title: Pentraxin 3: a novel and independent prognostic marker in ischemic stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is one of the pattern-recognition receptors related to the initial step of the immune response with C-reactive protein, but the physiologic and pathologic functions are not fully understood. The purpose of the current study was to determine the impact of PTX3 levels on mortality after ischemic stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  We consecutively enrolled 376 patients who had ischemic stroke between September 2004 and September 2006. The patients were divided into tertiles according to PTX3 levels. Cox regression analysis was used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the PTX3 tertiles for all-cause mortality with adjustment for traditional risk factors and laboratory variables, including C-reactive protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the follow-up, 19.4% of the patients were deceased. The median PTX3 levels were higher in the deceased patients (18.0 vs. 6.4 ng/mL, p<0.001). Based on Cox regression analysis, compared with the first tertile of PTX3, the adjusted HRs of the second and third tertiles for all-cause mortality were 1.24 (95% CI, 0.52-2.98) and 2.64 (95% CI, 1.19-5.85), respectively. When the log-transformed levels of PTX3 were incorporated as continuous variables, higher levels of PTX3 were also associated with an increased mortality (increase per log unit; HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.19-2.16).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We showed that higher levels of PTX3 are independently associated with increased mortality after ischemic stroke. Our results suggest that PTX3 may be used as a new powerful prognostic biomarker in patients with ischemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. neuroryu@gmail.com
authors.forename: Wi-Sun
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Chi Kyung
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Beom Joon
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chulho
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung-Woo
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Yoon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D056910:Republic of Korea; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000032:analysis*; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D013997:Time Factors; D000099153:Pentraxins
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins