# Expression of Peripheral Blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in Sepsis Patients and Their Value on Survival Prediction

Authors: Ke Du; Shaobo Hao; Heyun Luan
Journal: Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine
 (2022)

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## Abstract

Objective. To explore the expression of peripheral blood dendritic cells (DCs) CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in patients with sepsis and their value on survival prediction. Methods. 118 patients with sepsis from January 2019 to December 2020 were selected, According to the prognosis, the patients were divided into the death group (n=46) and survival group (n=72). The general data and pathogen division of the two groups were collected, and the levels of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2; APACHE II score; inflammatory factor (procalcitonin (PCT)); and cell growth chemokine (GRO) were compared between the two groups heparin-binding protein (HBP) and myocardial enzyme indexes (creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isozyme (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)) to explore the relationship between CD86, CD80, Th1/Th2, and various serological indexes and the evaluation value of prognosis. Results. 124 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 118 patients, including 78 strains of gram-negative bacteria (62.90%), 31 strains of Gram-positive bacteria (25.00%), and 15 strains of fungi (12.10%). The scores of CD86, CD80, Th1, Th2, Th1/Th2, and APACHE II in the dead group were higher than those in the surviving group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK levels of patients in death group were higher than those in survival group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The levels of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 were positively correlated with PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the combined detection of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in peripheral blood was 0.951, which was higher than 0.882, 0.883, and 0.734 of single index (P<0.05). Conclusion. All patients with sepsis have immune imbalance, and the peripheral blood CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 of the dead patients are higher than those of the survivors. The combined detection of these three indicators has the highest predictive value for the prognosis of patients.


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## Body

## 1. Introduction

Sepsis is a syndrome of systemic inflammatory response caused by infection, which progresses rapidly and can cause shock and multiple organ failures. It is one of the main causes of death of critically ill patients, and it has become an urgent problem to be solved in ICU at present [1].There is a lack of effective methods to evaluate the prognosis of patients with sepsis. If the patients’ condition can be evaluated early and effective intervention can effectively reduce the mortality [2].It shows that the disorder of immune function plays a vital role in the disease progression of patients [3], and the change of cellular immune function is earlier than humoral immunity, so people pay attention to immune conditioning. Dendritic Cells (DCs) are important regulatory cells in cellular immunity. DCs in peripheral blood come from the bone marrow, which can absorb, process, and present antigens and transmit them to T and B lymphocytes. If the affinity between DCs and antigens is insufficient or costimulatory signal molecules are lacking, T cells will die [4]. CD80 and CD86, both B7 molecules, are important costimulatory signal molecules, which play an important role in the immune response of autoimmune diseases. The abnormal expression level of CD80 and CD86 can cause the imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokines and then affect the immune function of the body [5].CD4+ helper T cells (Th) can be divided into Th1 cells and Th2 cells under the influence of different cytokines. Th1 cells secrete proinflammatory factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Th2 cells mainly secrete anti-inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-4 and IL-10). Th1/Th2 normally keeps a dynamic balance, and its drift direction can reflect the direction and degree of imbalance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory of the body [6]. One challenge faced by intensive care physicians is how to rapidly and accurately identify sepsis patients with poor prognosis. Clearly, there is an urgent need for effective prognostic biomarkers to better inform patients and their families about potential clinical outcomes and to intervene early to reduce the mortality. Early control of inflammation and regulation of immune function is the key to treatment. Based on this, this study explores the expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in peripheral blood of sepsis patients and their value on survival prediction, in order to provide reference for improving the prognosis of patients.


## 2. Materials and Methods

### 2.1. Research Object

118 patients with sepsis who came to our hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were selected and divided into the death group (n=46) and survival group (n=72) according to the prognosis. Inclusion criteria are as follows: (1) meet the diagnostic criteria of sepsis [7]; and (2) the clinical data of patients are complete. Exclusion criteria are as follows: (1) patients with malignant tumor; (2) patients with autoimmune diseases; (3) patients with viral infection; (4) patients who recently used drugs affecting immune function; (5) patients with a history of mental illness; (6) patients with severe malnutrition; and (7) patients discharged or died within one week. All patients enrolled in this study received vasoactive drugs. There is no significant difference in general data between the two groups (P>0.05), as shown in Table 1. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee.Table 1
Comparison of general information of two groups of patients.
FactorDeath group (n=46)Survival group (n=72)Z/χ2/tPAge (years)57.20±6.0756.99±5.700.1900.849Gender (male/female, example)25/2142/400.3320.564Heart rate (beats/min)78.59±2.3277.96±1.951.5880.115Systolic pressure (mmHg)130.26±9.81129.31±9.030.5390.591Diastolic pressure (mmHg)76.20±7.6273.54±8.981.6620.099Infection siteLung infection25350.9000.826Abdominal cavity infection1016Skin soft tissue infection57Urinary system infection614Preexisting clinical conditionsDiabetes853.2500.518Respiratory350.9520.065Cardiovascular865.0020.648Neurological231.6240.089The diagnostic criteria of sepsis contain the following: (1) body temperature of >38°C or <36°C; (2) heart rate of >90 beats/min; (3) respiration rate of >20 times/min or PaCO2<32 mmHg; (4) peripheral blood white blood cells >12×109/L or <4×109/L or immature cells>10%.


