IL18 and rheumatoid arthritis: There is ample evidence that anti-TNF therapies, in addition to reducing TNF concentrations and preventing inflammation, have additional therapeutic effects, including: suppressing formation of new blood vessels by modulating angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with RA (123); reducing synovial expression of chemokines such as interleukin-8 (IL8) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in RA patients (124); downregulating production of interleukin-18 (IL18) in RA patients (125); and reducing expression of adhesion molecules (126).