Publications (3)15.13 Total impact
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Article: Haemostasis factors in angina pectoris; relation to gender, age and acute-phase reaction. Results of the ECAT Angina Pectoris Study Group.
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ABSTRACT: The ECAT Angina Pectoris Study is a European multicentre study with the aim of investigating the pathogenetic and predictive role of haemostatic factors in the progression of coronary heart disease. It is the largest study performed up to now with regard to both the number of patients with angina pectoris (n = 3043) and the number of haemostasis assays (n = 23) included. The present paper presents baseline cross-sectional data with particular reference to the relationship of haemostatic factors with each other and with the coronary risk factors age, gender and acute-phase reaction (1). Two clusters of haemostatic factors could be distinguished in which each variable was correlated (P < 0.001) to every other variable: (a) Eight fibrinolysis assays including t-PA, PAI-1 and euglobulin clot lysis time (ECLT), for which PAI-1 appeared to be the dominating factor; (b) antithrombin III, protein C, alpha 2-antiplasmin and plasminogen, the interdependence of which has no obvious explanation. (2). Twelve out of the 23 haemostasis assays were associated (P < or = 0.01) with age. Except for alpha 2-antiplasmin, these relationships indicated an increased tendency to thrombosis with increasing age. (3). Gender differences found in 14 haemostasis parameters do not indicate a consistent difference in the tendency to thrombosis between men and women. Eight haemostasis parameters were on average higher in female than in male patients in the age group over 50 years. (4). C-reactive protein, an acute-phase reactant, was positively correlated (P < 0.001) with fibrinogen, factor VIIIc, von Willebrand factor, the fibrinolysis assays t-PA, PAI-1, ECLT and plasminogen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)Thrombosis and Haemostasis 04/1995; 73(4):561-7. · 5.04 Impact Factor -
Article: The impact of sequential quality assessment exercises on laboratory performance: the multicentre ECAT Angina Pectoris Study. Report from the European Concerted Action on Thrombosis and Disabilities (ECAT).
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ABSTRACT: As an adjunct to a European multicentre prospective study, five quality assessment (QA) exercises, spanning a period of 2.5 years, were undertaken. In these, fifteen laboratories from eight countries each performed ten haemostatic factor assays. The design of the QA exercises allowed the between-duplicate, between-day and between-laboratory coefficients of variation (CVs) to be calculated. The between-duplicate CV decreased by a factor of one quarter, and the between-day CV by a factor of one third, over the five exercises. The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) assay consistently showed the lowest CVs, while there was notable improvement in the between-day CVs for von Willebrand factor related antigen (vWF R:Ag) and factor VIII clotting activity (VIII:C). However, the between-laboratory CV, assessing extent of agreement between the different laboratories, did not apparently improve over the five exercises. Thus, while QA exercises may be very useful in improving the performance of haemostatic assays according to criteria which an individual laboratory can assess, improving agreement on haemostatic assay results between laboratories may be more difficult to achieve.Thrombosis and Haemostasis 03/1991; 65(2):149-52. · 5.04 Impact Factor -
Article: The measurement of haemostatic factors in 16 European laboratories: quality assessment for the Multicentre ECAT Angina Pectoris Study. Report from the European Concerted Action on Thrombosis and Disabilities (ECAT).
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ABSTRACT: As part of a European multicentre prospective study involving the measurement of a number of haemostatic factors, a quality assessment (QA) scheme was organized. This paper describes the preparation, design and results of the first QA exercise, involving 16 European laboratories and 10 haemostatic assays. The design allowed the investigation, for each assay, of the variability between duplicates and the variability between days within each centre, and of the agreement between centres. A graphical presentation of each centre's performance in comparison to that of others was adopted, which preserved the confidentiality of each centre's results. The factor VIII clotting activity assay (VIII:C) and the rocket immuno-electrophoresis assays of von Willebrand factor related antigen (vWF R:Ag), antithrombin III, protein C and histidine-rich glycoprotein showed the highest between-duplicate and between-day coefficients of variation (CVs), whereas the clotting assays of activated partial thromboplastin time and fibrinogen had the lowest CVs. CVs for the enzymatic assays using synthetic substrates of antithrombin III, plasminogen and alpha-2-antiplasmin were between these extremes. The between-centre CVs were high for both the VIII:C and vWF R:Ag assays. The QA exercise showed that, in multicentre studies involving the measurement of haemostatic factors, it is feasible to undertake analysis locally at each centre.Thrombosis and Haemostasis 05/1989; 61(2):301-6. · 5.04 Impact Factor
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Institutions
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1991
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London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Department of Medical Statistics
London, ENG, United Kingdom
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