TGFB1 and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: In this study, we observed significantly higher IL-6 and IL-17 and gene expression in PBMC of OSA patients and significantly higher IL-6 and lower TGFβ serum and cell-free levels compared to HC, in accord to the established modulatory effect of IL-6 and TGFβ on generation of Foxp3+ cells [19].