Total TGF-β levels in inflammatory fluids fluctuate, for instance, between 1.48 ng/ml in ascites from hepatocarcinoma cirrhotic patients, 2 ng/ml in ascites from ovarian cancer patients, and 9.75 ng/ml in pleural effusion of pneumonia patients (42, 43, 45). This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and pneumonia.