Simple Laboratory Test-Based Risk Scores in Coronary Catheterization: Development, Validation, and Comparison to Conventional Risk Factors.

Background: We developed and validated laboratory test-based risk scores (i.e., lab risk scores) to reclassify mortality risk among patients undergoing their first coronary catheterization.

Serum Total 25-OH Vitamin D Adds Little Prognostic Value in Patients Undergoing Coronary Catheterization.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease; however, it is unclear whether vitamin D status should be considered in clinical risk assessments of patients with cardiovascular disease.

Methods And Results: This study included 2975 patients who had their first serum total 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH vitamin D) measurement before their first coronary catheterization in Alberta, Canada. Cox regression was used to examine associations between 25-OH vitamin D and mortality risk after adjusting for demographic and clinical risk factors.

Architectural analysis and predicted functional capability of the human latissimus dorsi muscle.

The latissimus dorsi is primarily considered a muscle with actions at the shoulder, despite its widespread attachments at the spine. There is some dispute regarding the potential contribution of this muscle to lumbar spine function. The architectural design of a muscle is one of the most accurate predictors of muscle function; however, detailed architectural data on the latissimus dorsi muscle are limited.

Exploring the effect of repeated-day familiarization on the ability to generate reliable maximum voluntary muscle activation.

Maximum voluntary isometric contractions (MVCs) are commonly used to normalize electromyography (EMG) data and must be reliable even if the individual has no prior experience performing MVCs. This study explored the effect of familiarization over three testing sessions on MVC performance and reliability by comparing muscle activation during standardized maximal and sub-maximal muscle contractions. Participants were recruited into two groups: (1) individuals who regularly engaged in upper body resistance training; (2) individuals with little or no prior experience in upper body resistance training.

Importance of sarcomere length when determining muscle physiological cross-sectional area: a spine example.

Muscle physiological cross-sectional area predicts the maximum capability of a muscle to generate isometric force. Biomechanical models often use estimates of individual muscle physiological cross-sectional area to partition internal forces among different muscles and predict joint forces and stability. In the spine literature, these physiological cross-sectional area values are generally obtained from imaging or cadaveric studies that have not accounted for a potential lengthened or shortened (and thus thinned or thickened, respectively) state of the muscles in question.