All three functions are involved in MODS, in which ECs are shed, blood flow regulation is hampered, vessels become leaky, cells migrate out of the vessel and into the surrounding tissue, and coagulation and inflammation pathways are activated [16] . The machinery involved -receptors, signalling pathways and effectors -is largely the same in each function, but the net effect is determined by the balance between the parts of the machinery and the context [15] .