Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Identifying Caspases and their Motifs that Cleave Proteins During Influenza A Virus Infection
08:16

Identifying Caspases and their Motifs that Cleave Proteins During Influenza A Virus Infection

Published on: July 21, 2022

1.9K

High Circulating Caspase-Cleaved Keratin 18 Fragments (M30) Indicate Short-Term Mortality in Critically Ill Patients

Alexander Koch1, Eray Yagmur2, Janine Linka1

  • 1Department of Medicine III, RWTH-University Hospital Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.

Disease Markers
|August 3, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Circulating M30, a fragment of keratin 18 (CK18), indicates cell death and is elevated in critically ill patients. Higher M30 levels at ICU admission predict increased mortality risk.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • Keratin 18 (CK18) fragments, detected as M30 in serum, reflect apoptosis in epithelial and parenchymal cells.
  • M30 may serve as a circulating biomarker for cellular damage and disease severity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate circulating M30 levels as a prognostic biomarker in critically ill patients.
  • To assess the association between M30 levels and disease severity, inflammation, organ failure, and mortality in the ICU.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of serum M30 levels in 243 critically ill patients (156 sepsis, 87 non-sepsis) and 32 healthy controls upon ICU admission.
  • Correlation analysis with biomarkers of inflammation, cell injury, renal and liver failure.
  • Regression analysis to determine the association with mortality and survival.

Main Results:

  • M30 levels were significantly higher in ICU patients than in healthy controls.
  • M30 levels correlated with disease severity, inflammation, and organ failure markers, but did not differ between sepsis and non-sepsis groups.
  • Elevated M30 levels at admission were associated with increased short-term mortality and predicted poor overall survival, with levels >250.8 U/L indicating excessive risk.

Conclusions:

  • Circulating M30 is a valuable prognostic biomarker for critically ill patients upon ICU admission.
  • M30 levels reflect apoptosis and cellular stress, providing insights into patient prognosis and mortality risk.
  • The study supports the utility of M30 as a readily measurable indicator of adverse outcomes in critical illness.

More Related Videos

Isolation Method for Long-Term and Short-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells06:41

Isolation Method for Long-Term and Short-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Published on: May 19, 2023

2.6K
Endotoxin Activity Assay for the Detection of Whole Blood Endotoxemia in Critically Ill Patients06:28

Endotoxin Activity Assay for the Detection of Whole Blood Endotoxemia in Critically Ill Patients

Published on: June 24, 2019

9.9K

Related Concept Videos

Caspases01:24

Caspases

Caspase, a family of cysteine proteases, serve as effectors in apoptosis. The ced3 gene in C.elegans was first identified to be involved in apoptosis. This gene encodes the ced-3 caspase that is similar to the interleukin-1-beta converting enzyme or ICE in mammals. In addition to apoptosis, caspases also function in the inflammatory response. Inflammatory caspases are essential in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines that recruit immune cells and block the replication of pathogens inside...
14.2K
Habitat Fragmentation02:31

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
21.4K
Critical Region, Critical Values and Significance Level01:16

Critical Region, Critical Values and Significance Level

The critical region, critical value, and significance level are interdependent concepts crucial in hypothesis testing.
In hypothesis testing, a sample statistic is converted to a test statistic using z, t, or chi-square distribution. A critical region is an area under the curve in  probability distributions demarcated by the critical value. When the test statistic falls in this region, it suggests that the null hypothesis must be rejected. As this region contains all those values of the...
13.4K
Critical Values01:31

Critical Values

A critical value is a definite value obtained from a particular probability distribution at a predecided confidence level (or a predecided significance level) for a given population parameter. The critical value provides demarcation that separates the sample statistics that are likely to occur from the ones that are unlikely to occur based on the given probability distribution and the population parameter to be estimated. The critical value for normal distribution is obtained from the z...
10.4K
Long-term Depression01:05

Long-term Depression

Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
33.3K
Coronary Circulation01:21

Coronary Circulation

The heart, an organ critical to survival, gets nourishment not from the blood it pumps but from a separate circulation system known as coronary circulation. This is the shortest circulation in the body and is responsible for supplying the heart with the nutrients it needs to function effectively.
Coronary circulation begins at the base of the aorta, where two main arteries arise—the left and right coronary arteries. These arteries encircle the heart in the coronary sulcus and supply the...
7.3K