Comparative analysis of image enhancement techniques for uterine fibroid ultrasound

Background: The Ultrasound image is a vital diagnostic tool in the preliminary clinical assessment of many diseases, especially in Obstetrics and Gynecology. However, poor ultrasound image quality often leads to the inaccurate diagnosis of diseases such as uterine fibroids. Many researchers have proposed various methods for improving ultrasound image quality. Objective: To explore by comparison of four image enhancement techniques, the best approach for the enhancement of uterine fibroid images towards achieving better diagnosis and proper management of the disease..Methodology: The study assessed and compared the performance of four (4) different image enhancement techniques namely; Contrast stretching, Gamma correction, Histogram equalization(HE) and Contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) on uterine fibroid ultrasound image Twenty (20) Ultrasound images from thedatabasewere downloaded and processed in MATLAB (2015a version) using image processing toolbox. Based on histogram distribution and statistical features (Mean, Standard Deviation and Entropy), the enhanced images were evaluated and compared. Results: The results show that Contrast stretching performed better based on Histogram distribution while CLAHE shows superior performance on Statistical featuresConclusion: Contrast stretching and Contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE)have demostrated good performance in enhancement of uterine fibroid ultrasound ima

Studies on the effects of 6-Benzylaminopurine and 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid on the in vitro regeneration of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus l.)

Okra is an important vegetable crop which belongs to the family Malvaceae. Experiments were created to study the effects of varying concentrations of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) on the in vitro propagation of okra using seed explants. The seeds were cultured in vitro on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media containing 30% sucrose, 0.9% agar and different concentrations (0.1mg/L to 0.25mg/L) of auxin (NAA) and cytokinin (BAP) singly and in combination. Early germination was obtained at 0.25mg/L BAP and 0.25mg/L NAA. Highest height was recorded at 0.15mg/L (12.8cm) followed by a combination of 0.25mg/L BAP and 0.25mg/L NAA (4.91cm). 0.15mg/L NAA followed by a combination of 0.25mg/L NAA and 0.25mg/L BAP and 0.1mg/L BAP and 0.1mg/L NAA in combination gave best vigor. Similarly, full strength media supplemented with 0.15mg/L NAA followed by 0.25mg/L BAP and 0.25mg/L NAA and 0.1mg/L BAP and 0.1mg/L NAA in combination gave the highest number of leaves. Similarly, 0.1mg/L NAA and a combination treatments of 0.1mg/L BAP and 0.1mg/L NAA with 0.25mg/L BAP and 0.25mg/L NAA gave the best percentage germination at 25%. Results of Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) indicated significant differences among the treatments compared with the control which did not respond p < 0.05. The protocol developed in this present study can be used for large scale seedling formation and biomass production of okra. It can also be used to obtain sterile and uniform materials for various in vitro studies for the improvement of okra

Sero-prevalence of hepatitis b surface antigen (hbsag) among blood donors attending ahmadu bello university teaching hospital (Abuth), Zaria, Nigeria

A study on the sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B surface Antigen among 100 blood donors attending Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Shika, Zaria, Kaduna Nigeria was carried out in June, 2008 using hepatitis B surface Antigen latex. Higher prevalence rate was observed between the age range of 30 – 39years. No prevalence was observed between 15 – 19 and 45-54years. The findings revealed high prevalence in males as compared to females (p < 0.05)

Real-Time Detection of Abandoned Object using Centroid Difference Method

An abandoned object is one that remains stationary for an extended period. Such object might contain explosives and if left on purpose could cause death and injuries to people especially in crowded places. Abandoned objects need to be detected on time to prevent what might endanger people’s lives and health. Various methods have been developed to detect abandoned objects. The most reliable one is the vision-based method which automatically detects the abandoned object using image processing. The efficiency of the method was tested and evaluated on the customized datasets as well as the i-Lids advanced video surveillance system database. The Self -organizing Background Subtraction (SOBS) method overrides other methods in terms of its detection accuracy and simplicity of implementation, but fails for dynamic background scenarios. This work presents a real time vision-based object detection method using the centroid difference to improve on the accuracy of the detection and to tackle challenges of dynamic background of the SOBS method. Matlab Image processing toolbox was used to achieve this goal. The strategy is basically decomposed into two; foreground detection and stationary foreground object (SFO) detection. Gaussian Mixture Model is used for detecting the presence of newly introduced object into a scene (foreground detection), while the blob tracking approach based on frame counting is used to determine whether the detected foreground object is static/ abandoned or not. The results show that the detection accuracy of 83% was obtained which outperform the SOBS method with 67% accuracy. Future research should focus on tracking the person that abandoned the object for onward prosecution

Community pharmacists’ awareness and level of participation in Primary Health Care in Sokoto Metropolis

Background: Community pharmacy plays a role in primary health care (PHC) due to its proximity to and being accessible by the communities, making it a gateway to the health care system. However, the public under-utilize this facility leading to over-crowding of secondary and tertiary health care facilities.Objective: This study was conducted to assess the community pharmacists’ awareness and level of participation in promotive, preventive and curative primary health care services in Sokoto metropolis, Sokoto state, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey of all the registered community pharmacies within Sokoto metropolis; Data was collected through the use of a self-administered questionnaire distributed to the community pharmacists in their premises. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.0.Results: Forty (40) registered community pharmacies were surveyed and percentage response was 90%. Majority of the community pharmacists (85.2%) are aware of PHC services. The level of community pharmacists’ participation in health promotion (75.9%), disease prevention (64.8%), and curative (80.6%) health services were found to be high in Sokoto metropolis. Thirty-five 35(97.2%) of the respondents agreed that ensuring access to patient diagnosis and laboratory data could further improve their level of participation in PHC.Conclusion: Majority of the community pharmacists in Sokoto metropolis are (85.2%) are aware of PHC. There was high level of participation of community pharmacists in primary health care services in Sokoto metropolis. However, more awareness of this participation needs to be created in the communities for maximum utilization of community pharmacies.Keywords: primary health care, community pharmacy, community pharmacist

