World Stroke Day – 29th October 2017
World Stroke Day is held annually on the 29th October, it aims to globally raise awareness of stroke and how to prevent, treat and support those at risk or diagnosed with stroke. With more than 100,000 strokes occurring each year in the UK and nearly 800,000 in the US, it is important that there is a global awareness.
About Stroke
A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. When this happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. There are two main types of stroke known as:
- Ischaemic Stroke – The most common type of stroke, caused by a restriction of blood supply to the brain, leading to damage of the brain.
- Haemorrhagic Stroke – Is caused when a blood vessel bursts within or on the surface of the brain. Haemorrhagic strokes are generally more severe and are associated with a considerably higher risk of mortality. 2
Transient ischaemic attack, or TIA (often referred to as a ‘mini stroke’) is the same as a stroke, except that the symptoms last for less than 24 hours. However, a TIA should be treated just as seriously as a full stroke.
Act FAST
To receive the best possible treatment and care it is vital that everyone with a suspected stroke arrives at the hospital as quickly as possible and receives timely diagnosis. FAST is an easy way to remember and identify the most common symptoms of a stroke.
- Face – Has their face fallen on one side?
- Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?
- Speech – Is their speech slurred?
- Time to call 999 if you see any single one of these signs of a stroke.
Public awareness of the FAST test can help people to identify the signs of stroke and call 999 as quickly as possible.
Research Studies
A biomarker that has been involved in neuronal diseases but more recently involved in Stroke is Parkinson Protein 7 (PARK7). Studies have shown that PARK7, exhibited a very early increase above their cut off values after stroke onset and therefore their combination may be useful as plasma biomarkers for the early diagnosis of stroke.
Further analysis of plasma PARK7 concentrations by ELISA demonstrated significant increases in patients with stroke vs controls (P<0.001), these increases were observed between 30mins to 3 hours after the onset of symptoms. Using a PARK7 cut-off of14.1µg/L yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 54% and specificity of 90% for stroke.
Randox Biosciences Product Offering
Randox Biosciences new stroke array works quickly to determine which type of stroke a person has experienced. Acute ischaemic stroke, which accounts for 87% of all stroke cases, can be treated by thrombolysis and where early use (within 3-4 hours of symptoms onset) can help limit stroke damage and disability. However, inappropriate administration of thrombolytic therapy can cause serious adverse effects, including intracranial haemorrhage. Hence, there is an unmet clinical need for a rapid and highly sensitive test that will complement existing CT scanning approaches and facilitate the definitive identification of ischaemic stroke patients.
Randox’s innovative Biochip Array Technology enables simultaneous detection of eight stroke biomarkers from a single blood sample.
Easy to use and faster than traditional ELISA methods the biochip provides accurate and precise results empowering physicians to make informed decisions regarding patient treatment.
The eight biomarkers that can be detected in a single blood sample are:
- Glutathione S-Transferase-Pi (GSTP-Pi)
- Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase A (NDKA)
- Parkinson Protein 7 (PARK7)
- Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP)
- D-Dimer
- Interleukin 6 (IL-6)
- sNFR1
- Heart Fatty Acid Binding Protein (H-FABP)
For more information email us at info@randoxbiosciences.com
Connect with our Twitter or LinkedIn!
Sources:
1 – NHS Choices
2 – Stroke Association
3 – ResearchGate