IL18 and systemic lupus erythematosus: Correlation analysis comparing mRNA levels of NEK7, NLRP3 inflammasome components, and downstream cytokines in PBMCs from SLE patients showed that there was a positive correlation among mRNA levels of NEK7, NLRP3, and ASC (r = 0.3728, p = 0.0274, Fig. 5a; r = 0.4454, p = 0.0073, Fig. 5b, respectively), but that NEK7 mRNA did not correlate with Caspase-1, IL-1b, and IL-18 levels (results not shown).