Challenges in pulmonary rehabilitation: COVID-19 and beyond.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a comprehensive multidisciplinary intervention requiring a team involving an expert chest physician, an exercise training specialist, a nutritional expert, a psychologist, a social worker, and an occupational therapist, who together aim at improving respiratory functional capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in a large number of trials, systematic reviews, and meta‑analyses in pre-COVID-19 conditions, and the impact of pulmonary rehabilitation during the COVID‑19 pandemic was estimated based on results of abundant available studies. As many as 34 studies were selected to assess the global results of pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD patients before the pandemic, and 40 studies were selected from the literature concerning pulmonary rehabilitation during the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Current treatment strategies for seasonal allergic rhinitis: where are we heading?

Introduction: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is very commonly caused by pollens. The symptoms of AR consist of sneezing, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, nasal itching and airflow obstruction. The diagnosis has long been based on clinical history, skin prick tests and in vitro measurement of specific IgE, but the innovative approach of precision medicine has made diagnostic tools of much greater accuracy available.

Two decades with omalizumab: what we still have to learn.

From its availability for clinical use nearly two decades ago for severe asthma, omalizumab has gained strong evidence of efficacy and safety in the treatment of severe asthma not controlled by standard-of-care therapy. It has been acknowledged by Global Initiative on Asthma guidelines as add-on therapy against severe uncontrolled asthma. Thanks to controlled trials supporting its efficacy, omalizumab has also been licensed for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Striving for optimal bronchodilation: focus on olodaterol.

β2-agonists were introduced in the 1940s as bronchodilators to be used in obstructive respiratory diseases. Long-acting β2-agonists have been a mainstay of bronchodilating treatment for decades. Recently, agents extending their effect to 24 hours and thus allowing the once-daily administration were introduced, defined as very-long-acting β2-agonists.

New combinations in the treatment of COPD: rationale for aclidinium-formoterol.

The current guidelines on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) recommend the prominent use of bronchodilators, including long-acting β2-agonists (LABAs) and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs), while inhaled corticosteroids are recommended only in patients with severe disease or frequent exacerbations. LABA-LAMA combinations are indicated when single bronchodilators are insufficient to control COPD. A number of LABA-LAMA combinations are available, based on twice-daily or once-daily administration according to the 12- or 24-hour duration of action, respectively.

Comparing the ability of molecular diagnosis and CAP-inhibition in identifying the really causative venom in patients with positive tests to Vespula and Polistes species.

Background: Cross-reactivity among Hymenoptera venoms is an important issue when prescribing venom immunotherapy (VIT). Using all venoms eliciting a positive response results in treatment excess and unjustified cost increase. The first in vitro method that helped to identify the really causative venom was RAST-inhibition, but in latest years also molecular allergy (MA) diagnostics, that detects specific sIgE to single venom allergens, was introduced.

Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic evaluation of house dust mite sublingually administered immunotherapy tablet in the treatment of asthma.

Introduction: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for house dust mite (HDM) allergy has an evidence of efficacy demonstrated by meta-analyses, but marked differences are reported between the various SLIT products. The standardized quality (SQ) HDM sublingual tablet containing Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae in a 1:1 ratio (MK-8237) is a qualitative advance for SLIT products.

Areas Covered: The rationale for developing the HDM tablets is discussed against the other available SLIT products, analyzing the clinical data on efficacy and safety obtained by controlled trials.

Risk of anaphylaxis in patients with large local reactions to hymenoptera stings: a retrospective and prospective study.

Background: In the few studies available, the risk of developing systemic reactions (SR) to hymenoptera stings in patients with previous large local reactions (LLRs) to stings ranges from 0 to 7 %. We evaluated both retrospectively and prospectively the risk of SRs in patients with LLRs to stings.

Methods: An overall number of 477 patients, 396 with an SR as the first manifestation of allergy and 81 with a history of only LLRs after hymenoptera stings, were included in the study.