Inflammation is one of the first responses of the immune system to infection. Cytokines are a diverse group of non-antibody proteins that act as mediators between cells. Common cytokines, which regulate the inflammatory response, include interleukins that are responsible for communication between white blood cells, chemokines that promote chemotaxis, and interferons that have anti-viral effects. Acute inflammation occurs in response to cell damage resulting from infection or injury. The magnitude of an immune response is determined by the balance between antigen-driven activation of lymphocytes and negative regulatory influences that prevent or dampen the response. Scholarly peer review is the process of subjecting an author's scholarly work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field, before a paper describing this work is published in a journal. The work may be accepted, considered acceptable with revisions, or rejected. Peer review requires a community of experts in a given (narrowly defined) field, who are qualified and able to perform reasonably impartial review.