TNF and Sleep apnea: For example, serum levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) [26], interleukin 8 (IL-8) [27, 28], tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) [29], C-reactive protein (CRP) [30], intracellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) [31], selectins [32], and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) [31] have all been shown to increase in multiple populations of patients with sleep apnea.