The umbilical cord: normal parameters.

The average length of the umbilical cord is 50-60 cm in the normal full term newborn infant. The length of the cord is an index of foetal activity and is dependent on the tension caused by the freely moving foetus, primarily during the second trimester. The short cord is associated with foetal akinesis or maldevelopment of the central nervous system and is a significant early marker of developmental abnormalities including Down syndrome. Abnormal girth of the cord should make one suspicious of a patent urachus or an umbilical hernia and caution should be used before clamping. The importance of the twist is that, if not present, one should suspect congenital anomalies. The twist should be to the left or counter clockwise. The cord stump separates from the baby at about two weeks of age at present in the era of triple dye care with a large variability due to multiple factors.

Rapid symptomatic relief of streptococcal pharyngitis in children.

Sixty 3- to 14-year-old outpatients with positive streptococcal group A bacterial cultures and clinical signs and symptoms of pharyngitis were treated with a single intramuscular (IM) injection of penicillin G benzathine/penicillin G procaine in a multicenter study. At the first follow-up visit, usually within 48 hours of the injection, 60 children had negative cultures, and the mean body temperature had decreased from 100.2 +/- 1.6 degrees F to 98.5 +/- 0.5 degree F (P less than 0.05). At this time, the investigators rated 77% of the children clinically cured and the remaining 23% improved; major signs and symptoms (sore throat, difficulty swallowing, lethargy, and cervical node enlargement and tenderness) had disappeared in nearly all of the children. Initial injection site pain, noted in only 15% of the children 48 hours later, probably was secondary to the injection and not drug related. Most other adverse reactions (in seven children) also were injection related, were mild or moderate, and required no countermeasures. At the second follow-up visit approximately 10 days after injection, all children were considered clinically and bacteriologically cured. Thus, the combination of IM benzathine and procaine penicillin not only is safe and effective but eliminates compliance concerns.