Abstract:
Objective To analyze the relationships of serum microRNA (miR)-15, miR-16, miR-17-5p, and triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) with severity and prognosis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).
Methods A total of 136 AIS patients admitted to the Shijiazhuang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2023 to April 2024 were enrolled. Prognosis and disease severity were assessed using modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), respectively. Based on mRS scores at 3 months post-onset, patients were divided into poor prognosis group (mRS Score>2, n=42) and good prognosis group (mRS Score≤2, n=94). Serum levels of miR-15, miR-16, miR-17-5p, TyG, and NIHSS scores were compared between two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate associations of these biomarkers with NIHSS scores. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for poor prognosis, while receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was applied to assess the predictive value of individual and combined biomarkers.
Results The poor prognosis group exhibited significantly higher serum miR-15, miR-16, miR-17-5p, TyG, and NIHSS scores than the good prognosis group (t=8.634, 13.171, 29.018, 2.687, 26.432; P < 0.05). Positive correlations were observed between these biomarkers and NIHSS scores (r=0.472, 0.449, 0.492, 0.437; P < 0.05). Logistic regression identified miR-15OR (95%CI): 3.526 (2.628 to 5.859), miR-161.976 (1.226 to 3.017), miR-17-5p1.828 (1.294 to 3.428), NIHSS score1.787 (1.105 to 2.896), TyG1.886 (1.233 to 3.284), and homocysteine1.906 (1.252 to 3.794)as independent risk factors for poor prognosis (P < 0.05). ROC analysis demonstrated that the combined model (miR-15, miR-16, miR-17-5p, TyG, and NIHSS) achieved superior predictive performance (AUC=0.877; 95%CI, 0.820 to 0.948) compared to individual biomarkers (Z>2.527, P < 0.05).
Conclusion Elevated serum miR-15, miR-16, miR-17-5p, and TyG are closely associated with AIS severity and poor prognosis. The above indicators combined with NIHSS scores can enhance predictive accuracy for unfavorable outcomes.