Betamethasone-induced hypokalemic periodic paralysis in pregnancy.

Background: Acute hypokalemic periodic paralysis may be induced by betamethasone injections during pregnancy.

Case: A healthy 23-year-old gravid woman at 32 weeks of gestation with preterm premature rupture of membranes received two doses of 12-mg intramuscular betamethasone 24 hours apart to accelerate fetal lung maturation. She developed significant proximal muscle weakness within 16 hours after the initial dose.

Physically and sexually violent experiences of reproductive-aged women displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Purpose: Measure the frequency of physical and sexual abuse in a sample of reproductive aged women displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and compare those experiences to the year before Hurricane Katrina.

Methods: Sixty-six English-speaking women aged 18-49 years residing in Louisiana Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) housing were screened for physical and sexual abuse seven to nine months after Hurricane Katrina, using modified 30x7 cluster sampling methodology.

Findings: Twenty-three percent (95% confidence interval [CI], 14, 34%) of women reported being hit or verbally threatened since Hurricane Katrina.