In septic patients a sustained increase in plasma PAI-1 has been consistently reported by numerous investigators33,103,111,112 and, in some studies, PAI-1 turned out to be a prognostic marker in patients with septic shock.33,111,112 Plasma t-PA antigen was also found to be elevated in septic patients,33 but the net effect of the changes in t-PA and PAI-1 was definitely antifibrinolytic. The gene discussed is SERPINE1; the disease is Shock.