Engelmann C, et al. - The intention of this study was to gauge the clinical impact of ascites microparticles (MPs) in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. The findings revealed that ascites MP levels speculated short-term survival along with the liver function in the study cohort. Neutrophils and lymphocytes contributed more frequently to the release of microparticles in patients with low ascites levels. This probably suggested the presence of an immune activation. The determination of ascites MPs as disease specific biomarker with a validation cohort and analysis of its underlying mechanisms required further exploration.