Haematologica 2004;89: supplement no. 8 - Supplements ...

XVIII Congress of the Italian Society for Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research, Rome, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, 2004119observe differences in long-term mortality (4,2% inCES group vs 4,6 in ATS group, p=ns) and long-termre-hospitalization (16,3% in CES group vs 14,7% inATS group) between the two analysed group. Conclusions:Our study, with the limitations of the retrospectivestudies, shows that elevated CRP at hospitaladmission represents a marker of poor prognosisin elderly patients with ischemic stroke. Elderlypatients with CES seem to have higher levels of CRPassociated to more severe short-term prognosis.PO-050INFLAMMATORY MARKERS ARE INCREASED IN CAROTIDATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUES AND IN PLASMA FROM PATIENTSINFECTED WITH CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAEGresele P, 1 Falcinelli E, 1 Corazzi T, 1 Giordano G, 2Colucci M, 3 Sidoni A, 4 Sensini A, 5 Marroni M 61Departments of Internal Medicine, 2 VascularSurgey, 4 Experimental Medicine and BiochemicalScience, 5 Microbiology, and 6 Infectious Diseases,University of Perugia; 3 Department of BiomedicalScience, University of Bari, ItalyChronic infection with Chlamydia pneumoniaehave been implicated as potential etiologic agents ofatherosclerosis. The aim of our study was to evaluatethe association between Chlamydia pneumoniaeinfection and inflammatory activation in carotidatherosclerotic plaques and in plasma of patientsundergoing endoarterectomy. Carotid plaques wereobtained from 36 patients: 18 seropositive toChlamydia pneumoniae (IgG >1:16), and 18 seronegativeto Chlamydia pneumoniae. Carotid plaque tissuewas weighted, minced and extracted. Matrixmetalloproteinases (MMPs by ELISA and zymography),COX-2 (by Western blotting), Tissue Factor (TFby ELISA) and Thrombomodulin (TM by ELISA) wereexpressed in significantly higher amounts in plaquesfrom seropositive patients (MMP-2: 45.3±6 ng/mg vs17.2±3.5, p