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Published on: September 4, 2013
Differential expression of Semaphorin-7A /CD163-positive macrophages in large artery and cardiogenic stroke
Yi Jiang1, Zhichao Sun2, Zhonglin Ge3
1Department of Geriatrics, Bengbu Medical College Clinical College of Lianyungang Second People's Hospital, Lianyungang, 222000, China.
Insights
Cardioembolic (CE) stroke thrombi show higher Semaphorin-7A (Sema7A) levels than large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) thrombi. Both Sema7A and CD163 correlate with poor prognosis in acute ischemic stroke patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Differentiating causes of stroke, such as cardioembolism (CE) and large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA), is crucial for treatment and prognosis.
- Thrombus composition analysis may reveal underlying etiological differences.
- Semaphorin-7A (Sema7A) and CD163 are potential biomarkers of interest in stroke pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare Semaphorin-7A (Sema7A) and CD163 levels in thrombi from patients with CE versus LAA stroke.
- To investigate the association of Sema7A and CD163 with stroke severity, hemorrhagic transformation, and prognosis.
Main Methods:
- Thrombi were collected from 67 patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy.
- Patients were classified into large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) and cardioembolic (CE) groups.
- Levels of Sema7A and CD163 were measured and correlated with clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Semaphorin-7A (Sema7A) expression was significantly higher in CE thrombi compared to LAA thrombi (p < 0.001).
- No significant difference in CD163 levels was observed between the groups.
- Sema7A and CD163 were independently associated with poor stroke prognosis (p=0.005 and p=0.03, respectively), but not with stroke severity or hemorrhagic transformation.
Conclusions:
- CE-related thrombi demonstrate elevated Semaphorin-7A (Sema7A) levels.
- Increased Sema7A and CD163 levels are linked to a poorer prognosis in acute ischemic stroke patients.
Background:
Identification of the causes of stroke of undetermined etiology, specifically cardioembolism (CE) and non-CE causes, can inform treatment planning and prognosis prediction. The objective of this study was to analyze the disparities in thrombus composition, particularly Semaphorin-7A (Sema7A) and CD163, between patients diagnosed with large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) and those with CE, and to investigate their potential association with prognosis.
Methods:
Thrombi were collected from patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy at two hospitals. The patients were categorized into two groups: LAA and CE. We compared the levels of Sema7A and CD163 between these groups and analyzed their relationships with stroke severity, hemorrhagic transformation and prognosis.
Results:
The study involved a total of 67 patients. Sema7A expression was found to be significantly higher in the CE group compared to LAA (p < 0.001). Conversely, no statistically significant differences were observed for CD163 between the groups. The presence of Sema7A/CD163 did not show any associations with stroke severity or hemorrhagic transformation (all p > 0.05). However, both Sema7A (OR, 2.017; 95% CI, 1.301-3.518; p = 0.005) and CD163 (OR, 2.283; 95% CI, 1.252-5.724; p = 0.03) were associated with the poor prognosis for stroke, after adjusting for stroke severity.
Conclusion:
This study highlights that CE thrombi exhibited higher levels of Sema7A expression compared to LAA thrombi. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between Sema7A/CD163 levels and the poor prognosis of patients with acute ischemic stroke.

