Supplement Table 5.

The correlation between the patients' clinical parameters and connexin 43 (Cx43) expression level in the myocardium of patients with valvular heart disease.

Indices	Negative	Very weak	Weak	Strong	Very strong	Spearman's rho P
EF (%)	62.000±8.803	63.928±7.721	58.000±0.000	60.833±6.014	64.000±7.810	0.036 0.855
LA (mm)	58.800±15.643	61.357±24.566	85.000±0.000	43.333±9.004	44.333±6.028	-0.323 0.087
LVD (mm)	50.200±9.757	53.143±10.347	57.000±0.000	55.000±9.166	44.000±9.000	0.015 0.939
LVS (mm)	32.400±3.912	33.928±5.916	39.000±0.000	36.833±6.969	28.667±7.637	0.068 0.724
IVS (mm)	9.400±1.817	10.036±1.623	7.000±0.000	9.667±2.251	11.000±3.000	-0.133 0.491
LVPW (mm)	8.800±0.837	9.857±1.406	9.000±0.000	9.333±2.066	11.000±1.000	0.128 0.508
RA (mm)	70.600±8.849	56.714±14.242	72.000±0.000	51.667±10.367	49.000±9.849	-0.429 0.020*
RV (mm)	24.600±2.074	28.714±13.070	20.000±0.000	22.000±3.033	20.000±3.606	-0.378 0.043*
Fibrosis degree	0.203±0.051	0.163±0.010	0.208±0.000	0.126±0.054	0.096±0.0149	-0.407 0.028*

As long as the sample contained cells with Cx43 cytoplasmic and/or membrane staining, the total expression level was regarded as negative if mean density was <0.01, very weak if it was between ≥0.01 and <0.03, weak if it was between ≥0.03 and <0.04, strong if it was between ≥0.04 and <0.05, and very strong if it was ≥0.05. Fibrosis degree was detected by Masson's staining. Fibrosis degree=the area of fibrosis/total area. The nonparametric Spearman's rank correlation test was used for correlation analysis.

^*P<0.05.

EF=ejection fraction; IVS=interventricular septum; LA=left atrial; LVD=left ventricular diastolic; LVPW=left ventricular posterior wall; LVS=left ventricular systolic; RA=right atrial; RV=right ventricular