Essay Writing For Undergraduate And Postgraduate Medical Examinations

The written examination in most medical examinations consists of long and/or short essays and multiple choice questions. The essays contain numerous questions on topical issues in the respective faculties and most times, all questions are compulsory

Clinical significance of low serum magnesium in pregnant women attending the University of Benin Teaching Hospital

Objective: Magnesium level is known to decline during pregnancy. A suggested role for magnesium deficiency in conditions like pre‑eclampsia and pre‑term birth has prompted studies with conflicting evidence. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypomagnesemia in pregnancy, while the secondary objectives attempted to define maternal and fetal outcome due to hypomagnesemia.Subjects and Methods: A pilot study was performed to determine the mean serum magnesium level for the population of female patients attending the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. The result of the pregnant population in the pilot study was used as a reference for hypomagnesemia in this study. Thereafter, a prospective cohort study of antenatal women recruited in the second trimester and followed‑up till delivery and 1 week post‑partum was done. Serum magnesium estimates were done with samples collected at recruitment and delivery. The magnesium levels determined at recruitment were used to divide the subjects into two groups of hypomagnesemic and normomagnesemic patients. Their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were used to generate a database for analysis.Results: The prevalence of magnesium deficiency was 16.25%. Hypomagnesemia was significantly correlated with the occurrence of pre‑eclampsia (P = 0.011), leg cramps (P = 0.000) and pre‑term birth (P = 0.030). A logistic regression analysis showed that hypomagnesemia had an Odds ratio of 22 for pre‑eclampsia. There was no maternal mortality or early neonatal death.Conclusion: Pre‑eclampsia and pre‑term birth are associated with hypomagnesemia in pregnancy; hence, magnesium supplementation or magnesium‑rich diet consisting of green leafy vegetables, soy milk and legumes may improve outcome.Keywords: Hypomagnesemia, pre‑eclampsia, pre‑term birth, University of Benin Teaching HospitalNigerian Journal of Clinical Practice • Oct-Dec 2013 • Vol 16 • Issue

Delivery rate in Benin City, Nigeria: Are there seasonal variations?

Objective: To determine if there are monthly variations in the rate of deliveries in Benin City, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study carried out in the three major obstetric centers in Benin City, Nigeria. We extracted the total number of deliveries from the hospitals’ records for over a five-year period and analyzed the figures for monthly variation in delivery rates. This was repeated for a standardized 30-day month and the findings noted.Results: There were 28,686 deliveries during the study period with an average monthly delivery of 2,390. The monthly distribution showed a sinusoidal pattern with peak delivery rates in April—May and October and lowest rates in July–August and December. The months of April, May, and October had delivery rates that were significantly higher than the monthly average delivery rate, while the converse was true for July, August, and December at the 99% confidence interval.Conclusions: There exists a significant monthly variation in delivery rates in Benin City. This finding will prove valuable in health system planning and in the interpretation of seasonal variations in other reproductive parameters

Comparative study of intradermal smear microscopy in the diagnosis of malaria in symptomatic pregnant women

A comparative study of intradermal smear in the diagnosis of malaria in symptomatic pregnant women.Venous blood served as the control.Fifty consecutive symptomatic pregnant women were recruited. Thick films of both venous and intradermal blood were examined. Questionnaires were used to determine patients' preference for the two techniques. Tests of statistical significance were done with Fisher exact and Yates correlationcoefficient at 95% confidence interval. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy rates were used to assess the validity of intradermal smear.Intradermal smear more frequently diagnosed malaria parasitaemia than peripheral venous blood (66% vs 56%). This was statistically significant (P value: 0.0065). The sensitivity of intradermal smear was 85.7% while the positive predictive value was 77.4%. The accuracy rate was 76.7%. The technique of intradermal blood collection was preferred by28%of women.Intradermal smear is useful in malaria diagnosis in pregnancy and may be an additional evaluation tool for persistent fever in pregnancy

The effect of endometrial thickness on In vitro Fertilization (IVF)-Embryo Transfer/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Outcome

The value of measuring the endometrial thickness and studying the endometrial receptivity in the context of assisted conception remains a contentious issue. A prospective analysis was carried out todetermine the effect of endometrial thickness on IVF - embryo transfer / ICSI outcome in dedicated Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) units in Abuja and Rivers State, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty one patients who met the inclusion criteria were analysed. They were grouped on the basis of endometrial thickness into 3 groups; 14 mm. The main outcome measure was clinical pregnancy. There were significantly more pregnancies in the 7 – 14 mm endometrial thickness group compared to the 14mm groups, p=0.004 and

