Evaluation of myelin by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a difficult challenge, but holds promise in demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Although multiple techniques have been developed, no gold standard has been established. This study aims to evaluate the correlation between synthetic MRI myelin volume fraction (SyMRIMVF) and myelin fraction estimated by other techniques, i.e., magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat), T1-weighted images divided by T2-weighted images (T1w/T2w), and radial diffusivity (RD) in patients with MS. We also compared the sensitivities of these techniques for detecting MS-related myelin damage. SyMRIMVF, MTsat, T1w/T2w, and RD were averaged on plaque, periplaque white matter, and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). Pairwise correlation was calculated using Spearman’s correlation analysis. For all segmented regions, strong correlations were found between SyMRIMVF and T1w/T2w (Rho = 0.89), MTsat (Rho = 0.82), or RD (Rho = −0.75). For each technique, the average estimated myelin differed significantly among regions, but the percentage change of NAWM from both periplaque white matter and plaque were highest in SyMRIMVF. SyMRIMVF might be suitable for myelin evaluation in MS patients, with relevant results as compared to other well-studied techniques. Moreover, it presented better sensitivity for the detection of the difference between plaque or periplaque white matter and NAWM.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Bangla version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) in an adult population in Bangladesh. Approximately 200 adults in the Dhaka district were interviewed using a questionnaire containing the Bangla version of the WHOQOL-BREF, as well as questions related to sociodemographic data. To assess the reliability of WHOQOL-BREF, Cronbach's α was calculated, and test-retest reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the first and second administrations. For comparison, approximately 200 leprosy patients were also interviewed with the questionnaire to examine the discriminant validity between groups. On the whole, sufficient validity was observed, and the Bangla version of the WHOQOL-BREF was deemed to be valid and reliable in assessing the quality of life of an adult population in Bangladesh.
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