NKT-cell-deficient mice were protected from acute toxic liver injury, in well agreement with our previous and the current study. Possibly, these data might indicate that hepatic NKT cells are especially relevant in Th1 prone inflammatory conditions. Taken together, our study provides experimental evidence that targeting the chemokine CXCL16 is a promising strategy in fatty liver diseases. The extent of hepatic inflammation, macrophage activation and steatosis Staurosporine development in experimental metabolic injury. Future studies should address the optimal dose and administration schedule and should aim at translating these findings into novel approaches for human NAFLD. Despite advances in critical care, systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis syndrome with subsequent multi-organ failure still contribute to overall mortality in critically ill patients, equalling the number of deaths caused by acute myocardial infarction. Besides specific treatment of the underlying cause of systemic inflammation, early diagnosis based on clinical findings and laboratory testing is of paramount importance to enable successful therapy. The kinetics of biomarkers reflecting changes in the inflammatory condition can be helpful to identify patients at high risk for complications. At present, procalcitonin is regarded as the best available laboratory tool for the diagnosis of infection and systemic inflammation in combination with clinical symptoms and has been introduced as a variable in the diagnostic criteria for sepsis in the recently updated Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines. PCT has the advantage of an earlier peak level upon infection, a better specificity and correlation to disease severity and clinical outcome as compared to routine biomarkers such as white blood cell count or C-reactive protein. Activation of acid sphingomyelinase, a C-type phosphodiesterase leads to generation of ceramide from biological inert sphingomyelin derived from the cell membrane. Generation of ceramide at the outer leaflet of cell membranes induces changes in composition and spatial arrangement in terms of forming ceramide-enriched membrane lipid rafts, leading to receptor clustering and apoptosis signalling and modification of the cellular response to stress stimuli. Clinical data concerning the potential role of acid sphingomyelinase serum activity is infrequent. In a retrospective study of 12 patients with severe sepsis, Claus et al. showed that elevated ASM levels can be observed after the onset of sepsis, and that a further increase may be associated with worse outcome. On the other hand, recent animal studies suggest a protective role of ASM secretion during the early host response as a first line of defence. Due to its pathophysiological properties in the early host response, determination of ASM may also be used as an early diagnostic marker before the onset of systemic inflammation. The aim of our pilot study was to evaluate the role of ASM in a mixed intensive care unit population at risk for the development of systemic inflammation.