HMGB1 and asthma: Ferhani et al. [50] recently reported elevated levels of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in the bronchoalveolar lavage of patients with COPD, while Hou et al. [51] reported significantly higher levels of HMGB1 in induced sputum of COPD patients compared to those of asthma patients and healthy controls.