Free Health Testing For Sandwell Residents As Council Partner With Randox Health To Detect Early Warning Signs of Serious Illness
Free Health Testing For Sandwell Residents As Council Partner With Randox Health To Detect Early Warning Signs of Serious Illness
Sandwell Council partners with Randox Health to launch free health checks service
Sandwell Council initiative places prevention at the centre of healthcare
Thousands of eligible Sandwell residents are being offered diagnostic NHS Health Checks to detect any early signs of diabetes, heart and kidney disease and hypertension.
The early identification of individuals with the potential to develop these conditions will enable the NHS to intervene and, in many cases, prevent the onset of potentially life-changing and life-threatening illnesses.
In a pioneering initiative, the Sandwell tests and online self-assessment provision will be provided by a partnership comprising the council’s Healthy Sandwell team, the NHS and diagnostics company Randox Health – whose tests and clinics will be used to facilitate the innovative testing. Tests and clinics will be available for Sandwell residents in both Sandwell and, if convenient, in Birmingham.
The awarding of the contract to Randox Health to provide the tests follows an open tender process by Sandwell Council. The company has demonstrated success in providing 17 million PCR tests to NHS Test and Trace during the Covid-19 pandemic, helping prevent thousands of hospitalisations and deaths in the UK.
Free tests will be offered to Sandwell residents aged between 40 and 74 who have not previously suffered coronary heart disease, strokes, diabetes or kidney disease. Each will, in the next few weeks, begin receiving letters inviting them to the 20-minute NHS check, with branding from Randox, Healthy Sandwell and the NHS. The letter will include a link to the Randox website through which the tests can be booked.
Sandwell residents who have not yet received a GP letter and believe they are eligible can visit the Randox website https://nhshealthcheck.randox.com, take an eligibility check and then book their own appointment.
Tests will be carried out by specially trained staff at a number of community pop-up clinics in locations in Sandwell such as leisure centres and community spaces, aiming to reach those most at risk of having an undiagnosed serious illness.
Tests for Sandwell residents will also be available at Randox Health’s Birmingham Clinic (39-40 High Street, B4 7SL).
Test results will be made available to GPs for inclusion on patient medical records through Health Diagnostics Ltd, a third-party provider. Randox will hold none of the data from the test results.
Not only will the testing programme enable prevention and mitigation through the early identification of serious illness, it will also allow lifestyle modification on issues including smoking, alcohol and weight management.
Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults, Social Care & Health, said:
David Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer for Randox Health said:
Editors Notes
1. Sandwell Council
Sandwell Council will participate in the partnership through Healthy Sandwell, which is part of the council’s Public Health team. Healthy Sandwell provides a range of services to support local people to make positive lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking or losing weight. Further information: https://www.healthysandwell.co.uk/
2. Randox Health
Established in 1982, Randox is the largest healthcare diagnostics company from the UK and Ireland.
Undertaking research, development, manufacture and distribution of innovative laboratory tests and analysers, Randox provides 15% of all worldwide cholesterol tests and 10% of all clinical chemistry tests. More than 5% of the world’s population (over 370 million people) receive medical diagnosis using Randox products each year.
Randox Health focuses on the provision of timely and accurate testing to identify risk to health, improve clinical diagnoses and promote preventative healthcare; aiming to achieve better healthcare outcomes whilst reducing the burden on clinical services.
In early 2020 Randox recognised the threat from COVID-19 and quickly developed a test to accurately identify the virus. Testing at scale commenced within weeks to support the UK’s National Testing Programme and private clients. Randox has processed more than 25 million gold-standard PCR tests for the National Testing Programme and private COVID testing for travel.
Randox Health is clear that better diagnostics are unquestionably critical to future improvements within healthcare and is committed to remaining at the forefront of that field.
Its growing network of High Street clinics now operate in 20 locations around the UK and Ireland, including Birmingham.
Celebrating World Diabetes Day 2022!
Celebrating World Diabetes Day, 14th November 2022!
Diabetes is a serious medical condition that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to become too high. This can cause complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney problems or nerve damage if not treated.
Although there is no cure for Diabetes, the condition can be controlled and monitored.
There are three main types of diabetes, type one, type two and gestational diabetes. The former two are lifelong and can cause life threatening complications if not monitored effectively.
Type one diabetes is when the body can’t make insulin, which is thought to be caused by an autoimmune reaction. In the UK, around 8% of the population have type one.
Type two diabetes is generally caused from lifestyle, when the pancreas doesn’t work properly and can’t keep your blood sugar levels from rising. Type two represents around 90% of people with diabetes in the UK.
Gestational diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a form of diabetes that appears in pregnancy, characterised by high blood sugar due to the hormones produced in pregnancy. In the UK, around 5% of pregnant women are diagnosed every year.
Globally, Diabetes affects more than 415 million people, with type 2 being the most common.
People with T1D have an estimated 50% risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease over their lifetime. CKD can progress to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Taking a personalized approach to kidney disease screening for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may reduce the time that chronic kidney disease (CKD) goes undetected, according to a new analysis performed by the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study group.
World Diabetes Day aims to increase visibility around the condition and can help sufferers feel less alone. Charities such as Diabetes UK also use the day to help promote awareness and information around the condition to help get people diagnosed earlier through campaigns such as #RewriteTheStory.
Randox reagents cover a spectrum of laboratory testing which can help monitor Diabetes and the effectiveness of management. This can help prevent serious complications which can become life threatening.
Diagnosis and Monitoring
Fructosamine (Glycated Protein) has been identified as an early indicator of diabetic control compared to other markers such as HbA1c. HbA1c represents the average blood glucose levels for the previous 2-3 months, conversely fructosamine reflects average blood glucose levels of the previous 2-3 weeks. HbA1c levels may also be impacted by genetic, haematological and disease-related factors. The enzymatic Fructosamine method also offers improved specificity and reliability compared to conventional NBT-based methods and does not suffer from non-specific interferences unlike other commercially available Fructosamine assays.
Complications Monitoring – Ketoacidosis
D-3-Hydroxybutyrate (Ranbut) is the most sensitive ketone for the diagnosis of ketosis, in particular diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) , because it represents approximately 80% of ketones present in blood during DKA. The nitroprusside method commonly used in semi-quantitative dipstick tests only detects acetone and acetoacetate making it less accurate.
Complications Monitoring – Renal Dysfunction
Cystatin C is extremely sensitive to very small changes in GFR and has been identified as a strong predictor of clinical outcomes associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cystatin C doesn’t have a ‘blind area’ like creatinine. Up to 50% of renal function may be lost before significant creatinine elevation occurs. NICE guidelines recommend cystatin C testing due to its higher specificity for significant disease outcomes.
To find out more visit: https://www.randox.com/diabetes-reagents/
Or email us at: reagents@randox.com
The Silent Diabetes Pandemic: A Randox Reagents Blog
The Silent Pandemic
A striking statistic is that an estimated 4.2 million people die annually from Diabetes complications and it is anticipated it will be the seventh leading cause of death by 2030.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has reached the status of ‘global pandemic’, a phrase we have become all too familiar with due to the current global Covid-19 pandemic, but one we now know not take for granted.
Diabetes is a chronic, potentially life-threatening disease and can cause a myriad of health complications which affect the feet, eyes, kidneys, and cardiovascular health.
Early detection and treatment of diabetes is key, particularly as many people with type 2 diabetes have no signs or symptoms but do have associated risk factors.
Randox is committed to raising awareness of preventative healthcare related to Diabetes through advancing diabetes testing capabilities, including diabetes diagnosis & monitoring, and monitoring of associated complications including; ketoacidosis, renal dysfunction, and metabolic status.
The Randox Diabetes testing panel consists of ten assays including niche and superior performance assays that are compatible with a wide range of clinical chemistry analyzers.
Contact Us
Find out more about the Randox diabetes reagents panel or alternatively you can contact us
reagents@randox.com | www.randox.com/diabetes-reagents
Product availability may vary from country to country. Some products may be for research use only. For more information on product application & availability, please contact your local Randox Representative
Diabetes Reagents Panel
Diagnosis & Monitoring
Fructosamine (Glycated Protein) (Enzymatic Method)
Ketoacidosis
Renal Dysfunction
Creatinine (Enzymatic & JAFFE Methods)
Metabolic Status
Featured Reagent – Microalbumin
Featured Reagent | Microalbumin
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What is Microalbumin?
Albumin is the most common protein found in the blood and is produced in the liver, it helps your body maintain fluid balance. To prevent fluid from leaking out of the blood vessels a proper balance of albumin is needed. Albumin also carries vital nutrients and hormones, and provides your body with the proteins it needs to maintain growth and repair tissues.
