Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41618147›Full record

ArticleBMC cardiovascular disorders2026

Association between MEF2A variants and ischemic stroke risk: a case-control study and two prospective cohort studies in a Chinese population.

Zhengmei Fang, Yan Chen, Xu Han, Lijun Zhu, Mengxue Du, Yuelong Jin, Chong Shen, Yingshui Yao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Zhengmei Fang *Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Wannan Medical College, No. 22, Wenchang west Road, Wuhu, Anhui, 241002, China.
Yan Chen *Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Wannan Medical College, No. 22, Wenchang west Road, Wuhu, Anhui, 241002, China.
Xu Han *Department of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
Lijun ZhuDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Wannan Medical College, No. 22, Wenchang west Road, Wuhu, Anhui, 241002, China.
Mengxue DuDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Wannan Medical College, No. 22, Wenchang west Road, Wuhu, Anhui, 241002, China.
Yuelong JinDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Wannan Medical College, No. 22, Wenchang west Road, Wuhu, Anhui, 241002, China.
Chong ShenDepartment of Epidemiology, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China. sc@njmu.edu.cn.
Yingshui YaoDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Institute of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Wannan Medical College, No. 22, Wenchang west Road, Wuhu, Anhui, 241002, China. yaoyingshui@wnmc.edu.cn.

Funding

the Key Projects of Anhui Provincial Department of Education 2024AH051963
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTranscriptional regulators encoded by the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) gene family play a crucial role in cardiac development, homeostasis, and pathology. The relationship between MEF2A and ischemic stroke (IS) remains unclear.

methodsWe performed MEF2A polymorphism genotyping in a case-control study (2497 patients with IS vs. 3135 controls) and a cohort study involving 4080 non-stroke participants, which included up to 11.54 years of follow-up. Additionally, the mortality outcomes of 2298 patients with IS were followed up for 6.49 years. Furthermore, 301 IS and 313 controls were selected from the case-control study for MEF2A mRNA expression quantification using RT-qPCR. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores of IS at the time of discharge and, one, three, six month post-discharge was collected. Multiple Cox regression analyses were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analyses were used to evaluate the dose-response relationship between mRNA expression levels and IS. Linear mixed-effects models were applied to examine the associations of the two SNPs and mRNA expression with the mRS scores.

resultsCarriers of the 2292288-rs3743248 G-T haplotype had a higher IS risk compared with carriers of the G-C haplotype; OR (95% CI]) were as follows: 1.417(1.120, 1.792), 1.581 (1.172, 2.133), 1.314 (0.991, 1.741) for patients with IS, large-artery atherosclerosis subtype, small-artery occlusion, respectively. Sex-stratified analysis identified rs2292288-AA as a female-specific risk factor for IS prevalence (HR = 1.755, 95% CI: 1.179–2.613), while in patients > 65 years, A-allele carriers showed worse functional recovery (higher mRS, P = 0.012). There was a non-linear correlation between MEF2A mRNA expression level and IS risk (Pnonlinear= 0.001), after adjustment for covariates.

conclusionsOur findings indicate that the MEF2A G-T haplotype is associated with IS susceptibility. While the rs2292288 variant demonstrates sex-specific effects on disease incidence and age-specific effects on recovery. Lower MEF2A mRNA expression was associated with an increased IS risk.

Indexed as

Ischemic StrokeMEF2 Transcription FactorsPolymorphism, Single NucleotideAgedCase-Control StudiesChinaEast Asian PeopleFemaleGenetic Association StudiesGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHaplotypesHumansMaleMiddle AgedPhenotypeProspective StudiesMEF2A protein, humanMEF2 Transcription FactorsRNA, MessengerGenetic polymorphismIschemic strokeMEF2AmRNAPrognosisProspective study

Identifiers

PMID41618147
PMCPMC12918627

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.