HC Deb 07 April 1977 vol 929 cc694-702W
Mr. Shersby

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will publish in the Official Report, in tabular form, details of the various research projects into coronary heart and cardio-vascular diseases which are receiving support from public funds together with the location of the establishment at which each project is carried out and the total amount of financial support being provided for each project.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services that his Department is supporting the following projects:

ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND TOTAL COST
£'000s
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital
Heart block survey in the Devon clinical area 45.0
University of Exeter
Institute of Biometry and Community Medicine. Ongoing studies include:*
i. Cardiac rehabilitation.
ii. Analysis of results of heart block/brady cardia survey
iii. Analysis of mortality in heart block/brady cardia survey
iv. Cardiac infarction register.
Brompton Hospital
Co-operative study of congenital heart disease in England and Wales 18.4
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Chronic Disease Control Unit Studies ongoing include:
i. Identification of high blood pressure in the community 54.5
ii. Co-operative study of high blood pressure in the community, Borehamwood
iii. High blood pressure; public attitudes and knowledge.
St. Mary's Hospital Medical School
Heart disease prevention study 314.6
West Middlesex Hospital
Investigation of patients suffering from transient ischaemic attacks 14.7
Institute for Social Studies in Medical Care
Programme of studies in General practice. Ongoing studies include:
i. Pilot study of public attitudes to and knowledge of hypertension.*
ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND TOTAL COST
£'000s
St. Thomas's Hospital
Social Medicine and Health Services Research Unit. Ongoing studies include:
i. Blood pressure level in children.*
Newcastle General Hospital
The prognostic significance of ventricular arrhythmias in the first 24 hours of myocardial infarction 20.3
University of Newcastle
The prevalence and interrelationship of hypothyroidism and ischaemic heart disease 36.6
University of Nottingham
Acute myocardial infarction, trial of home versus hospital treatment 88.4
City General Hospital, Stoke on Trent
Rehabilitation after myocardial infarction 76.8
* Projects not separately costed.

In addition the Department is supporting 27 projects in its Locally Organised Research scheme at an estimated total cost of £235,297.

Information in respect of projects supported by the Medical Research Council is not readily available in the form requested. Projects in the Council's own establishments with the estimated expenditure for 1976–77 are listed below:

ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77 £'000
Blood Pressure Unit
Development of Methods for measuring plasma corticosteroids, rennin, angiotensin, vasopressin and ACTH 66
Studies of the effects of infusion of injection of corticosteroids and injection of rennin, angiotensin and vasopressin in man and animals 71
Clinical studies of diagnosis treatment and incidence of hypertension haemodynamic electrolyte corticosteroid rennin peptide techniques and systems analysis 123
Studies on animals of renal, malignant and docla induced hypertension using haemodynamic electrolyte corticosteroid, rennin, angiotensin and vasopressin techniques 34
Studies of non-hypertensive electrolyte and endocrine disorders using haemodynamic electrolyte corticosteroid, rennin, angiotensin and vasopressin techniques 20
Clinical Research Center
Morphometric study of pulmonary oedema in congestive cardiac failure 4
Correlation of biochemical data with vascular disease in maturity onset diabetes 19
ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77 £'000s
Relationship between ambient temperature and mortality of myocardial infarction and cerebral vascular accidents 3
Clinical Pharmacology Unit
Autopharmacology of disease states: vasospasm of intracranial arteries occurring in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage 16
Clinical and Population Cytogenetics Unit
Computer analysis of ECGS in chromosomally abnormal individuals 20
Epidemiology Unit (South Wales)
Factors involved in cardiovascular disease, including platelet function 12
Randomised controlled trials of aspirin in the prevention of myocardial infarction 20
MRC-DHSS Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit North wick Park Hospital
Prediction and pathogenesis of thrombotic disease 79
MRC trial of treatment in mild/moderate hypertension 36
The underlying metabolic lesion in familial hypercholesterolaemia 58
MRC Laboratories Jamaica, University of the West Indies
Assessment of studies on cardiovascular disease in Jamaica 4
Lipid Metabolism Unit
Regression of atherosclerosis in familial hypercholesterolaemia 22
Trans-capillary transport of human lipoprotein 22
Pneumoconiosis Unit
Human Biology: Assessment of normal exercise performance 8
Human Biology: Use of diseases and other agents to study physiological processes 8
Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases Unit
Survey of blood pressure in children 14

