Blood Test Can Improve Heart Attack Diagnosis

B.B.C. Breakfast the other morning ran an item about a new blood test which can detect whether a patient with chest pain has had a heart attack. I publish below the following gleaned from several websites:

According to the B.H.F. (British Heart Foundation), a clinical trial which they have funded at the University of Edinburgh has shown that using a very sensitive blood test could rule out a heart attack in around two thirds of people arriving at A & E with chest pain. 

The research, published on 8th October in 'The Lancet,' involved over 6,000 people at 4 Scottish and U.S. hospitals with chest pain. The researchers evaluated the best way to use a blood test to measure troponin, a protein released from the heart during a heart attack and found the threshold at which they could rule out a heart attack and safely send people home.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, from the B.H.F., said "A faster and more accurate diagnosis of whether chest pain is caused by a heart attack would be better for patients and save the N.H.S. money. No-one wants to be in hospital unless they have to be."

"What's important about this study is that the evidence shows you can quickly and confidently rule out a heart attack without compromising patient safety."

Initial Trials for new cholesterol drug

I found the following article on the 'Mature Times' website. It was published on Wednesday 2nd October 2013.

 'A new approach to cholesterol-lowering that targets a regulator of harmful LDL cholestrerol could offer new treatment for patients with high  cholesterol, researcher have concluded.'

'The drug, called ALN-PCS, blocks production of the cholesterol regulator PCSK9, a protein that destroys receptors that normally clear harmful cholesterol from the blood.'

'In a trial involving 32 healthy volunteers with mildly to moderately raised LDL, or ‘bad’ cholesterol, people were randomly assigned to receive either an injection of ALN-PCS or saline as a placebo.

A single dose of ALN-PCS was shown to cut levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol by up to 57 per cent.'

'Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “People with extremely high cholesterol are at increased risk of a heart attack and this approach could offer new hope for those who are resistant to statins.'

 '“These initial results add to growing evidence that blocking the action of a certain protein can dramatically lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. More research is now needed to confirm this approach is both safe and effective at preventing heart attacks in the long term before it becomes widely available.” '

The study was  originally published in The Lancet.

I personally dislike being referred to as 'mature.' Makes me sound like an over-ripe cheese. 

Visit To Woburn Abbey

 Deer at Woburn Abbey Park 

Well, it was sunny and warm yesterday morning (Saturday) so we decided to go out. It was a necessity to just get out of Milton Keynes, after the dismal Bank Holiday. We didn't want to drive far, as petrol is such a price, so we went to Woburn Abbey as there is currently a display of sculpture on in the gardens. It's just pleasant driving through the park in the sunshine and seeing all the deer. We drove round towards the Abbey, paying at the gate and saw herds of deer under the trees, and stopped to take some photographs from the car.

Parked the car at the carpark. There is to be a charity run for the British Heart Foundation, so there are preparations for this in and around the carpark, for example tents being erected and other things going on, but that is tomorrow. We walked into the grounds, and found that you now have to enter through the gift shop. A very clever ploy, this, which means you are going to spend money in the shop. It doesn't really bother us as there is some nice stuff in there, compared to some other places we've visited. The last time we came here was several years ago, when we were members of the H.H.A. (The Historic Houses Association.) This is similar to the National Trust, whereby if you become a member you gain free access to houses and other properties in their protection or management. We were able to go to quite a few other properties when we were members, such as Blenheim Palace and Newby Hall in Yorkshire. Blenheim has been used for quite a few films, such as the Kenneth Branagh version of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' whilst Newby was used in an I.T.V. adaptation of a Jane Austen novel which starred Billie Piper.

In the gardens at Worburn Abbey there was a sculpture exhibition,  called Artbeat, which was just suited to the location, and it was pleasant to walk round and admire the works on display (or otherwise, as some of the more abstract work doesn't appeal to either of us, although some of it is interesting, nevertheless.)

These giant glasses are somewhat amusing, to say the least, although to be honest, I don't see them as 'art.' They are quite large, and you don't unfortunately, get much of an idea of scale in this photograph. This sculpture was created by Grande Disco, a collaborative project created by the artist Joel Grey in conjunction with Solubema, the largest quarry in Portugal.

I rather like these sculptures, entitled Paladins, created by Kate Denton. Further down is a close-up shot of one of the sculptures.

Love this sculpture of a dog,  by Kate Denton, complete with a stick in it's mouth. You get a sense of it enjoying it's owner throwing the stick and then going to fetch it. Quite beautifully portrayed and very realisitic.

The above dog is displayed in this grouping, with the woman sitting and relaxing on the bench and the dog in front of her waiting to play a game with her, perhaps going to fetch a stick she has thrown for him.

This I love. A pig sculpted by Kate Denton.

Not so keen on this. Interesting all the same. Just doesn't resonate for me I'm afraid.

These figures have a real sense of movement and are real fun. I rather like them.

Having walked around the garden looking at the sculpture we went to the tearoom and had something to eat. No visit to one of these places is complete without a bite to eat and drink. We were surprised at how empty the place was. On arrival there were very few cars, or, indeed, people around the place, but by the time we left it was beginning to get quite busy. No doubt it will be full of tourist around the time of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend in a month or so's time as it will no doubt be the sort of place that tourists will flock to.

