Acute Abdominal Pain in Childhood,with Special Reference to Cases not due to Acute Appendicitis

Appendicitis is not the only common cause of acute abdominal pain in childhood. Almost equally common is an acute episode which in its early stages resembles acute appendicitis but which subsides without treatment in 24 to 48 hours. The clinical features of this syndrome are contrasted with those of appendicitis. The two conditions cannot always be distinguished on clinical grounds, leading to admission to hospital for observation and the finding of a normal appendix in 14% of operations for suspected appendicitis. Reasons are given for abandoning attempts to diagnose acute mesenteric adenitis at the bedside.     

Fascioliasis—A Large Outbreak

Forty-four cases of liver fluke infestation (fascioliasis hepatica) were diagnosed near Chepstow, Monmouthshire, in 1968. Intramuscular emetine hydrochloride and oral chloroquine given to the adults and children, respectively, were well tolerated. Assessment by repeated stool examination, complement fixation and liver function tests, and full blood counts indicated that treatment had been effective in most cases. It is recommended that both the growth and the sale of watercress should be strictly controlled.     

Time of initiation of the barley endosperm response to gibberellin A3, gibberellin A14 and kaurene

Summary Gibberellin A₁₄ and kaurene, precursors of gibberellin A₃, are active in the barley endosperm reducing-sugar assay, but require longer incubation periods for activity to be observed than does GA₃. This finding shows that the incubation period must be considered when determining whether a compound is active in this assay. The longer incubation periods required by GA₁₄ and kaurene may reflect reduced rates of penetration, or reduced activity within the cell, or the time required for conversion to a physiologically active form.