Here, monocyte/macrophage dominance in RA-ST transcriptomes from patients with long-standing disease was confirmed and the identified inflammatory pattern was deciphered by comparison with many different transcriptomes of monocytes activated by i) exogenous triggers like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and stimuli with pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP) like LPS, zymosan, NOD2-ligand (muramyl dipeptide), TLR2/1-ligand (triacylated lipopeptide), or by ii) endogenous inflammatory mediators including S100A8, TNF, IFNγ, IL15 and IL1β. This evidence concerns the gene S100A8 and rheumatoid arthritis.