THE MALAWI-MSU MRI PROJECT: AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDY OF CNS ABNORMALITIES

描述(由申请人提供)：由于前所未有的公私合作关系，磁共振成像技术最近已在马拉维用于研究、临床和教育目的。事实证明，缺乏标准化数据是在这种环境中使用磁共振成像的主要障碍。马拉维-密歇根州立大学磁共振成像研究项目将招募一名以社区为基础的具有代表性的马拉维儿童样本进行临床和脑MRI评估，以开发马拉维人口中枢神经系统图像的标准数据。研究对象还将接受产前、创伤、传染病或环境暴露史的筛查，这些史在马拉维很常见，可能是中枢神经系统损伤的危险因素。将评估特定潜在风险因素与特定和非特定结构异常之间的联系。这项流行病学评估的结果将提供对马拉维未被承认的神经残疾和疾病的负担和性质以及这些疾病的可能病因的见解。在开展这项工作期间，将全面开发和实施一个定制的、与网络兼容的软件程序(NeuroInterp)，该程序旨在使放射科医生能够以系统、可量化的形式提供脑磁共振成像解释。将加强马拉维核磁共振技术人员的培训，并为在这一资源有限的情况下继续发展放射学学术提供支持。 公共卫生相关性：叙事磁共振成像(MRI)最近在马拉维可用--这是撒哈拉以南非洲地区首次可用于教学、教育和研究的这种先进成像技术。马拉维-密歇根州立大学的核磁共振研究项目将从马拉维社区儿童人口中获得脑核磁共振成像，以确定在这个从未研究过的人群中明显存在的结构异常范围，因为在撒哈拉以南非洲地区有效使用核磁共振技术需要这些信息。通过核磁共振检查和临床评估，该项目将评估这一脆弱人群中神经损伤的性质及其潜在病因。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Due to an unprecedented public-private partnership, MRI technology has recently become available in Malawi for research, clinical and educational purposes. The lack of normative data is proving a major barrier to the use of MRI in this environment. The Malawi-MSU MRI Research Project will recruit a community-based, representative sample of Malawian children for clinical and brain MRI evaluations to develop normative data for CNS images in the Malawian population. Study subjects will also be screened for a history of antenatal, traumatic, infectious, or environmental exposures common in Malawi which may be risk factors for CNS injuries. The association between specific potential risk factors and specific, as well as non-specific structural abnormalities will be assessed. Findings from this epidemiologic assessment will provide insights into the burden and nature of unrecognized neurologic disability and disease in Malawi and possible etiologies for these conditions. During the conduct of this work, a customized, web compatible software program (NeuroInterp) designed to allow radiologists to provide brain MRI interpretations in a systematic, quantifiable format will be fully developed and implemented. Training for MRI technicians in Malawi will be enhanced and support provided for the continued development of academic radiology in this resource limited setting. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Narrative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has recently become available in Malawi--the first time such advanced imaging technology has been accessible for teaching, education and research in a sub-Saharan African region. The Malawi-MSU MRI research project will obtain brain MRIs from a community-based population of Malawian children to establish the range of structural abnormalities evident in this never-before-studied population since this information is needed to effectively use MRI technology in the sub-Saharan African region. Through MRI reviews and clinical assessments, the project will evaluate the nature of neurologic injuries and their potential etiologies in this vulnerable population.