Figure 4

Association of large intergenic noncoding RNA linc0949 level with medical therapies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. (A) The level of the large intergenic noncoding RNA linc0949 had no apparent difference in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) whose daily dosage of prednisone was >30 mg compared with those whose daily dosage of prednisone was <30 mg. (B) linc0949 expression decreased significantly in patients with SLE who had used immunosuppressants (azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine A (CsA), leflunomide, mycophenolate mofetil, methotrexate, FK506) compared with those without immunosuppressant treatment. (C) The expression of linc0949 was not related to the use of drugs. The data are from two healthy donors. (D) linc0949 expression was detected in three patients with active SLE at the beginning of and after 12 weeks of treatment. As we observed, the linc0949 expression of all three patients was notably increased when they achieved significant clinical improvement after treatment. *P < 0.05. DXM, Dexamethasone; NS, Not significant; Pred, Prednisone.