This is consistent with the literature–TNF is upregulated in atherosclerosis [50, 51], is a major activator of endothelial cells in vitro [15, 33, 52–54], and a recent meta-analysis has found that pharmacological targeting of TNF appears to be associated with reduced cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis [55, 56]. This evidence concerns the gene TNF and atherosclerosis.