Adnexal Skin Tumors in Zaria, Nigeria

Background: Adnexal skin tumors share many features in common and differentiate along one line. Their detailed morphological classification is difficult because of the variety of tissue elements and patterns seen. They may be clinically confused with other cutaneous tumors. The aim of this report is to review and classify all adnexal tumors seen in a pathology department over a 16 year period. Method: A 16-year retrospective analysis of all adnexal skin tumors seen in a large University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria from January 1991- December 2006. All tissue specimens were fixed in 10% formalin, processed in paraffin wax and stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin. Histology slides were retrieved, studied and lesions characterized. Results: Fifty-two adnexal tumors were seen, accounting for 0.9% of all cutaneous tumors seen within the same period. The median age was 33 years (range: 4 days -70 years). Clinical presentations varied from discreet swellings and nodules to ulcerated masses. Five patients presented with recurrent lesions. Only two cases had a clinical diagnosis of adnexal tumor. Twenty-four (46%) of the lesions were distributed in the head and neck region. Duration of symptoms was 2 months to 15 years (median: 12 months). Tumours of the sweat gland were the commonest\u2013 41(78.8%); they comprised predominantly eccrine acrospiroma(17), characterized histologically by solid nests of round to polygonal cells with clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm, forming tubules in areas. Tumours of sebaceous gland were 7 (13.5%); they comprised mainly Nevus sebaceous of Jadassohn (6), composed of immature sebaceous glands and pilar structures microscopically and a solitary sebaceous adenoma. Tumours of hair follicle were 4 (7.7%) and included trichoepithelioma, characterized microscopically by multiple horn cysts and epithelial tracts connecting abortive pilar structures and a trichofolliculoma. Forty-six lesions (88.5%) were benign and six (11.5%) malignant. Conclusion: Adnexal skin tumors have distinct histological patterns which differentiates them from other cutaneous tumors. They are commonly distributed in the head, neck and trunk. The commonest variants are those of eccrine sweat gland origin. Malignant adnexal tumors are uncommon in our setting.Introduction: Adnezal tumeurs de la peau partagent pas mal de traits caract\ue9ristiques en commun et il y a des diff\ue9rences le long d'une ligne. Leur fiche de classification morphologique est difficile en raison de la vari\ue9t\ue9 des \ue9l\ue9ments des tissus et des tendances vues. Elles peuvent \ueatre cliniquement confondue avec d'autres tumeurs cutan\ue9es. L'objet de ce rapport est de passer en revue et de classifier tous les adnexal tumeurs vues dans un d\ue9partement de pathologie au cours d'une dur\ue9e de 16 ans. M\ue9thodes: Une analyse r\ue9trospective d'une dur\ue9e de 16 ans de l'assemble des tumeurs de la peau adnexal vues dans un grand centre hospitalier universitaire au Nig\ue9ria depuis janvier 1991 \u2013 d\ue9cembre2006. Tous les sp\ue9cimens des tissus ont \ue9t\ue9 fix\ue9s dans un formol 10%, trait\ue9 dans une paraffine solide et teint\ue9e avec l'h\ue9matoxyline et l'Eosine. Des plaques histologiques ont \ue9t\ue9 retrouv\ue9es, \ue9tudi\ue9es, et les l\ue9sions caract\ue9ris\ue9es. R\ue9sultats: Cinquante deux adnexal tumeurs ont \ue9t\ue9 observ\ue9es, ce qui repr\ue9sente 0,9% des tumeurs cutan\ue9es vues au cours de cette p\ue9riode. L'^\ue2ge m\ue9dian \ue9tait de 33 ans (groupe d'\ue2ge de 4 jours au 70 ans. Des pr\ue9sentations cliniques varient de gonflements et de nodules discret et des nodules aux masses ulc\ue9reuses. Cinq patients pr\ue9sentaient des l\ue9sions r\ue9currentes. Deux cas seulement ont eu un diagnostic clinique de adnexal tumeur. Vingt-quatre soit 46% des l\ue9sions ont \ue9t\ue9 distribu\ue9es dans la r\ue9gion de la t\ueate et du cou. La dur\ue9e des sympt\uf4mes \ue9tait de 2 mois \ue0 15 ans (m\ue9dians: 12 mois). Tumeurs de la glande sudoripare sont les plus communs. 41 soit 78.8%, ils comprenaient essentiellement encrine acrospirome (17), caract\ue9ris\ue9e histologiquement par de solides nids de round \ue0 polygonal cellules claires \ue0 cosonophilic cytoplasme, formant des tubes dans les r\ue9gions. Tumeurs des glandes s\ue9bac\ue9es \ue9taient 7 soit 13.5%, ils comprenaient surtout de Nevus s\ue9bac\ue9es de Jadassohn (6), compos\ue9 de glandes s\ue9bac\ue9es et immatur\ue9s structures de pilier au microscope et d'un ad\ue9nome solitaire s\ue9bac\ue9es. Tumeurs du follicule pileux \ue9taient 4 soit 7,7% et inclus trichoepitheliome, caract\ue9ris\ue9e microscopique ment par horn multiple kystes et appareil \ue9pith\ue9liaux reliant des structures des piliers avort\ue9s et un une trichofolliculome. Quarante six l\ue9sions soit 88,5% sont b\ue9nignes et six soit 11,5% malignes. Conclusion: Adnexal tumeurs de la peau ont des sch\ue9mas histologiques qui les diff\ue9rencie des autres tumeurs cutan\ue9es. Le plus souvent, ils sont distribu\ue9s dans la t\ueate, du cou et du tronc. Parmi les variantes sont celles des glandes sudoripares ecerine d'origine Adnexal tumeurs malignes sont rares dans notre milieu

Evaluation of CD4 count progression in HIV-infected patients on different classes of antiretroviral regimens

