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The objective of this study was to measure cholesterol concentrations in diabetic patients at the beginning of maintenance hemodialysis treatment and to define their role as predictors of subsequent cardiac death on maintenance hemodialysis. The design of this study consisted of a prospective study of all consecutive diabetic patients newly admitted to 28 German dialysis centers between January 1985 and October 1987. The patients were examined on admission and subsequently followed for 45 months on dialysis. This study included 196 patients, 67 type I (43 male, 24 female, median age 49 years, range 22-73) and 129 type II (54 male, 75 female, aged 64 years, range 37-82). Lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol apolipoprotein B and A and anthropometric indices (body mass index, triceps skinfold thickness) were measured. The outcome was death, i.e., cardiovascular (myocardial infarction, sudden death, other cardiac causes, stroke) and noncardiovascular death during a 45-month follow-up. At the start of treatment, total cholesterol, triglycerides LDL cholesterol, LDL/HDL ratio and apolipoprotein B were significantly higher in diabetics than in healthy controls or patients with standard primary renal disease starting dialysis. Only minor differences were found between males and females and type I and type II diabetics. Fourty-three percent of type I and 50% of type II diabetics died, 61% from cardiovascular causes, mostly myocardial infarction (in 40% reinfarction) and sudden death. On admission, diabetics subsequently dying from myocardial infarction had significantly higher median cholesterol than survivors, i.e., 259 versus 222 mg/dl, and higher LDL cholesterol, LDL/HDL ratio and apolipoprotein B. The conclusion of this study is that high cholesterol is a potent predictor of cardiac death in uremic diabetics treated by maintenance hemodialysis. Controlled trials on the effects of lipid-lowering treatment are desirable.

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Background. It has been proposed that muscle architecture can be associated with sprint performance and the risk of sustaining a muscle injury. During puberty, sprint performance as well as muscle injury risk increases in young soccer players. In this study, we investigated the changes in m. biceps femoris long head (BFlh) cross-sectional area (ACSA), fascicle length (FL) and pennation angle (PA) and sprint performance as well as their relationship in under 13 to 15 youth soccer players. Methods. In total, we measured 85 youth soccer players in under 13 (n=29, age=12.5 y (SD=0.1), height=155.3 cm (6.2), weight=43.9 kg (7.6)), under 14 (n=25, age=13.5 y (0.3), height=160.6 y (7.7), weight=47.0 kg (6.8)) and under 15 (n=31, age=14.4 y (0.3) , height=170.0 cm (7.7), weight=58.1 kg (8.8) ) teams of three high level soccer clubs. We used ultrasound to measure BFlh ACSA, FL and PA. We performed sprint tests to assess 10m and 30m sprint time, maximal velocity (vmax) and maximal acceleration (amax). We calculated Pearson’s r and 95% compatibility intervals to assess the relationship between sprint ability, maturity ratio, chronological age and architectural parameters. In addition, we calculated the best set of predictors for sprint ability using multiple regression models.Results. All muscle architectural parameters increased from the under 13 to the under 15 age group (BFlh ACSA: 37%, BFlh FL: 11%, BFlh PA: 8%). All sprint performance parameters improved from the under 13 to under 15 age categories (30m time: 7%, 10m time: 4%, vmax: 9%, amax: 7%). BFlh ACSA was correlated with 30m sprint time (r = -0.61 (95% CI = -0.73, -0.45)) and vmax (r= 0.61 (0.45, 0.72)). The correlation for maturity ratio with assessed parameters were larger compared to the correlation for chronological age. A combination of BFlh ACSA, FL, chronological age and height best predicted sprint parameters. Discussion. Parallel to improvements in sprint performance, muscle architectural parame-ters increase from the under 13 to under 15 age groups. BFlh ACSA seems to be related to sprint performance in youth soccer players. BFlh ACSA and chronological age are the main predictors of most sprint parameters.

Purpose: Hamstring muscle architecture may be associated with sprint performance and the risk of sustaining a muscle injury, both of which increase during puberty. In this study, we investigated the m. biceps femoris long head (BFlh) cross-sectional area (ACSA), fascicle length (FL) and pennation angle (PA), and sprint performance as well as their relationship in under 13 to 15 youth soccer players. Methods: We measured 85 players in under-13 (n = 29, age = 12.5 [0.1] y, height = 155.3 [6.2] cm, weight = 43.9 [7.6] kg), under-14 (n = 25, age = 13.5 [0.3] y, height = 160.6 [7.7] cm, weight = 47.0 [6.8] kg), and under-15 (n = 31, age = 14.4 [0.3] y, height = 170.0 [7.7] cm, weight = 58.1 [8.8] kg) teams. We used ultrasound to measure BFlh ACSA, FL and PA, and sprint tests to assess 10- and 30-m sprint time, maximal velocity  (vmax), and maximal acceleration (αmax). We calculated Pearson r to assess the relationship between sprint ability and architectural parameters. Results: All muscle architectural parameters increased from the under-13 to the under-15 age group (BFlh ACSA = 37%, BFlh FL = 11%, BFlh PA = 8%). All sprint performance parameters improved from the under-13 to under-15 age categories (30-m time = 7%, 10-m time = 4%, vmax = 9%, αmax = 7%). The BFlh ACSA was correlated with 30-m sprint time (r = −.61 (95% compatibility interval [CI] [−.73, −.45]) and vmax (r = .61, 95% CI [.45, .72]). A combination of BFlh ACSA and age best predicted 30-m time (R² = .47 [.33, .62]) and 10-m time (R² = .23 [.08, .38]). Conclusions: Muscle architectural as well as sprint performance parameters increase from the under-13 to under-15 age groups. Even though we found correlations for all assessed architectural parameters, BFlh ACSA was best related to the assessed sprint parameters.