COX7B and rheumatoid arthritis: COX7B interacted with COX-complex proteins to complete cytochrome c oxidase assembly and regulation, ensuring efficient mitochondrial respiratory chain operation.[27–29] Prior research has shown that COX7B is strongly associated with disorders such as Alzheimer disease, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.[30,31] In this study, COX7B, identified as a subunit of COX, was found to be significantly upregulated in RA.