A. Volcano plot of 47 aSMA/CD34 polarization genes (log2 fold change of baseline vs. 52-weeks) in 18 individuals with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis who were classified as clinical improvers (CRISS ≥0.6; N=36 samples), upper panel, or 6 individuals classified as non-improvers (CRISS <0.6; N=12 samples), lower panel. The threshold for significance (horizontal red line) was 0.001, determined using Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons of 47 aSMA/CD34 polarization genes evaluated. Significant differently expressed genes are highlighted in green and quantified in top corner. B. Average expression of 47 aSMA/CD34 polarization genes at baseline and 52-weeks by clinical improvement status. C. Hierarchical clustering using single linkage method and Euclidean distance metric, supervised by either baseline or 52-weeks, of 30 significant differentially expressed genes identified in A in improvers and non-improvers.