a. Production of TNFα in WB cultures from asymptomatic subjects (control) and from patients with acute and chronic LBP determined at baseline (Time 1), and after 2 weeks during which LBP patients received 6 SMT treatments (Time 2). WB cultures were stimulated at initiation with LPS (1 μg/ml) and cultivated for 24 h. Compared with asymptomatic controls, baseline levels of TNFα were significantly elevated both in acute (P = 0.003) and chronic LBP patients (P = 0.0001) (see ref. [19]). The post-SMT production of TNFα remained significantly (P = 0.002) elevated in patients with chronic LBP. At both study times (baseline and post-SMT), the levels of TNFα in this patient cohort were also significantly higher than those in patients with acute LBP (P = 0.003 and P = 0.01, respectively). b. Production of IL-1β in LPS (1 μg/ml) -stimulated WB cultures from asymptomatic controls and the studied LBP patients. Compared with asymptomatic subjects, the baseline levels of IL-1β production were significantly (P = 0.0001) elevated in acute and chronic LBP patients (19) and remained essentially unchanged (P = 0.0008–0.001) following SMT