[54]  Analysis of serum cytokines in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.  Zhang Y, Li J, Zhan Y, Wu L, Yu X, Zhang W, Ye L, Xu S, Sun R, Wang Y, Lou J  China  2004  Following the discovery of SARS-CoV, no specific or efficient clinical treatments were available since pathogenesis was not well understood.Acute lung injury associated with SARS can be attributed to complex and multifactorial pathophysiological process involving cytokines. Demonstrated that IL-1 play key role in pathogenesis of acute lung injury. WHO inferred that severe immune response kills SARS patients and that some cytokines may play important role in the process.IL-1 cytokine promotes inflammation by inducing cell injury.Study measured levels of IL-1 in 4 patient groups: controls, patients with SARS, patients with severe SARS and convalescent SARS patients.Study showed that levels of IL-1alpha did not differ between 3 SARS groups or controls.Suggests that host immune response to novel coronavirus may be different from the immune reaction to other pathogens.Overall results suggest that acute lung injury associated with SARS may not be induced by circulating cytokines. HOWEVER some patients had accepted corticosteroids and therefore results consistent with reports that only long term treatment (7-10 days) with a steroid can alter serum cytokine levels.