Association between the NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 genetic variants with rheumatoid arthritis activity, autoantibodies, and inflammatory biomarkers

Association between the NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 genetic variants with rheumatoid arthritis activity, autoantibodies, and inflammatory biomarkers | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Association between the NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 genetic variants with rheumatoid arthritis activity, autoantibodies, and inflammatory biomarkers Beatriz Neves Bruniera, Tainah Mendes Ahrens, Eduarda dos Santos, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9528328/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background The contribution of NLRP3 variants to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis remains unclear. Objective To investigate the association of the NLRP3 rs10754558 C > G and rs10157379 C > T variants with RA disease activity, rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACPAs) antibodies, and inflammatory biomarkers. Methods The study included 262 patients with RA and 168 controls. Disease activity was assessed using the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and categorized as remission (< 2.6) or moderate/severe activity (≥ 2.6). NLRP3 variants were genotyped by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RF, ACPAs, C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), WBC-to-hemoglobin ratio (WHR), and lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio (LCR) were evaluated. Results The TT genotype of the rs10157379 variant, under the recessive model, was associated with an increased likelihood of active disease [odds ratio (OR): 2.96, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.16–7.59, p = 0.023], whereas the TC genotype showed a protective effect under codominant and overdominant models (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.10–0.75, p = 0.011 and OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.16–0.82, p = 0.011, respectively). Carriers of the CC or CG genotypes of rs10754558 exhibited higher LCR values compared with GG carriers. Carriers of the TT genotype of rs10157379 showed higher WHR than TC carriers. Both variants were not associated with RF or ACPAs seropositivity. Conclusion The NLRP3 rs10157379 appears to modulate RA disease activity and inflammatory profiles, whereas neither the rs10157379 nor the rs10754558 variants was associated with RF and ACPAs. These findings support a role for NLRP3 genetic variability in RA disease activity and in the inflammatory integrative biomarkers. NLRP3 genetic variant neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio white blood cell-to-lymphocyte ratio white blood cell-to-hemoglobin ratio lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease that primarily affects synovial joints, leading to progressive bone damage, functional disability, and an increased risk of cardiovascular events [ 1 ]. RA susceptibility arises from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The strongest associations include female sex, a family history of RA, the presence of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-shared epitope, tobacco smoking, mucosal inflammation, and microbial influences [ 2 ]. RA pathogenesis is characterized by synovial membrane hyperplasia driven by the infiltration of inflammatory cells, including T and B lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. This cellular influx promotes excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines and proteolytic enzymes, which drive chronic inflammation and joint destruction. Key cytokines implicated in RA include tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL). These mediators activate synovial fibroblasts and chondrocytes, enhance the secretion of collagen-degrading enzymes, and promote osteoclast differentiation, ultimately resulting in cartilage and bone erosion [ 3 , 4 ]. The diagnosis of RA often relies on the detection of autoantibodies, particularly rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs), which are also important prognosis biomarkers [ 5 , 6 ]. In addition, elevated levels of acute-phase reactants, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are widely used to assess systemic inflammation and disease activity [ 5 ]. Inflammasomes play a critical role in inflammation by orchestrating innate immune responses and contributing to tissue homeostasis; however, their dysregulation can exacerbate inflammatory diseases [ 7 ]. Among these complexes, the Nucleotide-binding, oligomerization domain (NOD)‐like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is activated by a wide range of endogenous and exogenous stimuli, including damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS), and proinflammatory cytokines. Upon activation, NLRP3 promotes caspases-1-dependent maturation of IL-1β and IL-18, thereby triggering inflammatory signaling and pyroptotic cell death [ 8 ]. Inappropriate activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome has been implicated in several autoimmune diseases, including RA [ 9 , 10 ]. Increased NLRP3 expression has been detected in synovial tissue, peripheral blood, and CD4 + T cells from patients with RA [ 11 , 12 ]. The NLRP3 gene is located on chromosome 1 (1q44), has nine exons and over 60 SNVs that are associated with different levels of activation of the complex, such as gain or loss of function [ 13 ] and is likely linked to susceptibility, worse prognosis, and RA activity [ 10 , 14 ]. The SNP rs10754558 G > C is located in the 3'unstraletd region (3’UTR) of the NLRP3 , a key region of post-transcriptional regulation that can affect mRNA stability and interaction with the microRNA-146a binding sites leading to an increase in NLRP3 expression [ 15 ] and has been associated with different diseases [ 9 , 10 , 14 , 16 – 29 ]. The NLRP3 rs10754558 has been investigated for its potential role in RA susceptibility, disease activity, and therapeutic response [ 9 , 27 – 29 ]. Higher ACPAs titers at RA diagnosis have been reported in patients lacking the C allele of the rs10754558 C > G variant [ 10 ]. However, studies failed to confirm the association of the NLRP3 rs10754558 and RA susceptibility [ 10 ], RF production, disease activity, and bone erosions [ 28 ]. Therefore, the role of the NLRP3 rs10754558 variant in the susceptibility and severity is inconsistent in different ethnic backgrounds [ 9 , 11 , 26 , 27 ]. The NLRP3 rs10157379 T > C variant is located in an intronic region and is unclear how it may affect the gene function. This variant has been evaluated in different diseases, including renal cell carcinoma [ 21 ], chronic kidney disease [ 22 ], and severe acute respiratory syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 23 ]. At the best of our knowledge, there are currently no data regarding the NLRP3 rs10157379 variant in individuals with RA. The assessment of RA disease activity commonly relies on inflammatory biomarkers such as ESR, CRP, and composite indices including the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28). However, these measures present limitations, particularly in patients with low disease activity or clinical remission [ 30 ]. In this context, novel hematological indices derived from routine blood counts, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), have emerged as reliable and accessible potentially indicators of RA disease activity. Elevated NLR and PLR values are associated with increased systemic inflammation and have been positively correlated with DAS28, ESR, and CRP [ 31 , 32 ]. Nevertheless, while some studies support the utility of NLR and PLR as inflammatory markers of RA, others suggest that these indices may not independently reflect disease activity [ 33 , 34 ]. Similarly, the lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio (LCR) has gained increasing attention as a biomarker of systemic inflammation in various clinical settings [ 35 – 38 ], although its role in RA not yet been elucidated. The white blood cell (WBC)-to-hemoglobin ratio (WHR) is another emerging inflammatory biomarker that reflects the combined effects of systemic inflammation and anemia [ 39 , 40 ]. Notably, higher WHR values have shown promise as a cost-effective tool for monitoring RA disease activity [ 41 ], particularly in routine clinical practice [ 42 ]. Given the established role of NLRP3 genetic variants in RA pathogenesis and the potential utility of hematological inflammatory biomarkers, this study hypothesizes that patients carrying the NLRP3 rs10754558 GG genotype, previously associated with increased inflammasome expression, exhibit higher RA disease activity. In addition, inflammatory biomarkers derived from routine blood counts, including NLR, PLR, LCR, and WHR may correlate with RA disease activity. Considering the influence of ethnic variability on hematological parameters. this study aimed to investigate the association between NLRP3 rs10754558 and rs10157379 genetic variants, RA disease activity, RF, ACPAs, and inflammatory biomarkers in a Brazilian population. Methods Subjects This prospective case-control study included 383 adult individuals of both sexes, aged 18 to 70 years, comprising 225 patients with RA and 158 individuals without RA who served as controls. Patients were followed at the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of the Specialty Outpatient Clinic of Londrina University Hospital (AEHU), Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. Participants were consecutively recruited between February 2022 and February 2023, and the groups were controlled for sex, age, and ethnicity. The diagnosis of RA was established according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria [5]. Disease activity was assessed using the DAS28 and ESR results (DAS28-ESR) and categorized with remission/low activity (DAS28-ESR 5.1, it was also categorized as high disease activity [43]. The exclusion criteria for both patients and controls included the presence of other autoimmune diseases, acute or chronic infectious diseases, neoplasms, chronic kidney disease, and alcoholism. The sample size was not calculated a priori and was determined by convenience sampling of the eligible patients with RA attending during the study period. Epidemiological, Demographic, Anthropometric, and Clinical Data Information on epidemiological, demographic, anthropometric, medical history, and RA treatment were obtained during clinical evaluations performed by a rheumatologist using a standardized assessment questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements included body weight, measured to the nearest 0.1 kg using an electronic scale with participants wearing light clothing and no shoes, and height, measured to the nearest 0.1 cm using a stadiometer. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as the ratio of weight in kilograms to height in meters squared. Inflammatory and Immunological Biomarkers Total WBC and platelet counts were analyzed using automated methods. ESR was assessed with an automated system (Ves-Matic™ . CUBE 30, DIESSE, Siena, Italy). High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and RF levels were determined through turbidimetry (C8000™ Abbott Laboratory, Abbott Park, IL, USA). ACPAs levels were measured using chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay (Architect™, Abbott Laboratory, Abbott Park, IL, USA). RF and ACPAs levels were considered positive when values were equal to or exceeded 30 U/mL and 5 U/mL, respectively. High positivity was defined as levels greater than three times the upper limit of normal [5]. The inflammatory biomarkers NLR, PLR, LCR, WHR were determined. NLRP3 Genotyping The NLRP3 genetic variants rs10157379 T>C and rs10754558 C>G were evaluated by qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using the TaqMan™ method. For this purpose, Taqman™ SNP Genotyping Assay 40X (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) containing two primers and two allele-specific TaqMan™ MGB probes with a reporter dye at the 5' end (VIC™ or FAM™) and TaqMan™ Universal Genotyping Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) were used. For the rs10157397 variant (C 30076082_30), the primer was ntTTCTGTATTTCTATTTTTCCTGCCT [C/T] GTAGACACCAAAGAGCTTAAAAAAC and for the rs10754558 variant (C 26052028_10), the primer was GACAATGACAGCATCGGGTGTTGTT [C/G] TCATCACAGCGCCTCAGTTAGAGGA (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). The fluorescence levels of the real-time polymerase chain reaction products were evaluated by the QuantSudio™ equipment (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). Statistical Analysis Categorical variables were expressed as absolute numbers (n) and percentages (%) and analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Continuous variables were expressed as median with interquartile range (IQR) and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was determined for both variants. Associations between NLRP3 variants and study variables were evaluated using codominant, recessive, dominant, and overdominant genetic models. Associations between the NLRP3 variants and inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Tukey’s post hoc analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Statistical significance was defined as a p value of less than 0.05. Analyses were conducted using SPSS for Windows, version 24.0 (SPSS 31 Inc. Chicago, IL, USA). Results Characteristics of RA patients and controls A total of 383 individuals were evaluated and divided in two study groups: 225 patients with RA and 158 healthy controls. Table 1 summarizes the epidemiological, demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters obtained from patients with RA and controls. Patients with RA were older than controls (p<0.001), exhibited higher frequency of use antihypertensive therapy, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Most of the patients (172/76.4%) presented considered remission/low disease activity (DAS28-ESR 5.1. Most of them showed seropositivity to the RF (50.2%) and ACPAs (59.1%), and no extra-articular symptoms (88.4%). The patients were using prednisone (69.8%), methotrexate (65.3%), leflunomide (41.3%), antimalarials (38.7%), TNF inhibitors (25.8%), and anti-CD20 (1.3%) therapies. NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G and rs10157379 T>C variants and autoantibodies The frequency of the NLRP3 rs10754558 and rs10157379 variants was in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. The NLRP3 variants were not associated with RF and ACPAs status, as showed in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G and rs10157379 T>C variants and disease activity The association between NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G and rs10157379 T>C variants with RA disease activity (DAS28-ESR <2.6 versus ≥2.6), in codominant, dominant, recessive, and overdominant genetic models are shown in Table 4 . Patients carrying the rs10157379 TC genotype, in codominant model, showed lower disease activity compared with those carrying the TT genotype (OR: 0.28; 95%CI: 0.10-0.75, p=0.011), as well as in overdominant model compared with those carrying the TT+CC genotypes (OR: 0.36; 95%CI: 0.16-0.82, p=0.016). Moreover, patients carrying the TT genotype, in recessive model, exhibited higher disease activity than those carrying the TC +CC genotypes (OR: 2.96; 95%CI: 1.16-7.59, p=0.023). The NLRP3 rs10754558 CG genotype, in codominant model, showed a trend toward the possible protector effect for the disease activity (p=0.065). NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G and rs10157379 T>C variants and inflammatory biomarkers The association between the NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G and rs10157379 T>C variants and some inflammatory biomarkers, such as NLR, PLR, WHR, and LCR are presented in Tables 5 and 6, respectively. For the rs10754558 C>G variant, it was found that CC and CG genotypes showed LCR approximately 3 times higher than GG genotype. In other words, it means that patients carrying the GG genotype showed higher CRP values than lymphocyte count (pC variant, it was demonstrated that the WHR were significantly different between the patients carrying the TT and TC genotypes, with those carrying the TT genotype exhibited higher WHR than those carrying the TC genotype. For the CC genotype, no significant difference was observed. Discussion The main finding of the present study was the association between the NLRP3 rs10157379 T > C variant and RA disease activity. In the recessive model, the NLRP3 10157379 TT genotype was associated with a threefold increased likelihood of disease activity, while the TC genotype, under codominant and overdominant models, was associated with a protective effect, showing approximately 3.57- and 2.77-fold higher odds of being in remission, respectively. This result was unexpected, considering that the T > C substitution has been described as a gain-of-function variant, with the C allele potentially enhancing NLRP3 expression and consequently, the inflammatory response [ 15 ]. One possible explanation is that the heterozygous TC genotype may exert a regulatory or compensatory effect, possibly through allele-specific expression or post-transcriptional mechanisms that result in a more balanced inflammasome response. Interestingly, the best fit in our analyses was found under an overdominant model, suggesting a potential heterozygote effect (heterosis), in which intermediate levels of NLRP3 expression could modulate inflammasome activation more efficiently. Such effects have been described in other complex immune-mediated conditions, where heterozygosity may confer a functional advantage through balanced expression of proinflammatory mediators [ 44 ]. Therefore, the CG heterozygous genotype may result in a better phenotype than the CC and GG homozygous genotypes, and the intermediate NLRP3 levels may be optimal to modulate specific signaling pathways [ 45 ]. However, we interpret the overdominant association as a hypothesis-generating result that warrants further investigation in larger and independent RA cohorts to confirm whether heterozygosity indeed confers a differential protective profile. In the present study, no significant association was observed between the NLRP3 rs10754558 variant and RA disease activity as well as between the NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 variants with RF, and ACPAs autoantibodies. Although ACPAs are associated with a worse prognosis in RA patients [ 5 ], the specific NLRP3 rs10754558 and rs10157379 NLRP3 genetic variants investigated in this study do not appear to directly influence the production of this autoantibodies. Our results corroborate the findings of previous study that showed no association between the NLRP3 10754558 variant and RF, the development of bone erosions, and disease activity when measured by DAS28 [ 28 ]. However, previous study reported an association between the NLPR3 rs10754558, rs35829419, and rs4612666 variants with susceptibility, worse prognosis, and RA activity; moreover, the study showed that the titer of ACPAs during diagnosis of RA was high in the absence of the C allele of rs10754558 C > G variant in RA patients [ 10 ]. These findings highlight the complexity of NLRP3 regulation in RA and suggest that the relationship between NLRP3 genetic variants and disease activity may have dual or context-dependent roles in disease pathogenesis Other interesting and original results obtained in the present study were the association between the NLPR3 variants and two of the integrative inflammatory biomarkers. The NLRP3 rs10157379 variant was associated with WHR and the NLRP3 rs10754558 variant was associated with LCR. For the rs10754558 variant, it was found that the CC and CG genotypes presented the LCR approximately 3 times higher than the GG genotype, i.e., patients carrying the CC and CG genotypes showed higher immune regulation that those carrying the GG genotype. With respect to the NLRP3 rs10157379, patients carrying the TT genotype showed higher WHR than those carrying the TC genotype. This result appears to be consistent with the association obtained between the TT genotype, in the recessive model, and the 3-fold higher odds of presenting RA disease activity. Due to the heterogeneity of RA, the markers such as CRP and ESR exhibit certain limitations in their capacity to assess disease activity. There arises a need to find new biomarkers capable of assessing inflammation and the insights into the disease dynamics. LCR is a relatively integrative new biomarker that combines the assessment of lymphocyte count, which reflects immune cell function and regulation, with CRP, a well-established marker of acute inflammation. LCR has gained attention as an indicator of systemic inflammation in neoplastic diseases [ 36 , 37 ] and has emerged as a valuable biomarker for the early detection and prediction of severe conditions such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [ 35 ] and sepsis [ 38 ]. While several lines of evidence support that NLR, PLR, and WHR were higher in RA patients than controls, and in patients with active RA compared to those with inactive RA [ 32 , 33 , 46 , 47 ], at the best of our knowledge, LCR was not reported in patients with RA. The association between the NLRP3 rs10157379 TT genotype with higher values of WHR underscores the elevated WBC counts in RA that is a marker of disease activity and severity and the decreased hemoglobin in patients with RA. A mechanist explanation is that NLRP3 rs10157379 TT genotype may increase the NLRP3 expression and should increase the inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-18, and further, IL-6 and TNF-α, which drive leukocyte production and activation. In patients with RA, the inflammasome's activation leads to a pro-inflammatory environment characterized by elevated levels of both neutrophils and pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β. The IL-1β and IL-18 cytokines affect the recruitment and function of neutrophils and lymphocytes in the context of active systemic inflammation. Lymphopenia may also occur due to the sequestration of lymphocytes in inflamed tissues or the suppression of their production. It can be caused by the disease process itself, but is also commonly induced by treatments like glucocorticoids and conventional or biological DMARDs. Moreover, it was described a perturbation of the T cell repertoire in RA [ 48 ]. Anemia of inflammation begins with the activation of the immune system and the subsequent release of cytokines that leads to an elevation of hepcidin, responsible for hypoferremia, and a suppression of erythropoiesis due to lack of iron [ 41 , 42 ]. Anemia of inflammation is commonly observed in patients with chronic infections and autoimmune diseases, in which inflammation was easily detectable and sustained, particularly, in RA patients with active disease, as result chronic inflammation [ 41 , 42 ]. Therefore, these evidences may explain, in part, the association between the NLRP3 10157379 TT genotype with the higher WHR compared with the TC genotype. The presence of the T allele could increase the inflammatory status, increasing the WBCs count and decreasing the hemoglobin levels. The WHR is an emerging inflammatory biomarker which reflects systemic inflammation (through WBC) and anemia (through hemoglobin). Limitations of the present study must be addressed. First, the case-control design that does not allow establishing the causal relationship between the study variables; second, the sample size may limit the statistical power to detect associations with smaller effect sizes or gene-gene/environment interactions; third, most RA patients were on remission/low disease activity and on various treatment regimens that introduces variability on biomarker levels and disease activity scores; fourth, the possibility of variations in the erythrocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts in response to short- and long-term therapies with methotrexate, a drug with myelotoxicity effect used by the most RA patients included in the study [ 49 ]. Additionally, the study did not account for other genetic factors that could interact with immune response components and environmental factors. However, one strength of the study was that some possible confounding variables, such as medication use, sex, age, ethnicity, and smoking were controlled in the statistical analysis considering that sex-hormones [ 50 ], age [ 51 ], and smoking [ 52 ] exert specific effects in inflammasome and the other variables of the study. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the NLRP3 rs10157379 variant specifically in the disease activity, FR, ACPAs, and the integrate hematological biomarkers among patients with RA, which limits direct comparison with previous literature. From a translational perspective, if confirmed in independent cohorts, the rs10157379 variant—particularly in heterozygous form—may hold potential as a genetic biomarker for disease activity stratification or for identifying patients more likely to achieve remission. This could contribute to the development of more personalized treatment strategies targeting the inflammasome axis in RA. Further studies integrating gene expression, protein function, and larger patient cohorts are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved and to assess the potential of this variant as a biomarker for disease activity or therapeutic response in RA. Conclusion Taken together, mechanistic insights suggest that the NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 genetic variants may genotype-specific effects on inflammatory pathways. In the recessive model, the TT genotype of the NLRP3 rs10157379 variant was associated with a 2.96-fold increased likelihood of presenting disease activity. In contrast, the TC genotype, in the codominant and overdominant models, was associated with a 3.57- and 2.77-fold greater chance, respectively, of being in remission from RA. Regarding the rs10754558 variant, individuals with the CC and CG genotypes exhibited higher LCR compared to those with the GG genotype. Conversely, patients carrying the GG genotype had higher LCR. For the rs10157379 variant, patients with the TT genotype also showed higher WHR than those with the TC genotype. However, neither of the NLRP3 variants was associated with RF or ACPAs levels. Future longitudinal and functional studies are warranted to validate these findings and to explore additional genetic and environmental factors in RA pathophysiology. Declarations Author Contribution All authors whose names appear on the submission of the manuscript made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data, drafted the work or revised the manuscript (text, tables, and references), approved the version submitted to the Immunologic Research. The major contributions are detailed bellow: Beatriz Neves Bruniera : Methodology, investigation; formal analysis, writing Tainah Mendes Ahrens : Methodology, investigation Eduarda dos Santos : Methodology, investigation Tatiana Mayumi Veiga Iriyoda : Methodology, investigation, writing, Marcell Alysson Batisti Lozovoy : Methodology, investigation, formal analysis, writing, Andrea Name Colado Simão : Conceptualization, formal analysis Edna Maria Vissoci Reiche : Conceptualization, writing, editing, supervision. Ethics approval This study was conducted after approval by the Institutional Research Ethics Committees of University of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil (CAAE: 37420820.0.0000.5231). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Consent to participate Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Consent for publication The studied participants were informed about the present research, and a written consent form was taken from all of them before their enrollment. Moreover, all the authors and co-authors participated and contributed sufficiently in the research, and all of them concur with the submission. The manuscript has been approved by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out. The authors also concur that, if accepted, the manuscript shall not be published elsewhere in the same form in either the same or any other language, without the consent of the Editor-in Chief of the Immunologic Research. Standards for reporting The manuscript was prepared taking into account the recommendations of the guidelines hosted by the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). STROBE is used for observational studies (cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional designs) according to the STROBE statement (www.strobe-statement.org) Data availability The dataset generated during and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from E.M.V.R. upon reasonable request and once the dataset has been fully exploited by the authors. Competing Interests and Funding The authors declare that they have no competing interest. None of the authors are involved in the publication process or have a financial or other beneficial interest in the products or concepts mentioned in the submitted manuscript. Financial disclosure The authors declare that they do not have any financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose. Financial Support No financial support Acknowledgements Not applied Patient and public involvement: The authors confirm that patients or the public were not involved in the planning, conduct, reporting or dissemination of this research. 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Tables Table 1 Demographic, clinical, and immunological characteristics of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls Controls Variables (n=158) Patients (n=225) p value n % n % Ethnicity Caucasian 121 76.6 163 72.4 0.363 Non-Caucasian 37 23.4 62 27.6 Sex Female 127 80.4 189 84.0 0.359 Male 31 19.6 36 16.0 Smoking No 141 89.2 191 84.9 0.217 Yes 17 10.8 34 15.1 Antihypertensive No 129 90.2 133 59.1 0.000* Yes 14 9.8 92 40.9 MetS No 131 83.4 132 59.7 0.000* Yes 26 16.6 89 40.3 Hypertension No 118 88.7 118 52.7 0.000* Yes 15 11.3 106 47.3 DAS ESR <2.6 No - - 53 23.6 Yes - - 172 76.4 Rheumatoid factor Negative - - 112 49.8 Positive - - 113 50.2 ACPAs Negative - - 92 40.9 Positive - - 133 59.1 Extrarticular manifestations No - - 199 88.4 Yes - - 26 11.6 Categorical variables were expressed as absolute number (n) and percentage (%). Continuous variables were expressed as median and interquartile range. DAS: Disease Activity Score; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; RF: rheumatoid factor; ACPAs: anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies; MetS: Metabolic syndrome; *Chi-square test significant at the 0.05 level. Table 2 Association between NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G and rs10157379 T>C genetic variants and anti-citrullination peptide antibodies (ACPAs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis ACPAs Genetic Variant Negative (n=92) Positive (n=133) p value n % n % NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G Codominant CC 33 35.9 43 32.3 CG 46 50.0 72 54.1 0.822 GG 13 14.1 18 13.5 Recessive CC+CG 79 85.8 115 86.5 0.898 GG 13 14.1 18 13.5 Dominant CG+GG 59 64.1 90 67.7 0.581 CC 33 35.9 43 32.3 Overdominant CC+GG 46 50.0 61 45.9 0.541 CG 46 50.0 72 54.1 NLRP3 rs10157379 T>C Codominant TT 31 33.7 40 30.1 TC 43 46.7 67 50.6 0.830 CC 18 19.6 26 19.5 Recessive TT+TC 74 80.4 107 80.4 CC 18 19.6 26 19.5 0.998 Dominant TC+CC 61 66.3 93 69.9 TT 31 33.7 40 30.1 0.566 Overdominant TT+CC 49 53.3 66 49.6 TC 43 46.7 67 50.6 0.592 The categorical variables were expressed as absolute numbers (n) and percentages (%). ACPAs: anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies Table 3 Association between NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G and rs10157379 T>C genetic variants and rheumatoid factor in patients with rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid Factor Genetic Variant Negative (n=112) Positive (n=113) p value n % n % NLRP3 rs10754558 (C>G) Codominant CC 44 39.3 32 28.3 CG 55 49.1 63 55.8 0.198 GG 13 11.6 18 15.9 Recessive CC+CG 99 88.4 95 84.1 0.347 GG 13 11.6 18 15.9 Dominant CG+GG 68 607 81 71.7 0.082 CC 44 393 32 28.3 Overdominant CC+GG 57 509 50 44.2 CG 55 491 63 55.8 0.381 NLRP3 rs10157379 (T>C) Codominant TT 37 33.0 34 30.1 TC 54 48.2 56 49.6 0.883 CC 21 18.8 23 20.4 Recessve TT+TC 91 81.3 90 79.6 0.762 CC 21 18.8 23 20.4 Dominant TC+CC 75 67.0 79 69.9 TT 37 33.0 34 30.1 0.226 Overdominant TT+CC 58 51.8 57 50.4 TC 54 48.2 56 49.6 0.840 The categorical variables were expressed as absolute numbers (n) and percentages (%). Table 4 Association between NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 variants and the rheumatoid arthritis activity measured using DAS28 ESR Genetic Variant DAS ESR ≥2.6 No Yes OR (95%CI) p value n % n % NLRP3 rs10754558 CC 9 24.3 43 40.6 Reference Codominant CG 24 64.9 52 49.1 0.43 (0.17-1.05) 0.065 GG 4 10.8 11 10.4 0.58 (0.14-2.39) 0.452 Dominant CC+CG 33 89.2 95 89.6 Reference GG 4 10.8 11 10.4 0.98 (0.27-3.51) 0.975 Recessive CG+GG 28 75.7 63 59.4 Reference CC 9 24.3 43 40.6 2.20 (0.92-5.24) 0.074 Overdominant CC+GG 13 35.1 54 50.9 Reference CG 24 64.9 52 49.1 0.49 (0.22-1.10) 0.085 NLRP3 rs10157379 TT 7 18.9 43 40.6 Reference . Codominant TC 23 62.2 41 38.7 0.28 (0.10-0.75) 0.011 CC 7 18.9 22 20.8 0.51 (015-1.73) 0.286 Dominant TT+TC 30 81.1 84 79.2 Reference CC 7 18.9 22 20.8 1.14 (0.42-3.07) 0.790 Recessive TC+CC 30 81.1 63 59.4 Reference TT 7 18.9 43 40.6 2.96 (1.16-7.59) 0.023 Overdominant TT+CC 14 37.8 65 61.3 Reference TC 23 62.2 41 38.7 0.36 (0.16-0.82) 0.016 Data expressed as absolute numbers (n) and percentages (%). Logistic regression analysis controlled for medication use, sex, age, ethnicity, and smoking. Table 5 Association between the NLRP3 rs10754558 C>G genetic variant and the inflammatory biomarkers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis CC CG GG Median IQR Median IQR Median IQR NLR 2.3786 1.5820 3.5149 2.1901 1.4861 3.0682 2.0702 1.7654 3.1818 PLR 143.3529 108.6951 186.6240 138.6948 107.3590 188.9567 137.0668 107.3928 178.7234 WHR 509.0866 383.3711 685.0833 504.3247 412.0370 611.9596 518.0180 439.7059 730.4965 LCR 987.4056 ab 548.2801 2650.2500 913.3590 ab 382.6029 2443.3862 333.9011 b 218.5090 874.1026 Data expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR). Kruskal-Wallis and Tukey tests. Statistical significance: p<0.05. a=No statistic significant difference between CC and CG genotypes. b= statistic significant difference between CC and GG, as well as CG and GG genotypes. NLR: Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelets/Lymphocyte ratio; WHR: White blood cell/Hemoglobin ratio; LCR: Lymphocyte/C-reactive protein ratio. CC: homozygous genotype of the major allele; CG: heterozygous genotype of the variant allele; GG: homozygous genotype of the variant allele. Table 6 Association between the NLRP3 rs10157379 T>C genetic variant genotypes and the inflammatory biomarkers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis TT TC CC Median IQR Median IQR Median IQR NLR 2.3100 1.5557 3.2628 2.1767 1.6519 3.0555 2.1303 1.4159 3.2593 PLR 141.3201 108.5714 181.3149 142.3144 113.4144 193.0010 120.3762 101.2346 148.8604 WHR 540.6191 a 439.7059 705.4795 480.0265 a 374.0667 567.4143 519.3277 422.2222 646.1538 LCR 699.1268 337.9200 1636.4653 987.4056 483.2136 2601.0712 956.8245 513.5821 1747.5524 Data expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR). Kruskal-Wallis and Tukey tests. Statistical significance: p<0.05. a= Statistic significant difference between TT and CT genotypes; NLR: Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelets/Lymphocyte ratio; WHR: White blood cell/Hemoglobin ratio; LCR: Lymphocyte/C-reactive protein ratio. TT: homozygous genotype of the major allele; TC: heterozygous genotype of the variant allele; CC: homozygous genotype of the variant allele. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 29 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 28 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 28 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 25 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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RA susceptibility arises from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The strongest associations include female sex, a family history of RA, the presence of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-shared epitope, tobacco smoking, mucosal inflammation, and microbial influences [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRA pathogenesis is characterized by synovial membrane hyperplasia driven by the infiltration of inflammatory cells, including T and B lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. This cellular influx promotes excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines and proteolytic enzymes, which drive chronic inflammation and joint destruction. Key cytokines implicated in RA include tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL). These mediators activate synovial fibroblasts and chondrocytes, enhance the secretion of collagen-degrading enzymes, and promote osteoclast differentiation, ultimately resulting in cartilage and bone erosion [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe diagnosis of RA often relies on the detection of autoantibodies, particularly rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPAs), which are also important prognosis biomarkers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, elevated levels of acute-phase reactants, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are widely used to assess systemic inflammation and disease activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInflammasomes play a critical role in inflammation by orchestrating innate immune responses and contributing to tissue homeostasis; however, their dysregulation can exacerbate inflammatory diseases [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Among these complexes, the Nucleotide-binding, oligomerization domain (NOD)‐like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is activated by a wide range of endogenous and exogenous stimuli, including damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), mitochondrial-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS), and proinflammatory cytokines. Upon activation, NLRP3 promotes caspases-1-dependent maturation of IL-1β and IL-18, thereby triggering inflammatory signaling and pyroptotic cell death [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Inappropriate activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome has been implicated in several autoimmune diseases, including RA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Increased NLRP3 expression has been detected in synovial tissue, peripheral blood, and CD4\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e T cells from patients with RA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e gene is located on chromosome 1 (1q44), has nine exons and over 60 SNVs that are associated with different levels of activation of the complex, such as gain or loss of function [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e] and is likely linked to susceptibility, worse prognosis, and RA activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. The SNP rs10754558 G\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C is located in the 3'unstraletd region (3\u0026rsquo;UTR) of the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e, a key region of post-transcriptional regulation that can affect mRNA stability and interaction with the microRNA-146a binding sites leading to an increase in \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e expression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e] and has been associated with different diseases [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR17 CR18 CR19 CR20 CR21 CR22 CR23 CR24 CR25 CR26 CR27 CR28\" citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 has been investigated for its potential role in RA susceptibility, disease activity, and therapeutic response [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR28\" citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. Higher ACPAs titers at RA diagnosis have been reported in patients lacking the C allele of the rs10754558 C\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;G variant [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. However, studies failed to confirm the association of the NLRP3 rs10754558 and RA susceptibility [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e], RF production, disease activity, and bone erosions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, the role of the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 variant in the susceptibility and severity is inconsistent in different ethnic backgrounds [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 T\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C variant is located in an intronic region and is unclear how it may affect the gene function. This variant has been evaluated in different diseases, including renal cell carcinoma [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e], chronic kidney disease [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e], and severe acute respiratory syndrome after SARS-CoV-2 infection [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. At the best of our knowledge, there are currently no data regarding the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 variant in individuals with RA.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe assessment of RA disease activity commonly relies on inflammatory biomarkers such as ESR, CRP, and composite indices including the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28). However, these measures present limitations, particularly in patients with low disease activity or clinical remission [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. In this context, novel hematological indices derived from routine blood counts, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), have emerged as reliable and accessible potentially indicators of RA disease activity. Elevated NLR and PLR values are associated with increased systemic inflammation and have been positively correlated with DAS28, ESR, and CRP [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Nevertheless, while some studies support the utility of NLR and PLR as inflammatory markers of RA, others suggest that these indices may not independently reflect disease activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, the lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio (LCR) has gained increasing attention as a biomarker of systemic inflammation in various clinical settings [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR36 CR37\" citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e], although its role in RA not yet been elucidated. The white blood cell (WBC)-to-hemoglobin ratio (WHR) is another emerging inflammatory biomarker that reflects the combined effects of systemic inflammation and anemia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. Notably, higher WHR values have shown promise as a cost-effective tool for monitoring RA disease activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e], particularly in routine clinical practice [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiven the established role of \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e genetic variants in RA pathogenesis and the potential utility of hematological inflammatory biomarkers, this study hypothesizes that patients carrying the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 GG genotype, previously associated with increased inflammasome expression, exhibit higher RA disease activity. In addition, inflammatory biomarkers derived from routine blood counts, including NLR, PLR, LCR, and WHR may correlate with RA disease activity. Considering the influence of ethnic variability on hematological parameters. this study aimed to investigate the association between \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 and rs10157379 genetic variants, RA disease activity, RF, ACPAs, and inflammatory biomarkers in a Brazilian population.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSubjects\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis\u0026nbsp;prospective\u0026nbsp;case-control\u0026nbsp;study\u0026nbsp;included\u0026nbsp;383\u0026nbsp;adult\u0026nbsp;individuals of both sexes, aged\u0026nbsp;18\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;70\u0026nbsp;years, comprising 225 patients with RA and 158 individuals without RA who served as controls. Patients\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;followed\u0026nbsp;at\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Rheumatology\u0026nbsp;Outpatient\u0026nbsp;Clinic\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Specialty\u0026nbsp;Outpatient Clinic of Londrina University Hospital (AEHU), Londrina, Paran\u0026aacute;, Brazil. Participants were consecutively recruited between February 2022 and February 2023, and the groups were controlled for sex, age, and ethnicity. The diagnosis of RA was established according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria [5]. Disease\u0026nbsp;activity\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;assessed\u0026nbsp;using\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;DAS28\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;ESR results (DAS28-ESR) and categorized with remission/low activity (DAS28-ESR \u0026lt; 2.6), moderate/high\u0026nbsp;disease\u0026nbsp;activity (DAS28-ESR \u0026ge;\u0026nbsp;2.6). Moreover, when DAS28 ESR \u0026gt;5.1, it was also categorized as high disease activity [43].\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exclusion\u0026nbsp;criteria\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;both\u0026nbsp;patients and controls included the presence of other autoimmune diseases, acute or chronic infectious diseases,\u0026nbsp;neoplasms,\u0026nbsp;chronic\u0026nbsp;kidney\u0026nbsp;disease,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;alcoholism.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;sample\u0026nbsp;size\u0026nbsp;was not calculated a priori and was determined by convenience sampling of the eligible patients with RA attending during the study period.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEpidemiological,\u0026nbsp;Demographic,\u0026nbsp;Anthropometric,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;Clinical Data\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInformation on epidemiological, demographic, anthropometric, medical history, and RA treatment were obtained during clinical evaluations performed by a rheumatologist using a standardized assessment questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements included body weight, measured to the nearest 0.1 kg using an electronic scale with participants wearing light clothing and no shoes, and height, measured to the nearest 0.1 cm using a stadiometer. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated as the ratio of weight in kilograms to height in meters squared.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eInflammatory and Immunological Biomarkers\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTotal WBC and platelet counts were analyzed using automated methods. ESR was assessed\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;an\u0026nbsp;automated\u0026nbsp;system\u0026nbsp;(Ves-Matic\u0026trade;\u003csup\u003e.\u003c/sup\u003e CUBE 30, DIESSE, Siena, Italy). High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and RF levels were determined through turbidimetry (C8000\u0026trade; Abbott Laboratory, Abbott Park, IL, USA). ACPAs levels were measured using chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay (Architect\u0026trade;, Abbott Laboratory, Abbott Park, IL, USA). RF and ACPAs levels were considered positive when values were equal to or exceeded 30 U/mL and 5 U/mL, respectively. High positivity was defined as levels greater than three times the upper limit of normal [5]. The inflammatory biomarkers NLR, PLR, LCR, WHR were determined.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3 Genotyping\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003egenetic variants rs10157379 T\u0026gt;C and rs10754558 C\u0026gt;G were evaluated by qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using the TaqMan\u0026trade; method. For this purpose, Taqman\u0026trade; SNP Genotyping Assay 40X (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) containing two primers and two allele-specific TaqMan\u0026trade; MGB probes with a reporter dye at the 5\u0026apos; end (VIC\u0026trade; or FAM\u0026trade;) and TaqMan\u0026trade; Universal Genotyping Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) were used. For the rs10157397 variant (C 30076082_30), the primer was ntTTCTGTATTTCTATTTTTCCTGCCT\u003cstrong\u003e[C/T]\u003c/strong\u003eGTAGACACCAAAGAGCTTAAAAAAC\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eand for the rs10754558 variant (C 26052028_10), the primer was GACAATGACAGCATCGGGTGTTGTT\u003cstrong\u003e[C/G]\u003c/strong\u003eTCATCACAGCGCCTCAGTTAGAGGA\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). The fluorescence levels of the real-time polymerase chain reaction products were evaluated by the QuantSudio\u0026trade; equipment (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStatistical Analysis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCategorical\u0026nbsp;variables\u0026nbsp;were\u0026nbsp;expressed\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;absolute\u0026nbsp;numbers (n) and\u0026nbsp;percentages\u0026nbsp;(%) and analyzed\u0026nbsp;using\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;chi-square\u0026nbsp;test\u0026nbsp;or\u0026nbsp;Fisher\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;exact test.\u0026nbsp;Continuous\u0026nbsp;variables were\u0026nbsp;expressed\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;median\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;interquartile\u0026nbsp;range\u0026nbsp;(IQR)\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;analyzed\u0026nbsp;using\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Mann-Whitney test. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was determined for both variants. Associations between \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003evariants and study variables were evaluated using codominant, recessive, dominant, and overdominant genetic models. Associations between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003evariants and inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Tukey\u0026rsquo;s post hoc analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Statistical significance was defined as a p value of less than 0.05. Analyses were conducted using SPSS for Windows, version 24.0 (SPSS 31 Inc. Chicago, IL, USA).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCharacteristics\u0026nbsp;of\u0026nbsp;RA\u0026nbsp;patients\u0026nbsp;and controls\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA total of 383 individuals were evaluated and divided in two study groups: 225 patients with RA and 158 healthy controls. \u003cstrong\u003eTable 1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003esummarizes the epidemiological, demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters obtained from patients with RA and controls. Patients with RA were older than controls (p\u0026lt;0.001), exhibited higher frequency of use antihypertensive therapy, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Most of the patients (172/76.4%) presented considered remission/low disease activity (DAS28-ESR\u0026lt; 2.6), and 26 (11.5%) presented DAS28-ESR \u0026gt; 5.1. Most of them showed seropositivity to the RF (50.2%) and ACPAs (59.1%), and no extra-articular symptoms (88.4%). The patients were using prednisone (69.8%), methotrexate (65.3%), leflunomide (41.3%), antimalarials (38.7%), TNF inhibitors (25.8%), and anti-CD20 (1.3%) therapies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;rs10754558\u0026nbsp;C\u0026gt;G\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;rs10157379\u0026nbsp;T\u0026gt;C\u0026nbsp;variants\u0026nbsp;and autoantibodies\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe frequency of the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558 and rs10157379 variants was in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. The \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003evariants were not associated with RF and ACPAs status, as showed in \u003cstrong\u003eTables 2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eand \u003cstrong\u003e3,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003erespectively.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;rs10754558\u0026nbsp;C\u0026gt;G\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;rs10157379\u0026nbsp;T\u0026gt;C\u0026nbsp;variants\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;disease activity\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe association between \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558 C\u0026gt;G and rs10157379 T\u0026gt;C variants with RA disease activity (DAS28-ESR \u0026lt;2.6 \u003cem\u003eversus\u003c/em\u003e \u0026ge;2.6), in codominant, dominant, recessive, and overdominant genetic models are shown in \u003cstrong\u003eTable 4\u003c/strong\u003e. Patients carrying the rs10157379 TC genotype, in codominant model, showed lower disease activity compared with those carrying the TT genotype (OR: 0.28; 95%CI: 0.10-0.75, p=0.011), as well as in overdominant model compared with those carrying the TT+CC genotypes (OR: 0.36; 95%CI: 0.16-0.82, p=0.016). Moreover, patients carrying the TT genotype, in recessive model, exhibited higher disease activity than those carrying the TC +CC genotypes (OR: 2.96; 95%CI: 1.16-7.59, p=0.023). The NLRP3 rs10754558 CG genotype, in codominant model, showed a trend toward the possible protector effect for the disease activity (p=0.065).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;rs10754558\u0026nbsp;C\u0026gt;G\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;rs10157379\u0026nbsp;T\u0026gt;C\u0026nbsp;variants\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;inflammatory biomarkers\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe association between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558 C\u0026gt;G and rs10157379 T\u0026gt;C variants and some inflammatory biomarkers, such as NLR, PLR, WHR, and LCR are presented in \u003cstrong\u003eTables 5\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eand \u003cstrong\u003e6,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003erespectively. For the rs10754558 C\u0026gt;G variant, it was found that CC and CG genotypes showed LCR approximately 3 times higher than GG genotype. In other words, it means that patients carrying the GG genotype showed higher CRP values than lymphocyte count (p\u0026lt;0.05). For the rs10157379 T\u0026gt;C variant, it was demonstrated that the WHR were significantly different between the patients carrying the TT and TC genotypes, with those carrying the TT genotype exhibited higher WHR than those carrying the TC genotype. For the CC genotype, no significant difference was observed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe main finding of the present study was the association between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 T\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C variant and RA disease activity. In the recessive model, the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e 10157379 TT genotype was associated with a threefold increased likelihood of disease activity, while the TC genotype, under codominant and overdominant models, was associated with a protective effect, showing approximately 3.57- and 2.77-fold higher odds of being in remission, respectively. This result was unexpected, considering that the T\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;C substitution has been described as a gain-of-function variant, with the C allele potentially enhancing NLRP3 expression and consequently, the inflammatory response [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. One possible explanation is that the heterozygous TC genotype may exert a regulatory or compensatory effect, possibly through allele-specific expression or post-transcriptional mechanisms that result in a more balanced inflammasome response.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterestingly, the best fit in our analyses was found under an overdominant model, suggesting a potential heterozygote effect (heterosis), in which intermediate levels of NLRP3 expression could modulate inflammasome activation more efficiently. Such effects have been described in other complex immune-mediated conditions, where heterozygosity may confer a functional advantage through balanced expression of proinflammatory mediators [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, the CG heterozygous genotype may result in a better phenotype than the CC and GG homozygous genotypes, and the intermediate NLRP3 levels may be optimal to modulate specific signaling pathways [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. However, we interpret the overdominant association as a hypothesis-generating result that warrants further investigation in larger and independent RA cohorts to confirm whether heterozygosity indeed confers a differential protective profile.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, no significant association was observed between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 variant and RA disease activity as well as between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 and rs10754558 variants with RF, and ACPAs autoantibodies. Although ACPAs are associated with a worse prognosis in RA patients [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e], the specific \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 and rs10157379 \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e genetic variants investigated in this study do not appear to directly influence the production of this autoantibodies. Our results corroborate the findings of previous study that showed no association between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e 10754558 variant and RF, the development of bone erosions, and disease activity when measured by DAS28 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. However, previous study reported an association between the \u003cem\u003eNLPR3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558, rs35829419, and rs4612666 variants with susceptibility, worse prognosis, and RA activity; moreover, the study showed that the titer of ACPAs during diagnosis of RA was high in the absence of the C allele of rs10754558 C\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;G variant in RA patients [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. These findings highlight the complexity of NLRP3 regulation in RA and suggest that the relationship between \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e genetic variants and disease activity may have dual or context-dependent roles in disease pathogenesis\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther interesting and original results obtained in the present study were the association between the \u003cem\u003eNLPR3\u003c/em\u003e variants and two of the integrative inflammatory biomarkers. The \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 variant was associated with WHR and the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 variant was associated with LCR. For the rs10754558 variant, it was found that the CC and CG genotypes presented the LCR approximately 3 times higher than the GG genotype, i.e., patients carrying the CC and CG genotypes showed higher immune regulation that those carrying the GG genotype. With respect to the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379, patients carrying the TT genotype showed higher WHR than those carrying the TC genotype. This result appears to be consistent with the association obtained between the TT genotype, in the recessive model, and the 3-fold higher odds of presenting RA disease activity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDue to the heterogeneity of RA, the markers such as CRP and ESR exhibit certain limitations in their capacity to assess disease activity. There arises a need to find new biomarkers capable of assessing inflammation and the insights into the disease dynamics. LCR is a relatively integrative new biomarker that combines the assessment of lymphocyte count, which reflects immune cell function and regulation, with CRP, a well-established marker of acute inflammation. LCR has gained attention as an indicator of systemic inflammation in neoplastic diseases [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e] and has emerged as a valuable biomarker for the early detection and prediction of severe conditions such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e] and sepsis [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. While several lines of evidence support that NLR, PLR, and WHR were higher in RA patients than controls, and in patients with active RA compared to those with inactive RA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e], at the best of our knowledge, LCR was not reported in patients with RA.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe association between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 TT genotype with higher values of WHR underscores the elevated WBC counts in RA that is a marker of disease activity and severity and the decreased hemoglobin in patients with RA. A mechanist explanation is that \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 TT genotype may increase the NLRP3 expression and should increase the inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-18, and further, IL-6 and TNF-α, which drive leukocyte production and activation. In patients with RA, the inflammasome's activation leads to a pro-inflammatory environment characterized by elevated levels of both neutrophils and pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β. The IL-1β and IL-18 cytokines affect the recruitment and function of neutrophils and lymphocytes in the context of active systemic inflammation. Lymphopenia may also occur due to the sequestration of lymphocytes in inflamed tissues or the suppression of their production. It can be caused by the disease process itself, but is also commonly induced by treatments like glucocorticoids and conventional or biological DMARDs. Moreover, it was described a perturbation of the T cell repertoire in RA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e]. Anemia of inflammation begins with the activation of the immune system and the subsequent release of cytokines that leads to an elevation of hepcidin, responsible for hypoferremia, and a suppression of erythropoiesis due to lack of iron [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnemia of inflammation is commonly observed in patients with chronic infections and autoimmune diseases, in which inflammation was easily detectable and sustained, particularly, in RA patients with active disease, as result chronic inflammation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. Therefore, these evidences may explain, in part, the association between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e 10157379 TT genotype with the higher WHR compared with the TC genotype. The presence of the T allele could increase the inflammatory status, increasing the WBCs count and decreasing the hemoglobin levels. The WHR is an emerging inflammatory biomarker which reflects systemic inflammation (through WBC) and anemia (through hemoglobin).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLimitations of the present study must be addressed. First, the case-control design that does not allow establishing the causal relationship between the study variables; second, the sample size may limit the statistical power to detect associations with smaller effect sizes or gene-gene/environment interactions; third, most RA patients were on remission/low disease activity and on various treatment regimens that introduces variability on biomarker levels and disease activity scores; fourth, the possibility of variations in the erythrocyte, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts in response to short- and long-term therapies with methotrexate, a drug with myelotoxicity effect used by the most RA patients included in the study [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e]. Additionally, the study did not account for other genetic factors that could interact with immune response components and environmental factors. However, one strength of the study was that some possible confounding variables, such as medication use, sex, age, ethnicity, and smoking were controlled in the statistical analysis considering that sex-hormones [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e], age [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e], and smoking [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e] exert specific effects in inflammasome and the other variables of the study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 variant specifically in the disease activity, FR, ACPAs, and the integrate hematological biomarkers among patients with RA, which limits direct comparison with previous literature. From a translational perspective, if confirmed in independent cohorts, the rs10157379 variant\u0026mdash;particularly in heterozygous form\u0026mdash;may hold potential as a genetic biomarker for disease activity stratification or for identifying patients more likely to achieve remission. This could contribute to the development of more personalized treatment strategies targeting the inflammasome axis in RA. Further studies integrating gene expression, protein function, and larger patient cohorts are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved and to assess the potential of this variant as a biomarker for disease activity or therapeutic response in RA.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eTaken together, mechanistic insights suggest that the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 and rs10754558 genetic variants may genotype-specific effects on inflammatory pathways. In the recessive model, the TT genotype of the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 variant was associated with a 2.96-fold increased likelihood of presenting disease activity. In contrast, the TC genotype, in the codominant and overdominant models, was associated with a 3.57- and 2.77-fold greater chance, respectively, of being in remission from RA. Regarding the rs10754558 variant, individuals with the CC and CG genotypes exhibited higher LCR compared to those with the GG genotype. Conversely, patients carrying the GG genotype had higher LCR. For the rs10157379 variant, patients with the TT genotype also showed higher WHR than those with the TC genotype. However, neither of the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e variants was associated with RF or ACPAs levels. Future longitudinal and functional studies are warranted to validate these findings and to explore additional genetic and environmental factors in RA pathophysiology.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors whose names appear on the submission of the manuscript made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data, drafted the work or revised the manuscript (text, tables, and references), approved the version submitted to the Immunologic Research. The major contributions are detailed bellow: \u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBeatriz Neves Bruniera\u003c/strong\u003e: Methodology, investigation; formal analysis, writing\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTainah Mendes Ahrens\u003c/strong\u003e: Methodology, investigation \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEduarda dos Santos\u003c/strong\u003e: Methodology, investigation \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTatiana Mayumi Veiga Iriyoda\u003c/strong\u003e: Methodology, investigation, writing, \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarcell Alysson Batisti Lozovoy\u003c/strong\u003e: Methodology, investigation, formal analysis, writing,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndrea Name Colado Sim\u0026atilde;o\u003c/strong\u003e: Conceptualization, formal analysis\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdna Maria Vissoci Reiche\u003c/strong\u003e: Conceptualization, writing, editing, supervision. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was conducted after approval by the Institutional Research Ethics Committees of University of Londrina, Paran\u0026aacute;, Brazil (CAAE: 37420820.0.0000.5231). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInformed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe studied participants were informed about the present research, and a written consent form was taken from all of them before their enrollment. Moreover, all the authors and co-authors participated and contributed sufficiently in the research, and all of them concur with the submission. The manuscript has been approved by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out. The authors also concur that, if accepted, the manuscript shall not be published elsewhere in the same form in either the same or any other language, without the consent of the Editor-in Chief of the \u003cstrong\u003eImmunologic Research.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStandards for reporting \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe \u003c/strong\u003emanuscript was prepared taking into account the recommendations of the guidelines hosted by the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). STROBE is used for observational studies (cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional designs) according to the STROBE statement (www.strobe-statement.org)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dataset generated during and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from E.M.V.R. upon reasonable request and once the dataset has been fully exploited by the authors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interests and Funding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interest. None of the authors are involved in the publication process or have a financial or other beneficial interest in the products or concepts mentioned in the submitted manuscript. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinancial disclosure\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they do not have any financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinancial Support \u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNo financial support\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applied \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePatient and public involvement:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors confirm that patients or the public were not involved in the planning, conduct, reporting or\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edissemination of this research.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRupp I, Boshuizen HC, Jacobi CE, Dinant HJ, van den Bos G. 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Front Genet. 2021 Jul 22;12:690860. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.690860.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e[28] C. Addobbati, H.L.A. da Cruz, J.E. Adelino, A.L. Melo Tavares Ramos, T.S. Fragoso, A. Domingues, \u0026Acirc;.L. Branco Pinto Duarte, R.D.R. Oliveira, P. Louzada-J\u0026uacute;nior, E.A. Donadi, A. Pontillo, J. de Azev\u0026ecirc;do Silva, S. Crovella, P. Sandrin-Garcia, Polymorphisms and expression of inflammasome genes are associated with the development and severity of rheumatoid arthritis in Brazilian patients, Inflamm. Res. 67 (3) (2018) 255\u0026ndash;264\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCheng L, Liang X, Qian L, Luo C, Li D. NLRP3 gene polymorphisms and expression in rheumatoid arthritis. Exp Ther Med. 2021 Oct;22(4):1110. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10544. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrr CK, Najm A, Young F, McGarry T, Biniecka M, Fearon U, Veale DJ. The Utility and Limitations of CRP, ESR and DAS28-CRP in Appraising Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Front Med (Lausanne). 2018 Aug 3;5:185. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2018.00185. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiu X, Li J, Sun L, Wang T, Liang W. The association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Inflammopharmacology. 2023 Oct;31(5):2237-2244. doi: 10.1007/s10787-023-01273-2.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZinellu A, Mangoni AA. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Invest. 2023 Feb;53(2):e13877. doi: 10.1111/eci.13877.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRemalante PPM, Salido EO, Penserga EG, Gauiran DTV. Red cell distribution width and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int. 2020 Oct;40(10):1631-1637. doi: 10.1007/s00296-020-04685-3.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLijuan W, Yuting Z, Chaoyang L, Ju Y. Neutrophil-lymphocyte, platelet-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-monocyte ratios may not be useful markers to assess disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A STROBE-compliant article. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Nov 12;100(45):e27631. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000027631.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUllah W, Basyal B, Tariq S, Almas T, Saeed R, Roomi S, Haq S, Madara J, Boigon M, Haas DC, Fischman DL. Lymphocyte-to-C-Reactive Protein Ratio: A Novel Predictor of Adverse Outcomes in COVID-19. J Clin Med Res. 2020 Jul;12(7):415-422. doi: 10.14740/jocmr4227. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYildirim M, Koca B. Lymphocyte C-reactive protein ratio: A new biomarker to predict early complications after gastrointestinal oncologic surgery. Cancer Biomark. 2021;31(4):409-417. doi: 10.3233/CBM-210251. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAoyama T, Nakazano M, Nagasawa S, Hara K, Komori K, Tamagawa H, Maezawa Y, Segami K, Kano K, Ogata T, Yukawa N, Rino Y, Oshima T. The Association of the Lymphocyte-to-C-Reactive-Protein Ratio With Gastric Cancer Patients Who Receive Curative Treatment. In Vivo. 2022 Jan-Feb;36(1):482-489. doi: 10.21873/invivo.12728.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSong C, Hu Z, Zhang J. The value of lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratio for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis in intensive care unit: a retrospective single-center study. Front Mol Biosci. 2024 Sep 13;11:1429372. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1429372.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiu L, Dong X, Liu Y, Wang S, Wei L, Duan L, et al. Predictive value of white blood cell to hemoglobin ratio for 30-day mortality in patients with severe intracerebral hemorrhage. Front Neurol. 2024;14:1222717. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1222717\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWu C, Kabbali KJ, Richard K, Wanyama J, Godfrey G, Christopher O. Prognostic value of the white blood cell-to-hemoglobin ratio (WBC/Hb) for inhospital mortality: Insights from a retrospective cohort study in Uganda. PLoS One. 2026 Jan 20;21(1):e0340363. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0340363.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeiss G, Schett G. Anaemia in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2013 Apr;9(4):205-15. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2012.183.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeiss G, Ganz T, Goodnough LT. Anemia of inflammation. Blood. 2019 Jan 3;133(1):40-50. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-06-856500.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnderson J, Caplan L, Yazdany J, Robbins ML, Neogi T, Michaud K, Saag KG, O\u0026apos;Dell JR, Kazi S. Rheumatoid arthritis disease activity measures: American College of Rheumatology recommendations for use in clinical practice. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2012 May;64(5):640-7. doi: 10.1002/acr.21649.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComings D, MacMurray J. Molecular heterosis: a review. Mol Genet Metab. 2000; 71(1):19-31. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSadaghiani S, Ng B, Altmann A, Poline JB, Banaschewski T, Bokde ALW, et al. Overdominant Effect of a \u003cem\u003eCHRNA4\u003c/em\u003e Polymorphism on Cingulo-Opercular Network Activity and Cognitive Control. J Neurosci. 2017; 37(40):9657-9666. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0991-17.2017. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZhang Y, Yin Y, Kuai S, Shan Z, Pei H, Wang J. Combination of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio as diagnostic biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis. Int J Clin Exp Med, 2016; \u003cem\u003e9\u003c/em\u003e(11): 22076-81. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWilson A, Yu HT, Goodnough LT, Nissenson AR. Prevalence and outcomes of anemia in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of the literature. Am J Med. 2004 Apr 5;116 Suppl 7A:50S-57S. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2003.12.012. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWagner UG, Koetz K, Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Perturbation of the T cell repertoire in rheumatoid arthritis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Nov 24;95(24):14447-52. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.24.14447.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRodriguez-Gomez M, Fernandez-Sueiro JL, Ulibarrena C, Lopez-Barros G, Willisch A, Fernandez-Dominguez L. Severe myelotoxicity in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with oral methotrexate. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2001 May-Jun;19(3):353. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChen PK, Tang KT, Chen DY. The NLRP3 Inflammasome as a Pathogenic Player Showing Therapeutic Potential in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Comorbidities: A Narrative Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan 3;25(1):626. doi: 10.3390/ijms25010626. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiang R, Qi X, Cai Q, Niu L, Huang X, Zhang D, Ling J, Wu Y, Chen Y, Yang P, Liu J, Zhang J, Yu P. The role of NLRP3 inflammasome in aging and age-related diseases. Immun Ageing. 2024 Feb 5;21(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12979-023-00395-z.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMehta S, Vijayvergiya R, Dhawan V. Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome assembly is associated with smoking status of patients with coronary artery disease. Int Immunopharmacol. 2020 Oct;87:106820. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2020.106820. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eDemographic, clinical, and immunological characteristics of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 351px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Controls\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVariables \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; (n=158)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 121px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePatients\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e(n=225)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep value\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEthnicity\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCaucasian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e121\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e76.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e163\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 0.363\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNon-Caucasian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e27.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e127\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e80.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e189\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e84.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.359\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e36\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSmoking\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e141\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e89.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e191\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e84.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.217\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAntihypertensive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e129\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e133\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMetS\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e131\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e83.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e132\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e89\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHypertension\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e118\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e88.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e118\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e52.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000*\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e106\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDAS\u0026nbsp;ESR \u0026lt;2.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e53\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e172\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e76.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRheumatoid\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003efactor\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNegative\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e112\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePositive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e113\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eACPAs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNegative\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePositive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e133\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eExtrarticular\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003emanifestations\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e199\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e88.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 56px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCategorical variables were expressed as absolute number (n) and percentage (%). Continuous variables were expressed as median and interquartile range. DAS: Disease Activity Score; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; RF: rheumatoid factor; ACPAs: anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies; MetS: Metabolic syndrome; *Chi-square test significant at the 0.05 level.\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2 \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAssociation between \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558 C\u0026gt;G and rs10157379 T\u0026gt;C genetic variants and anti-citrullination peptide antibodies (ACPAs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"545\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"17\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 538px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; ACPAs\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGenetic Variant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 142px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNegative (n=92)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"7\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 160px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePositive (n=133)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep value\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; n\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 95px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 49px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;n\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 38px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"17\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 538px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 C\u0026gt;G\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCodominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.822\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRecessive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC+CG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e85.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e115\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e86.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.898\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG+GG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e64.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.581\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOverdominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC+GG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 104px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.541\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 7px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 39px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 60px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 53px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 63px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" style=\"width: 47px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"18\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 545px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 T\u0026gt;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCodominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"5\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 111px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 28px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.830\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRecessive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT+TC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e74\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e80.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e107\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e80.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.998\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC+CC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e66.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e93\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e69.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.566\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOverdominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT+CC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e53.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 140px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 58px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 76px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 40px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.592\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 14px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe categorical variables were expressed as absolute numbers (n) and percentages (%).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eACPAs: anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3 \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAssociation between \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558 C\u0026gt;G and rs10157379 T\u0026gt;C genetic variants and rheumatoid factor in patients with rheumatoid arthritis\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"543\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"7\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 543px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Rheumatoid Factor\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGenetic Variant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNegative (n=112) \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Positive (n=113)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep value\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"7\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 543px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558\u0026nbsp;(C\u0026gt;G)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCodominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.198\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRecessive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC+CG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e99\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e88.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e84.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.347\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG+GG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e68\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e607\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e81\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.082\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e393\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOverdominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC+GG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e509\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e491\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e55.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.381\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"7\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 543px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10157379\u0026nbsp;(T\u0026gt;C)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCodominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.883\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRecessve\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT+TC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e91\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e81.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.762\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC+CC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e69.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.226\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOverdominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT+CC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 146px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 70px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 52px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e48.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.840\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe categorical variables were expressed as absolute numbers (n) and percentages (%).\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAssociation between \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10157379 and rs10754558 variants and the rheumatoid arthritis activity measured using DAS28 ESR\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"530\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGenetic Variant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 169px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDAS\u0026nbsp;ESR \u0026ge;2.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOR\u0026nbsp;(95%CI)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ep value\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"15\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 530px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCodominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e64.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.43 (0.17-1.05)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.065\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.58 (0.14-2.39)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.452\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC+CG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e89.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e89.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.98 (0.27-3.51)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.975\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRecessive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG+GG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e75.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.20 (0.92-5.24)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.074\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOverdominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC+GG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 73px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCG\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 23px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e64.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 44px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 55px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e49.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.49 (0.22-1.10)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 57px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.085\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"15\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 530px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10157379\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCodominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e62.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.28\u0026nbsp;(0.10-0.75)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.51\u0026nbsp;(015-1.73)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.286\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT+TC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e81.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.14\u0026nbsp;(0.42-3.07)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.790\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRecessive\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC+CC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e81.1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e63\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e59.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.9\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e40.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.96\u0026nbsp;(1.16-7.59)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.023\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eOverdominant\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTT+CC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e37.8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e61.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 110px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 61px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 19px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 54px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e62.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 41px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 74px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 124px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.36\u0026nbsp;(0.16-0.82)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 46px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.016\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData expressed as absolute numbers (n) and percentages (%). Logistic regression analysis controlled for medication use, sex, age, ethnicity, and smoking.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 5\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAssociation between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10754558 C\u0026gt;G genetic variant and the inflammatory biomarkers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 82px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCC\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCG\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 100px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGG\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 174px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIQR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 180px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIQR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 144px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIQR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 1px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNLR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.3786\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.5820\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.5149\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.1901\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.4861\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.0682\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.0702\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.7654\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.1818\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePLR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e143.3529\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e108.6951\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e186.6240\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e138.6948\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e107.3590\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e188.9567\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e137.0668\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e107.3928\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e178.7234\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWHR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e509.0866\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e383.3711\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e685.0833\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e504.3247\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e412.0370\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e611.9596\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e518.0180\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e439.7059\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e730.4965\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLCR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e987.4056\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 68px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e548.2801\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 92px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2650.2500\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 90px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e913.3590\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 80px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e382.6029\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2443.3862\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"3\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e333.9011\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 69px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e218.5090\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 75px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e874.1026\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR). Kruskal-Wallis and Tukey tests. Statistical significance: p\u0026lt;0.05. a=No statistic significant difference between CC and CG genotypes. b= statistic significant difference between CC and GG, as well as CG and GG genotypes. NLR: Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelets/Lymphocyte ratio; WHR: White blood cell/Hemoglobin ratio; LCR: Lymphocyte/C-reactive protein ratio. CC: homozygous genotype of the major allele; CG: heterozygous genotype of the variant allele; GG: homozygous genotype of the variant allele. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 6\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAssociation between the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003ers10157379 T\u0026gt;C genetic variant genotypes and the inflammatory biomarkers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"852\" class=\"fr-table-selection-hover\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTT\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTC\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCC\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 163px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIQR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 162px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIQR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 187px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIQR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNLR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.3100\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.5557\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.2628\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.1767\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.6519\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.0555\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.1303\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.4159\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.2593\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePLR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e141.3201\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e108.5714\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e181.3149\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e142.3144\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e113.4144\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e193.0010\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e120.3762\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e101.2346\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e148.8604\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWHR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e540.6191\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e439.7059\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e705.4795\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e480.0265\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e374.0667\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e567.4143\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e519.3277\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e422.2222\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e646.1538\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLCR\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e699.1268\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 77px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e337.9200\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1636.4653\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 86px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e987.4056\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e483.2136\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2601.0712\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 89px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e956.8245\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e513.5821\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 103px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1747.5524\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR). Kruskal-Wallis and Tukey tests. Statistical significance: p\u0026lt;0.05. a= Statistic significant difference between TT and CT genotypes; NLR: Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelets/Lymphocyte ratio; WHR: White blood cell/Hemoglobin ratio; LCR: Lymphocyte/C-reactive protein ratio. TT: homozygous genotype of the major allele; TC: heterozygous genotype of the variant allele; CC: homozygous genotype of the variant allele.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"molecular-biology-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"mole","sideBox":"Learn more about [Molecular Biology Reports](https://www.springer.com/journal/11033)","snPcode":"11033","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11033/3","title":"Molecular Biology Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"NLRP3 genetic variant, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, white blood cell-to-lymphocyte ratio, white blood cell-to-hemoglobin ratio, lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9528328/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9528328/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe contribution of \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e variants to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis remains unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eObjective\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo investigate the association of the \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10754558 C\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;G and rs10157379 C\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;T variants with RA disease activity, rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (ACPAs) antibodies, and inflammatory biomarkers.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study included 262 patients with RA and 168 controls. Disease activity was assessed using the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) and categorized as remission (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;2.6) or moderate/severe activity (\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;2.6). \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e variants were genotyped by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RF, ACPAs, C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), WBC-to-hemoglobin ratio (WHR), and lymphocyte-to-CRP ratio (LCR) were evaluated.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe TT genotype of the rs10157379 variant, under the recessive model, was associated with an increased likelihood of active disease [odds ratio (OR): 2.96, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.16\u0026ndash;7.59, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.023], whereas the TC genotype showed a protective effect under codominant and overdominant models (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.10\u0026ndash;0.75, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.011 and OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.16\u0026ndash;0.82, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.011, respectively). Carriers of the CC or CG genotypes of rs10754558 exhibited higher LCR values compared with GG carriers. Carriers of the TT genotype of rs10157379 showed higher WHR than TC carriers. Both variants were not associated with RF or ACPAs seropositivity.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e rs10157379 appears to modulate RA disease activity and inflammatory profiles, whereas neither the rs10157379 nor the rs10754558 variants was associated with RF and ACPAs. These findings support a role for \u003cem\u003eNLRP3\u003c/em\u003e genetic variability in RA disease activity and in the inflammatory integrative biomarkers.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Association between the NLRP3 rs10157379 and rs10754558 genetic variants with rheumatoid arthritis activity, autoantibodies, and inflammatory biomarkers","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-05-08 15:58:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9528328/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-29T14:57:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-04-28T12:05:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-04-28T12:04:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Molecular Biology Reports","date":"2026-04-25T21:31:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"molecular-biology-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"mole","sideBox":"Learn more about [Molecular Biology Reports](https://www.springer.com/journal/11033)","snPcode":"11033","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11033/3","title":"Molecular Biology Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"8da3b6f4-73b3-44bd-b43b-aeaedf49bc75","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 8th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-08T15:58:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-05-08 15:58:10","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9528328","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9528328","identity":"rs-9528328","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}