We found that the plasma levels of IL-6 (Fig. 3a), IL-8 (Fig. 3b), IL-10 (Fig. 3c), and MCP-1 (Fig. 3d) were upregulated in all patients (all P value < 0.001), the septic group (all P value < 0.001), and the septic shock group (all P value < 0.001) compared with those in control groups. Here, CCL2 is linked to septic shock.