A urine microalbumin test is a test to detect very small levels of albumin in the urine. This test can detect early signs of kidney damage. Microalbumin tests are recommended for people with an increased risk of kidney disease, such as those with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
Healthy kidneys filter waste from your blood and hang on to the healthy components, including proteins such as albumin. Kidney damage can cause proteins to leak through your kidneys and exit your body in your urine. Albumin is one of the first proteins to leak when kidneys become damaged.
Features of Microalbumin
Immunoturbidimetric method
Liquid ready-to-use reagents
Stable to expiry at 2-8°C
Measuring range 5.11-234 mg/l
Applications available for a wide number of clinical chemistry analysers. Please contact us at reagents@randox.com for more information.
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Jaffe Creatinine Assay
Reagent | Creatinine (Jaffe)
A Marker of GFR Function
Benefits of the Randox Jaffe Creatinine Assay
Excellent precision
The Randox Jaffe creatinine assay displayed a within run precision of < 4.0% CV.
Exceptional correlation
The Randox Jaffe creatinine assay displayed a correlation coefficient of at least r=0.99 when compared to commercially available methods.
Liquid ready-to-use
The Randox Jaffe creatinine assay is available in a liquid ready-to-use format for convenience and ease-of-use.
Calibrator and controls available
Calibrator and controls available offering a complete testing package.
Applications available
Applications available detailing instrument-specific settings for the convenient use of the Randox Jaffe creatinine assay on a variety of clinical chemistry analysers.
Ordering Information
| Cat No | Size | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CR510 | 1 x 200ml (S)(L) | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| CR3814 | R1 6 x 51ml (L) R2 3 x 28ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| CR8022 | R1 6 x 68ml (L) R2 6 x 20ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| CR8316 | R1 4 x 20ml (L) R2 4 x 7ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| (L) Indicates liquid option (S) Indicates standard included in kit |
|||||
Instrument Specific Applications (ISA’s) are available for a wide range of biochemistry analysers. Contact us to enquire about your specific analyser.
More useful information
Creatinine is the end-product of muscle catabolism of creatine. In humans, creatinine production is relatively stable, but mainly depends on muscles mass. Consequently, any physiological changes in muscle mass will cause a variation in the creatinine pool independently of GFR changes. Creatinine is freely filtered by the glomerulus at a constant rate with 10% to 40% secreted by the tubules 1.
According to the National Institutes of health, the overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is approximately 14% 2. Creatinine is the most commonly utilised assay in the assessment of renal function 3. The National Kidney Disease Education Program recommends calculating GFR from SCr. Creatinine measurements are useful in the monitoring of disease progression, with the diagnosis of renal failure when SCr levels are greater than the upper normal interval 4.
Creatinine measurements are useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of kidney disease in patients commencing renal replacement therapy, affecting 40% of diabetics (type 1 and type 2) 5. The RENAAL (Reduction of Endpoints in NIDDM with the Angiotensin II Antagonist Losartan) study risk score for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) emphasizes the importance of the identification of elevated SCr, alongside other renal markers, in the prediction of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) development in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and nephropathy 6.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in COVID-19 patients 7. The analysis of creatinine in COVID-19 patients on hospital admission and after 2 to 4 days highlighted impaired renal function and is the leading cause of death in these patients 8. The National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE), have set out four guidelines for acute kidney injury in hospitalised suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients and highlights the importance of creatinine testing 9.
Clinical Chemistry Calibrator
Clinical Chemistry Controls
Clinical Chemistry EQA
References
[2] Gounden V, Bhatt H, Jialal I. Renal Function Tests. Treasure Island: StatPearls Publishing; 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507821/ (accessed 24 July 2020).
[6] Dabla PK. Renal function in diabetic nephropathy. World Journal of Diabetes 2010; 1(2): 48-56
[7] Mahmoudi H, Alikhani MY, Taheri NM, Behzadi A. Assessment of changes in blood urea and creatinine levels in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). v 2020: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-25164/v1 (accessed 16 July 2020)
[9] National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE). COVID-19 rapid guideline: acute kidney injury in hospital. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng175/chapter/4-Assessing-for-AKI-in-patients-with-suspected-or-confirmed- COVID-19 (accessed 16 July 2020).
