Patients with hematological malignancies are severely immunocompromised and are at high risk of invasive fungal infection (IFI), particularly those undergoing remission-induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). IFIs are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in such patients. We planned to study the incidence of IFI in patients with AML undergoing intensive chemotherapy and receiving antifungal prophylaxis. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive 46 patients with non-M3 AML, who received induction chemotherapy and systemic antifungal prophylaxis. None of the patients had IFI at the time of initiation of the chemotherapy. Patients were monitored for the occurrence of IFI using high-resolution computerized tomography of the chest or para-nasal sinus and test for galactomannan antigen on serum or broncho-alveolar lavage and were followed up for 90 days. Of the 46 patients on intensive chemotherapies, 41, 4 and 1 patients were started on posaconazole, amphotericin B and voriconazole prophylaxis, respectively. The occurrence of possible and probable IFI was observed in 16 and 4 patients respectively, in which 19 patients were on posaconazole and 1 patient was on amphotericin-B prophylaxis. Overall mortality in the study population was 11 (23.9%). Four out of 20 patients died with IFI but none of the death was attributable to IFI. IFI still remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with AML despite universal use of antifungal prophylaxis. With effective pharmacotherapy, the mortality due to IFI is preventable. Appropriate antifungal prophylaxis strategy still needs to be developed through larger and prospective studies. © Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion 2019.Methotrexate (MTX) is an extensively prescribed antimetabolite especially in the treatment of several pediatric cancers, though managing toxicities associated with methotrexate in high dose continues to be a challenge. A prospective study was carried out from April 2017 to October 2018. Children of either sex below 18 years at the time of enrolment and receiving high dose Methotrexate intravenous infusion over 24 h as a 2 g/m2, 3 g/m2 and 5 g/m2 dose was included in the study. The serum methotrexate level was estimated after the start of 48 h HDMTX infusion by using the ARCHITECT methotrexate assay. Toxicity due to HDMTX was assessed by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.5.0. A total of 244 HDMTX infusions were delivered to 62 ALL patients. From the total of 244 cycles, serum methotrexate level in 35 cycles after the start of 48 h HDMTX infusion was found to be ≥ 1.0 μmol/L with reported toxicities among 31 cycles (88.6%). In 209 cycles MTX level was found to be less than 1.0 is statistically significant as compared to other cycles (p  less then  0.0001). Highest toxicities reported were in cycle I (38.8%). The toxicities such as oral mucositis, neutropenia, the elevation of liver enzymes, dermatological toxicities were found more in cycles whose methotrexate level are greater than 1.0 μmol/L. Dose reduction, increased the length of stay and treatment delay occurred in patients with severe toxicities. Severe toxicities of methotrexate can be interrelated with serum methotrexate levels at 48 h after the start of HDMTX infusion. © Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion 2019.The median age of diagnosis for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in India is 35 years on the contrary to western literature which is 47 years. The outcome of the elderly patient in CML TKI era is not reported from the Indian population. However, Western literature suggests that use of TKI alleviate the adverse impact of age in outcomes of CML. This study was carried out to analyze the clinical profile and outcome of elderly, in comparison with younger patients with CML. We retrospectively analyzed CML patients treated at our department from January 2008 to December 2017. The data cutoff date was December 2018. The cohorts of 712 patients were divided into two groups. Patients belonging to the age group of ≥ 60 years were classified as the study group and those who were 18-60 years were used as controls. Patient's clinical history, examination and milestones in terms of achieving hematological, molecular responses and toxicity profile were also recorded. The total of 712 patients, 52 patients in the study group and 660 patients in the control group were treated during the study period. The study group was having more co-morbidities than the control group (15.3% vs. 4.5%). Patients having high-risk EUTOS score were similar in both groups (38.4% vs.  https://www.selleckchem.com/TGF-beta.html  37.6%). The patients presented in blast phase were higher in the study group as compared to control group (9.6% vs. 6.36%) but the differences were not statistically significant. Rates of achieving a hematological response at 3 months (85.1% vs. 86.89%) and the major molecular response at 18 months (54.3% vs. 60.16%) were almost similar in both groups. However, hematological toxicity, muscle cramps and gastritis were reported more in elderly patients. The outcome of CML patients in TKI era do not differ in elderly patients. However, toxicity profile was not significantly inferior in elderly patients. © Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion 2019.Erythropoietin (EPO) is an important hormone responsible for the stimulation of hematopoiesis which is impaired in a variety of diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, cancer chemotherapy, and the use of some anti-HIV drugs. Difficulties in the purification of endogenous EPO due to problems such as technical limitations, heterogeneity of target cells, inadequate amount and immunogenicity of the resultant product, had limited the entry of endogenous EPO in the clinical applications. The integration of medical biotechnology and hematology has introduced novel procedures for the production of human recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO), and other erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). To investigate and produce rHuEPO, the first step is to recognize the molecular biology and functional pathways, structure, metabolism, and basic physiology of EPO. In this review, all clinical indications, side effects, challenges and notable points regarding EPO, rHuEPO, and other ESAs have also been addressed along with its molecular characterization, such as the modifications needed to optimize their rHuEPO biosynthesis.