Cytokine may be a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the study of cytokines as they relate to multiple disciplines including biology , immunology, and genetics. it had been established in 1989 and is published by Elsevier. it's the official journal of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society. The editor-in-chief is Dhan Kalvakolanu (University of Maryland School of Medicine). consistent with the Journal Citation Reports, the journal features a 2016 impact factor of three .488 . Some cytokines enhance or inhibit the action of other cytokines in complex ways. They are different from hormones, which are also important cell signaling molecules. Hormones circulate in higher concentrations, and tend to be made by specific kinds of cells. Cytokines are important in health and disease, specifically in host immune responses to infection, inflammation, trauma, sepsis, cancer, and reproduction.