When the CNs were compared by the Chi-squared or Fisher’s exact tests after the sCNs were transformed into digitized CNs (dCNs) as described in the Methods section, no significant CN difference between the controls and SLE cases was observed for the TNFAIP3, TNIP1, IL12B, TBX21, and TLR7 genes (Table 1), suggesting that the direct comparison of CNs may lead to false-positive results. This evidence concerns the gene TLR7 and systemic lupus erythematosus.