title: Research: advances in cell biology relevant to critical illness.
abstract: During the past decade, enormous advances have been made in cell biology. Major advances included the publication of the human genome sequence, the development of proteomics, and DNA microarray technologies and techniques to selectively "silence" genes using short strands of double-stranded RNA. Some areas of great progress that are particularly relevant to critical care medicine include huge improvements in our understanding of the signal transduction pathways involved in the innate immune response and adaptation to hypoxia. Other areas of important progress include improvements in our understanding of how inflammation causes derangements in epithelial structure and function and impairs cellular utilization of oxygen.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. finkmp@ccm.upmc.edu
authors.forename: Mitchell P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Fink
mesh_terms: D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000502:physiology; D016638:Critical Illness; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000502:physiology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
chemical_list: D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D016328:NF-kappa B; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases