No. 203-Rubella in Pregnancy.

Objective: To provide an update on rubella and pregnancy so that health professionals remain aware of the potentially devastating effects on the developing fetus.

Outcomes: Rubella vaccination has been effective in virtually eliminating congenital rubella syndrome in Canada.

Evidence: Medline, PubMed, and Cochrane Database were searched for articles published between 1985 and 2007.

The fetal safety of hydrocortisone-pramoxine (Proctofoam-HC) for the treatment of hemorrhoids in late pregnancy.

Objective: Fetal safety has never been studied for any drug used in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Proctofoam-HC is a combination of a corticosteroid and a local anaesthetic that is proven effective for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The objective of this study was to assess prospectively the fetal safety of third trimester exposure to Proctofoam-HC.

Rubella in pregnancy.

Objective: To provide an update on rubella and pregnancy so that health professionals remain aware of the potentially devastating effects on the developing fetus.

Outcomes: Rubella vaccination has been effective in virtually eliminating congenital rubella syndrome in Canada.

Evidence: Medline, PubMed, and Cochrane Database were searched for articles published between 1985 and 2007.

A randomized trial comparing oral misoprostol with intra-amniotic prostaglandin F2alpha for second trimester terminations.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of oral misoprostol with that of intra-amniotic prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) for second trimester pregnancy termination.

Methods: One hundred seventeen women with pregnancies of between 16 and 22 weeks' gestation were randomly assigned after insertion of laminaria to receive either oral misoprostol 400 microg every 4 hours (to a maximum of four doses) or intra-amniotic PGF2alpha 40 mg. The rate of complete abortion within 24 hours was the primary outcome for power analysis.