title: Serum adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein associated with ischemic stroke and early death.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) is an adipokine shown to have adverse metabolic and proinflammatory effects, and contributes to atherosclerosis in mice. However, its role in cardiovascular diseases in humans remains to be established. In this case-control study, we investigated the association of serum A-FABP with ischemic stroke, and examined its association with early mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum A-FABP was measured, using ELISA, in 306 subjects with acute ischemic stroke and 306 age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched controls. All controls were free of cardiovascular diseases. Serum A-FABP was also measured in another 60 ischemic stroke subjects who died within 3 months of acute stroke.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum A-FABP was higher in subjects with ischemic stroke as compared to controls (19.6 ng/mL [14.3-28.4 ng/mL] vs 15.2 ng/mL [10.6-23.6 ng/mL] in men and 32.4 ng/mL [24.5-45.7 ng/mL] vs 22.0 ng/mL [14.3-34.0 ng/mL] in women, stroke vs control, p<0.001). On logistic regression analyses with the model including hypertension, diabetes, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, lipid-lowering treatment, smoking, and A-FABP, serum A-FABP was independently associated with stroke (odds ratio 2.10, 95% confidence interval 1.50-2.94, p<0.001), and the associations of A-FABP with ischemic stroke were additive to conventional risk factors, as demonstrated on likelihood ratio tests (p<0.001). Furthermore, high serum A-FABP was associated with increased 3-month mortality in ischemic stroke subjects (odds ratio 2.65, 95% confidence interval 1.18-5.96, p=0.018), independent of age and NIH Stroke Scale score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum A-FABP was significantly associated with ischemic stroke in our case-control study, and may serve as a useful prognostic indicator for early mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, 102 Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: A W K
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Tso
authors.forename: T K Y
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yiu
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Tse
authors.forename: L S W
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L S C
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: B M Y
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: R T F
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: K S L
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C493410:FABP4 protein, human; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins