HMGB1 and respiratory failure: It has been hypothesized that significant increases in the HMGB1 levels in the circulation are a primary mediator of the dysregulated inflammation in SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) respiratory failure (Andersson et al. 2020) as increased serum HMGB1 levels are correlated with a worse outcome in COVID-19 infection (Chen et al. 2020).