[Is localization of B-cells in the acini a normal condition or the sign of compensatory process in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus?].

45 pancreatic biopsies from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), obtained in the process of surgical treatment were studied. A different degree of the Langerhans islands and morphological changes in B-cells was noted. The presence of endocrine-like cells in the acini and among the cells of the inter-acinar duct is of great interest. The granules of these cells were insulin-positive when studied immunohistochemically this permitting one to consider them as B-cells. Further study of these cells will allow to deepen the knowledge about the mechanism of IDDM development and to improve the methods of treatment.