TNF and diabetes mellitus: It has been demonstrated that both Nr4a3 and Tsc22d3 exhibitanti-apoptotic effects through prevention of NF-κB pathway activation.14,36,37 Expression ofNr4a3 plays also a critical role in neuronal protection.38,39 Badrichani AZ, et al.reported that expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2, an important anti-apoptoticprotein) protects endothelial cells from TNF-induced apoptosis through inhibition ofthe NF-κB pathway.40 In diabetes, expression of Bcl-2 in RMVs is significantlydecreased (Table 1)while it is not changed in BMVs.