Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis was conducted with the SPSS software version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Continuous variables were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD) and the difference between continuous variables was calculated by the Student’s t test. The allele distribution and qualitative variables expressed as frequencies were compared using the chi-square (χ2) test. For both CAD and control groups, a χ2 goodness-of-fit test was performed with the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. An odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to determine the correlation between the C/T polymorphism and the risk of CAD. A multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusted for factors, including age, gender, BMI, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia, was used to evaluate whether the EBF1 genetic variants and other related risk factors were independent factors for the severity of CAD. Additionally, we also used additive and dominant models to assess the association of the C/T polymorphism between the CAD and control groups. For all tests, a P value < 0.05 (2-tailed) was considered significant.