Partial correlations controlling for age were analyzed to explore whether changes in plasma concentrations of HMGB1, sRAGE, ROS/RNS, ApoD, and NRF2 are significantly related to variables of AUD severity including age of alcohol use onset, age of alcohol dependence onset, duration of alcohol use, duration of alcohol abstinence, and periods of alcohol abstinence. The gene discussed is NFE2L2; the disease is alcohol dependence.