Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is one of the most extensively studied cytokine with about 19 distinct superfamily members and many more to be found. Prominent among these members is tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) that is known to be a potent promoter of inflammation, as well as many normal physiological functions in homeostasis and health and antimicrobial immunity. Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) is one of the most important transcription factors that activate transcription of many proinflammatory genes, and the unraveling of TNF-α induced NFκB activation forms the foundation of TNF-α as major cytokine of neuroinflammation. This review discusses summary of literature on unique role of TNF-α in neuroinflammation and various agents that mediate neuroinflammation via TNF-α modulation.

Diphtheria, a potentially life-threatening infectious disease, is primarily caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae. This pathogen induces a range of severe symptoms, including respiratory distress, cardiac arrhythmias, and, in extreme cases, fatal outcomes. This paper aim to unravel the transmission dynamics of diphtheria infection within the Caputo fractional derivatives framework, establishing the solutions’ existence and uniqueness. Through forward normalized sensitivity analysis, we scrutinize the key parameters influencing the basic reproduction number, a pivotal metric in understanding and controlling the spread of the disease. The results indicate that reducing the values of the interaction rate, transmission rate, and birth rate plays a key role in curtailing diphtheria transmission. Furthermore, employing an effective numerical tool, we present graphical representations that delineate the influence of various crucial model parameters on infection dynamics.

Due to the stroke-protective effects of dietary fiber and anthocyanin together with the synergistic interaction, we hypothesized that the functional drink containing the anthocyanins and dietary fiber-enriched functional ingredient from banana and germinated black Jasmine rice (BR) should protect against ischemic stroke. BR at doses of 300, 600, and 900 mg/kg body weight (BW) was orally given to male Wistar rats weighing 290–350 g once daily for 21 days, and they were subjected to ischemic reperfusion injury induced by temporary occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO/IR) for 90 min. The treatment was prolonged for 21 days after MCAO/IR. They were assessed for brain infarction volume, neuron density, Nrf2, MDA, and catalase in the cortex together with serum TNF-α and IL-6. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. in feces were also assessed. Our results showed that BR improved the increase in brain infarcted volume, MDA, TNF-α, and IL-6 and the decrease in neuron density, Nrf2, catalase, and both bacteria spp. induced by MCAO/IR. These data suggest the stroke-protective effect of the novel functional drink, and the action may involve the improvement of Nrf2, oxidative stress, inflammation, and the amount of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp.