IL6 and chronic lung disease: In preterm neonates with funisitis, elevated plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) level in cord blood (Yoon et al., 2000a) is associated with increased incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes such as chronic lung disease, intracranial haemorrhage, and cerebral palsy (Kim et al., 2001; Yoon et al., 2000b).