Patients underwent to an accurate examination and a gathering of physiological, pathological, remote and proximal, familiar and pharmacological anamnestic data. Patients with infective diseases or chronic inflammation and patients and affected by renal failure or severe liver complications, cancer, or hematological disorders were excluded from the study. Cardiovascular risk factors were defined as follows: hypertension (systolic blood pressure >140 mmHg or Abstract There is growing evidence

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... icating the participation of RAGE-ligand interaction in the development and progression of various immune-mediated disorders, including vascular disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sRAGE plasma levels in patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack in order to identify a biomarker of differentiation in the genesis of these diseases. This study included 87 Caucasian subjects (50 males and 37 females) with cerebrovascular event. Plasma levels of sRAGE were determined using a kit for the immunoadsorption enzyme, commercially available. Our study showed that the plasma concentration of sRAGE is significantly lower in patients with ischemic stroke compared to patients with transient ischemic attack and to controls. This feedback appears to confirm that transient ischemic attack, in absence of documented organic pathology, does not seem to recognize the atheromasic origin as its primary cause. This analysis contributes information about the pathophysiology of vascular cerebral disease and, in particular, these results reaffirm strong prothrombotic and inflammatory components to the pathophysiology of stroke.