A number of field trials was executed in semi-arid deserts of Ismailia, Egypt, to experiment growth and productivity of sole or mixed canopies of legumes (soybean, leucaena, sesbania, berseem and grasspea) and non-legumes (corn, Rhodes grass, elephant grass, ryegrass and barley) when inoculated with N 2 -fixing bacteria (diazotrophs) in presence or absence of N fertilizers. An average estimate of > 20 Kg N acre −1 was transferred to neighbouring unfertilized corn, and land equivalent ratio (LER) reached 1.35. Rhodes grass mixed with sesbania or leucaena produced higher biomass yield compared to pure N-fertilized stands; increases of 66–91% and 22–29% were reported for inoculated and non-inoculated plants respectively. In mixed canopy with berseem, dry matter yield of the non-legume partner increased compared to that in pure stands, being higher for barley (120–255%) compared to ryegrass (62–115%). Similar trends were scored with N yield. Response of elephant grass to inoculation with associative diazotrophs was more pronounced when intercropped with leucaena as increases over pure stand in dry matter production approximated 40%. On the other hand, both grasspea and barley were negatively affected by intercropping. Total biomass and N-yields of barley were more affected than grasspea. © 2001 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Carcinoma of the bladder is the most prevalent cancer in Egypt and in most African countries. At the National Cancer Institute (NCl), Cairo, it constitutes 30.3% of all cancers. The median age at diagnosis is 46 years, with a male preponderance of 5:1. Whether in Egypt or other African countries such as Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Gold Coast, and Senegal, it is mostly of the squamous cell type, and arises in a background of schistosomiasis or bilharziasis. Tumors are usually advanced at the time of presentation. Bladder carcinogenesis is probably related to bacterial and human papilloma virus (HPV) infections, usually associated with bilharzial infestation. Management is mainly surgery, with 5-year survival rates after radical cystectomy increasing from 35% in the 1970s to 48% in the 1990s. The addition of adjuvant and neoadjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy to surgery since 1976 significantly improved both disease-free and overall survival rates. Molecular genetic studies concerning potential prognostic markers, tumorigenesis, and tumor progression in bilharzial bladder cancer are limited. However, a comprehensive detailed analysis of these factors is underway. Bilharzial bladder cancer is a preventable malignant disease. Primary prevention could be possible if the parasite is eliminated nationwide. Chemoprevention using retinoids or cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitors is a possible alternative. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.