Publications by authors named "B Ptashkin"
Background: In an effort to improve interlaboratory agreement in the monitoring of unfractionated heparin (UFH), the College of American Pathologists (CAP) recommends that the therapeutic range of the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) be defined in each laboratory through correlation with a direct measure of heparin activity such as the factor Xa inhibition assay. Whether and to what extent this approach enhances the interlaboratory agreement of UFH monitoring has not been reported.
Objectives: We conducted a cross-validation study among four CAP-accredited coagulation laboratories to compare the interlaboratory agreement of the anti-FXa-correlated APTT with that of the traditional 1.
Article Synopsis
- Many African Americans with factor VII (FVII) deficiency show no symptoms, but the genetic causes of this condition have not been studied before.
- Research on three unrelated patients revealed that a specific nucleotide change led to a mutation that impacts FVII levels in lab tests.
- Understanding this genetic defect can help healthcare professionals better interpret lab results and avoid unnecessary blood transfusions for patients with abnormal readings.