Optimising the management of vaginal discharge syndrome in Bulgaria: cost effectiveness of four clinical algorithms with risk assessment.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance and cost effectiveness of the WHO recommendations of incorporating risk-assessment scores and population prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) into vaginal discharge syndrome (VDS) algorithms.

Methods: Non-pregnant women presenting with VDS were recruited at a non-governmental sexual health clinic in Sofia, Bulgaria. NG and CT were diagnosed by PCR and vaginal infections by microscopy.

Early and late half-life of human chorionic gonadotropin as a predictor of persistent trophoblast after laparoscopic conservative surgery for tubal pregnancy.

Background: To determine if the early or late half-lives (T0.5) of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can identify patients with persistent trophoblastic activity after conservative surgery for tubal pregnancy.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Accuracy of single measurements of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, human chorionic gonadotropin and progesterone in the diagnosis of early pregnancy failure.

Background: Circulating human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and progesterone are commonly used as markers of abnormal pregnancies. Previous studies have shown that pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) was also depressed in extrauterine pregnancies (EUP). Previously, PAPP-A was measured with polyclonal antibodies which were later shown to recognise also the pro-form of major basic protein (pro-MBP).