Background: Understanding the expected effects of different antiretroviral regimens on CD4 count will guide therapeutic decision and monitoring treatment progress that will improve patients’ outcomes.Objective: To evaluate the effects of two first line and one second line antiretroviral regimens on annual changes in CD4 count of HIV-infected patients at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto.Method: A retrospective analysis of patients’ records between 2011 and 2015 which were selected using systematic random sampling was conducted. A total of 423 records of patients that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated for changes in CD4 count. The data were analysed using descriptive, correlation and linear regression statistics, with p&lt;0.05 considered statistically significant.Results: Majority of the patients were females (75.4%) and their mean age was 37.1±9.1 years. Correlation analysis showed that increasing duration of the disease state (p=0.001) and treatment (p=0.001) were significantly associated with low annual percentage increase in CD4 count. Linear regression models showed that among patients with CD4 cell counts of ≤300 cells/mm3, the annual percentage increase of those on Tenofovir (TDF) + Emtricitabine (or Lamivudine) (XTC) + Efavirenz (EFZ), Zidovudine (AZT) + Lamivudine (3TC) + Nevirapine (NVP)and TDF+XTC + Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) regimens were 41.1%, 16.9% and 4.9% respectively. Patients with CD4 counts &gt;300 to 500 cells/mm3 mostly had insignificant increase of 4.5%, 1.3% and 2.9% respectively. All patients with CD4 &gt;500 cells/mm3 had insignificant decrease.Conclusion: Significant increase in annual percentage CD4 count is observed only when the CD4 count is low with patients on TDF+XTC+EFZ regimen showing the best increase. Increase in duration of the disease and treatment were associated with low annual increase.Keywords: Antiretroviral regimen, CD4 count, HIV, Highly active antiretroviral therap

Ocular disorders in children in Zaria children’s school

Background: The main causes of blindness in children change over time. The prevalence and pattern of eye diseases in children were studied in northern Nigeria 6 years ago. This study like the previous one was a school eye health screening conducted in Zaria children school located at the centre of Zaria, a city in northern Nigeria.Aims and Objectives: to determine the current prevalence and pattern of eye diseases affecting school children in Zaria. This is to serve as a current template for planning eye care for children in Zaria and environs.Materials and Methods: a cross sectional study of 327 children who completed a pre-designed school eye screening format was conducted. Consent was obtained from the school authority and the parents before the screening exercise. It involved assessment of visual acuity, anterior and posterior segment examination and colour vision testing. Intraocular pressure measurement and refraction were done for those with indications.Result: A total of 327 children were examined, out of which 45.6% (n=149) were males and 54.4% (n=178) were females. M: F=1:1.2. Age range 5-17yrs with mean of 9.6 &plusmn; 3.1(SD). The commonest causes of eye disorders were refractive errors 8.0% (n=26), allergic conjunctivitis 7.3 % (n=24), glaucoma suspects 3.7% (n=12) and colour deficiency 1.5%(n=5).Conclusion: The major causes of childhood eye disorders were uncorrected refractive errors and allergic conjunctivitis. The predominance of uncorrected refractive error is similar to what is obtainable in other parts of the world especially in the urban areas

Characterization of Coal obtained from the Sahelian Regions of Nigeria and Niger Republic

Coal is the most widely available fossil fuel energy resource. This work was carried out to compare the composition, Sulphur content and combustibility of the Nigerian and Nigerien coal samples. Coal samples were obtained from Enugu, Nigeria, Tahuoa and Agadez of Niger Republic. Results indicated that, coal samples from Tahuoa (RS/T) and coal from Agadez (RS/A) have highest percentage of fixed carbon (71.2% and 61.0% for Tohoua and Agadez respectively), while the coal from Enugu (RS/E), Nigeria, have the least percentage (49.2%) which made them to have high fuel ratio enabling them to be more combustible, as determined by the thermal efficiency test. The study revealed that the coal from Niger is of higher grade with ease of combustion and less smoke as found in the combustibility test. Keywords: Coal, Sulphur, fuel ratio, carbon content, combustion and thermal efficiency

Histiocytosis X

Histiocytosis X (Langerhan’s cell granulomatosis) is a disease of unknown aetiology, but viral origin has been implicated.1 It is a clinicopathologic entitycharacterized by proliferation of Langerhan’s cell (which are not primarily phagocytic) in an appropriate milieu.