### 2.2. Observation Index

#### 2.2.1. General Data Collection

General data such as age, sex, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were collected after admission. The two groups were divided into the death group (n=46) and survival group (n=72) according to the survival situation after 28 days. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Score II (APACHE II) was used to evaluate the severity of patients’ illness. The higher the score, the more serious the illness.


#### 2.2.2. Distribution of Pathogenic Bacteria in Patients

After the admission, samples of respiratory tract, urinary tract, peritoneal effusion, pus, or secretion of skin lesions were collected. A BACTEC9120 automatic bacteria culture instrument (BD Company, USA) was used for bacteria culture, and PLEX-ID automatic microbial identification system (Abbott Company, USA) was used for strain identification to determine the types of pathogenic bacteria in patients.


#### 2.2.3. Detection of CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 Levels in Peripheral Blood DCs

Blood samples were obtained in the morning of day 1 after the enrollment. 5 ml of peripheral blood was taken, of which 100μ L was treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), DCs were isolated and cultured in reference [8]; 4% paraformaldehyde 200 was added to the test tube; μL was fixed, centrifuged, and washed; the supernatant was discarded; and 0.1% TritonX-100 was added and incubated at 4°C for 5 min; After centrifugation, the supernatant was discarded, PE-labeled CD86 and FITC-labeled CD80 were added, incubated overnight at 4°C, and then centrifuged. Xl-4 flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter) was used to detect the expression of CD86 and CD80 on the surface of DCS. Xl-4 flow cytometer was used to detect Th1 and Th2 to detect intracellular IFN- γ. The expression of IL-4 represents Th1 cells and IL-4 represents Th2 cells.


#### 2.2.4. Serological Indexes

After the admission, 3 ml venous blood was taken and centrifuged at 3000r/min for 10 min, the upper serum was absorbed and stored in the refrigerator at -80°C. Procalcitonin (PCT), heparin-binding protein (HBP), and cell growth chemokine were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-α (growth-related oncogene-α， and GRO-α). The kit was purchased from Shanghai Enzyme-linked Biotechnology Co, Ltd. and the operation was carried out in strict accordance with the instructions. The creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum were detected by the Beckman au5800 automatic biochemical analyzer.


### 2.3. Statistical Method

The SPSS 20.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis, and the measurement data was expressed by (x±s) and T test was used. The data are expressed by rate (%) and tested by χ2 test. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, Th1/Th2, and PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK. The ROC curve analysis was used to analyze the predictive value of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 on the prognosis of patients, and the difference was statistically significant with P<0.05.


## 2.1. Research Object

118 patients with sepsis who came to our hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were selected and divided into the death group (n=46) and survival group (n=72) according to the prognosis. Inclusion criteria are as follows: (1) meet the diagnostic criteria of sepsis [7]; and (2) the clinical data of patients are complete. Exclusion criteria are as follows: (1) patients with malignant tumor; (2) patients with autoimmune diseases; (3) patients with viral infection; (4) patients who recently used drugs affecting immune function; (5) patients with a history of mental illness; (6) patients with severe malnutrition; and (7) patients discharged or died within one week. All patients enrolled in this study received vasoactive drugs. There is no significant difference in general data between the two groups (P>0.05), as shown in Table 1. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee.Table 1
Comparison of general information of two groups of patients.
FactorDeath group (n=46)Survival group (n=72)Z/χ2/tPAge (years)57.20±6.0756.99±5.700.1900.849Gender (male/female, example)25/2142/400.3320.564Heart rate (beats/min)78.59±2.3277.96±1.951.5880.115Systolic pressure (mmHg)130.26±9.81129.31±9.030.5390.591Diastolic pressure (mmHg)76.20±7.6273.54±8.981.6620.099Infection siteLung infection25350.9000.826Abdominal cavity infection1016Skin soft tissue infection57Urinary system infection614Preexisting clinical conditionsDiabetes853.2500.518Respiratory350.9520.065Cardiovascular865.0020.648Neurological231.6240.089The diagnostic criteria of sepsis contain the following: (1) body temperature of >38°C or <36°C; (2) heart rate of >90 beats/min; (3) respiration rate of >20 times/min or PaCO2<32 mmHg; (4) peripheral blood white blood cells >12×109/L or <4×109/L or immature cells>10%.


