Project Description:
Our laboratory is focused on how various plasma proteins, or factors, which participate in or regulate a thrombotic event, might contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. Our overall hypothesis is that individuals vary in their propensity to form blood clots much as they vary in their lipid metabolism, and that this variation is important in determining an individuals risk for cardiovascular disease. We use a variety of immunoassay and functional assay techniques to probe plasma samples from large populations in epidemiological studies aimed at understanding the difference between people in their ability to form blood clots, and what this difference might mean in terms of cardiovascular risk. We study these factors in several multicenter projects, including the Cardiovascular Health Study (older persons over 65 years) and the Strong Heart Study (Native Americans). Our laboratory is involved in the generation of new assays in this area, with much work ongoing in the area of the direct measurement of several of these factors. A new area of interest concerns the relationship between thrombosis and inflammation. We are probing these systems with tissue culture and animal models to better understand the molecular events associated with each and the way they inter relate.

Becker, R.C.; Bovill, E.G.; Corrao, J.M.; Ball, S.P.; Ault, K.; Mann, K.G.; & Tracy, R.P. (1995) Dynamic nature of thrombin generation, fibrin formation, and platelet activation in unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction. J. Thromb. Thrombolysis 2: 57-64.

Kuller, L.H.; Shemanski, L.; Psaty, B.M.; Borhani, N.O.; Gardin, J.; Haan, M.; O Leary, D.H.; Savage, P.J.; Tell, G.; & Tracy, R.P. (1995) Subclinical disease as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Circulation, 92: 720-726.

Tracy, R.P.; Yanez, D.; Psaty, B.M.; Bovill, E.G.; Fried, L.P.; Heiss, G.; Lee, M.H.; Polak, J.F.; & Savage, P.J. (1995) for the CHS Investigators. Fibrinogen and factor VIII, but not factor VII, are associated with Measures of subclinical cardiovascular disease in the elderly: results from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 15: 1269-1279.

Granger, C.B.; Miller, J.M.; Bovill, E.G.; Gruber, A.; Tracy, R.P.; Krucoff, M.; Green, C.; Berrios, E.; Harrington, R.; Ohman, E.M.; & Califf, R.M. (1995) Rebound increase in thrombin activity after cessation of intravenous heparin in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Circulation 91: 1929-1935.

Cushmann, M.; Tracy, R.P.; Psaty, B.M.; Fried, L.P.; Heiss, G.; Lee, M.; Polak, J.F.; & Savage, P.J. (1995) for the CHS Investigators. Correlates of fibrinogen and coagulation factors VII and VIII in the elderly: a cross-sectional analysis from the Cardiovascular Health Study. In Press, Am. J. Epidemiol.