Objective : To determine the felt need for health services among young adult students of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL). Methodology: Self administered questionnaires were completed by students , selected by multi -stage sampling procedure, at the halls of residence. A total of 250 questionnaires were returned and 249 were analysed with Epi- info 6.1 . Results : The Mean Age was 22.8 yrs ( S.D) of 3yrs and 52.4% were males. Almost all the respondents were single (94%) and 115(46.2%) were sexually active; 38.7% in Females and 55.4% in Males. Only 80(32.1%) of respondents had ever heard about Youth Friendly Health Clinic (YFHC) though more than two thirds (71.5%) believed that there was a need for a YFHC. The most preferred location of the YFHC was the Community health clinic(CHOP) (51.7%) while the most required services were counseling, treatment of STDs, treatment of common ailments and provision of family planning services. A doctor was the most preferred service provider and most wanted the clinic to operate Monday - Friday. Almost equal proportions(28%) felt that the time of clinic should be between 12-4pm and 4-6pm Conclusion : There is a felt need for a YFHC among students of CMUL. The ideal location is the CHOP and services should include counseling services, treatment of STDs and family planning services. A doctor should be the service provider and the clinic should operate from Monday to Friday between 2pm-4pm.

Background/Objective: Acute head injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and patients suffering from this constitute a significant workload for the Intensive care unit (ICU). This study was undertaken to determine the pattern, management and outcome of head injury patients admitted into the ICU of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Method: This was a prospective study of head injury patients seen at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department and subsequently admitted into the ICU over a one-year period. These patients were assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and those with GCS less than 9 were admitted into the ICU. Data obtained included age, sex, cause of injury, the Glasgow Coma Scale, management, complications and immediate outcome. Results: Twenty-two patients were studied with a mean age of 28.86 years. Eighty-one percent were males and 77.3% of the injuries were due to road traffic accidents. The majority of patients (72%) had a GCS of 3-5. The mean A&E to ICU admission interval was 17.35 hours. All patients were intubated for a mean duration of 5.52 days. Sixty-eight percent of patients were ventilated and the mean duration of ventilation was 78.25 hours. Patients with GCS 3-5 were ventilated for significantly longer than those with GCS 6-8 (p<0.05). Twenty-seven percent of patients had a CT scan. An operative intervention was performed in 13.6% of patients. The mean duration of the ICU stay was 8.53 days. The commonest complication was seizures in 59.1% of head injuries. The overall mortality was 77.3%. Conclusion: The outcome of head injury depends on the GCS. Patients with GCS 3-5 had a poorer outcome irrespective of management given. There is a need to implement existing protocols for management of acute head injury in our institution for better results.

Background/Objective: It is an acknowledged fact that cigarette smoke contains different particles and gases that are toxic to body tissues. Smoking is associated with cardiovascular disease, arteriosclerosis and cancers. Cigarette smoking has thus become the largest single avoidable cause of ill health and premature mortality in the world. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence and correlates of smoking and its distribution by socio-demographic characteristics. Methodology: Three hundred and fifty (350) rural respondents were interviewed using a modified standard WHO questionnaire for surveying smoking prevalence and behavior. A three-stage multistage sampling design was used to select 50 respondents from one randomly selected village from each of the 7 health districts in the LGA., The target population was the inhabitants of Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State with a population of 284,281 in the year 2001. Results: The results showed that the prevalence of cigarette smoking was 17.6 %. A large majority of rural dwellers (82.4%) were classified as never smokers. Among the current smokers 11.4% smoked daily. The highest percentage of smokers was among the 45-54 age group (29.8%), The prevalence of smoking rose as age increases with the younger age groups smoking less than the older age groups. Among males smokers the highest smoking prevalence (35%) was among those who earn more than N5, 000 (USD33.33)/ month, that is those whose earnings are above the poverty line of a daily wage of $1. Conclusion: This study thus provides a baseline to further map out the future trend of cigarette smoking in rural communities in Southwest Nigeria.

Background/Objective: With the scourge of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic, HIV-associated pericardia! effusions are common. There has been no report on HIV-seropositivity in pericardia! effusions in Nigerians. We sought to determine the occurrence of HIV Seropositivity in Nigerians who have pericadial effusions. Patients and Methods: In this prospective study, 40 consecutive patients who had pericardia! effusions had their HIV-seropositivity determined. Their biodata, pericardia! histology and indications for treatment were carefully documented. Acute cases had catheter drainage of their effusions while other patients had sub-xiphoid pericardiostomies and pericardia! biopsy taken under xylocaine field block. Anti-tuberculous treatment was initiated for the cases suspected to be tuberculous. Results: There were 23 males and 17 females (M:F 1.4.1). Two males and 4 females had HIV-associated pericardial effusions. They were within the 10-39 year age range with a mean of 20.75 years (SD 12.39). Conclusions : In conclusion, HIV prevalence in pericardial effusion in this sample is higher than what obtains in the general population.