Abstract:Objective To analyze the predictive values of serum Semaphorin 7A (Sema7A) and hemoglobin scavenger receptor (CD163) in the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque.Methods The 108 patients with cerebral infarction admitted to Lianyungang Hospital Affiliated to Xuzhou Medical University from April 2019 to April 2022 were selected. The serum levels of Sema7A and CD163 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The patients were divided into stable plaque group and unstable plaque group according to the properties of carotid atherosclerotic plaques as detected by the color Doppler ultrasound. The factors affecting the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaques were analyzed, and the predictive values of serum Sema7A and CD163 in the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaques was determined.Results The levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), lipoprotein a, neutrophil count, Hcy, Sema7A and CD163 were higher in the unstable plaque group than those in the stable plaque group (P < 0.05), while the lymphocyte count and incidence of carotid artery stenosis were lower in the unstable plaque group than those in the stable plaque group (P < 0.05). Multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that LDL-C [O^R = 6.341 (95% CI: 2.609, 15.410) ], lipoprotein a [O^R = 5.078 (95% CI: 2.090, 12.342) ], Sema7A [O^R = 4.495 (95% CI: 1.850, 10.925) ] and CD163 [O^R = 3.927 (95% CI: 1.616, 9.545) ] were factors affecting the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with cerebral infarction (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the sensitivities of serum Sema7A, CD163 and their combination for predicting the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque were 71.43%, 76.79% and 80.36%, with the specificities being 75.00%, 73.08%, and 90.38%, and the areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) being 0.754, 0.743 and 0.927, respectively.Conclusions The expressions of Sema7A and CD163 in the serum are related to the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in patients with cerebral infarction, and the combination of SEMA7A and CD163 shows great efficacy in predicting the vulnerability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque.