>Key Messages:</i></b> The aim of the manuscript is to review the available data on <i>BCR/ABL1</i>-like ALL characteristics, diagnostic algorithms, and novel, molecularly targeted therapeutic options.

Acute pancreatitis in children acute lymphoblastic leukemia is commonly caused by drugs, for example, L-Asparaginase, pegapargase, steroids. The incidence of this complication is estimated at 6.7% to 18%. Although the majority of drug-induced acute pancreatitis cases are mild, severe cases can rarely occur. This work presents a case of successful management of a child with drug-induced necrotizing pancreatitis during acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapy. This case illustrates that comprehensive care and immediate intensive treatment can rescue patient despite poor prognosis. Administration of octreotide may serve a role in limiting the severity of the disease.