STAT3 and acute pancreatitis: Moreover, RUNX3 was found to be protective against acute lung injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis as up-regulation of RUNX3 resulted in increasing polymorphonuclear neutrophil apoptosis and inhibition of Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) phosphorylation which in turn decreases the progression of inflammatory response and subsequently organ damage [33].