The Effect of Endometrial Thickness on In vitro Fertilization (IVF)-Embryo Transfer/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Outcome

The value of measuring the endometrial thickness and studying the endometrial receptivity in the context of assisted conception remains a contentious issue. A prospective analysis was carried out todetermine the effect of endometrial thickness on IVF - embryo transfer / ICSI outcome in dedicated Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) units in Abuja and Rivers State, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty one patients who met the inclusion criteria were analysed. They were grouped on the basis of endometrial thickness into 3 groups; 14 mm. The main outcome measure was clinical pregnancy. There were significantly more pregnancies in the 7 – 14 mm endometrial thickness group compared to the 14mm groups, p=0.004 and

Serum Magnesium Levels in Normal and Pre-Eclamptic Gestation in Benin City

Introduction: Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is at the moment no reliable marker for pre-eclampsia. Objective: To compare the serum magnesium levels in pre-eclamptic and normotensive pregnant women in Benin -City, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of serum magnesium levels in normal and preeclamptic gestation in Nigerian women was conducted in a tertiary hospital. Results: Serum magnesium was determined in 65 pre-eclamptic and 65 normotensive pregnant women. The mean serum magnesium level in the normal pregnant women was 1.06 ± 0.33Mmol/Litre while in preeclampsia it was 0.69 ± 0.14 Mmol/l. The difference was statistically significant (

Risk Factors Associated With Cervical Intraepithelial Lesions In A Tertiary Hospital Setting.

Context Cervical cancer despite being largely preventable, is still the leading cause of gynaecological cancer related death among females in developing countries. Identification of risk factors will help to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer. Methodology This was a prospective study involving four hundred and eighty five women consecutively selected among the women attending gynaecological clinic at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin- City. Results The prevalence of cervical intraepithelial lesion in this study was 20.6%. A total of 216 (44.9%) of the women were aware of cervical cancer and only 32.4% were aware of cervical cancer screening while only 13.5% ever had at least a Pap smear testing. Premalignant cervical lesion was significantly higher among women 30 years and older and lower socioeconomic class with a significant linear trend in each of these groups. High parity especially vaginal delivery, cigarette smoking and having had a previous Pap testing were each associated with increased risk of abnormal Pap smear. First marriage before 20 years of age and lifetime partners in excess of four were associated with increased risk of abnormal Pap smear. Conclusion the study demonstrated that high parity and women over 30 years of age (especially those who married earlier than 20 years of age) had a higher yield of cervical premalignant lesions.Key Words: Risk Factors, Cervical intraepithelial lesions

L’effet de l’épaisseur endomètre sur la fécondation in vitro (FIV) le transfert de l’embryon/le résultat de l’injection intracytoplasmique du sperme

The value of measuring the endometrial thickness and studying the endometrial receptivity in the context of assisted conception remains a contentious issue. A prospective analysis was carried out to determine the effect of endometrial thickness on IVF - embryo transfer / ICSI outcome in dedicated Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) units in Abuja and Rivers State, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty one patients who met the inclusion criteria were analysed. They were grouped on the basis of endometrial thickness into 3 groups; <7 mm, 7 – 14 mm and >14 mm. The main outcome measure was clinical pregnancy. There were significantly more pregnancies in the 7 – 14 mm endometrial thickness group compared to the 14mm groups, p=0.004 and p<0.0001 respectively. The findings suggest that following IVF/ICSI, significantly more pregnancies occurred when the endometrial thickness was between 7 and 14 mm (Afr J Reprod Health 2009; 13[1]:113-121).La valeur obtenue quand on mesure l’épaisseur d’endomètre et quand on étudie la réceptivité d’endomètre dans le contexte d’une conception assistée reste un problème controversé. Une analyse prospective a été menée pour déterminer l’effet de l’épaisseur d’endomètre sur la FIV-le transfert de l’embryon/IIS dans les centres de la Technologie de la Reproduction Assistée à Abuja et dans l’état de Rivers, au Nigéria. Deux cent cinquante patientes qui ont satisfait les critères d’inclusion ont été analysées. Elles ont été regroupées selon l’épaisseur d’endomètre en trois groupes : 14mm. Le résultat de la mesure le plus important était la grossesses parmi le groupe de 14mm, p=0,004 et p<0,0001 respectivement. Les résultats indiquent qu’à travers la FIV/IIS, ils se produisaient de manière significative, plus de grossesses quand l’épaisseur d’endomètre était entre 7 et 14mm (Afr J Reprod Health 2009; 13[1]: 113- 121)