Stroke Awareness Month: May 2016

May is the dedicated month for Stroke Awareness when the Stroke Association release campaigns in order to increase knowledge and raise essential funds for those affected by stroke. Randox Biosciences are supporting this year’s theme to ‘Make May Purple’ and help increase awareness of this condition along with the ways in which it can be managed and prevented.

What is a Stroke?

A stroke is a brain attack which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Blood carries essential nutrients and oxygen to the brain, therefore without blood; brain cells can be severely damaged. This damage can have different effects, depending on where it happens in the brain.

Different types of stroke

There are 3 different types of stroke:

1. Ischaemic Stroke
2. Haemorrhagic Stroke
3. Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)

Ischaemic Stroke

This is the most common type of stroke, caused by a blockage that cuts off blood supply to the brain. This can occur for various reasons, for example:

• Atherosclerosis occurs when fatty deposits build up on the inside walls of your arteries and make them harder and narrower and therefore more likely to become blocked.
• Small Vessel Disease is when the tiny blood vessels within your brain become blocked.
• Some Heart Conditions can cause blood clots to form in your heart, which can then move through your blood stream up into your brain.
• Arterial Dissection occurs when tears develop in the lining of an artery and allow blood to get between the layers of your artery walls.

Haemorrhagic Stroke

Haemorrhagic stroke can also be caused by a bleeding in or around the brain.  Although this type of stroke is not very common, it can be very severe. Haemorrhagic Strokes can occur due to:

• High blood pressure weakens the arteries and makes them more likely to tear.
• Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a condition where a protein called amyloid builds up inside the blood vessels in the brain which causes damage and makes your blood vessels more likely to tear.
• An aneurysm is a weak spot on an artery, where the walls have become thin and weak because they have been stretched, meaning they can easily burst, especially if you have high blood pressure.

Transient Ischaemic Attack

A transient ischaemic attack or TIA is also known as a mini-stroke. It is the same as a stroke, except that the symptoms last for a short amount of time. This is because the blockage that stops the blood getting to your brain is temporary as the blockage either dissolves on its own or moves.  Although the symptoms may not last long, a TIA is still very serious as it is a sign that there is a problem and you are at risk of having a stroke. Because of this, a TIA is often called a warning stroke.

Source – The Stroke Association

The Randox Metabolic Syndrome Arrays

Metabolic syndrome is a group of cardiovascular risk factors that is highly prevalent, with approximately 20-25% of adults affected. It is estimated that having metabolic syndrome results in a person being three times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack, and five times more likely to develop diabetes. Underlying risk factors of metabolic syndrome include abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, physical inactivity, aging and hormonal imbalance.

At Randox Biosciences, we are committed to our continual research into a variety of conditions including diabetes to improve health worldwide. To gain a better understanding of the ways in which metabolic functions affect a person’s cardiovascular system, we have created our Metabolic Syndrome Arrays. Utilising our patented Biochip Array Technology, the arrays simultaneously measure 12 markers associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

Metabolic Syndrome Array I

• Ferritin
• Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
• Insulin
• Leptin
• Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)
• Resistin
• Tumour Necrosis Factor α (TNFα)

Metabolic Syndrome Array II

• Adiponectin
• C-reactive Protein (CRP)
• Cystatin C

Key Benefits of the Metabolic Syndrome Array

• Biochip Array Technology allows multiplex testing from one patient sample
• Applicable to fully automated and semi-automated Evidence analysers
• Biochips are ready to use, thus saving time, labour and resources
• Rapid turnaround time
• Validated for both serum and plasma samples – suitable for clinical research studies
• Small sample volume – 100μl to measure all analytes on each array
• Excellent analytical performance
• Multi-analyte controls and calibrators
• Highly efficient use of valuable patient sample banks
• No non-specific aggregation, which is associated with multi-analyte bead assays
• Can be used in the investigation of insulin resistance, pro‑thrombotic state, abnormal body fat distribution, pro‑inflammatory state and atherogenic dyslipidaemia

The Randox Adhesion Molecules Array

Adhesion molecules are complex membrane proteins, being involved in a wide range of physiological processes and can be found in the cell membrane or as soluble forms in circulation. Altered levels of these proteins have been found in stroke, cancer and diabetes. Utilising our award winning Biochip Array Technology, the Randox Adhesion Molecules Array enables the determination of five soluble adhesion molecules from a single sample.

Adhesion Molecules Array

E-selectin
P-selectin
L-selectin
Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1)
Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1)

Key Benefits of Randox Adhesion Molecules Array

• Multiplex testing from a single sample
• Suitable for human serum and plasma samples
• Small sample volume
• Excellent analytical performance
• Fast throughput
• Applicable to both fully automated and semi-automated Evidence analysers

For further information, please contact info@randoxbiosciences.com