Further projects at Medical Research Council establishments and supported by Council grants elsewhere relevant to cardiovascular disease with the estimated expenditure for 1976–77 are listed below:

ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77
£'000s
Clinical Research Centre
Experimental Microvascular Surgery and Cryosurgery 16
Non-Invasive Blood Flow Measurement by Ultrasonic Means in the Aorta and Superficial Vessels 30
Ballistocardiagraphy using simple portable low cost equipment 7
ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77
£'000s
Ambulatory Monitoring by miniature Tape Recorders of EKG, EEG and BP 54
Computer based records for Hypertension Clinics 5
Use of Whole Body Counter for long term Metabolic Tracer Studies and total body Potassium Measurements 24
Clinical Pharmacology Unit
Development of Methods for Monitoring Drug Therapy in individual patients: Digoxin in Heart Disease 25
Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff
Prospective study of the late Morbidity of Post-operative deep vein thrombosis 4
Royal Infirmary and Associated Hospitals, Glasgow
Platelet behaviour in normal pregnancy and in pregnancies complicated by hypertension 6
Guy's Hospital Medical School, London
Myocardial function and oxygen consumption, with particular reference to anaesthetics and heart rate 2
King's College Hospital Medical School, London
Study of the pathogenesis, prophylaxis, treatment and sequelae of deep vein thrombosis 41
University of Nottingham
Maternal and foetal renin angiotensin systems with especial reference to pregnancy hypertension 9
Arterial Disease and Thrombosis 15
University of Oxford
Prospective study of smoking and carboxyhaemoglobin levels in relation to ischaemic heart disease and lung cancer 5

Projects being carried out by Medical Research Council external scientific staff with the estimated expenditure for 1976–77 are listed below:

ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77
£'000
Dr. J. A. Heady, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine
Co-operative trial of clofibrate in the primary prevention of ischaemic heart disease 15
Professor J. P. Shillingford, Division of Cardiology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School
The effect of drugs on electrocardiographic surface mapping haemodynamic changes and enzyme release in patients with special emphasis on cardiogenie shock 2
ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77
£'000s
Programmed stimulation of the heart to elucidate the mechanics of arrhythmias and to enable the correct treatment to be instituted in patients 2
Studies on the role of lyssomes in cardiac hypoxia, enzyme release in hypoxic rat heart and the modification of these biochemical changes by drugs 3
Dr. J. C. F. Poole, Sir William Dunn, School of pathology, University of Oxford
Em chromosomal, biochemical and platelet studies on cultivated arterial smooth muscle cells 6
Tumour production by established cell lines from cultivated rabbit arterial cells 6
Electron microscop-studies on cell junctions and other structural features of atherosclerotic plaques normal arterial smooth muscle cells and organised mural thrombi 6
Dr. C.J. Miller, Caribbean Epidemiology Centre, Trinidad
Trinidad cardiovascular survey 12

Research grants made by the Council and estimated expenditure for 1976–77 are as follows:

