CASP1 and acute respiratory failure: Acute respiratory failure is a leading cause of mortality in patients with sepsis.23,24 In our study, we revealed a previously underestimated mechanism wherein the pyroptosis of pulmonary fibroblasts via the caspase-1 pathway and pyroptosis of macrophages through the caspase-1/8 pathway jointly contribute to the emergence of acute respiratory injury in septic conditions (Figure 6L).