Objectives ResultsThe majority of the participants (87.6 (86.6-88.6)% to 92.6 (91.7-93.3)%) correctly identified the test concept and the main condition being screened for. ) and participation in the screening program )%) correctly recognized test accuracy and the potential risk of adverse findings other than Down syndrome. Knowledge level was positively associated with length of education

Objective To investigate the incidence of post‐operative infection after first trimester abortion in women treated with a long‐acting cephalosporin (ceftriaxone) compared with low risk patients receiving no treatment and with high risk patients receiving our standard treatment of ampicillin/pivampicillin and metronidazole. Design A prospective, randomised controlled trial. Setting Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Subjects Nine hundred and ninety‐six women, admitted on an outpatient basis for legal termination of pregnancy at 12 weeks or less of gestation, were included in the study after giving informed consent. The women were divided into high risk and low risk categories and allocated either to treatment with ceftriaxone or to standard treatment. For high risk patients the standard treatment was initiated by a peroperative injection of ampicillin and metronidazole, followed by oral doses of metronidazole and pivampicillin three times daily for four days. No prophylactic antibiotics were given to the women randomised to standard treatment in the low risk group. Interventions All women were kept under observation, and, between six and 14 days post‐operatively, underwent pelvic examination. Clinical endpoints were noted. Main outcome measures Post‐operative pelvic inflammatory disease in women applying for legal first trimester abortion. Results Seven hundred and eighty‐six women fulfilled the criteria for evaluation. A tendency toward a prophylactic effect of ceftriaxone was observed in most clinical findings. A significant prophylactic effect of ceftriaxone was found in the low risk group. Conclusions This study demonstrated a significant reduction in post‐operative pelvic inflammatory disease in low risk patients, who were applying for legal first trimester abortion, treated peroperatively with ceftriaxone. No significant difference was demonstrated between high risk patients treated with ceftriaxone or ampicillin/pivampicillin and metronidazole.

The aim of this study was to characterise the localisation and staining intensity of immunoreactive (ir) interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) in human placenta and fetal membranes in association with pre-term and term labour, and pre-eclampsia. The data obtained in this study establish the presence of irIL-4 and IL-4R in human placenta and fetal membranes obtained from women at 25–41 completed weeks of gestation. IL-4 and IL-4R immunohistochemical staining was principally localised in villous and chorionic trophoblast, and to amnion epithelial cells. The intensity of IL-4 and IL-4R immunohistochemical staining was not significantly affected by labour status at term or pre-term (p > 0.05), with the exception of IL-4R in the amnion (p < 0.05). In term amnion, IL-4R was only detectable following labour onset. When data were stratified with respect to the presence or absence of pre-eclampsia, no statistical difference in immunohistochemical localisation or staining intensity for either IL-4 or IL-4R could be identified for any of the tissues studied. Co-localisation of IL-4 and IL-4R within gestational tissues may indicate auto- and/or paracrine mechanisms of action for this cytokine. Tissue-specific, labour-associated induction of IL-4R may contribute to the regulation of biological effects of IL-4 within the uteroplacental unit.

Poster abstractswere rated to enable highly diagnostic confidence (82.9%), and produce better image quality for the near field image (94.3%), the far field image (88.6%), and overall (94.3%). Conclusions: The current study described an objective method of comparing image quality acquired using different sonographic technologies. Ultrasound transducer incorporated with PureWave Crystal technology produces significantly better image quality for diagnostic purpose.