TNF and pulmonary emphysema: Since the rs1800629 variant A-allele has been shown to enhance the expression of TNF [47], and since the over-expression of TNF has been shown to induce emphysematous changes in mouse models [20,48], our findings support the role of TNF polymorphisms in the development of pulmonary emphysema, and their involvement in the pathogenesis of the paraseptal disease.