Fig. 2.

Systemic cytokine profiles correlate with BAFF and APRIL in IIMs. To evaluate the linear relationship between BAFF, APRIL and cytokines, correlation of BAFF and APRIL with systemic cytokine profiles was assessed by correlation analysis. (A) Serum BAFF was highly correlated with IL-12, and moderately correlated with ESR, IL-1Rα, CXCL10 and IL-7. (B) Serum APRIL was highly correlated with IL-6, CXCL10 and RF. (C) To cluster the correlational profiles into meaningful structures, a hierarchical clustering was performed to obtain clear separation of variables, in which BAFF, APRIL, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4 and IL-1Rα depicted a tight cluster, when compared with other variables.