BCL2 and systemic lupus erythematosus: In the present findings the expression levels of caspase 8 in male SLE patients were found to be significantly higher than male controls (0.90R versus 0.50R (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the expression levels of Fas, FasL, Bcl-2, and caspase 9 in male patients in comparison with male controls (Figure 5).