Enzymatic Creatinine Assay
Reagent | Creatinine (Enzymatic)
A Highly Sensitive And Reproducible Method
Benefits of the Randox Enzymatic Creatine Assay
Superior method
The Randox enzymatic method offers a superior specificity when compared to the traditional Jaffe method.
Excellent precision
The Randox creatinine assay displayed a within run precision of < 2.18% CV.
Exceptional correlation
The Randox enzymatic creatinine assay displayed a correlation coefficient of at least r=0.99 when compared to commercially available methods.
Limited interferences
The Randox enzymatic creatinine assay suffers minimal interferences from Bilirubin, Haemoglobin, Intralipid® and Triglycerides, for truly accurate results and ensures suitability with paediatric samples.
Calibrator and controls available
Calibrator and controls available offering a complete testing package.
Applications available
Applications available detailing instrument-specific settings for the convenient use of the Randox enzymatic creatinine assay on a variety of clinical chemistry analysers.
Ordering Information
| Cat No | Size | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CR2336 | R1 4 x 50ml (S) R2 4 x 10ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| CR2337 | R1 4 x 100ml (S) R2 4 x 20ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| CR4037 | R1 4 x 50ml (L) R2 4 x 19.5ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| CR8122 | R1 4 x 65ml (L) R2 4 x 32.3ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| CR8317 | R1 4 x 20ml (L) R2 4 x 9.5ml | Enquire | Kit Insert Request | MSDS | Buy Online |
| (L) Indicates liquid option (S) Indicates standard included in kit |
|||||
Instrument Specific Applications (ISA’s) are available for a wide range of biochemistry analysers. Contact us to enquire about your specific analyser.
More Information
The Laboratory Working Group of the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) released guidelines for the improvement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation as well as the measurement of serum creatinine (SCr). The recommendation included the recalibration and standardisation of SCr methods to be traceable to the isotope dilution-mass spectrometry (IDMS) reference method. Two IDMS traceable creatinine methods are commercially available: enzymatic assays and compensated Jaffe assays 1.
Of the two enzymatic assays available, the Randox enzymatic creatinine assay converts creatinine to ammonia (NH3) and I-Methylhydantoin. Ammonia then reacts with α-oxoglutarate in the presence of GLDH with oxidation of the co-enzyme NADPH. The decrease of NADPH is proportional to the creatinine concentration and is measured at 340nm 1, 2.
The Randox enzymatic creatinine assay exhibits high sensitivity and reproducibility with the added advantage of liquid ready-to-use reagents with good stability. The enzymatic method represents an improvement for use in the accurate and reliable determination of creatinine.
Creatinine is the end-product of muscle catabolism of creatine. In humans, creatinine production is relatively stable, but mainly depends on muscles mass. Consequently, any physiological changes in muscle mass will cause a variation in the creatinine pool independently of GFR changes. Creatinine is freely filtered by the glomerulus at a constant rate with 10% to 40% secreted by the tubules 1.
According to the National Institutes of health, the overall prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is approximately 14% 3. Creatinine is the most commonly utilised assay in the assessment of renal function 4. The National Kidney Disease Education Program recommends calculating GFR from SCr. Creatinine measurements are useful in the monitoring of disease progression, with the diagnosis of renal failure when SCr levels are greater than the upper normal interval 5.
Creatinine measurements are useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetic nephropathy, the leading cause of kidney disease in patients commencing renal replacement therapy, affecting 40% of diabetics (type 1 and type 2) 6. The RENAAL risk score for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) emphasizes the importance of the identification of elevated SCr, alongside other renal markers, in the prediction of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) development in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and nephropathy 7.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in COVID-19 patients 8. The analysis of creatinine in COVID-19 patients on hospital admission and after 2 to 4 days highlighted impaired renal function and is the leading cause of death in these patients 9. The National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE), have set out four guidelines for acute kidney injury in hospitalised suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients and highlights the importance of creatinine testing 10.
Related Products
Clinical Chemistry Calibrator
Clinical Chemistry Controls
Clinical Chemistry EQA
References
[2] Randox Laboratories. Creatinine (Enzymatic UV) CR2336. 2020
[3] Gounden V, Bhatt H, Jialal I. Renal Function Tests. Treasure Island: StatPearls Publishing; 2020. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507821/ (accessed 24 July 2020).
