Tortuosity of the left anterior descending artery is associated with hypertension and is not independently related to physical performance: A cardiac computed tomography study.

Background: Coronary tortuosity (CorT) is frequently observed in invasive angiography, though its aetiology and clinical significance remain ambiguous. Prior research has indicated possible links between CorT and factors such as hypertension, age, and calcium scores in the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. The aim of this study was to examine and optimize the usage of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) with vessel tracking to explore these associations.

Improving the EMA Binding Test by Using Commercially Available Fluorescent Beads.

Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a common anemia caused by germline mutations in red blood cell cytoskeleton proteins. The flow cytometry-based eosin-5'-maleimide (EMA) binding test is most frequently employed for reliable diagnostics. To perform this test, a number of healthy and ideally also age-matched controls are required, which can be challenging and complicates interlaboratory comparisons.