Tight junction structure, function, and assessment in the critically ill: a systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Epithelial and endothelial barrier integrity, essential for homeostasis, is maintained by cellular boarder structures known as tight junctions (TJs). In critical illness, TJs may become disrupted, resulting in barrier dysfunction manifesting as capillary leak, pulmonary edema, gut bacterial translocation, and multiple organ failure. We aim to provide a clinically focused overview of TJ structure and function and systematically review and analyze all studies assessing markers of endothelial and epithelial TJ breakdown correlated with clinical outcomes in critically ill humans.

Methods

We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed. Additional articles were identified by targeted searches. We included studies that looked at the relationship between biomarker

SUBMITTER: Vermette D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6158145 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature