Asthma management in a specialist setting: Results of an Italian Respiratory Society survey.

Background: Asthma considerably impairs patients' quality of life and increases healthcare costs. Severity, morbidity, and degree of disease control are the major drivers of its clinical and economic impact. National scientific societies are required to monitor the application of international guidelines and to adopt strategies to improve disease control and better allocate resources.

Validation of PDGFRbeta and c-Src tyrosine kinases as tumor/vessel targets in patients with multiple myeloma: preclinical efficacy of the novel, orally available inhibitor dasatinib.

Inhibition of multiple myeloma (MM) plasma cells in their permissive bone marrow microenvironment represents an attractive strategy for blocking the tumor/vessel growth associated with the disease progression. However, target specificity is an essential aim of this approach. Here, we identified platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-receptor beta (PDGFRbeta) and pp60c-Src as shared constitutively activated tyrosine-kinases (TKs) in plasma cells and endothelial cells (ECs) isolated from MM patients (MMECs).

Parecoxib as an alternative in COX-2 hypersensitivity.

The group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is commonly involved in hypersensitivity reactions. In clinical practice the physician is often faced with the need to choose an alternative anti-inflammatory agent for a patient who has suffered a hypersensitivity reaction to a NSAID. The most common approach to choosing the safest NSAID is to perform a challenge test.

Safety of parecoxib in patients with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced urticaria or angioedema.

Background: Parecoxib is the first injectable cyclooxygenase 2 selective inhibitor indicated for the treatment of acute postoperative pain.

Objective: To describe the results of a challenge with parecoxib in patients with a history of urticaria or angioedema to 1 or more nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Methods: The study was performed from October 1, 2006, through March 31, 2007, with 79 patients who historically had experienced urticaria or angioedema after use of NSAIDs.