Research Question
Sepsis is a major global health burden (48.9 million cases, 11 million deaths in 2017, !20% of global deaths). Survivors face high long-term cardiovascular risks, but clinical assessment lacks specific biomarkers, relying on traditional factors. While sepsis-induced inflammation and endothelial damage link to cardiovascular injury, specific plasma proteins for prediction/therapy and their mediating role in sepsis-long-term cardiovascular event associations remain unclear. This study uses prospective cohort data to explore plasma protein-long-term cardiovascular event associations in sepsis survivors, clarify key proteins’ predictive value, and reveal their mediating effect between sepsis-related pathology and outcomes.
Research Objectives
To address this gap, this study intends to adopt an integrated approach, making full use of the abundant resources of proteomics and comprehensive epidemiological data. Through multi-dimensional analysis, we aim to identify characteristic plasma proteins and explore the association between key plasma proteins and the occurrence and progression of long-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in sepsis survivors.
Scientific Rationale
Circulating plasma proteins mediate sepsis-induced pathological changes. Sepsis survivors have a 2-3-fold higher risk of long-term cardiovascular diseases. Existing studies are limited to traditional inflammatory markers, lacking systematic proteomic exploration, and the mediating mechanisms remain unelucidated. To address this, we will integrate multi-omics with epidemiological data, enabling us to identify plasma proteins associated with long-term cardiovascular events and understand the complex relationships underpinning plasma proteins and long-term cardiovascular disease risk in sepsis survivors. This design will provide rigorous scientific evidence for improving the long-term cardiovascular risk management of sepsis survivors.
