Patients and controls
Blood samples were obtained from newly diagnosed active patients with
JIA. The diagnosis and classification of JIA were based on the criteria
of the International League of Associations for Rheumatology [11].
Patients had not been previously treated using disease modifying
anti-rheumatic drugs, bioagents or steroids. Samples from age- and
gender-matched healthy children were obtained from consenting
volunteers. Informed consent as approved by the medical ethics committee
of children’s hospital of Chongqing Medical University was obtained from
each of the participants. CD4+ T cells were isolated
and cultured from the samples acquired from of pauciarticular JIA
(paJIA) and polyarticular JIA (poJIA) patients.