As with the unmodified SLEDAI, the modified SLEDAI did not correlate with plasma BLyS levels (Figure 3d) either among the SLE cohort overall or among the 53 patients in whom plasma BLyS levels were in the detectable range (r = 0.160, P = 0.252), but it significantly correlated with full-length BLyS mRNA levels (Figure 3e) and exhibited a trend toward correlation with ΔBLyS mRNA levels (Figure 3f). Here, TNFSF13B is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.