Interestingly the increase of ELAVL-1/HuR (Fig 4A) and GSK3β (Fig 4B) mRNA in the animals subjected to VILI exceeded those in the acid aspiration group suggesting that the ELAVL-1/HuR–GSK3β axis seems to affect preferentially the initial phase of ALI. Here, ELAVL1 is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.