title: Epithelial barrier dysfunction: a unifying theme to explain the pathogenesis of multiple organ dysfunction at the cellular level.
abstract: The multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is the most common cause of death among patients requiring care in an ICU. There is widespread agreement that MODS is the clinical manifestation of a dysregulated inflammatory response. This article, however, summarizes some tantalizing data to support the view that derangements in the formation or function of specialized structures in epithelial cells, tight junctions, may be a key factor leading to lung, liver, gut, and perhaps kidney dysfunction associated with such conditions as sepsis and acute lung injury syndrome that are caused by dysregulated inflammatory processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 616 Scaife Hall, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. finkmp@ccm.upmc.edu
authors.forename: Mitchell P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Russell L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Delude
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse