METHODOLOGY: A total of 89 patients with gouty arthritis and 100 normal subjects who consented and were recruited in this study. The serum urate and creatinine were measured. The SNP genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP method for rs3733591 and BST 1236 was used as a restriction enzyme to cut the targeted amplicons.

RESULT: SLC2A9 variant was associated with gout, p-value of 0.007, OR=4.713 [95%CI 1.530-14.513], however this association was not significant after adjustment for age and gender with p=0.465 (OR=1.950; 95%CI[0.325-11.718]).

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Case-control study at Rheumatology Clinic of Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sera of SLE patients and HCs were tested for the presence of anti-CLIC2 and anti-HMGB1 autoantibodies using human recombinant proteins and ELISA methodologies. Other serological parameters were evaluated according to routine procedures, and patients' demographic and clinical data were obtained.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Mann-Whitney U-test, Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and receiver operating characteristic analysis.

RESULTS: Anti-CLIC2 autoantibody levels were significantly higher in SLE patients compared to HCs (P = 0.0035), whereas anti-HMGB1 autoantibody levels were not significantly elevated (P = 0.7702). Anti-CLIC2 and anti-HMGB1 autoantibody levels were not associated with ANA pattern, anti-dsDNA, and CRP. Interestingly, SLEDAI score (≥6) was associated with anti-CLIC2 (P = 0.0046) and with anti-HMGB1 (P = 0.0091) autoantibody levels.