RNA and miRNAs isolated from BM mononuclear cells of patients at different time points were pooled to generate one sample per group for microarray experiments. Affymetrix miRNA 4.1 Array Strip (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) and Affymetrix Human Gene 2.1 ST Array Strip (Affymetrix) was used for the study. Generation of sense strand cDNA from the total RNA and subsequent fragmentation and labelling steps were performed using the GeneChip™ WT PLUS Reagent Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Finally, the sample was hybridized onto an Affymetrix Human Gene 2.1 ST Array Strip. The Affymetrix GeneAtlas System was used for hybridization, fluidics and scanning steps. Subsequent analyses were performed using BioConductor software. We used the Robust Multiarray Average (RMA) normalization algorithm (from the “Affy” library) for normalization, background correction, and calculation of the expression levels of the examined genes. Microarrays were made and analysed according to the methods described in previous studies.37 (link),38 (link)