*4.6. Statistical Analyses*

Categorical data are described as total count and percentages, parametric data as mean ±standard deviation (SD), and non-parametric data as median and interquartile range (IQR). Testing for differences of baseline characteristics was performed by using Fishers exact test for categorical data and the unpaired *t* test and Mann–Whitney U test for parametric and non-parametric data.

Circulating lncRNA levels were normalized by the double delta CT method to miR-16 and subsequently transformed logarithmically (with base 10). The logarithmic relative expression of all three lncRNAs was normally distributed. In the longitudinal study the data was analyzed by using a linear mixed model analysis. Analysis of correlations between the lncRNAs and vascular markers was performed using Spearman rank correlation.

A *p*-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. SPSS version 23.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for the data analysis and Graphpad Prism version 8.0 (Graphpad Prism Software, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA).

**Supplementary Materials:** Supplementary Materials can be found at http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/16/ 5616/s1. Supplementary Table S1: Patient and transplantation characteristics of patients in the renal biopsy study. Supplementary Table S2: Used primer sequences of target lncRNAs.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, R.B. and A.J.v.Z.; Methodology, R.B.; Software, K.E.G.; Validation K.E.G., R.B. and J.M.G.J.D.; Formal Analysis, K.E.G.; Investigation J.M.G.J.D. and B.W.F.; Resources M.E.J.R.; Data Curation K.E.G.; Writing–Original Draft Preparation K.E.G. and R.B.; Writing–Review & Editing, J.M.G.J.D., B.W.F., C.v.K., J.W.d.F., A.J.v.Z., M.E.J.R. and R.B.; Visualization K.E.G.; Supervision, A.J.v.Z., M.E.J.R. and R.B.; Project Administration K.E.G. and R.B.; Funding Acquisition, A.J.v.Z. and R.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was supported by a grant from the Dutch Kidney Foundation (grant number 16OKG16). R.B. and A.J.v.Z. are supported by a grant from the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD).

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest, besides the funding described above. The Dutch Kidney Foundation and European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes had no role in the design, execution, interpretation, or writing of the study.
