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In multisite neuroimaging studies there is often unwanted technical variation across scanners and sites. These “scanner effects” can hinder detection of biological features of interest, produce inconsistent results, and lead to spurious associations. We propose mica (multisite image harmonization by cumulative distribution function alignment), a tool to harmonize images taken on different scanners by identifying and removing within-subject scanner effects. Our goals in the present study were to (1) establish a method that removes scanner effects by leveraging multiple scans collected on the same subject, and, building on this, (2) develop a technique to quantify scanner effects in large multisite studies so these can be reduced as a preprocessing step. We illustrate scanner effects in a brain MRI study in which the same subject was measured twice on seven scanners, and assess our method’s performance in a second study in which ten subjects were scanned on two machines. We found that unharmonized images were highly variable across site and scanner type, and our method effectively removed this variability by aligning intensity distributions. We further studied the ability to predict image harmonization results for a scan taken on an existing subject at a new site using cross-validation.

Introduction: Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition that lacks a definitive cure and adversely impacts the quality of life (QoL) of those affected. This study delves into the experiences of individuals with endometriosis in Trinidad and Tobago, focusing on their quality of life, pain severity, and acceptance of illness., Methods: Surveys were distributed among 160 members of the Trinidad and Tobago Endometriosis Association. The survey instrument utilized was the WHOQOL-BREF, which measures QoL, pain severity, and acceptance of illness [the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS)]., Results: The average age of respondents was 38.65 years. Quality of life scores averaged 3.41, with the "environment" aspect scoring highest (12.84) and "social relationships" scoring lowest (11.88). Cronbach's alpha indicated excellent internal consistency for "environment" ( ɑ  = 0.909) and the "AIS" ( ɑ  = 0.882). The independent samples t-test revealed lower mean QoL scores for unemployed participants. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in mean QoL scores for "health status" and "years since endometriosis diagnosis." All the QoL domains were positively correlated with each other. There were moderate positive correlations between the physical health and social relationships domains ( ρ  = 0.558). All other domains were strongly correlated with each other (0.6 <  ρ  < 0.8). Pain intensity and acceptance of illness had mean scores of 24.15 and 6.57, respectively. Variations in quality of life were observed for health status and duration since diagnosis, impacting mostly on the domain of physical health. Acceptance of illness emerged as a significant influencer of overall quality of life, assisting individuals in navigating the challenges posed by endometriosis., Discussion: The findings underscore the importance of understanding determinants, such as pain severity to improve care and support for those with endometriosis. Exploring acceptance of illness is critical in improving the quality of life of these individuals, highlighting the need for tailored interventions that encompass psychological and social support alongside medical treatment. This study demonstrates the pivotal role of acceptance of illness in the overall quality of life of endometriosis patients. Improving the quality of care requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing quality of life, particularly pain severity and the need for a holistic approach to support individuals grappling with endometriosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Khan, Baksh, Wallace, Aimable, Bujhawan, Cumberbatch, Marbella, Phagoo, Ramjattan and Shavili.)

Aim: To determine the effects of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of primary care health workers toward receiving the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in North Central, Trinidad., Methods: A pretested de novo questionnaire containing forty-eight (48) closed ended questions and one (1) open ended question was used to gather data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire. These included percentages, means and standard deviations for the descriptive aspect and the Chi-Square test to examine any significant associations. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to assess any significant differences in means among several categories and the independent samples t -test for assessing any significant difference in means between two categories., Results: 273 respondents completed the questionnaire. Most of the participants (72.2%) were female and within the age range 25-36 (56.0%). The mean knowledge score about the AstraZeneca vaccine was 16.28 (SD = 2.28) out of 19 with an overall correct response rate of 79%. 30.4% of participants had a good attitude score and 59.7% had a positive perception toward the AstraZeneca vaccine. There were significant associations between knowledge and marital status ( p = 0.001), income level ( p = 0.001), education level ( p < 0.001), and length of employment ( p = 0.041); attitudes and sex ( p = 0.01), age ( p = 0.04), marital status ( p = 0.009), income level ( p < 0.001), education level ( p = 0.005) and category of staff ( p < 0.001); perception and sex ( p = 0.002), marital status ( p = 0.027), income level ( p < 0.001), and category of staff ( p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The main contributors to vaccine hesitancy were inadequate duration of clinical trials and fear of adverse side effects. A significant number of participants (17%) were unwilling to get the vaccine due to lack of information., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Khan, Albert, Awe, De Four, Francois, Hinds, Kellman, Maharaj, Mahon, Pierre, Ramai and Baksh.)

A 9 years old patient presented with swelling and severe pain in right eye with diplopia; with normal visual acuity. CT scan of paranasal sinus revealed right eye axial proptosis and dehiscence in lamina papyracia. After thorough investigation, patient was posted for surgical drainage and decompression of the right orbit. Patient, improved after surgery and followed regularly for last 2 months.