University of Aberdeen
The "tight binding" of Plasma lipoprotein in human atherosclerotic lesions and its relation to lipid accumulation 4
University of Birmingham
Central nervous control of the circulation 36
Investigation of hyperlipidaemia in relation to cardiovascular disease 17
University of Bristol
The structure of Human serum very-low-density apolipoproteins 5
Phosphorylation of contractile proteins as a mechanism for the regulation of cardiac contractility 4
Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of contractile proteins as a mechanism for regulation of cardiac contractility 10
Direct measurement of intracellular sodium activity and PH in cardiac muscle cells 5
Bristol General Hospital
Investigation of some aspects of the measurement of blood flow using ultrasound 13
Papworth Hospital, Cambridge
Pathology of the cardiac conduction tissue in artificially paced patients 1
ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77
£'000s
University of Cambridge
Effects of drugs and mechanical parametres on the ionic currents generating the cardiac action potential 2
Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff
Prospective study of the late morbidity of post-operative deep vein thrombosis 4
University of Edinburgh
The relationship between lipid metabolism and dysrhythmias during Myocardial ischaemia and infarction 28
Imperial College of Science and Technology London
Arterial and fluid mechanism, and air way fluid and particle mechanisms 44
King's College Hospital Medical School London
Study of the parthogenesis, prophylaxis, treatment and sequelae of deep vein thrombosis 41
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Med London
Exercise in leisure-time in relation to coronary heart disease 32
Primary prevention of ischaemic heart disease. Co-operative trial using clofibrate 15
Middlesex Hospital Medical School London
Synthesis of low density lipoproteins in normal and hypercholesterolacmic guinea pigs 5
Mechanism of control of aldosterone production by cells of the zona glomerulosa of rat, beef, and human adrenals 46
Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine London
Regional variation in cardiovascular disease in relation to water quality and other environmental factors 19
Royal Postgraduate Medical School London
Therapy and function in myocardial infarction 22
St. Thomas's Hospital Medical School London
Community based of moderate Hypertension 1
Function tests of plasma triglyceride metabolism with reference to investigation of ischaemic heart disease 12
Quantitative study of lipoproteins in human arterial biopsies and in plasma 3
University College London London
Eletrophysiology of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors 1
University College Hospital Medical School London
Involvement of the adrenal cortex in pathogenesis of hypertensive vascular disease 77
ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77
£'000s
University of Manchester
Changes in the properties or arterial smooth muscle in normotensive and hypertensive rats 4
To define the properties required of prosthesis to replace medium sized arteries 3
University of Nottingham
Maternal and foetal renin angiotensin systems with especial reference to pregnancy hypertension 9
Arterial disease and thrombosis 15
University of Oxford
Prospective study of smoking and carboxyhaemoglobin levels in relation to ischaemic heart disease and lung cancer 5
Analysis of the effects of prolonged beta-adrenoceptor blockade 7
Mode of initiation of impulses in arterial chemoreceptors 2
Development of laminar-flow artificial heart valves for use without anticoagulant therapy 23
Electrical actions of drugs affecting the rhythms and contractility of the heart 16
Radcliffe Infirmary Oxford
Cardiovascular fluid dynamics 28
University of Southampton
Development of acetylenic alkylating agents for thiolase as inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis 3
Caribbean Epidemiology Centre Pan American Health Organisation (W.H.O.) Washington USA
Epidemiological study of myocardial ischaemia, high-density-lipoprotein and other coronary risk-factors in Trinidad 23
University of Edinburgh
Electrophysiological investigation of sensory transmission at the carotid chemoreceptors 4
University of Glasgow
Pilot study of MRC treatment trial for mild Hypertension 23
Royal infirmary and Associated Hospitals Glasgow
Platelet behaviour in normal pregnancy and in pregnancies complicated by hypertension 6
University of Hull
Myocardial metal concentrations and sudden death from heart disease 3
Discrimination and instructional control of variations in cardiovascular activity 6
ESTABLISHMENT, SUBJECT AND ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1976–77
£'000s
St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College London
Carotid baro—and chemoreceptor reflexes affecting regional vascular resistence and capillary filtration coefficient 1
Effects of ventilation on the interactions between arterial chemoreceptor and baroreceptor vascular reflexes 1
Cardiothoracic Institute London
Attempted identification of population of children that will subsequently develop hypertension 20
Normal and diseased metabolism of heart muscle 24
St. George's Hospital Medical School London
Effect of coronary risk factors on 1(isoprenaline induced lesions in rat heart 2(morphology of arterial endothelium 6
Guy's Hospital Medical School London
Mechanisms of arterial disease in a diabetic population sample 16
Diagnosis of internal carotid artery insufficiency by ultrasonic angiology 12
Myocardial function and oxygen consumption, with particular reference to anaesthetics and heart rate 2

Information is not available in respect of work supported by universities and hospital medical schools.

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