Habitual chewing of pan masala/gutkha is associated with earlier presentation of oral submucous fibrosis than betelquid use. Factors which may be responsible for these differences are the tobacco content, the absence of the betel leaf and its carotenes and the much higher dry weight of pan masala/gutkha.

Availability of folic acid from seven commonly used Indian foods and from yeast was studied in normal human subjects. The method consisted of measuring urinary excretion of folate after the ingestion of a known amount of food folate. The mean availiability of folic acid from different foods was more than 50%, except from brewer's yeast wherein approximately only 10% of folate was available.

Summary. Immune status during the third trimester of pregnancy was investigated in relation to maternal haemoglobin levels. The proportion of T and B lymphocytes showed a tendency to fall in anaemic women which was significant when haemoglobin levels were <8 g/dl. Immunoglobin G showed the opposite trend. There were no alterations in phytohaemag‐glutinin‐induced lymphocyte transformation in relation to haemoglobin concentration.

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Summary Folic acid absorption was studied in six non‐pregnant women, and nine pregnant women undergoing therapeutic termination of pregnancy between 10 to 26 weeks, using 2 mg. of folic acid labelled with 10 μCi of tritiated folic acid. Absorption varied between 65 and 95 per cent, with a mean absorption of 80 per cent, in both pregnant and non‐pregnant subjects. Similarly, there was no difference of retention between the groups. The results indicate that there is no change in the absorption of folic acid in the first 26 to 28 weeks of pregnancy.

A simple and rapid polarimetric method is developed for quantitation of adulteration of castor oil in edible oils such as cottonseed, coconut, mustard, olive, palm, peanut, rice bran, safflower, soybean, and sunflower. The method is based on the optical activity of ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxy octadecenoic acid), a major constituent of castor oil. There is a good correlation between optical rotation and castor oil content in admixt~es above 5%. Highly colored and viscous oils interfere in, ~ measurement of optical activity. The method is highly specific and cost-effective. No solvents and chemicals are required for the analysis because no sample processing is involved in the present method.