About the Authors

Aya Kawasaki

Contributed equally to this work with: Aya Kawasaki, Narumi Hasebe

tsuchiya-tky@umin.net (NT); a-kawasaki@umin.net (AK)

Affiliations Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Master’s Program in Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Narumi Hasebe

Contributed equally to this work with: Aya Kawasaki, Narumi Hasebe

Affiliations Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Misaki Hidaka

Affiliations Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Master’s Program in Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Fumio Hirano

Affiliations Department of Pharmacovigilance, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan, Department of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

Ken-ei Sada

Affiliation Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan

Shigeto Kobayashi

Affiliation Department of Internal Medicine, Juntendo University Koshigaya Hospital, Koshigaya, Japan

Hidehiro Yamada

Affiliation Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan

Hiroshi Furukawa

Affiliations Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Master’s Program in Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Clinical Research Center for Allergy and Rheumatology, Sagamihara Hospital, National Hospital Organization, Sagamihara, Japan

Kunihiro Yamagata

Affiliation Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Takayuki Sumida

Affiliation Department of Internal Medicine (Rheumatology), Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Nobuyuki Miyasaka

Affiliation Department of Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

Shigeto Tohma

Affiliation Clinical Research Center for Allergy and Rheumatology, Sagamihara Hospital, National Hospital Organization, Sagamihara, Japan

Shoichi Ozaki

Affiliation Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan

Seiichi Matsuo

Affiliation Department of Nephrology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan

Hiroshi Hashimoto

Affiliation Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Hirofumi Makino

Affiliation Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan

Yoshihiro Arimura

Affiliation First Department of Internal Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

Masayoshi Harigai

Affiliations Department of Pharmacovigilance, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan, Institute of Rheumatology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

Naoyuki Tsuchiya

tsuchiya-tky@umin.net (NT); a-kawasaki@umin.net (AK)

Affiliations Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan, Master’s Program in Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan

Competing Interests

The authors of this manuscript read the journal's policy and have the following competing interests: AK has received a research grant from SENSHIN Medical Research Foundation, supported by an endowment from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, a research grant from the Takeda Science Foundation, supported by an endowment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, and a research grant from Japan Rheumatism Foundation. M. Harigai has received research grants from Abbvie Japan Co., Ltd., Astellas Pharma Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb K.K., Chugai Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Co., Ono Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Japan Inc., Sanofi-Aventis KK., Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Teijin Pharma Limited, and UCB Japan. NT has received a research grant from SENSHIN Medical Research Foundation, supported by an endowment from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, research grants from Japan College of Rheumatology and Japan Allergy Foundation, received speaker’s honoraria from Eisai Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. and Asahi Kasei Corporation, and payment for a manuscript from Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: AK NH NT. Performed the experiments: AK NH M. Hidaka. Analyzed the data: AK NH NT. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: FH KS SK HY HF KY TS NM ST SO SM HH HM YA M. Harigai. Wrote the paper: AK NH NT.