Steroid saponins

Steroid saponins isolated from various plants are reviewed. The newer techniques used in their isolation and structure elucidation are discussed. A compilation of the saponins isolated up to 1980 along with their available physical data is included. The basic steroidal saponins isolated after 1972 are also compiled.     

Morphological changes in the human endocrine pancreas induced by chronic excess of endogenous glucagon.

The non-tumoral endocrine pancreas from a patient with elevated plasma levels of glucagon due to a malignant glucagonoma was studied immunocytochemically, ultrastructurally and morphometrically. Compared with normal pancreatic islets from control subjects, those of the pancreas from the patient with a glucagonoma showed an almost complete disappearance of A cells, a decrease in immunoreactive insulin in B cells associated with cytological features indicating enhanced synthesis and secretion of this hormone, and an increase in immunoreactive somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) accompanied by unusually high numbers of D and PP cells. In addition, numerous B cells were found outside the islets, either forming micro-islets or scattered in the exocrine tissue (nesidioblastosis). The possible mechanisms involved in determining the changes in the secretory activity of B cells and the alterations in the cell composition of the islets are discussed.     

Vertical transmission of hepatitis B in north India.

A total of 2337 mother-baby paired sera were screened for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen. Fifty eight mothers (2.48 per cent) were positive for HBsAg. Six babies (10.3 per cent) were positive for HBsAg at birth. The risk of the babies acquiring the infection during the first year of life varied with the serological status of the mothers. In HBeAg positive mothers the babies were at the greatest risk, with 11/15 (73.3 per cent) babies acquiring the infection by twelve months. If the mothers were only HBsAg positive the risk was lower (17.3 per cent), and if the mother was anti-HBe positive also then the baby had the least chance of becoming infected (9 per cent).