[7] Dabla PK. Renal function in diabetic nephropathy. World Journal of Diabetes 2010; 1(2): 48-56.
[8] Mahmoudi H, Alikhani MY, Taheri NM, Behzadi A. Assessment of changes in blood urea and creatinine levels in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). v 2020: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-25164/v1 (accessed 16 July 2020)
[10] National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE). COVID-19 rapid guideline: acute kidney injury in hospital. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng175/chapter/4-Assessing-for-AKI-in-patients-with-suspected-or-confirmed- COVID-19 (accessed 16 July 2020).
Diabetes diagnosis with Randox Reagents
The prevalence of diabetes is steadily increasing across the world, with approximately 422million people worldwide with diabetes and is currently one of the leading causes of death in the world. A diabetes diagnosis comes in three forms; Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Gestational Diabetes. Each type of diabetes can have long-term, detrimental effects to your health if it is not controlled, with some of the key complications being heart disease, kidney damage, retinopathy and even limb amputations.
Diabetes can be controlled through maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise, however in situations where complications occur, innovative testing can aid in the prevention and management of detrimental consequences to patients. Randox Reagents offer a range of high performance and unique tests which can be used to manage complications of diabetes such as:
Diabetic Nephropathy
Kidney disease is a life threatening complication of diabetes, commonly called diabetic nephropathy in patients with diabetes. Around 40% of people with diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy, characterised through prolonged periods of high glucose levels in the blood. To effectively monitor diabetic nephropathy, it is essential to test cystatin C levels in patients, which is a useful indicator of renal function in patients where creatinine measurements are unreliable. Unlike creatinine, cystatin C does not have a ‘blind area’ – up to 50% of renal function can be lost before significant creatinine elevation occurs. This makes cystatin C capable of detecting early stage kidney dysfunction in patients with diabetic nephropathy.
Microalbumin testing is also important to identify patients with diabetic nephropathy approximately 5-10 years earlier than proteinuria tests, helping to reduce the incidence of end stage renal disease. This is because low albumin concentrations in the urine are the earliest market of renal damage and therefore enable preventative measures to be taken.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a severe complications of uncontrolled diabetes which contains a number of conditions which occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome can be monitored through measuring Non-Esterified Fatty Acids (NEFA), which are molecules released from triglycerides by the action of the enzyme lipase and are transported in the blood bound to albumin. NEFA contributes a small proportion of the body’s fat, however they provide a large part of its energy, with elevated concentrations having adverse effects on both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.
With the global burden of diabetes rising year on year, diabetes complications monitoring has never been more important. Randox Reagents offer a wide range of innovative testing to laboratories, to help clinicians accurately diagnose and monitor diabetes complications.
Download our diabetes brochures to find out about our full range of diabetes reagents
Randox reagents are available for a wide range of clinical chemistry analysers. For more information, please contact reagents@randox.com
Diabetes: The Role of Fructosamine
Diabetes Week is an annual week to raise awareness of diabetes. This year, the aim is to increase the public’s understanding of diabetes 1. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global epidemic, increasing at an alarming rate and burdening healthcare systems 2. DM is a life-long condition characterised by the body’s inability to produce / respond to insulin resulting in the abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated blood glucose levels.
Whilst it is important to increase the public’s understanding of DM, it is imperative that clinicians and physicians are aware of the different in vitro diagnostic tests to diagnose and monitor DM. Not only is this vital, but is also important that clinicians and physicians also understand the different methodologies available when choosing the diagnostic test.
It has been highlighted in numerous clinical studies that diabetic complications may be reduced through the long-term monitoring and tight control of blood glucose levels. Both fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) tests are universally accepted as reliable measurements of diabetic control. However, studies have emerged highlighting the role of fructosamine in diabetes monitoring. Whilst HbA1c provides an index of glycaemia over 2 to 3 months, fructosamine provides this index over the course of 2 to 3 weeks, enabling closer monitoring of diabetic control 1.
Drawbacks of Traditional Diabetes Tests
The FPG test measures the level of blood sugars which is used to diagnose and monitor diabetes based on insulin function. The main drawback of this test is that a hormone called glucagon, produced in the pancreas, is triggered during prolonged fasting, signalling the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. In diabetic conditions, either the body is unable to generate enough insulin or cannot appropriately respond to insulin. Consequently, FPG levels remain high 4.
