To smear or not to smear?

Time to Sputum Smear Conversion in Smear-Positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients and Factors for Delayed Conversion

Pulmonary tuberculosis is a common infection worldwide. In the eastern part of Iran, fluctuations in tuberculosis prevalence are seen due to the migration of people from Afghanistan. The aim of this study was to evaluate the time of bacteriologic sputum conversion after treatment and affecting factors in those whose smear does not become negative.This study was carried out on 85 smear-positive ...

Smear microscopy to diagnose tuberculosis.

Whatever happened to the annual pap smear?

The reading programs at Rhode Island College, Providence College and Roger Williams University selected the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, as required summer reading for incoming freshman last year. This book is a nonfiction biography of a poor, black, working mother of five children who died of cervical cancer at the age of 31. The work is a masterpiece of invest...

Pap test--with or without vaginal smear?

The aim of this study was to evaluate medical and economic justification of vaginal smears as a part of primary screening for cervical carcinoma and its precursors. Study included 245.048 participants whose VCE (vaginal, cervical, endocervical) smears were examined at Department of clinical cytology of University Hospital Center Osijek from 2003 till 2008. There were 12.639 (5.2%) abnormal find...

How to take a cervical smear?

Cancer of cervix is the third commonest carcinoma of women in Pakistan and is undoubtedly responsible for a substantial number of deaths. Cervical cytology (Pap smear) is a well established and effective way of screening for this malignancy. Because of the non-invasive nature of the test, easy accessibility of the cervix and a long natural history of the disease. Pap smear can easily be perform...