Rahmel T, et al. - Researchers hypothesized that microRNA-122, the foremost liver-related microRNA (miR), is a sensitive and specific early predictor of potential liver injury in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. They tested this hypothesis by using clinical data and by analyzing blood samples from 119 ARDS patients within the first 24 h of intensive care unit admission and from 20 patients undergoing elective abdominal non-liver surgery serving as controls. They also determined its influence on 30-day-survival. They found that increased miR-122 serum expression represented an early and independent risk factor for 30-day mortality, and moreover, showed potential utility in delineating an acute liver injury earlier than the conventional markers of liver cell integrity.