TNF and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: In this context, although CPAP remains the gold-standard therapy for OSA, its effectiveness in ameliorating inflammation remains controversial; some previous clinical trials have revealed that CPAP therapy can lead to significant reductions in markers of inflammation (e.g., CRP, TNF-a and interleukin-6) in patients with OSA [27], whereas other studies, similarly to our findings, have not reported a significant anti-inflammatory effect [28].