TNF and meconium aspiration syndrome: An important feature of newborn lungs exposed to meconium is the presence of an inflammatory response [38], in which inflammatory cells and cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8, are activated by meconium to initiate pulmonary inflammation [30], and increased inflammatory indices are detected in cases of severe MAS [39].