Clinical Metrics, Spreadsheet Data Analysis, and Cardiometabolic Literature Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering clinical lab metrics, Excel statistical workflows, data classification, and the literature regarding hypertension and diabetes comorbidity.

Glycated Albumin (GA)

A glycemic marker measuring the percentage of serum albumin bound to glucose, reflecting short-to-medium-term ($2\text{--}3\text{ weeks}$) glycemic control.

Fasting C-Peptide (FCP)

A cleavage byproduct of proinsulin that reflects endogenous insulin secretion after an overnight fast.

HOMA-IR

An index evaluating insulin resistance derived mathematically from fasting glucose and fasting insulin concentrations.

HOMA-$\beta$

A mathematical index estimating pancreatic beta-cell insulin secretory function based on fasting glucose and insulin levels.

FIB-4 Index

A non-invasive clinical score combining patient age, liver enzymes (ALT and AST), and platelet count to assess the risk of liver fibrosis, utilizing a cutoff threshold of $1.45$.

Direct Bilirubin (DBIL)

Conjugated bilirubin that has been chemically processed by the liver, differentiated from circulating unconjugated indirect bilirubin (IDBIL).

Abdominal Obesity (JCD Criteria)

A central obesity classification defined by sex-specific waist circumference cutoffs of $\ge 90\,\text{cm}$ for men and $\ge 85\,\text{cm}$ for women.

Urine Albumin-to-Creatinine Ratio (UACR)

A clinical ratio adjusting urinary microalbumin against urinary creatinine excretion, used to detect early renal stress and stage albuminuria severity ($<30$, $30\text{--}299$, and $\ge 300\,\text{mg/g}$).

Monofilament Assessment of DPN (MADPN)

A physical screening method for diabetic peripheral neuropathy evaluating peripheral sensation loss using a standard nylon monofilament.

Outlier

An extreme data value that lies far removed from the main distribution of a dataset (such as an individual reporting $45\,\text{hours}$ of gameplay per week, which is $15\,\text{hours}$ more than the next highest player).

Mean (Average)

A measure of central tendency calculated by dividing the sum of all numerical values by the count of observations; calculated in Excel via =AVERAGE(range) and sensitive to extreme outliers.

Median

The middle numerical value in a sorted dataset (or the average of the two central numbers if the sample size is even); calculated in Excel via =MEDIAN(range) and resistant to distortion by extreme outliers.

Quantitative-to-Categorical Transformation

The practice of binning continuous numerical measurements into defined discrete intervals, such as categorizing weekly gaming hours into Low ($0\text{--}7\,\text{hours}$), Medium ($8\text{--}14\,\text{hours}$), and High ($\ge 15\,\text{hours}$).

100% Stacked Column Chart

A visualization style where all category bars are normalized to an identical $100\%$ total height, facilitating the direct visual comparison of subgroup proportions across different categories.

Literature Review

An integrated summary and critical evaluation written in the researcher's own words of available peer-reviewed literature on a given topic, rather than a collection of separate article summaries.

Hypertension-Diabetes Comorbidity

The frequent co-occurrence of chronic high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes that synergistically accelerates vascular damage and compounds risks for heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease.

Personalized Blood Pressure Treatment (Brunström & Carlberg, 2016)

The clinical principle establishing that antihypertensive therapy in patients with diabetes must be tailored to their baseline blood pressure levels and cardiovascular risk profile rather than applying uniform thresholds.

Lifestyle Interventions for Cardiometabolic Health

Non-pharmacological strategies—such as weight loss, regular physical exercise, sodium restriction, and eating unprocessed whole foods—that directly lower blood pressure, reduce arterial stiffness, and enhance insulin sensitivity.