New Heart Drug Procoralan Given European Approval

A drug that could benefit people with heart failure has been approved by European regulators. New data on Procoralan (ivabradine) suggests it cuts death rates and the need for a patient to be hospitalised for heart failure, which affects about 900,000 people in the UK.
The drug has been approved by European regulators but has yet to be assessed for widespread use on the NHS.

It costs less than £10 a week and is already prescribed for patients in the UK with angina.

Data published today suggests Procoralan can reduce the risk of death from heart failure by 39%, the risk of death from all types of cardiovascular disease by 17% and the risk of death from all causes by 17%.

In addition, the drug, which slows down the heart rate, was found to cut the risk of heart failure patients requiring hospitalisation by 30%.

The study involved 6,505 people in 37 countries, including the UK.

Heart failure occurs when the organ becomes too weak to pump blood efficiently round the body, leading to fatigue, breathlessness, a higher heart rate and other problems.

Professor Martin Cowie, consultant cardiologist and specialist in heart failure at the Royal Brompton Hospital, and UK lead investigator for the study, said: "Heart failure is a very common problem, affecting approximately 1% of the population.

"The decision to approve this new indication for ivabradine is great news for both doctors and patients, and is a significant step forward in the management of heart failure.

"While Ace inhibitors and beta-blockers remain very important in the treatment of this condition, the results of the trial demonstrate the value that a reduction in heart rate with ivabradine can bring both in terms of improving symptoms and preventing disease progression, but also in helping patients return to normal daily activities and increasing their enjoyment of life."

Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "There are already several medicines available in the UK for treating heart failure, but some people's condition and symptoms remain uncontrolled.

"Knowing doctors have another option to offer those patients whose condition is particularly difficult to treat is really positive news.

"Patients whose heart failure symptoms are already well controlled with their current treatment are unlikely to have their medication changed because of this new drug, but for many it could improve their quality of life." 

Press Association, quoted from Guardian website

Diesel fumes 'raise heart attack risk'

Breathing in heavy traffic fumes can trigger a heart attack, say UK experts.

Heart attack risk is raised for about six hours post-exposure and goes down again after that, researchers found.

They say in the  British Medical Journal that pollution probably hastens rather than directly cause attacks. But repeated exposure is still bad for health, they say, substantially shortening life expectancy, and so the advice to people remains the same - avoid as far as is possible.

Prof Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which co-funded the study, said: "This large-scale study shows conclusively that your risk of having a heart attack goes up temporarily, for around six hours, after breathing in higher levels of vehicle exhaust. Unhealthy diets and smoking et cetera are much bigger heart attack risk factors, but car fumes are the cream on the cake that can tip you over.”

 Prof Jeremy Pearson of the British Heart Foundation:

"We know that pollution can have a major effect on your heart health, possibly because it can 'thicken' the blood to make it more likely to clot, putting you at higher risk of a heart attack.

"Our advice to patients remains the same - if you've been diagnosed with heart disease, try to avoid spending long periods outside in areas where there are likely to be high traffic pollution levels, such as on or near busy roads."

The research looked at the medical records of almost 80,000 heart attack patients in England and Wales, cross-referencing these details with air pollution data.

This enabled the investigators to plot hourly levels of air pollution (PM10, ozone, CO, NO2, and SO2) against onset of heart attack symptoms and see if there was any link.

Higher levels of air pollution did appear to be linked with onset of a heart attack lasting for six hours after exposure.

After this time frame, risk went back down again.

Krishnan Bhaskaran from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who led the research, said the findings suggested that pollution was not a major contributing factor to heart attacks. 

Taken from BBC News website.

Heart Disease Genetic link being missed

 The following news item was featured in BBC Breakfast this morning. The following is taken from the BBC News website:

Genetic link to high cholestrol is being missed

'About 100,000 patients have not been tested for a preventable form of heart disease in the UK, according to an audit of the NHS.

Familial hypercholosterolaemia is genetic; when people are diagnosed, their families should be tested.

The audit of nearly 2,500 patients by the Royal College of Physicians found that very few relations were being screened, especially in England.

The British Heart Foundation said it was frustrating and unacceptable.

Around 500 people in the UK have familial hypercholesterolaemia, which causes hight levels of “bad” cholestrol (LDL) in the blood.

If it is not treated then half of men develop heart disease before they are 55 and a third of women by the time they are 60.

Taking cholestrol-lowering drugs, statins, and living a healthier lifestyle do reduce the risk to normal levels.

Because of the genetic nature of the disease, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends DNA and cholestrol tests for family members, but the study says this is not happening everywhere.'


My grandparents had heart disease. I am pretty sure my grandmother (on my mother's side) had heart problems, and I am sure that she died of a heart attack. My mother had a stroke, and had angina in the later years of her life (although she never talked to us about any of her ailments. Well, parents in those days never discussed these sorts of things with their children.) She eventually died of a heart attack. This was almost exactly 30 years ago. So I know that I must have inherited my heart problems. My doctor kept an eye on my health, with regards to my family history of heart disease. So it was really no surprise when I had my heart attack in May 2006. I was told to cut down on fatty foods, which I did. I went over to drinking semi-skimmed milk and using low fat spreads and attempting, wherever possible, to always choose the lower-fat option when eating foods.