Tag Archives: low-density lipoprotein

Introduction Lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) was discovered in 1963 as an antigen causing rare blood transfusion reactions.1 The antigen was found to be present in the lipoprotein fraction of plasma, hence the name lipoprotein(antigen). As methods for its measurement improved, researchers realised that Lp(a) had a continuous population frequency distribution, which in people of European descent, was markedly positively skewed.2,3 It was also reported that in those with higher concentrations, the prevalence of coronary heart disease was increased. Furthermore, higher levels were inherited; the concentration of Lp(a) was twice as much in men who had ex

Familial hypercholesterolaemia or not? The importance of considering polygenic hypercholesterolaemia in those with no monogenic cause for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), was outlined by Professor Steve Humphries (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science, London).1 By looking for the presence of specific high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and combining these to generate a SNP-score, those with the most variants can be identified. Professor Steve Humphries Individuals who are in the top five deciles of the SNP-score are highly likely to have a polygenic explanation for their high LDL-C

Stat tests loaded into the VITROS XT 7600 Moderate alcohol consumption does not protect against stroke Blood pressure and stroke risk increase steadily with increasing alcohol intake, and previous claims that one to two alcoholic drinks a day might protect against stroke are not borne out by new evidence from a genetic study involving 160,000 adults. Studies of East Asian genes, where two common genetic variants strongly affect what people choose to drink, show that alcohol itself directly increases blood pressure and the chances of having a stroke, according to a new study published in The Lancet (doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31772-0). Researc

Atherosclerosis has long been characterised as a chronic inflammatory condition. Elevation of the non-specific inflammatory marker high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is an accepted predictor of adverse cardiovascular events and its reduction in JUPITER (Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) and other statin trials has been linked with improved outcomes, even with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels within the normal range.1 Although a specific aetiological link has proven harder to delineate, the cytokine interleukin 1β (IL-1β), pro-inflammatory messenger of

Presented in a hotline session by Dr Martin Landray (University of Oxford), the trial’s co-principal investigator, and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine (https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1706444), this large-scale, placebo-controlled study was carried out on 30,449 patients with cardiovascular disease, who were all receiving lipid-lowering treatment with atorvastatin. Those patients also receiving anacetrapib (100 mg once daily) showed a significant reduction in the primary outcome, the risk of major coronary events (coronary death, myocardial infarction or coronary re-vascularisation) by 9% relative to those pati

Results from the PURE (Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology) study, carried out on 135,000 individuals aged 35 to 70 years from 18 low, middle and high-income countries (North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East, South Asia, China, South East Asia and Africa) has contrasted with current dietary advice, by finding that high carbohydrate intake is linked to worse total mortality and non-cardiovascular mortality outcomes, while high fat intake is associated with lower risk. “Our findings do not support the current recommendation to limit total fat intake to less than 30% of energy and saturated fat intake to less than 10% of energ

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Indications, techniques and effects Low density lipoprotein (LDL)-apheresis is a selective lipid-lowering extracorporeal treatment where LDL and other atherogenic apoB-lipoproteins are removed from circulation while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) remains virtually unchanged. In the last years, individual authors as well as various scientific organisations have proposed different indications for using LDL-apheresis. The most widely used guidelines are those of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA,1 of the Federal Committee of Physicians and Health Insurance Funds in Germany2 and recently, those of the International Panel on the M

FH is caused by a single gene defect on chromosome 19. Individuals with two copies of the defective gene have severely raised low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels from birth and are predisposed to early atherosclerosis. Many die in childhood, and most suffer at least one myocardial infarction by the end of their 20s. The milder, heterozygous form of FH is much more common and can be managed using a combination of diet and drugs. The couple for whom the licence has been awarded discovered that they were both heterozygous for FH only after having their first child who is homozygous for FH. The pre-implantation diagnosis will involve

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