CASP1 and systemic inflammatory response syndrome: One study showed decreased NALP1 and CASP1 gene expression in septic shock patients compared with critically ill patients and healthy volunteers, supporting the conclusion that the changes in the inflammasome are part of the monocyte deactivation process that occurs in septic patients (31), while another study reported increased CASP1, IL-1β, and IL-18 expression in septic patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) compared with SIRS, supporting that the inflammasome pathway and its downstream cytokines play critical roles in ARDS development (32).