Spent mushroom waste as a media replacement for peat moss in Kai-Lan (Brassica oleracea var. Alboglabra) production.

Peat moss (PM) is the most widely used growing substrate for the pot culture. Due to diminishing availability and increasing price of PM, researchers are looking for viable alternatives for peat as a growth media component for potted plants. A pot study was conducted with a view to investigate the possibility of using spent mushroom waste (SMW) for Kai-lan (Brassica oleracea var. Alboglabra) production replacing peat moss (PM) in growth media. The treatments evaluated were 100% PM (control), 100% SMW, and mixtures of SMW and PM in different ratios like 1 : 1, 1 : 2, and 2 : 1 (v/v) with/without NPK amendment. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with five replications per treatment. Chemical properties like pH and salinity level (EC) of SMW were within the acceptable range of crop production but, nutrient content, especially nitrogen content was not enough to provide sufficient nutrition to plant for normal growth. Only PM (100%) and SMW and PM mixture in 1 : 1 ratio with NPK amendment performed equally in terms of Kai-lan growth. This study confirms the feasibility of replacing PM by SMW up to a maximum of 50% in the growth media and suggests that NPK supplementation from inorganic sources is to ensure a higher productivity of Kai-lan.

Identification of the translocation t(15;17) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) initially classified as FAB M1: case report and review of the literature.

We report a case of a patient aged about 53 years, who initially presented with hematological disorders (WBC: 44000/mm3, Hb: 11g/dl, Pit: 127000/mm3) without tumoral syndrome. The Wright-Giemsa stained bone marrow and peripheral blood smears showed a population of blast cells characterized by cells with high N/C and strongly basophilic cytoplasm without granules. The nuclei were predominantly round. Nuclear chromatin was fine and contained small nucleoli. Cytochemisty was positive for peroxidase activity. Immunophenotyping showed myeloid typical markers of granulocytic lineage (MP0+, CD13+, CD33+, CD117+, CD34-). The karyotype revealed the expression of t(15;17) chromosomal translocation. The diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) was then evoked initially. The cytological features corresponded closely to the M1 subtype as defined in the FAB classification. The patient was treated with induction therapy according to the 7/3 protocol. One month later, he was discharged from hospital on hematological and cytogenetic remission. He died at home because of a heart attack. From the biological findings the patient was retrospectively diagnosed as having promyelocytic leukemia (hyperbasophilic form).

[Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia: A three-case series]. / Leucémie myélomonocytaire juvénile : à propos de trois cas.

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), previously known as juvenile chronic myeloid leukemia (JCML), is a rare, myelodysplastic-myeloproliferative disease typically presenting in early childhood. This disorder is difficult to distinguish from other myeloproliferative syndromes such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) because of the similarities in their clinical and bone marrow findings. However, because of its unique biological characteristics such as absolute monocytosis with dysplasia, absence of Philadelphia chromosome or BCR-ABL fusion protein, hypergammaglobulinemia, and raised fetal hemoglobin level, this disorder does not satisfy the criteria for inclusion in the CML or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) group, as seen in adult patients. We describe three cases of JMML, who had very similar clinical and laboratory findings.

[Acute lymphoblastic leukemia with Philadelphia chromosome: eight case reports]. / Leucémie aiguë lymphoblastique avec chromosome Philadelphie: à propos de huit observations.

Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive form of acute leukemia that children ALL. Between 1991 and 1998, eight cases Ph+ ALL (7 males and one female) were diagnosed in our institution by successful cytogenetic studies. Median age was 37 years (range, 1-60 years). Leukocyte count was more than 50 x 109/l in 5 cases. According to the French-American-British (FAB) criteria, six patients were classified L1 and two L2. The Ph+ as sole anomaly was seen in 2 patients (25%), while additional chromosome changes were observed in 6 cases. Complete remission was achieved in 5 cases (62%) and relapse was observed in all cases? The 2-year survival rae was 25% confirming the worse prognosis of this leukemia when treated with standard chemotherapy.