Acupressure for the in-patient treatment of nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy: a randomized control trial

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupressure at the P6 point for the in-patient treatment of severe nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a prospective single-blind randomized control trial that involved 80 patients with nausea and vomiting plus ketonuria before 14 weeks of gestation.

RESULTS

There was no difference between length of stay, amount of medication, or fluid required between the acupressure and placebo groups, although acupressure reduced the number of patients who stayed > or =4 nights in the hospital. Acupressure was well tolerated and not associated with an increase in perinatal morbidity or death.

CONCLUSION

The use of acupressure at the P6 point does not reduce the amount of antiemetic medication that is required, the requirement for intravenous fluid, and median duration of in-patient stay more than the use of placebo. A small reduction was seen in the number of women who required > or =4 days in the hospital.

Detection of CD8+ T cell responses to human papillomavirus type 16 antigens in women using imiquimod as a treatment for high-grade vulval intraepithelial neoplasia

OBJECTIVES

To investigate CD8+ T cell reactivity to human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 antigens in patients with high-grade vulval intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) before, during and after treatment with 5% imiquimod cream.

METHODS

CD8-enriched responder cell populations were obtained from 10 patients with high-grade VIN using imiquimod cream as a treatment. Overlapping synthetic peptides covering the entire primary sequences of the HPV16 E6, E7 and E4 proteins were used to screen for CD8+ T cell responses using an ELISPOT assay of interferon (IFN)-gamma release.

RESULTS

Reactivity to the proteins was detected in all patients on at least one occasion. With the exception of one patient, CD8+ T cell reactivity generally increased at some stage during treatment. The magnitude and specificities of responses changed over the treatment period. This was particularly noticeable in response to peptides derived from the E4 protein. CD8+ T cell reactivity to HPV16 E7 appeared to be dominant amongst women with high-grade VIN. The magnitude and specificity of response had no correlation with clinical response to imiquimod.

CONCLUSIONS

HPV16 specific CD8+ T cell activity was detected in patients with high-grade VIN. Imiquimod use appeared to increase the magnitude of the response and broaden the specificity of response in some patients. Despite the presence of these CD8+ T cells, the disease state persisted; therefore, a role for HPV-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) in VIN resolution remains unproven.

Effect of nurse colposcopists on a hospital-based service

The number of colposcopies performed annually in the UK is increasing. Nurse colposcopists have been introduced by many units to cope with this workload. The small amount of evidence to support the introduction of nurse colposcopists suggests that nurses are viable alternative providers of colposcopy. This study compares the performance of nurse colposcopists with that of doctors.

An audit of standards and quality in a teaching hospital colposcopy clinic

The National Health Service Cervical Screening Programme has issued minimum standards for a colposcopy service that facilitates audit. We have looked at the performance of a teaching hospital colposcopy service by analysing the case notes of 639 women who underwent large loop excision of the transformation zone over a nine-month period in 1995. We found delays in patient assessment and communication of results. There was overtreatment, particularly at first visit, and an excessive number of treatments were performed under general anaesthesia. A worrying number of women failed to have a follow up smear performed, but in those that did we found a reassuring treatment success rate. Our findings led to changes in the structure and functioning of the colposcopy clinic that should improve the detection of significant disease and improve the timeliness of diagnosis and the speed with which we communicate results.