In contrast to ALI-sepsis-induced multi-organ increase in Ngal (Fig. 2) as well as nuclear factor-kappa-B (NF-κB)-responsive genes, including Tnf, Mcp-1, IL-6, and Cox2 (Additional file 1: Figure S7), the angiogenic gene expression decreased in the lung, kidney, and liver. Here, NFKB1 is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.