In the subgroup analysis of patients with different stroke etiology, increasing NE plasma concentrations were significantly correlated with the increasing circulating neutrophil count in the large artery atherosclerosis stroke (ρ = 0.32, p < 0.001), but not small vessel occlusion stroke and cardioembolic stroke; PR3 plasma concentrations were negatively correlated with circulating neutrophil counts in small vessel occlusion stroke (ρ = − 0.22, p < 0.05) (Additional file 3: Table S2). The gene discussed is PRTN3; the disease is cardioembolic stroke.