IL6 and Sepsis: In the septic group, the level of IL-6 decreased significantly within 24 hours after sepsis onset (t0 → t24: P = .021*, t24 → t48: P = .225, t0 → t48: P = .075), but still remained significantly higher than the volunteer group (t24: P < .001***, t48: P < .001***) (Figure 1).