TNF and tuberculosis: In a study comparing TB-IRIS patients randomized to prednisone or placebo, the serum concentration of IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40, IFN-γ, IP-10, and TNF-α decreased during 4 weeks of prednisone therapy, but not in the placebo group [54], further implying a pathological role for hypercytokinemia in TB-IRIS.