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Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is becoming a popular method of treating infertility in Nigeria however the practice still remains largely unregulated leaving room for unethical practices and/or with possible financial exploitation of the infertile couple thereby compounding their misery. There is an urgent need for widespread adoption of proper ethical guidelines and regulation in the provision of ART services in the country for the protection of both the providers and the clients.La technologie de procréation assistée (TAR) est en train de devenir une méthode populaire de traitement de l’infertilité au Nigéria, mais la pratique reste encore largement non réglementée, laissant la place à des pratiques contraires à l’éthique et / ou à une éventuelle exploitation financière du couple infertile, aggravant ainsi leur misère. Il y a un besoin urgent et généralisé de l’adoption de directives éthiques appropriées et d’une réglementation dans la fourniture de services de TARV dans le pays pour la protection à la fois des prestataires et des clients. Mots clés: Procréation assistée, technologie, éthique, lignes directrices.

The study identified the risk factors associated with breast cancer development and determined its prevalence. A cross sectional design using mixed method was adopted for the study. It was conducted in 22 Primary Health Care centres (PHCs) in Osogbo and Olorunda Local government areas of Osun State. A purposive sampling technique was used to select four hundred child bearing age women (19 - 44 years) who brought their babies for immunization at the 22 PHCs in the two selected local government areas in Osogbo. Respondents from each PHC were selected by proportionate sampling. Two instruments were used for data collection. The Short Form Breast Cancer Risk Questionnaire was used to collect data on the Socio-demographic profile and other relevant data related to breast cancer risk factors. In depth interview was also used to collect data on risk factors associated with breast cancer from 10 women selected from 3 PHCs out of the 22 PHCs which were randomly selected through balloting method. The Gail model which is a mathematical model was used to estimate individual five year absolute breast cancer risk. Women with score of 1.67% and above were categorized as high risk, 1.49 to 1.66% as average risk and a score < 1.49% as low risk. The rationale for using Gail model in the study is to classify the distribution of risk factors in the study according to the level of risks, (high, average and low) as explained above i.e. Women with score of 1.67% and above were categorized as high risk, 1.49 to 1.66% as average risk and a score < 1.49% as low risk. The logistic regression further revealed that family history of breast cancer increased significantly the odds of having higher risk of breast cancer development (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.06–11.46, p-value = 0.002). However, increase in average duration of breastfeeding reduced significantly the odds of having higher risk of breast cancer (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.97 - 1.00, p-value-0.013). The Gail model calculation revealed that 2.3% were at high risk, 2% were at average risk while 95.7% were at low risk. The researcher used the statistical modelling method (logistic regression) to examine the relative importance of each risk factor in predicting the outcome. This study concluded that the key risk factors for breast cancer development were presence of family history and short duration of breastfeeding. Key words: Assessment, breast cancer, reproductive age, risk factors, Gail model.

Eclampsia is a serious obstetric complication with attending high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. There is need for periodic audit of our management of these cases so as to identify potential areas for possible intervention aimed at improving the management outcome of this pregnancy complication.The records of cases of Eclampsia managed at the OAUTHC Ile-Ife between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2003 were retrospectively analysed.The incidence of Eclampsia was 0.91% of total deliveries. It was highest in teenagers and young adults who are less than 25 years (1.56%), who were carrying their first pregnancy (2.64%) and were unbooked (6.3%). Headache was the commonest symptom (100%), while hypertension and fever were the commonest signs being present in 75% and 20.2% of the patients respectively. Antepartum Eclampsia accounted for 56.5% of the cases and majority was delivered by emergency caesarean section. Maternal and perinatal mortality were 8.0% and 19.1% respectively.Provision of good quality and widespread antenatal care, improving the capacities of the hospitals to handle emergencies and intensive care unit management of all cases of Eclampsia are measures that could reduce the burden ofEclampsia in this environment.

To assess the knowledge and attitude of rural Nigerian women to the incorporation of HIV screening as part of the routine antenatal screening test at booking.1 820 women were interviewed using a close ended questionnaire at the antenatal clinic of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo, Nigeria over a period of 12 months.Though the majority of the women were of low socio-economic status (85.9%) with 20% having less than six years of formal education, 98.6% of them were aware and knowledgeable (89.1%) about HIV/AIDS. The majority (89.9%) of the women accept routine HIV screening as part of antenatal screening.Based on the above findings, obstericians practicing in this locality are encouraged to incorporate HIV screening into their antenatal care.

We set out to compare a policy of two-layered postpartum perineal repair leaving the skin unsutured with a policy of three-layered repair, which involved skin closure. Parturients who sustained a second-degree tear or an episiotomy in four Nigerian centers were randomised to have either a two-layered repair (417 women) or a three-layered repair (406 women). Fewer women in the two-layered group reported perineal pain at 48 hours (57% vs. 65%, relative risk [RR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.97) and 14 days postpartum (22% vs. 28%, RR 0.77, CI 0.61-0.98). The two-layered repair was also associated with reduced risk of suture removal (6% vs. 10%, RR 0.62, CI 0.39-0.99), and less superficial dyspareunia at 3 months (6% vs. 12%, RR 0.52, CI 0.33-0.81). The rates of wound healing were similar between the two groups. Leaving the skin unsutured during postpartum perineal repair reduces perineal pain and dyspareunia.

The scourge of HIV infection and AIDS has finally dawned on us in this environment with myths surrounding its existence fading out and the reality of the situation staring at us with the increasing number of patients testing positive. Surgeons are particularly at the receiving end and hence there is need to enforce necessary precautionary measures aimed at maintaining increased safety when operating on patients. Most government hospitals in Nigeria do not have an articulated policy to address this issue. The risk of patients-to-surgeon transmission is dependent on the prevalence of HIV in the patients population. This has been estimated as roughly a one in 800 chance in Europeans or Americans working in high prevalence inner cities over a 30-year career. However in Africa where the prevalence is much higher it has been estimated to be as high as one in four in a similar career risk. There is also controversy surrounding mandatory HIV screening before surgery with most publications opposing it but advising surgeons to take all necessary precautions particularly in endemic regions. This study was done to determine the prevalence of HIV infections among patients undergoing surgery in St Louis Hospital Owo Ondo State Nigeria a Catholic Mission-owned hospital. (excerpt)