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.