VIM and Sepsis: Since apoptosis of innate immune cells—particularly lymphocyte apoptosis—has been recognized as an important step in the pathogenesis of sepsis, and as vimentin plays a role in lymphocyte apoptosis, we hypothesized that disruption of vimentin in lymphocytes results in cell death and that soluble vimentin released by apoptotic cells into blood circulation could serve as a potential biomarker for the prognosis of sepsis.