Serum autoantibodies and exploratory molecular pathways in rural miners: A pilot study

The Southwestern United States (SWUS) has an extensive history of coal and metal mining, including uranium (U) mining. Lung diseases, including but not limited to, lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis, have been studied extensively in miners due to occupational, dust-related exposures. However, high-throughput autoimmune biomarkers are largely understudied in miners, despite the fact that ore miners, such as U-miners, are at an increased risk for the development of autoimmune diseases such as systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Additionally, there are current gaps in knowledge regarding which signaling pathways may play a role in occupational exposure-associated autoimmunity. Most current and former miners in the SWUS live close to their previous workplaces, in remote areas, with limited access to healthcare. In this pilot study, by leveraging a mobile clinical platform for patient care and clinical outreach, we recruited 44 miners who self-identified as either U (n = 10) or non-U miners (n = 34) and received health screenings. Serum IgG and IgM autoantibodies against 128 antigens were assessed using a high-throughput molecular technique, as a preliminary health screening opportunity. Even when adjusting for age as a covariate, there was a significant (p