Preventing preterm birth with progesterone: costs and effects of screening low risk women with a singleton pregnancy for short cervical length, the Triple P study.

Background: Women with a short cervical length in mid-trimester pregnancy have a higher risk of preterm birth and therefore a higher rate of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Progesterone can potentially decrease the number of preterm births and lower neonatal mortality and morbidity. Previous studies showed good results of progesterone in women with either a history of preterm birth or a short cervix.

Erroneous production of PAPP-A kits: the impact of a downward shift in PAPP-A concentration on the test performance of first-trimester combined screening for Down syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate a 20% downward shift in the pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) concentration on the test performance of first-trimester combined screening (FTS) for Down syndrome (DS) following a flaw in the production of PAPP-A kits on FTS for DS.

Methods: A retrospective re-evaluation of PAPP-A in stored sera. Inclusion criteria were a maternal weight-corrected PAPP-A multiple of the median value ≥ 0.

Ethnic differences in participation in prenatal screening for Down syndrome: a register-based study.

Objective: To assess ethnic differences in participation in prenatal screening for Down syndrome in the Netherlands.

Methods: Participation in prenatal screening was assessed for the period 1 January 2009 to 1 July 2009 in a defined postal code area in the southwest of the Netherlands. Data on ethnic origin, socio-economic background and age of participants in prenatal screening were obtained from the Medical Diagnostic Centre and the Department of Clinical Genetics.

Anaphylactic shock to fresh-frozen plasma inactivated with methylene blue.

Background: Methylene blue allergy is a well-known entity associated with food or lymph node location. Inactivation of viruses by methylene blue in fresh-frozen plasma (FFP-MB) has been recently introduced in France after many years of use in other parts of Europe.

Case Report: We describe here two anaphylactic shock reactions occurring during FFP-MB infusion in patients after cardiac surgery.