TNF and Sepsis: Based upon the inflammatory and apoptosis biomarkers we would anticipate superior benefits of sedation with dexmedetomidine vs midazolam in the acute phase of sepsis; possible reasons why this putative benefit was not borne out by the mortality data may relate to the 'hyper-aggressive' septic state that appears primarily to be TNF-α dependent (as mortality benefits were associated with reduced TNF-α levels).