Identifying crucial genes for prognosis in septic patients: Gene integration study based on PRISMA guidelines

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a serious clinical condition with a poor prognosis, despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment.Therefore, novel biomarkers are necessary that can help with estimating prognosis and improving clinical outcomes of patients with sepsis. METHODS: The gene expression profiles GSE54514 and GSE63042 were downloaded from the GEO database. DEGs were screened by t test after logarithmization of raw data; then, the common DEGs between the 2 gene expression profiles were identified by up-regulation and down-regulation intersection. The DEGs were analyzed using bioinformatics, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) survival network was constructed using STRING. Survival curves were constructed to explore the relationship between core genes and the prognosis of sepsis patients based on GSE54514 data. RESULTS: A total of 688 common DEGs were identified between survivors and non-survivors of sepsis, and 96 genes were involved in survival networks. The crucial genes Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (CEBPB), Myc proto-oncogene protein (MYC), and REL-associated protein (RELA) were identified and showed increased expression in sepsis survivors. These crucial genes had a positive correlation with patients’ survival time according to the survival analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the genes STAT5A, CEBPB, MYC, and RELA may be important in predicting the prognosis of sepsis patients.