Moreover, pathway analysis of DEGs in the SA versus HC and SM-MA versus HC groups showed that DEGs in both comparisons were linked to inflammatory pathways and immune-related pathways in organismal systems (e.g., chemokine signaling, Toll-like receptor signaling, and IL-17 signaling pathway), human disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis and SLE), and environmental information processing (e.g., cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction and TNF-signaling pathway) (Supplementary Figure S3C). Here, IL17A is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.