In particular, the number of patients who were positive for these defined cut-off values was, in the case of RA-ILD+ patients, 43 for MMP-7, 27 for MMP-9, 31 for MMP-10, and 28 for MMP-12, and regarding SSc-ILD+ patients, 27 for MMP-7, 29 for MMP-9, 30 for MMP-10 and 15 for MMP-12 (Fig. 4). This evidence concerns the gene MMP12 and systemic sclerosis.