Hysterosalpingography findings among women presenting for gynecological imaging in Ado-Ekiti, South western Nigeria

Background: Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is a valuable radiological procedure for imaging the female reproductive tract. This study highlights the spectrum of HSG findings among women presenting for gynaecological imaging in a tertiary health institution in Ado-Ekiti, South western Nigeria.Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was conducted between October 2014 and September 2015. The study population consisted of 134 women presenting at the Radiology department with request forms for HSG. Pelvic ultrasonography was done using a 3.5MHz transducer prior to HSG. Imaging findings were documented, results were entered into a spread sheet and analysed using SPSS version 20. Chi square was used to determine association between tubal occlusion, age, type of infertility and previous history of surgery. Statistical significance was set at p-values <0.05.Results: The age range of the study participants was between 23 to 50 years with a mean age of 34.9±5.53years. Age group 30-34 years (n=43, 32.1%) constituted a majority. Secondary infertility (n=84, 62.7%) was the most common clinical indication for HSG. The predominant relevant past surgical history was uterine evacuation (n= 41, 30.6%). Normal HSG findings were seen in 34 (25.4%) of the patients while others (n=100, 74.5%) had various abnormalities, the most common of which were tubal pathologies (n=89, 66.4%). There was a significant association between age and tubal occlusion (P=0.02).Conclusions: HSG is still a relevant gynecological imaging modality in resource limited settings. Tubal occlusion was the most common abnormal HSG finding in this study. There is a need for continuous advocacy on preventive measures targeted at reducing the incidence of tubal pathologies among women in developing countries

Conversational artificial intelligence in the AEC industry: A review of present status, challenges and opportunities

The idea of developing a system that can converse and understand human languages has been around since the 1200 s. With the advancement in artificial intelligence (AI), Conversational AI came of age in 2010 with the launch of Apple’s Siri. Conversational AI systems leveraged Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand and converse with humans via speech and text. These systems have been deployed in sectors such as aviation, tourism, and healthcare. However, the application of Conversational AI in the architecture engineering and construction (AEC) industry is lagging, and little is known about the state of research on Conversational AI. Thus, this study presents a systematic review of Conversational AI in the AEC industry to provide insights into the current development and conducted a Focus Group Discussion to highlight challenges and validate areas of opportunities. The findings reveal that Conversational AI applications hold immense benefits for the AEC industry, but it is currently underexplored. The major challenges for the under exploration were highlighted and discusses for intervention. Lastly, opportunities and future research directions of Conversational AI are projected and validated which would improve the productivity and efficiency of the industry. This study presents the status quo of a fast-emerging research area and serves as the first attempt in the AEC field. Its findings would provide insights into the new field which be of benefit to researchers and stakeholders in the AEC industry

Descriptive evaluation of holter recordings at a teaching hospital in central Nigeria

Background: Holter monitoring is a cardiovascular test available in few centres in Nigeria. It is indicated when cardiac rhythm disorders are suspected and standard electrocardiogram is not helpful. A simple overview of this test could give an idea of what cardiovascular complications are common. We evaluated the indications and simple results of outcome of Holter monitoring in a teaching hospital.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated the indications and findings of patients that had a 24 hour Holter recording at the Jos University Teaching Hospital over a four year period between January 2011 to December 2014, utilizing routinely collected hospital data.Results: A total of 113 subject hah Holter monitoring over the study period. The population had an age range 4-90 years, consisting of consisting of 60 (53%) male and 7 (6%) children. The main indications for Holter monitoring were palpitation (28%) and hypertensive heart disease (26%). Common findings following evaluations were tachycardia 49.5% and bradycardia 17.9%. Wide QRS complex tachycardia was detected in 20.4%, ST segment depression in 47.8% and atrial fibrillation in 28.7%. Asystole was seen in 18% of subjects with a mean duration of 2.17secs, arrest was recorded in 26.7% of those with asystole. The longest duration was 7.58secs. Premature atrial ectopics were seen in 56.7%, premature ventricular ectopics in 44.6% and multiple ventricular ectopics in 32.9% of subjects.Conclusions: Palpitation and hypertensive heart diseases were the two most common indications for Holter monitoring test. Tachycardia and premature atrial contractions were the most common rhythm abnormalities seen.Keywords: Holter monitoring, ambulatory electrocardiographic recording, arrhythmia, Jos, Nigeri