CRP and aortic aneurysm: Because the CRP immunostaining pattern was significantly different according to CRP cut-off level of 0.1 mg/dL, we divided the AAA cases into the low serum CRP group (≤ 0.1 mg/dL; n = 31) and the elevated serum CRP group (>0.1 mg/dL; n = 38) and analyzed the patient characteristics (S2 Table); as a result, we found that the maximal diameter of aortic aneurysm was significantly larger in the elevated serum CRP group (6.5 ± 1.5 cm) than in the low serum CRP group (5.7 ± 1.2 cm, P = 0.013).