IL-6 is selectively upregulated in the CSF of TM patients and correlates with long-term disability. (A) Cytokine array was used to profile 42 inflammatory proteins in the CSF of 6 TM and 8 control patients. The mean value of each cytokine was defined for the control group, and fold induction was calculated for each TM patient. Inset: IL-6 immunohistochemistry was performed on the cervical spinal cord of a TM patient who died of respiratory failure; IL-6 expression colocalized with GFAP-positive astrocytes. Magnification, ×60. (B) Quantitative IL-6 levels in the CSF and serum of control (Con) and TM patients were determined by ELISA. Box plots represent the interquartile range, and the outliers shown are outside the fifth and ninety-fifth percentiles. Mean ± SEM for each group is indicated above each box. (C) Among TM patients, acute CSF IL-6 levels strongly correlated with sustained disability (as measured by EDSS). (D) CSF IL-6 levels strongly correlate with total NO metabolites during the acute phase of TM. (E) Total NO correlates with 14-3-3, a neuronal injury marker in TM patients. (F) Levels of 14-3-3 strongly correlate with sustained disability in TM patients. For panels C–F, correlation coefficients and statistical significance are shown. Intensity, chemiluminescent signal intensity.