Pancreatic islet development and insulin storage were studied in foetal rats during the last 4 days of gestation (day 19 to 22 post-coitum (p. c.)) and in 1 and 5 days old neonatal rats. Adult female virgin rats were also studied. The percentage of granulated B-cells per islet, the degree of B-cell granulation and the islet insulin concentration rose from low levels on day 19 to adult levels on day 22 and remained stable after birth. This indicates that the qualitative maturation of the pancreatic islets as insulin producing units is completed on the last day of gestation. The percentage of islet tissue slowly rose from 0.7 % at day 19 to 1.5 % on day 22. A further and much more rapid rise occurred during the first day of birth. At the 5th postnatal day the islets comprised 3.6 % of the pancreas versus 1.1% in adult rats. Likewise, the neonatal pancreatic insulin concentration was about 3 times higher than in the adult pancreas.The foetal pancreas as a whole showed rapid exponential growth between day 18 and 21 p. c., but a sudden decline in growth rate occurred from day 21 onward. The total mass of islet tissue, on the other hand, continued to expand at its high initial rate up to the first day after birth, whereafter this high rate also declined. The high concentration of insulin in the neonatal rat pancreas therefore appears to be due to differential growth rates of the endocrine and exocrine tissue during the last day of pregnancy and the first day after birth. Pregnancy in the rat lasts for 22-22Vs days. Embryonic islet-like structures appear in the pancreatic diverticulum around the 15th day of gestation and their size and number rapidly increase in the subsequent days (Hard 1944).

The available data on the use of oral contraceptive agents in patients with sickle cell diseases is reviewed. The attitude which considers sickle cell anemia to be a contra-indication to OC's cannot be supported on the basis of available evidence. On the contrary, there are a number of reports where favorable effects of steroids on 'sickling' have been described. It is concluded that modern low-dose combined OC's are the method of choice for contraception in all patients carrying the HbS gene.

Summary Labour was induced with repeated intramuscular injections of 125 or 250 μg of a 15‐methyl analogue of prostaglandin F2α (15‐me‐PGF2α) in 97 women harbouring a dead fetus for 1 to 42 days in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. The 24‐hour cumulative expulsion rate was 93 per cent in 35 nulliparae and 95 per cent in 61 multiparae in whom labour was successfully induced. There was one failure in a parous patient. The median time interval between the first injection and delivery was significantly longer in nulliparae (10.4 hours) than in parous women (7.3 hours). There were no important differences in efficacy or side effects between the 125 and the 250 μg dosage scheme. No serious complications occurred, but gastrointestinal side effects were prominent. It is concluded that these side effects are compensated for by the simplicity, efficacy and safety of the procedure.

The aim of this study is to obtain an actual survey of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures of endometriosis (EMT) in gynaecological practice in West Germany. A questionnaire was sent to 6,700 gynaecologist; 1,364 responded. Approximately 5% of all the patients in daily practice have symptoms related to EMT. Most of the patients are in their twenties. The common clinical symptoms of EMT are dysmenorrhoea (91.8%), infertility (79.7%), pelvic pain (70.9%), menstrual irregularity (46.3%), dyspareunia (21.8%) and painful defaecation (12.8%). The diagnostic standard is laparoscopy, but there are many doctors diagnosing EMT also by means of gynaecological examination (23.8%) or ultrasound (21.3%) - especially in young patients. Hormones are the first choice of therapy. Progestins and danazol are preferred. GnRH-analogues are only used by a smaller proportion of gynaecologists - particularly in infertile patients. Surgical procedures with or without hormonal suppression are another line of therapy adapted by 70.9% of the gynaecologists, which are often preferred in infertile patients. Psychological problems in EMT are caused by the uncertainties between EMT and infertility and by the difficulties between physiological menstrual discomfort and pain caused by EMT. 68.5% of the gynaecologists suggest that more information beyond diagnosis and therapy should be given to the patients. Promotion of self-supporting groups should be encouraged by the doctors.

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