The incidence of cervical cancer has declined in developed nations due to routine use of cervical cancer screening services. In developing nations opportunistic screening is the practice, and many women present with late-stage disease. This study was designed to ascertain the knowledge of the women in Nigeria to cervical cancer, their practice of cervical cancer screening and factors hindering the use of available screening services. A cross-sectional study was done with interviewer-administered questionnaire. Only the consenting women attending an annual Christian religious meeting in 2007 in three towns in Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria participated. Only 15.5% of the respondents were aware of availability of cervical cancer screening services. The awareness significantly varied with the level of educational attainment (P<0.0001). Only 4.2% had ever done Pap smear test and all were referred for screening. The most important factors hindering the use of available cervical cancer screening services were lack of knowledge (49.8%) and the feeling that they had no medical problems (32.0%). There is very poor knowledge and practice of cervical cancer screening among Nigerian women. Effective female education and free mass screening are necessary for any successful cervical cancer screening programme in Nigeria.

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Intensified case finding combined with capacity building, provision of work aids/guidelines, and TB health education can improve childhood-TB notification.

Background This study examined the determinants of specialty choice of preresidency medical graduates in southeastern Nigeria. Methods We used a comparative cross-sectional survey of preresidency medical graduates who took the Basic Sciences Examination of the Postgraduate Medical College in Enugu, southeastern Nigeria, in March 2007. Data on participants' demographics and specialty selected, the timing of the decision, and factors in specialty selection were collected using a questionnaire. Data were examined using descriptive and analytical statistics. P &lt; .05 was considered significant. Results The survey response rate was 90.8% (287 of 316). The sample included 219 men and 68 women, ranging in age from 24 to 53 years and with a mean age of 33.5 ± 1.1 (SD) years. Career choice was more frequently influenced by personal interest (66.6%), career prospects (9.1%), and appraisal of own skills/aptitudes (5.6%), and it was least affected by altruistic motives (1.7%) and influence of parents/relations (1.7%). The respondents selected specialties at different rates: obstetrics and gynecology (22.6%), surgery (19.6%), pediatrics (16.0%), anesthesiology (3.1%), psychiatry (0.3%), and dentistry (0.0%). Most (97.2%) participants had decided on specialty choice by the end of their fifth (of a total 16 years) postgraduate year. The participants significantly more frequently preferred surgery and pediatrics to other disciplines (P &lt; .002, after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons). Conclusions Preresidency medical graduates in southeastern Nigeria were influenced by personal interest, career prospects, and personal skills/aptitude in deciding which specialty training to pursue. The most frequently chosen specialties were surgery and pediatrics. These findings have implications for Nigeria's education and health care policy makers.

Electric pulp testing is one of the pulp vitality tests which aid dentists in diagnosis of the pulp status. This test is technique sensitive and hence may elicit false responses. There are some concerns regarding the optimal placement of the probe tip. The threshold value (the lowest electric current at which sensation is perceived) is reached when an adequate number of nerve fibers are stimulated, so the sensation would be greatest where the density of neural distribution is the highest. The purpose of this study was to identify the optimum site for electrode placement in anterior teeth of adults, the threshold values of these teeth using an electric pulp test, and to determine the influence of sex, age, and arch on the outcome. The optimum electrode placement sites and threshold values varied with type of tooth and arch. The maxillary teeth, canines, male gender and increasing age required higher electric current to evoke a sensation, while incisal edges required lower current to evoke a sensation.