The profile of women who seek emergency contraception from the family planning service

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Medical disorders in pregnancy

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Male infertility

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Issues in second trimester induced abortion (medical/surgical methods)

Second trimester abortion remains a common procedure worldwide. Dilatation and evacuation (D&E) is the surgical method of choice, if the surgical expertise and facilities are available. Adequate cervical dilatation preoperatively is a prerequisite for a safe D&E. Medical abortion using misoprostol together with mifepristone is the medical method of choice. The recommended regimen is 200 mg mifepristone followed by 800 μg of vaginal misoprostol 36-48 h later. Subsequent doses of 400 μg of misoprostol can be given orally every 3 h up to a maximum of four more doses. Proper preoperative assessment would not only help to provide safe abortion treatment, but it also guides the choice of method. If the expertise and facilities of both methods are available, both methods should be discussed and offered to the patient so that the patient can make an informed choice. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

Investigating a subfertile couple

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Domestic violence against pregnant women: The role of healthcare professionals

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A comparison of pregnancy outcome between high-order multiple and twin pregnancies: matched-pair retrospective study

OBJECTIVE. To compare the pregnancy outcome between high-order multiple and twin pregnancies. DESIGN. Matched-pair retrospective analysis. SETTING. University teaching hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS. Patient records from 38 high-order multiple pregnancies that were delivered over a period of 15 years, and those from matched twin pregnancies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Obstetric and perinatal outcomes. RESULTS. The incidence of high-order multiple pregnancies increased over the study period in association with the more frequent practice of ovulation induction and other assisted reproductive techniques. High-order multiple pregnancies were associated with a higher incidence of maternal complications and a significantly higher perinatal mortality rate than were twin pregnancies. CONCLUSION. Efforts should be made to prevent multiple pregnancies by carefully monitoring ovulation treatment and by limiting the number of embryos transferred.published_or_final_versio

Robot-assisted versus standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy: comparison of perioperative outcomes from a single institution

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in a teaching hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary and Tung Wah hospitals, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: The first 10 consecutive patients who had robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal tumours between January 2008 and September 2009 with prospective data collection were evaluated. Their outcomes were compared with the last 10 consecutive patients in our database, who had standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy between November 2004 and October 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographics, tumour characteristics, perioperative outcomes, renal function, and pathological outcomes. RESULTS: There were no differences between the groups with regard to age (63 vs 56 years; P=0.313) and tumour size (2.7 vs 2.8 cm; P=0.895). No significant difference was found between the two groups with respect to the operating room time (376 vs 361 min; P=0.722), estimated blood loss (329 vs 328 mL; P=0.994), and length of hospital stay (7 vs 14 days; P=0.213). A statistically significant shorter mean warm ischaemic time for the robot-assisted group was noted (31 vs 40 minutes; P=0.032). Respective renal functional outcomes as shown by the difference between day 0 and day 60 serum creatinine levels were comparable (+10 vs +7 mmol/L; P=0.605). In both groups, there were no intra-operative complications or instances of surgical margin tumour involvement. Three patients endured postoperative complications in the standard laparoscopic group (a perinephric haematoma, urine leakage, and lymph leakage) compared with one in the robot-assisted group (a perinephric haematoma). These complications all resolved with conservative treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a technically feasible alternative to standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, and provides comparable results. Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy appears to offer the advantage of decreased warm ischaemic time. Longer follow-up is required to assess renal function and oncological outcomes. Further experience and randomised trials are necessary to compare robot-assisted with standard laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.published_or_final_versio

Olfactomedin1 (Olfm1) in fallopian tube may modulate tubal ectopic pregnancy in humans: evidence from Immunohistochemistry and an in vitro coculture model

Conference Theme: The Intersection Between Genetics, Genomics, and Reproductive BiologyOlfactomedins are secretary glycoprotein constituted in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of various cell types. Recent studies suggested that Olfm-1 is down-regulated during the window of implantation (WOI) in the human endometrium and up-regulated in pathological condition like endometriosis and recurrent spontaneous abortions. Ectopic pregnancy is a gynaecological emergency and fertility threatening phenomenon which occurs in 1-2% of normal pregnancies and shows an increasing trend. Yet, tubal ectopic pregnancy accounts for more than 98% of the cases ...postprintThe 43rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Preproduction (SSR), Milwaukee, WI., 30 July-3 August 2010. In Biology of Reproduction, 2010, v. 83 n. Meeting abstracts, p. 27-28, abstract no. 13

Assessment of regional systolic and diastolic impairment of left ventricular function: a study with tissue doppler imaging on right ventricular pacing

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