## 2.2. Observation Index

### 2.2.1. General Data Collection

General data such as age, sex, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were collected after admission. The two groups were divided into the death group (n=46) and survival group (n=72) according to the survival situation after 28 days. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Score II (APACHE II) was used to evaluate the severity of patients’ illness. The higher the score, the more serious the illness.


### 2.2.2. Distribution of Pathogenic Bacteria in Patients

After the admission, samples of respiratory tract, urinary tract, peritoneal effusion, pus, or secretion of skin lesions were collected. A BACTEC9120 automatic bacteria culture instrument (BD Company, USA) was used for bacteria culture, and PLEX-ID automatic microbial identification system (Abbott Company, USA) was used for strain identification to determine the types of pathogenic bacteria in patients.


### 2.2.3. Detection of CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 Levels in Peripheral Blood DCs

Blood samples were obtained in the morning of day 1 after the enrollment. 5 ml of peripheral blood was taken, of which 100μ L was treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), DCs were isolated and cultured in reference [8]; 4% paraformaldehyde 200 was added to the test tube; μL was fixed, centrifuged, and washed; the supernatant was discarded; and 0.1% TritonX-100 was added and incubated at 4°C for 5 min; After centrifugation, the supernatant was discarded, PE-labeled CD86 and FITC-labeled CD80 were added, incubated overnight at 4°C, and then centrifuged. Xl-4 flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter) was used to detect the expression of CD86 and CD80 on the surface of DCS. Xl-4 flow cytometer was used to detect Th1 and Th2 to detect intracellular IFN- γ. The expression of IL-4 represents Th1 cells and IL-4 represents Th2 cells.


### 2.2.4. Serological Indexes

After the admission, 3 ml venous blood was taken and centrifuged at 3000r/min for 10 min, the upper serum was absorbed and stored in the refrigerator at -80°C. Procalcitonin (PCT), heparin-binding protein (HBP), and cell growth chemokine were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-α (growth-related oncogene-α， and GRO-α). The kit was purchased from Shanghai Enzyme-linked Biotechnology Co, Ltd. and the operation was carried out in strict accordance with the instructions. The creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum were detected by the Beckman au5800 automatic biochemical analyzer.


## 2.2.1. General Data Collection

General data such as age, sex, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were collected after admission. The two groups were divided into the death group (n=46) and survival group (n=72) according to the survival situation after 28 days. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Score II (APACHE II) was used to evaluate the severity of patients’ illness. The higher the score, the more serious the illness.


## 2.2.2. Distribution of Pathogenic Bacteria in Patients

After the admission, samples of respiratory tract, urinary tract, peritoneal effusion, pus, or secretion of skin lesions were collected. A BACTEC9120 automatic bacteria culture instrument (BD Company, USA) was used for bacteria culture, and PLEX-ID automatic microbial identification system (Abbott Company, USA) was used for strain identification to determine the types of pathogenic bacteria in patients.


## 2.2.3. Detection of CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 Levels in Peripheral Blood DCs

Blood samples were obtained in the morning of day 1 after the enrollment. 5 ml of peripheral blood was taken, of which 100μ L was treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), DCs were isolated and cultured in reference [8]; 4% paraformaldehyde 200 was added to the test tube; μL was fixed, centrifuged, and washed; the supernatant was discarded; and 0.1% TritonX-100 was added and incubated at 4°C for 5 min; After centrifugation, the supernatant was discarded, PE-labeled CD86 and FITC-labeled CD80 were added, incubated overnight at 4°C, and then centrifuged. Xl-4 flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter) was used to detect the expression of CD86 and CD80 on the surface of DCS. Xl-4 flow cytometer was used to detect Th1 and Th2 to detect intracellular IFN- γ. The expression of IL-4 represents Th1 cells and IL-4 represents Th2 cells.


## 2.2.4. Serological Indexes

After the admission, 3 ml venous blood was taken and centrifuged at 3000r/min for 10 min, the upper serum was absorbed and stored in the refrigerator at -80°C. Procalcitonin (PCT), heparin-binding protein (HBP), and cell growth chemokine were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-α (growth-related oncogene-α， and GRO-α). The kit was purchased from Shanghai Enzyme-linked Biotechnology Co, Ltd. and the operation was carried out in strict accordance with the instructions. The creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum were detected by the Beckman au5800 automatic biochemical analyzer.


## 2.3. Statistical Method

The SPSS 20.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis, and the measurement data was expressed by (x±s) and T test was used. The data are expressed by rate (%) and tested by χ2 test. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, Th1/Th2, and PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK. The ROC curve analysis was used to analyze the predictive value of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 on the prognosis of patients, and the difference was statistically significant with P<0.05.


## 3. Result

### 3.1. Distribution and Composition of Pathogenic Bacteria in Sepsis Patients

124 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 118 patients, including 78 strains of gram-negative bacteria (62.90%), 31 strains of Gram-positive bacteria (25.00%), and 15 strains of fungi (12.10%), as shown in Table2.Table 2
Distribution and composition of pathogenic bacteria in sepsis patients.
Pathogenic bacteriaBacterial strain (n=124)Constituent ratio (%)Gram-negative bacteria7862.90Pseudomonas aeruginosa2520.16Klebsiella pneumoniae1713.71Escherichia coli1512.10Acinetobacter baumannii108.06Proteus mirabilis54.03Other64.84Gram-positive bacteria3125.00Staphylococcus aureus1310.48Staphylococcus epidermidis108.06Enterococcus43.23Coagulase negative staphylococci43.23Fungus1512.10Candida albicans97.26Candida glabrata64.84Total124100.00


### 3.2. DCS CD86, CD80, T Cell Subsets, Th1/Th2 Expression, and APACHE II Score in the Two Groups

The scores of CD86, CD80, Th1, Th2, Th1/Th2, and APACHE II in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group (P<0.05), as shown in Table 3.Table 3
DCS CD86, CD80, T cell subsets, Th1/Th2 expression, and Apache II score in the two groups.
FactorDeath group (n=46)Survival group (n=72)tPCD8651.97±4.5344.62±5.347.724<0.001CD8045.05±5.1136.14±5.199.150<0.001Th1 (%)20.77±4.5014.95±2.898.562<0.001Th2 (%)12.38±2.9810.81±2.333.1970.002Th1/Th21.73±0.361.42±0.344.721<0.001APACHE II scores24.03±4.8318.14±4.117.087<0.001


### 3.3. Comparison of Serological Indexes between Two Groups of Patients

PCT and GRO of patients in the death group-α. The levels of HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK in the survival group were significantly higher than those in the survival group (P<0.05), as shown in Table 4.Table 4
Comparison of serological indexes between two groups of patients.
FactorDeath group (n=46)Survival group (n=72)χ2/tPPCT (μg/L)8.06±1.311.98±0.4336.498<0.001GRO-α (ng/L)32.74±5.4120.25±4.1614.125<0.001HBP (μg/L)59.85±7.3743.32±6.6212.654<0.001LDH (U/L)240.84±23.18145.06±20.8123.319<0.001CK-MB (U/L)24.19±3.8813.67±2.5217.870<0.001CK (U/L)152.49±22.9597.27±11.4317.351<0.001


### 3.4. CD86, CD80, Th1/Th2, PCT, and GRO of Peripheral Blood DCs-α, Correlation of HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK

The levels of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 are positively correlated with PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK (P<0.05), as shown in Figures 1–3.Figure 1
CD86, correlation of PCT and GRO-α, and correlation of HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK.Figure 2
CD80 and correlation of PCT and GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CKFigure 3
Th1/Th2 and correlation of PCT and GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK.


### 3.5. Analysis of Predictive Value of Expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 on Prognosis of Sepsis Patients

The ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the prognostic value of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in patients with sepsis was 0.951, which was higher than that of single index 0.882, 0.883, and 0.734 (P<0.05). The results are shown in Table 5 and Figure 4.Table 5
Analysis of predictive value of expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 on prognosis of sepsis patients.
AUCP valueCutoff value95% Confidence intervalCD860.882<0.00149.610.823-0.942CD800.883<0.00139.940.820-0.947Th1/Th20.734<0.0011.430.640-0.828Combination of three indexes0.951<0.001—0.914-0.988Figure 4
Analysis of predictive value of DCs CD86, CD80, T cell subsets, and Th1/Th2 expression in patients with sepsis.


## 3.1. Distribution and Composition of Pathogenic Bacteria in Sepsis Patients

124 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 118 patients, including 78 strains of gram-negative bacteria (62.90%), 31 strains of Gram-positive bacteria (25.00%), and 15 strains of fungi (12.10%), as shown in Table2.Table 2
Distribution and composition of pathogenic bacteria in sepsis patients.
Pathogenic bacteriaBacterial strain (n=124)Constituent ratio (%)Gram-negative bacteria7862.90Pseudomonas aeruginosa2520.16Klebsiella pneumoniae1713.71Escherichia coli1512.10Acinetobacter baumannii108.06Proteus mirabilis54.03Other64.84Gram-positive bacteria3125.00Staphylococcus aureus1310.48Staphylococcus epidermidis108.06Enterococcus43.23Coagulase negative staphylococci43.23Fungus1512.10Candida albicans97.26Candida glabrata64.84Total124100.00


## 3.2. DCS CD86, CD80, T Cell Subsets, Th1/Th2 Expression, and APACHE II Score in the Two Groups

The scores of CD86, CD80, Th1, Th2, Th1/Th2, and APACHE II in the death group were significantly higher than those in the survival group (P<0.05), as shown in Table 3.Table 3
DCS CD86, CD80, T cell subsets, Th1/Th2 expression, and Apache II score in the two groups.
FactorDeath group (n=46)Survival group (n=72)tPCD8651.97±4.5344.62±5.347.724<0.001CD8045.05±5.1136.14±5.199.150<0.001Th1 (%)20.77±4.5014.95±2.898.562<0.001Th2 (%)12.38±2.9810.81±2.333.1970.002Th1/Th21.73±0.361.42±0.344.721<0.001APACHE II scores24.03±4.8318.14±4.117.087<0.001


## 3.3. Comparison of Serological Indexes between Two Groups of Patients

PCT and GRO of patients in the death group-α. The levels of HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK in the survival group were significantly higher than those in the survival group (P<0.05), as shown in Table 4.Table 4
Comparison of serological indexes between two groups of patients.
FactorDeath group (n=46)Survival group (n=72)χ2/tPPCT (μg/L)8.06±1.311.98±0.4336.498<0.001GRO-α (ng/L)32.74±5.4120.25±4.1614.125<0.001HBP (μg/L)59.85±7.3743.32±6.6212.654<0.001LDH (U/L)240.84±23.18145.06±20.8123.319<0.001CK-MB (U/L)24.19±3.8813.67±2.5217.870<0.001CK (U/L)152.49±22.9597.27±11.4317.351<0.001


## 3.4. CD86, CD80, Th1/Th2, PCT, and GRO of Peripheral Blood DCs-α, Correlation of HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK

The levels of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 are positively correlated with PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK (P<0.05), as shown in Figures 1–3.Figure 1
CD86, correlation of PCT and GRO-α, and correlation of HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK.Figure 2
CD80 and correlation of PCT and GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CKFigure 3
Th1/Th2 and correlation of PCT and GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK.


## 3.5. Analysis of Predictive Value of Expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 on Prognosis of Sepsis Patients

The ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the prognostic value of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in patients with sepsis was 0.951, which was higher than that of single index 0.882, 0.883, and 0.734 (P<0.05). The results are shown in Table 5 and Figure 4.Table 5
Analysis of predictive value of expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 on prognosis of sepsis patients.
AUCP valueCutoff value95% Confidence intervalCD860.882<0.00149.610.823-0.942CD800.883<0.00139.940.820-0.947Th1/Th20.734<0.0011.430.640-0.828Combination of three indexes0.951<0.001—0.914-0.988Figure 4
Analysis of predictive value of DCs CD86, CD80, T cell subsets, and Th1/Th2 expression in patients with sepsis.


## 4. Discussion

Sepsis is a common critical disease caused by infection in intensive care unit. It is dangerous and involves systemic inflammatory network effects, which may lead to multiple organ failures and circulatory disorders [9]. Although the medical technology has made some progress, the mortality rate of the disease is still high, which is about 30% ~70% in China. Therefore, it is of great significance to ensure the progress of patients’ illness in a targeted manner to improve the prognosis of patients [10]. Biomarkers are routinely used in day-to-day clinical practice. In the ICU, few biomarkers other than PCT have demonstrated reliability for the prediction of mortality in sepsis patients, which has prompted the search for new biomarkers. It is considered that the imbalance of clinical immunity plays an important role in the progress of sepsis, so finding suitable biological indicators to evaluate the prognosis of patients and carrying out effective intervention will help to reduce the mortality [11].This study retrospectively analyzed the expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in peripheral blood of sepsis patients and their value on survival prediction.


### 4.1. Distribution of Pathogenic Bacteria in Patients with Sepsis

Early identification of pathogenic microorganism types is beneficial to patients’ choice of antimicrobial agents and can also avoid the occurrence of multidrug resistance of bacteria [12]. The results show that [13] Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria infection are two kinds of pathogenic bacteria of blood flow infection, which have similar cell wall structure and cytotoxicity. Pathogenic bacteria mainly activate the host immune process through endotoxin and lipopolysaccharide, thus accelerating the production of inflammatory factors. Gram-positive bacteria can also activate T lymphocyte proliferation through superantigen, causing immune dysfunction and inhibiting blood coagulation, thus leading to the spread of infection and further aggravating the disease [14]. In this study, 124 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 118 patients, including 78 strains of Gram-negative bacteria (62.90%), 31 strains of Gram-positive bacteria (25.00%), and 15 strains of fungi (12.10%), which are consistent with previous studies.


### 4.2. Expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in Peripheral Blood of Sepsis Patients

During the development of sepsis, immune dysfunction plays a vital role. CD4+T cells can be divided into Th1 cells and Th2 cells. Th1 secretes IFN-γ- and IL-2- related factors and mediates cellular and local inflammatory-related immune responses. Th2 secretes IL-4- and IL-10-related factors and stimulates B cell proliferation, differentiation, and antibody production, which is related to humoral immunity [15]. Under normal circumstances, Th1/Th2 is in immune balance, which controls the complex cytokine network of the body. However, some studies have shown that Th1/Th2 in patients with sepsis is out of balance. DC is a full-time antigen-presenting cell (APC), which is divided into myeloid DC and lymphoid DC. It determines the activation or inhibition of T cells and has a unique position in regulating and maintaining the immune response of the body [16]. When endogenous or exogenous danger signals appear in tissues, the natural T cell receptor obtains the first signal to recognize antigen through DCs, and at the same time, it needs to provide the second signal to activate T cells through costimulatory factors [17]. As costimulatory signal molecules, CD80 and CD86 widely exist on the surface of DCs and NK cells and participate in cellular immunity. CD80 can promote T cells to differentiate into Th1, while CD86 can induce Th2-mediated humoral immunity, which makes Th1/Th2 unbalanced, thus enlarging abnormal immune response [18]. In vitro experiments showed that [19], monoclonal antibody blocked CD80 and CD86 molecules and blocked CD28/B7 pathway, while cytotoxic T cell associated antigen 4 could bind to B7, thus inhibiting the proliferation of T cells. In this study, the scores of CD86, CD80, Th1, Th2, and Th1/Th2 in the death group were higher than those in the survival group, suggesting that the immune imbalance of patients in the death group was more serious. The author thinks that in sepsis state, peripheral blood DCs CD86 and CD80 can induce Th1/Th2 differentiation through costimulation of T cells. From this study, it can be seen that the levels of Th1 and Th2 are obviously increased, while Th1 in the death group is shifted to Th2, and the immune function of patients in the death group is more disordered than that in the survival group, resulting in poor prognosis. Therefore, immunotherapy is very important for patients with sepsis [20]. The study [21] shows that there is immunosuppression in sepsis patients, and the abnormal expression level of CD80/86 leads to the nonresponsiveness of T lymphocytes, which is easy to increase the susceptibility of patients to secondary infection, which is consistent with this study.


### 4.3. Relationship between Immune Function and Inflammation, Coagulation Function, and Myocardial Function in Sepsis Patient

Studies show that the development of sepsis patients is related to the changes of inflammation and coagulation function at the same time, and other studies show that more than 40% of sepsis patients have heart dysfunction, which is one of the main reasons for poor prognosis. PCT is the precursor of calcitonin, which is produced by the thyroid gland in the body without infection. Therefore, in the case of systemic infection, PCT mainly comes from organs other than the thyroid gland. In the case of severe infection, the higher the PCT level, the more serious the infection, and the worse the prognosis. Studies have shown that its level is related to the severity of sepsis patients [23]. GRO-α, a chemokine of ELR-CXC family that has attracted much attention recently, has a molecular weight of about 8ku. It plays an important role in the induction and activation of neutrophils, participates in the pathological process of many diseases, can stimulate the growth of endothelial cells of normal epithelial cells, and can chemotactic leukocytes to inflammatory sites, which plays an important role in the development of inflammatory reaction. Studies have shown that serum GRO-α will obviously increase in the early stage of sepsis [24]. Coagulation disorder usually exists in sepsis patients. HBP is a protein with bactericidal activity, which can increase vascular endothelial permeability and reduce effective circulating blood volume. When infection occurs, neutrophils release HBP, and its level is closely related to the physiological process of sepsis [25]. LDH, CK-MB, and CK are important markers of myocardial cell damage, which can reflect the severity of myocardial damage [26]. In this study, PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK levels in the death group were higher than those in the survival group, suggesting that the inflammatory reaction, coagulation function, and myocardial cell damage in the death group were more serious than those in the survival group. During the development of sepsis, with the aggravation of inflammatory reaction, abnormal coagulation function and myocardial damage appear, and the functions of patients’ bodies become worse, which seriously affects various organs and increases the mortality rate [27]. Further research shows that the levels of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 are positively correlated with PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK, suggesting that the changes of CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 are related to the inflammatory level, coagulation function, and myocardial function of patients. The author thinks that this is mainly due to the pathogen invading the body and combining with the corresponding receptors, resulting in a large number of inflammatory mediators, while with the development of sepsis, DC cells in the body are apoptotic, and at the same time, infection leads to the migration of DCs, resulting in the decrease of DC content in peripheral blood, showing an immune disorder state [28]. As the disease progresses, the patient’s procoagulant system is activated by inflammatory reaction, which leads to the formation of coagulation and thrombus in blood vessels. At the same time, inflammatory factors inhibit cardiac function through various signal pathways, causing myocardial damage, worsening the clinical outcome of patients, and increasing the risk of death of patients [29]. Therefore, in the treatment of sepsis patients, we should not only carry out anti-inflammatory or immunotherapy, but also pay attention to the evolution of patients’ immune status, always pay attention to the changes of inflammatory factors, immune function, and coagulation function, and implement precise treatment, which is especially important for improving the prognosis of patients.


### 4.4. Predictive Value of Peripheral DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in Patients with Sepsis

ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the combined detection of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 was 0.951, which was higher than 0.882, 0.883, and 0.734 of single index, suggesting that CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 can be used as sensitive markers to predict the prognosis of sepsis patients. The study [30] shows that the treatment of sepsis with Huayu Jiedu Decoction can improve the levels of CD80, CD83, and CD86 on the surface of CDs in peripheral blood, suggesting that CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 can be used as new entry points to improve the prognosis of sepsis patients, which is consistent with this study. Of course, there are some shortcomings in this study. This study is a retrospective study. The number of selected cases is small, and there may be bias. In the future, we will conduct joint research with multicenters, expand sample inclusion, and conduct a retrospective study to ensure the accuracy of this study and better provide reference for the treatment of sepsis. Some studies performed repeated measurements to assess the dynamics of biomarker concentration over time, they believe that biomarkers which do not clearly distinguish between survivors and nonsurvivors at the onset of sepsis could still provide important prognostic information when assessed at a further time point. But biomarker concentrations over time are less practical to use and subject to additional variability due to factors such as fluid resuscitation. Therefore, no repeated measurements were made in this study.To sum up, all patients with sepsis have immune imbalance. The levels of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in peripheral blood are related to the levels of inflammatory factors, coagulation function, and myocardial damage. The combined detection of the three indicators has the highest predictive value for the prognosis of patients and can be used as a new entry point for clinical treatment to improve the prognosis.


## 4.1. Distribution of Pathogenic Bacteria in Patients with Sepsis

Early identification of pathogenic microorganism types is beneficial to patients’ choice of antimicrobial agents and can also avoid the occurrence of multidrug resistance of bacteria [12]. The results show that [13] Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria infection are two kinds of pathogenic bacteria of blood flow infection, which have similar cell wall structure and cytotoxicity. Pathogenic bacteria mainly activate the host immune process through endotoxin and lipopolysaccharide, thus accelerating the production of inflammatory factors. Gram-positive bacteria can also activate T lymphocyte proliferation through superantigen, causing immune dysfunction and inhibiting blood coagulation, thus leading to the spread of infection and further aggravating the disease [14]. In this study, 124 strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 118 patients, including 78 strains of Gram-negative bacteria (62.90%), 31 strains of Gram-positive bacteria (25.00%), and 15 strains of fungi (12.10%), which are consistent with previous studies.


## 4.2. Expression of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in Peripheral Blood of Sepsis Patients

During the development of sepsis, immune dysfunction plays a vital role. CD4+T cells can be divided into Th1 cells and Th2 cells. Th1 secretes IFN-γ- and IL-2- related factors and mediates cellular and local inflammatory-related immune responses. Th2 secretes IL-4- and IL-10-related factors and stimulates B cell proliferation, differentiation, and antibody production, which is related to humoral immunity [15]. Under normal circumstances, Th1/Th2 is in immune balance, which controls the complex cytokine network of the body. However, some studies have shown that Th1/Th2 in patients with sepsis is out of balance. DC is a full-time antigen-presenting cell (APC), which is divided into myeloid DC and lymphoid DC. It determines the activation or inhibition of T cells and has a unique position in regulating and maintaining the immune response of the body [16]. When endogenous or exogenous danger signals appear in tissues, the natural T cell receptor obtains the first signal to recognize antigen through DCs, and at the same time, it needs to provide the second signal to activate T cells through costimulatory factors [17]. As costimulatory signal molecules, CD80 and CD86 widely exist on the surface of DCs and NK cells and participate in cellular immunity. CD80 can promote T cells to differentiate into Th1, while CD86 can induce Th2-mediated humoral immunity, which makes Th1/Th2 unbalanced, thus enlarging abnormal immune response [18]. In vitro experiments showed that [19], monoclonal antibody blocked CD80 and CD86 molecules and blocked CD28/B7 pathway, while cytotoxic T cell associated antigen 4 could bind to B7, thus inhibiting the proliferation of T cells. In this study, the scores of CD86, CD80, Th1, Th2, and Th1/Th2 in the death group were higher than those in the survival group, suggesting that the immune imbalance of patients in the death group was more serious. The author thinks that in sepsis state, peripheral blood DCs CD86 and CD80 can induce Th1/Th2 differentiation through costimulation of T cells. From this study, it can be seen that the levels of Th1 and Th2 are obviously increased, while Th1 in the death group is shifted to Th2, and the immune function of patients in the death group is more disordered than that in the survival group, resulting in poor prognosis. Therefore, immunotherapy is very important for patients with sepsis [20]. The study [21] shows that there is immunosuppression in sepsis patients, and the abnormal expression level of CD80/86 leads to the nonresponsiveness of T lymphocytes, which is easy to increase the susceptibility of patients to secondary infection, which is consistent with this study.


## 4.3. Relationship between Immune Function and Inflammation, Coagulation Function, and Myocardial Function in Sepsis Patient

Studies show that the development of sepsis patients is related to the changes of inflammation and coagulation function at the same time, and other studies show that more than 40% of sepsis patients have heart dysfunction, which is one of the main reasons for poor prognosis. PCT is the precursor of calcitonin, which is produced by the thyroid gland in the body without infection. Therefore, in the case of systemic infection, PCT mainly comes from organs other than the thyroid gland. In the case of severe infection, the higher the PCT level, the more serious the infection, and the worse the prognosis. Studies have shown that its level is related to the severity of sepsis patients [23]. GRO-α, a chemokine of ELR-CXC family that has attracted much attention recently, has a molecular weight of about 8ku. It plays an important role in the induction and activation of neutrophils, participates in the pathological process of many diseases, can stimulate the growth of endothelial cells of normal epithelial cells, and can chemotactic leukocytes to inflammatory sites, which plays an important role in the development of inflammatory reaction. Studies have shown that serum GRO-α will obviously increase in the early stage of sepsis [24]. Coagulation disorder usually exists in sepsis patients. HBP is a protein with bactericidal activity, which can increase vascular endothelial permeability and reduce effective circulating blood volume. When infection occurs, neutrophils release HBP, and its level is closely related to the physiological process of sepsis [25]. LDH, CK-MB, and CK are important markers of myocardial cell damage, which can reflect the severity of myocardial damage [26]. In this study, PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK levels in the death group were higher than those in the survival group, suggesting that the inflammatory reaction, coagulation function, and myocardial cell damage in the death group were more serious than those in the survival group. During the development of sepsis, with the aggravation of inflammatory reaction, abnormal coagulation function and myocardial damage appear, and the functions of patients’ bodies become worse, which seriously affects various organs and increases the mortality rate [27]. Further research shows that the levels of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 are positively correlated with PCT, GRO-α, HBP, LDH, CK-MB, and CK, suggesting that the changes of CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 are related to the inflammatory level, coagulation function, and myocardial function of patients. The author thinks that this is mainly due to the pathogen invading the body and combining with the corresponding receptors, resulting in a large number of inflammatory mediators, while with the development of sepsis, DC cells in the body are apoptotic, and at the same time, infection leads to the migration of DCs, resulting in the decrease of DC content in peripheral blood, showing an immune disorder state [28]. As the disease progresses, the patient’s procoagulant system is activated by inflammatory reaction, which leads to the formation of coagulation and thrombus in blood vessels. At the same time, inflammatory factors inhibit cardiac function through various signal pathways, causing myocardial damage, worsening the clinical outcome of patients, and increasing the risk of death of patients [29]. Therefore, in the treatment of sepsis patients, we should not only carry out anti-inflammatory or immunotherapy, but also pay attention to the evolution of patients’ immune status, always pay attention to the changes of inflammatory factors, immune function, and coagulation function, and implement precise treatment, which is especially important for improving the prognosis of patients.


## 4.4. Predictive Value of Peripheral DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in Patients with Sepsis

ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the combined detection of peripheral blood DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 was 0.951, which was higher than 0.882, 0.883, and 0.734 of single index, suggesting that CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 can be used as sensitive markers to predict the prognosis of sepsis patients. The study [30] shows that the treatment of sepsis with Huayu Jiedu Decoction can improve the levels of CD80, CD83, and CD86 on the surface of CDs in peripheral blood, suggesting that CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 can be used as new entry points to improve the prognosis of sepsis patients, which is consistent with this study. Of course, there are some shortcomings in this study. This study is a retrospective study. The number of selected cases is small, and there may be bias. In the future, we will conduct joint research with multicenters, expand sample inclusion, and conduct a retrospective study to ensure the accuracy of this study and better provide reference for the treatment of sepsis. Some studies performed repeated measurements to assess the dynamics of biomarker concentration over time, they believe that biomarkers which do not clearly distinguish between survivors and nonsurvivors at the onset of sepsis could still provide important prognostic information when assessed at a further time point. But biomarker concentrations over time are less practical to use and subject to additional variability due to factors such as fluid resuscitation. Therefore, no repeated measurements were made in this study.To sum up, all patients with sepsis have immune imbalance. The levels of DCs CD86, CD80, and Th1/Th2 in peripheral blood are related to the levels of inflammatory factors, coagulation function, and myocardial damage. The combined detection of the three indicators has the highest predictive value for the prognosis of patients and can be used as a new entry point for clinical treatment to improve the prognosis.



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*Source: 4672535-2022-03-09.xml*