Recommendations for drawing up a claim for an invention are presented in the article with an accent on the results of intellectual activity in the medical area. The fact that in Russia one can get a patent on almost any product or method related to healthcare is especially underlined. The reasons motivating scientific workers to claim for a patent are indicated. It is accentuated that the number of patents is an index of a innovative level in the given organization. The objects of intellectual activity which are protected in the Russian Federation as well as those that can not be under such a protection are enumerated. In order to illustrate an invention prototype, the tasks of an invention and the technical result the examples of different objects of inventions in the medical area are given.

The paper overviews the literature on stimulating remuneration of both authors of intellectual work and persons assisting in inventory activities. This problem is not yet solved, which together with discordance in the Russian legislation have a negative effect on the number and quality of applications for registration of intellectual work.

The clinical and immunological characteristics of lymphoid tumors were compared in 591 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Comprehensive investigation of a tumor cell by using cytological, morphological, and immunological studies revealed the most significant criteria for differential diagnosis of ALL and NHL in children and showed the specific features of the site of a tumor and the extent of its growth in ALL and NHL in relation to the immunological affiliation of a tumor cell. The predominance of immature forms, such as stem-cell CD34+, pre-pre-B, pre-B and less commonly T-cell forms with almost none peripheral B- and T-cell markers could be immunophenotypically detected in ALL. NHL was, on the contrary, characterized by the prevalence of mature immunological subtypes with peripheral B- and T-cell markers and much less frequently pre-B and pre-T cells and at the same time there was no CD34 antigen in the tumor cells. Anaplastic giant lymphoma was a peculiar type of NHL characterized by the presence of large cells having marked anaplasia and expression on the surface of CD30 antigen. A comprehensive study of lymphoid tumors in children showed that immunophenotyping was of great value, whose results were associated with the specific feature of tumor growth and prognosis, which should be borne in mind while planning antitumor therapy programmes.

Применение химио - и лучевой терапии у детей с болезнью Ходжкина (БХ) в зависимости от прогностических факторов и групп риска способствовало значительному улучшению результатов лечения. У этих больных 5-летняя выживаемость достигла 93-97%. Однако у 6-13% пациентов наблюдаются рецидивы заболевания. Поэтому на современном этапе необходим дифференцированный подход к назначению программ лечения в зависимости от прогностических факторов.

Treatment for mediastinal lymphosarcoma was given to 71 patients, aged 3-14 years, at the Institute's Clinics during 1982-1991. In that group, there were more males than females (3.4:1), mean duration of the condition of 3 months, T-cell immunity pattern (89.9%), enlarged anterior mediastinal lymph nodes and thymus, pleural lesions including pleuritis, mean mediastinal-thoracic index of 0.5, compression syndrome, elevated concentration of lactate dehydrogenase and presence of tumor cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. Among major negative factors of prognosis were inadequate therapy, pleural lesions and stage IV tumor.

From 1982 to 1991, a total of 132 children with lymphogranulomatosis involving the mediastinum were studied. The comparative analysis of their survival was made on the basis of clinical and laboratory findings which might affect prognosis. Factorial analysis identified 9 unfavourable factors significantly influencing the survival rates. Their predictive value was defined from the informative rate (IR) and distributed in the following decreasing order: patient incompliance, Stage IV, the mediastinal thoracic index of more than 50%, the histological types: modular sclerosis and lymphoid depletion, the patient age of over 10 years, higher haptoglobulin and ceruloplasmin levels, leukocytosis (greater than 8 x 10(9)) g/l, diseases of the lung and pleura. The findings show it expedient to consider the above unfavorable factors in defining a risk group to apply a differential approach to treating patients with lymphogranulomatosis involving the mediastinum.

From 1983 to 1989, 22 patients aged 3 to 15 years with oro- and rhinopharyngeal lymphosarcomas were under observation. This number accounted for 10% of the total children's population with the same disease, with the observation period being the same. As a result of the examination, stage II was diagnosed in 13, stage III in 5, and stage IV in 4 patients. All the patients received chemo- and radiotherapy for 6-18 months. The relapse-free survival amounted to 50 months on the average, the total one to 52 months. It is stressed that early diagnosis and adequate therapy allow the cure of the majority of children with oro- and rhinopharyngeal lymphosarcomas.

Analysis was made of the results of the treatment of 18 children afflicted with lymphoblastic lymphosarcoma, with estimation of predictors influencing the patients' survival (from 1980 to 1986). The most important predictors influencing the 2-year relapse-free survival were found to be the stage, localization of the process, the presence of the symptoms of intoxication and biological activity. The data obtained were used later in the treatment of 160 children during 1986 to 1989. The results of the 2-year survival of this patients' group appreciably differ from those derived before.

Correlation analysis of the clinical course and prognosis was made in 56 children with T-cell lymphoblastic tumors (acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphosarcoma) typed with the use of monoclonal antibodies obtained in this country. The frequency of T-cell marker detection among all immunological subvariants in acute lymphoid leukemia and lymphosarcoma proved to be similar (36.6 and 37%, respectively). In acute lymphoid leukemia type T1 of tumor cells prevailed (58%), while in lymphosarcoma type T3 (63%). T2 and T3-cell lymphoblastic tumors were characterized by the most severe clinical course.

Tolerability and efficacy of high-dose methotrexate was studied in 70 pediatric patients with lymphoblastic tumors (acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Methotrexate was given by 24-hour infusion of 500-1000 mg/m2 (total dose-700-3000 mg) after remission had been achieved. An antidote--calcium folinate--was administered 24 hours postinfusion. Major adverse side-effects involved were stomatitis, hepatotoxicity and fever. Survival in the study group was higher than in controls.