In the 1980’s, HbA1c was incorporated into clinical practice as HbA1c levels correlated well with glycaemic control over a 2 to 3-month period. The main drawback of this test is that any condition that reduces the survival rate of erythrocytes such as haemolytic anaemia will falsely lower the HbA1c test results, regardless of the assay method utilised 5.
Fructosamine Testing
In a diabetic patient where blood glucose levels are abnormally elevated, the concentration levels of fructosamine also increase as fructosamine is formed by a non-enzymatic Maillard reaction between glucose and amino acid residues of proteins. During this glycation process, an intermediate labile Schiff base is produced which is converted to a more stable ketoamine (fructosamine) via an Amadori rearrangement 2.
Fructosamine has been identified as an early indicator of diabetic control compared to other markers such as HbA1c. Red blood cells live for approximately 120 days, HbA1c represents the average blood glucose levels for the previous 2 to 3 months. Conversely fructosamine has a shorter lifespan, about 14 to 21 days, reflecting average blood glucose levels from the previous 2 to 3 weeks. Due to the shorter time span of fructosamine, it is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of medication changes and to monitor the treatment of gestational diabetes. The test is also particularly useful in situations where HbA1c cannot be reliably measured e.g. haemolytic anaemia, thalassemia or with genetic haemoglobin variants 5.
Fructosamine Assay Methodology
The most commonly utilised method for fructosamine testing is the colorimetric method. Whilst widely available, automated and inexpensive, the main drawback is the lack of standardisation across the different fructosamine assays 4.
Randox, on the other hand, utilise an enzymatic method, offering improved specificity and reliability compared to conventional NBT-based methods. The Randox enzymatic method does not suffer from non-specific interferences unlike existing methods which can also be time consuming and difficult to automate.
The Randox fructosamine assay is also standardised to the highest level as the Randox fructosamine calibrator and control is assigned relative to human serum glycated with 14C-glucose, which directly reflects the nature of the patient sample.
With an excellent stability of 28 days on-board the analyser, the Randox fructosamine assay is developed in a liquid ready-to-use format for convenience and ease-of-use.
Randox offer fully automated applications detailing instrument-specific settings for the convenient use of the Randox fructosamine assay on a wide range of clinical chemistry analysers.
Want to know more?
Contact us or download our diabetes brochure
Related Products
Randox Reagents
Reagents Resource Hub
Diabetes Panel
References
[1] Diabetes UK. Diabetes Week. [Online] 2019. [Cited: May 31, 2019.] https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/diabetes-week.
[2] Gounden, Verena and Jialal, Ishwarlal. Fructosamine. [Online] January 23, 2019. [Cited: April 11, 2019.] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470185/.
[3] World Health Organization (WHO). Diabetes. [Online] October 30, 2018. [Cited: May 2, 2019.] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes.
[4] Manzella, Debra. The Fasting Plasma Glucose Test. very well health. [Online] November 16, 2018. [Cited: April 11, 2019.] https://www.verywellhealth.com/understanding-the-fasting-plasma-glucose-test-1087680.
[5] BMJ. Using haemoglobin A1c to diagnose type 2 diabetes or to identify people at high risk of diabetes. [Online] 2014. [Cited: April 11, 2019.] https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2867/rr/695927.
Tim Cogley Foundation and Randox Health partner with Liverpool universities to bring cardiac health awareness to the city
An event on preventative healthcare and cardiac screening is being delivered in Liverpool this week by a wealth of world-leading industry and academic speakers.
Hosted by the sponsor of the Randox Health Grand National, in association with Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Hope University and the Tim Cogley Cardiac Screening Foundation, the event, entitled the Preventative Cardiac and Metabolic Health Seminar, runs on Wednesday 3rd April and is open to the public.
It follows a morning of engaging fitness programmes, including boxing, taekwondo and indoor cycling, for local pupils and teachers from across Merseyside and Cheshire. During these exercises, which will also include the opportunity to experience life as a jockey by having a go on a horse simulator, the children will also have some physiological measurements taken, including their heart rate.
“Prevention is always better than cure”, says Managing Director Dr Peter FitzGerald. “Our aim is to empower people to take control of their health, to live longer and more healthy lives.
“We are delighted to be teaming up with Liverpool John Moores, Liverpool Hope and the Tim Cogley Cardiac Screening Foundation ahead of the Randox Health Grand National. The world’s greatest race offers us the perfect platform to spread our message of preventative health, and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with the audiences at this exciting event.”
