Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40821971›Full record

ArticlePeerJ2025

Identification of hub genes and prediction of the ceRNA network in adult sepsis.

Kangyi Xue, Kan Wu, Haoxian Luo, Haihua Luo, Zhaoqian Zhong, Fen Li, Lei Li, Li Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PeerJ, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kangyi Xue *Department of Urology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Kan Wu *Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Proteomics, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Haoxian LuoDepartment of Anesthesiology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Haihua LuoGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Proteomics, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Zhaoqian ZhongGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Proteomics, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Fen LiDepartment of ICU, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
Lei LiInstitute of Infection and Immunity, Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science, Institute of Infection and Immunity, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Li ChenGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Proteomics, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Sepsis refers to a dysregulated host immune response to infection. It carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality, and its pathogenesis has yet to be fully elucidated. The main aim of this study was to identify prognostic hub genes for sepsis and to predict a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network that regulates the hub genes. Methods: Six transcriptome datasets from the peripheral blood of septic patients were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The robust rank aggregation (RRA) method was used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across these datasets. A comprehensive bioinformatics investigation was conducted, encompassing Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses using the "clusterProfiler" package in R, as well as gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to further elucidate the biological functions and pathways associated with the DEGs. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify a module significantly associated with sepsis. Integration of this module with protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis facilitated the identification of five hub genes. These hub genes were subsequently validated using an independent dataset and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis of peripheral blood samples from septic patients. The prognostic values of these hub genes were assessed Results: RRA analysis identified 164 DEGs across six training cohorts. Bioinformatics analyses revealed concurrent hyperinflammation and immunosuppression in sepsis patients. Five hub genes were identified Conclusion: This study identified four hub genes (CLEC4D, GPR84, S100A12, and HK3) with significant prognostic value in sepsis and predicted a ceRNA network (NEAT1-hsa-miR-495-3p-ELF1) regulating their expression. The integrated analysis reconfirmed the concurrent presence of hyperinflammation and immunosuppression in hospitalized sepsis patients. These findings enhance the understanding of sepsis pathogenesis and identify potential therapeutic targets.

Indexed as

Gene Regulatory NetworksSepsisAdultComputational BiologyDatabases, GeneticFemaleGene Expression ProfilingGene OntologyHumansMalePrognosisProtein Interaction MapsRNA, Competitive EndogenousROC CurveTranscriptomeRNA, Competitive EndogenousInflammationPeripheral bloodPrognostic biomarkerRRAWGCNA

Identifiers

PMID40821971
PMCPMC12357545

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.