TNF and diabetes mellitus: Additionally, the meta-analysis in diabetes patients indicated that vitamin D analogs provide beneficial effects on proteinuria and inflammation indexes [high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)], but not on serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) [21].