This is the third year that the educational event from Randox Health has been held in the city, and for the second time will be championed by Frank Cogley of the Tim Cardiac Screening Foundation, whose son suffered a fatal heart attack due to a genetic condition. Frank is now working to raise the profile of cardiac health checks for young people.
He commented;
“It’s been recently reported that at least 12 under-35s die from undiagnosed heart conditions every week in the UK. The current lack of routine screening of 18 to 40-year-olds leaves a gaping chasm in our healthcare provision.
“With our highly motivated partners, through events like this, we hope to redress this through lifestyle changes and preventative medical programmes.
“The Tim Cogley Cardiac Screening Foundation is committed to delivery positive, action-focused and life-changing programmes. I can’t imagine a legacy more in tune with the generous, kind and supportive person that was Tim.”
Tickets for the Randox Health seminar, which focuses on health screening and how the right approach can deliver significant benefits, are priced at £3 and are available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preventative-cardiac-and-metabolic-health-seminar-tickets-59041545853?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete
£2.27 of each ticket payment will go towards the ‘Tim Cogley Cardiac Screening Foundation’ charity. Each attendee at the event will also be entered into a raffle on the day, with the winning prize being general admission tickets for the Randox Health Grand National on Saturday 6th April.
For further information please contact the Randox PR team by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413
Detecting the earliest possible signs of type 2 diabetes
Randox Laboratories is this month driving awareness of diabetes and the need for early and accurate diagnosis to enable patients to take preventive action before the condition worsens.
Diabetes UK have stated that diabetes is the fastest growing health threat of our times and an urgent public health issue. Statistics show that since 1996, the number of people living with diabetes has more than doubled. It has been estimated that there are 1.1 million people living with diabetes in the UK that have yet to be diagnosed, including 84,836 people in Northern Ireland.
According to Diabetes UK around 700 people a day are diagnosed with diabetes, which equates to one person every two minutes. If nothing changes, it is estimated that diabetes will affect one in ten people by 2040. This will raise diabetes prevalence from 415 million to 642 million by 2040. With current treatment taking up almost 9% of the annual NHS budget – roughly £8.8bn a year – the implications for future healthcare budgets are clear if this dangerous trend persists.
The good news however, is that recent research has found that type 2 diabetes is preventable through lifestyle changes. The NHS recently released the UK’s National Diabetes Prevention Programme which is aimed at tackling the increasing growing threat of diabetes.
However, following a warning raised by an Oxford University study, which looked into efforts of this Prevention Programme, it was found that it is unlikely to have much impact because the blood tests used were inaccurate at detecting pre-diabetes – the stage at which diabetes is reversible.
The blood tests used in the National Diabetes Prevention Programme were only effective at detecting diabetes at a stage when damage had already been done.
At Randox, we have developed a number of tests that can help detect the earliest possible signs of diabetes, often before symptoms have even manifested – including a pioneering test for the hormone Adiponectin.
Assessing Adiponectin levels allows doctors to calculate a patient’s levels of visceral fat – a dangerous, internal fat stored around organs. This deep fat, which is not visible to the naked eye, is linked to health problems including Type-2 diabetes.
Low levels of adiponectin equate to high levels of visceral fat which can be combated by improving your diet, exercise habits and even stress levels. Given that 70% of Type-2 diabetes can be prevented by lifestyle changes, there is strong correlation that by detecting low levels of Adiponectin and taking corrective and preventive action, it could result in a decrease in the numbers of people who develop the life-altering condition.
In addition to a test for the Adiponectin biomarker, Randox Biosciences have created a Metabolic Syndrome Array that measures 12 markers associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Metabolic Syndrome is a is a group of cardiovascular risk factors that affects over 20% of adults and results in a person being three times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack, and five times more likely to develop diabetes.
Ultimately, we would like to see all medical professionals who are at the forefront of patient care armed with the most accurate diagnostic tools available. Updating traditional practice may not be easy but we believe it is imperative to do so, if we are to effectively challenge this global epidemic.
Randox remains focused on providing early diagnoses and preventing illnesses by providing innovative diagnostics tests that will continue to revolutionise the healthcare landscape.
For further information, please contact Randox PR by emailing randoxpr@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413.
