Not only was VEGF correlated with disease progression (Figs 1D and EV1D, and Table 2), but the VEGF level was even higher at the early stage of the progressed patients (Figs 1E and EV1E), suggesting that VEGF may lead the cytokine cascade and contribute to the inflammation in the early phase of viral infection. The gene discussed is VEGFA; the disease is viral infectious disease.