In agreement with our findings, previous studies have shown increased levels of miR-146a-5p in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) derived from RA patients (42), and the increased miR-146a-5p levels found in synovial fluid and in PBMC derived from RA patients were linked to decreased apoptosis in CD4+ T cells derived from RA patients (43). Here, CD4 is linked to rheumatoid arthritis.