Dokita Volume 31 - laboratory medicine edition

The heights by great men reached and kept, Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882)

DOKITA, with well over 45 years of unremitting existence remain the attainment of disciplined, diligent, and dedicated great men, whom while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night; its publication being the primary function of the DOKITA Editorial Board. The journal was intended originally to serve as a medium for fledgling doctors training in this institution to whet their writing skills, as well as to publish scientific work done and original discoveries made at the University College Hospital, Ibadan as succinctly spelt out by the pioneer Editor-in-Chief, then Mr. Moses Ikechukwu 110,in the maiden edition of DOKITA where he wrote: “whichever be the case, enough does happen in and emanate from this institution to need that reports be made, for our successors as a record of our findings, progress and ideas and to our contemporaries for
record and exchange .For these, we present in the language of the Nigerian Populace, DOKITA, that through it, and in it we may arouse, terrify, teach, comfort and open our hearts to each other as brothers. “

This journal has enjoyed wide readership and carefully occupied its niche as the most relevant students’ medical journal published south of the Sahara with the recognition of the World Health Organization. This recalls to mind the comment of Dr.Ian-Douglas- Wilson (Editor, LANCET Jan 1964) on DOKITA: “Now that I have read the latest issue, I can only reiterate my congratulations– I don’t myself know of a better student journal anywhere.”

The 2005/2006 Board year was particularly short, and coupled with official leave of absences of Board members,the execution of the major programmes of the Board including the publication of this journal was not without hindrances. However, the toil of dedicated Board members, both day and night while their contemporaries slept, has altogether produced this must-read master-piece the “Laboratory Medicine & Diagnostics” edition. What is more, the wonderful production quality starting from the mesmerizing and scintillating cover through to the easy eye-lift prints of the overwhelming pool of knowledge an herald the substance of this edition. The words “Laboratory Medicine & Diagnostics” will readily call to mind the various laboratory investigations that are carried out on patients for the purpose of screening, making a diagnosis, and monitoring the progress of treatment and/or progression of diseases among others. “Diagnosis precedes treatment” said the British Surgeon, Russel John Howard (1875 1942). This is true as exemplified by the following simple equations: Management = Diagnosis +Treatment; Diagnosis = Clinical evaluation + Laboratory evaluation

Physicians need quality laboratory testing support for the accurate diagnosis and cost-effective management of diseases. On occasion, when the clinical suspicion is strong, as in clinically overt hyperthyroidism in a young adult or with the presence of a rapidly growing thyroid mass, laboratory thyroid hormone testing simply confirms the clinical suspicion. However, some disease symptoms are subtle in presentation so that only biochemical testing or histopathologic evaluation can detect the disorder. However overt or obscure a patient’s disease state may be, an open collaboration between the physicians and clinical laboratory scientists is essential for optimal, cost-effective management of the patient. Thus, the result of inaccurate diagnosis or erroneous report of laboratory tests is that of poor clinical management of patient and thus worsened progression of diseases and ultimately, death of untold number of patients. Does this justify Napoleon’s assertion: “You medical people will have more lives to answer for in the other world than even we Generals? ” May be, may be not. This illustrates how invaluable laboratory medicine has proved to be ranging from simple side-room laboratory tests to sophisticated investigations like biopsies for histological
examination.

Previous editions of DOKITA have dealt with various aspects of medicine more than ever in the last two decades, for example the “Oncology” edition (1998); the “4rl Anniversary” edition (2000); the “Reproductive Health” edition (2001); the “Emergency Medicine” edition (2003); and the “Public Health” edition (2005) lately. However, no edition has delved into laboratory medicine wholly; hence the Editorial Board fittingly decided to publish the “Laboratory Medicine &Diagnostics” edition of DOKITA.

The “Laboratory Medicine & Diagnostics” is a cornucopia of articles written by experts in various fields of laboratory medicine. Such articles as those on Gram Stain; Papanicolaou Smear Screening; D-dimer Assay; Monoclonal Antibodies; Safe Laboratory Practice; Urinalysis; and Biomedical Research Methodologies among others all reflects the wealth of knowledge contained in this publication. The winning essay of the 2006 edition of the Annual Professor J. A. Adeleye Essay Competition titled “Health Sector Reforms in Nigeria: Meeting the Millennium Development Goals” and the best student project in the Ibarapa Community Health posting have routinely been included. The “DOKITA Extra” section unquestionably will entertain the reader. Thus, this must-read ‘magnum opus‘will prove to be educative, enlightening, and ultimately improve the reader’s quality of patients’ medical care.

In preparing this edition of DOKITA for publication, the Editorial Board received assistance from many quarters to whom we owe our gratitude. We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to members of the Advisory Council and Editorial consultants, especially those of them who took up the appointment this Board year, for their immense contributions towards the publication of this edition. Many thanks to Professor E. E. U. Akang who took out time to edit all the articles published in this journal and for writing the foreword to this journal. Thanks to all consultants who proved very helpful in selecting and modifying the various journal topics.

I appreciate the invaluable input of the production manager, Mr. Ekanem Ekpenyong who bore the brunt of the production work and those of all the disciplined, dedicated, and diligent members of the Editorial Board, whose toil and labour, both day and night, have made possible the production of this edition, the capstone of all our achievements this Board year.

We as well appreciate the contributions of our various benefactors both towards the production of this journal and the execution of other programmes of the Board. Finally, my greatest appreciation goes to Almighty God who is ever faithful for his constant guidance and support throughout this Board year.

To members of the Editorial Board, I dedicate this “Psalm of Life”:

Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time
Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labour and to wait.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882)

Long Live DOKITA Editorial Board!

Salami Simpa Samuel
Editor-in-Chief,
March 2006