title: Onto- and phylogenetical aspects on insulin-producing islet-cell tumors.
abstract: When onto- and phylogenetical aspects are taken into account when studying insulin-producing islet-cell tumors, it becomes clear that the recently discovered "type IV" islet parenchymal cells (or "delta 1" -cells) may play an important role in various states of hypoglycemia, both of neoplastic and non-neoplastic origin. Moreover, it becomes obvious that increased attention to this kind of islet cell through intensified light-microscopical, histochemical, ultrastructural and experimental investigations covering a wide range of animals, may help to clarify several unsolved problems in the cytological composition of the islets of Langerhans. The occurrence of islet-cell tumors (or hamartomas) in the most primitive vertebrate islet parenchyma known, viz. that of the hagfish, Myxine glutinosa, is reported, as well as an additional case of mixed carcinoid-islet-cell tumor in a human pancreas.
mesh_terms: D007516:Adenoma, Islet Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006196:Hagfishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007223:Infant; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007798:Lampreys / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin