TNF and rheumatoid arthritis: In relationship with these observations, two independent studies consistently reported that the response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in RA was predicted by the ratio of pretreatment IFN-beta to IFN-α activity, with lower ratios (higher IFN-beta) associated with responses to TNF inhibition (Mavragani et al., 2010; Wampler Muskardin et al., 2016).