Our study is consistent with most of these findings, with lower serum HMGB1 in healthy control individuals as compared with patients, no difference in serum HMGB1 levels according to disease severity, and no correlation with number of SIRS criteria, SAPS II score and PaO2/FiO2 ratio – although a tendency towards increased levels was observed in patients with sepsis, irrespective of severity, as compared with patients with SIRS without infection. The gene discussed is HMGB1; the disease is infection.