World Health Day 2016: Diabetes
World Health Day on April 7th will focus on Diabetes. Randox Biosciences are joining the campaign to raise awareness of the increasing levels of this disease around the world and the ways in which it can be effectively managed.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a lifelong disease which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This results in an increased level of glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia).
Diabetes is increasing on a global scale with around 422 million people worldwide diagnosed, a figure likely to double in the next 20 years.
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Type 1
Type 1 diabetes is due to a lack of insulin production in the body due to the immune system destroys the cells that produce the needed insulin. In the UK, around 10% of those who have diabetes have been diagnosed with type 1, and will require insulin injections for the rest of their lives.
Type 2
Type 2 diabetes is far more common as it accounts for around 90% of all diabetes worldwide. It occurs because the body does not produce a satisfactory level of insulin or the cells do not react to it. It can be described as the more manageable type of diabetes as it can normally be controlled with a healthy diet, exercise and closely monitoring your blood glucose levels.
Source – World Health Organisation
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