Relevant articles were searched as follows: (“Hmgb-1” OR “high-mobility group protein 1” AND “*”), where “*” stands for: (i) “cardiovascular diseases” OR “cardiovascular” OR “cardiac”; (ii) “cancer” OR “tumor” OR “tumour” OR “oncology” OR “neoplasm”; (iii) “neurological disease” OR “neurological disorder” OR “neurodegenerative disorder”; (iv) “respiratory disease” OR “respiratory disorder” OR “lung disorder”; (v) “diabetes” OR “metabolic disorder” Articles were then sorted by relevance and screened for coherence with the scope of the review. The gene discussed is HMGB1; the disease is respiratory system disorder.