VEGFA and acute respiratory distress syndrome: Previous studies suggested that biomarkers for ARDS can be classified as epithelial markers (surfactant proteins [SPs], Krebs von den Lungen-6 [KL-6] protein, vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products [sRAGE]); endothelial markers (angiopoietin-2 [Ang-2]); and inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) [12].