In vitro antimicrobial activity of ceftolozane/tazobactam against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria in adults with cystic fibrosis.

Objectives: Pulmonary exacerbations in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) caused by chronic Gram-negative bacterial infections are associated with reduced survival. These pathogens are usually treated with repeated courses of systemic antimicrobial agents. However, there is associated emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens.

Positive end expiratory pressure in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to community acquired pneumonia: do we need a personalized approach?

Background: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a life-threatening complication in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). The use of non-invasive ventilation is controversial. With this prospective, observational study we aimed to describe a protocol to assess whether a patient with moderate-to-severe hypoxemic ARF secondary to CAP benefits, in clinical and laboratoristic terms, from the application of a positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) + oxygen vs oxygen alone.

Treatment with long acting muscarinic antagonists stimulates serum levels of irisin in patients with COPD.

Long acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) are currently considered the therapeutic mainstay for patients with COPD and have been shown to improve clinical outcomes including symptoms, exercise capacity and airflow limitation. Irisin, is a newly discovered hormone-like myokine generated by skeletal muscle cells in response to exercise and it is suggested to regulate energy expenditure and exercise capacity. The aim of the present study was to investigate if treatment with LAMA alters serum irisin levels in patients with COPD.

The European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (EMBARC): experiences from a successful ERS Clinical Research Collaboration.

Unlabelled: In contrast to airway diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, and rare diseases such as cystic fibrosis, there has been little research and few clinical trials in bronchiectasis. Guidelines are primarily based on expert opinion and treatment is challenging because of the heterogeneous nature of the disease. In an effort to address decades of underinvestment in bronchiectasis research, education and clinical care, the European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (EMBARC) was established in 2012 as a collaborative pan-European network to bring together bronchiectasis researchers.

Characterization of circadian COPD symptoms by phenotype: Methodology of the STORICO observational study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The symptoms of COPD are troublesome, variable, can occur during all parts of the 24-h day and have a substantial impact on patients' health status, quality of life and healthcare resource utilization. Reducing symptoms, improving health status and increasing physical activity are major goals in the management of stable COPD.

Lung Transplantation From Donors After Previous Cardiac Surgery: Ideal Graft in Marginal Donor?

Lung transplantation is a limited by donor pool shortage. Despite the efforts to extend the graft acceptability with recurrent donor criteria reformulations, previous cardiothoracic surgery is still considered a contraindication. A donor who underwent cardiac surgery could potentially provide an ideal lung but high intraoperative risks and intrinsic technical challenges are expected during the graft harvesting.

Lobar Lung Transplantation From Deceased Donor: Monocentric Experience.

Introduction: Lung transplantation is considered a therapeutic option in selected patients affected by end-stage pulmonary disease. The mortality on the waiting list is mainly attributed to the shortage of the donor pool available for transplantation. There are various strategies to overcome this shortage; one of them is lobar transplantation.

SANI-Severe Asthma Network in Italy: a way forward to monitor severe asthma.

Even if severe asthma (SA) accounts for 5-10% of all cases of the disease, it is currently a crucial unmet need, owing its difficult clinical management and its high social costs. For this reason several networks, focused on SA have been organized in some countries, in order to select these patients, to recognize their clinical features, to evaluate their adherence, to classify their biological/clinical phenotypes, to identify their eligibility to the new biologic therapies and to quantify the costs of the disease. Aim of the present paper is to describe the ongoing Italian Severe Asthma Network (SANI).

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.

Immunomodulatory effects of pidotimod in adults with community-acquired pneumonia undergoing standard antibiotic therapy.

The morbidity and mortality of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are still elevated and two aspects seem to contribute to a worse outcome: an uncontrolled inflammatory reaction and an inadequate immune response. Adjuvants, including corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins, have been proposed to counterbalance these effects but their efficacy is only partial. We examined the immunomodulatory activity of Pidotimod (PDT), a synthetic dipeptide molecule in adult patients hospitalized for CAP.

Is aclidinium alone or combined with a LABA a rational choice for symptomatic COPD patients?

Background: As emphasized by international recommendations and largely confirmed by clinical experience, long-acting bronchodilators play a central role in the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to their proven efficacy in reducing airflow obstruction and improving symptoms.

Main Body: There are some important aspects to define with regard to inhalation therapy for COPD, particularly those concerning the selection criteria and the optimal use of long-acting bronchodilators. First of all, it needs to be determined in which patients and clinical situations monotherapy with one bronchodilator, such as a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), should be considered adequate, and in which cases the use of combination therapies, such as the "double bronchodilation" with a LAMA and a long-acting β2-agonist (LABA), should be preferred.

Comorbidities and the risk of mortality in patients with bronchiectasis: an international multicentre cohort study.

Background: Patients with bronchiectasis often have concurrent comorbidities, but the nature, prevalence, and impact of these comorbidities on disease severity and outcome are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate comorbidities in patients with bronchiectasis and establish their prognostic value on disease severity and mortality rate.

Methods: An international multicentre cohort analysis of outpatients with bronchiectasis from four European centres followed up for 5 years was done for score derivation.

Characterizing Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Infection in Bronchiectasis.

Chronic airway infection is a key aspect of the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis. A growing interest has been raised on non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection. We aimed at describing the clinical characteristics, diagnostic process, therapeutic options and outcomes of bronchiectasis patients with pulmonary NTM (pNTM) disease.

The best of respiratory infections from the 2015 European Respiratory Society International Congress.

The breadth and quality of scientific presentations on clinical and translational research into respiratory infections at the 2015 European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, establishes this area as one of the leadings fields in pulmonology. The host-pathogen relationship in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the impact of comorbidities and chronic treatment on clinical outcomes in patients with pneumonia were studied. Various communications were dedicated to bronchiectasis and, in particular, to different prognostic and clinical aspects of this disease, including chronic infection with and inhaled antibiotic therapy.

Formoterol fumarate + glycopyrrolate for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by a high disability and increasing mortality. Bronchodilators are the cornerstone of pharmacological treatment in COPD, while therapeutic optimization with an improvement in symptoms and compliance represent the actual goals. This has led to the development of devices that combine different classes of inhalatory drugs.

Multidimensional severity assessment in bronchiectasis: an analysis of seven European cohorts.

Introduction: Bronchiectasis is a multidimensional disease associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Two disease-specific clinical prediction tools have been developed, the Bronchiectasis Severity Index (BSI) and the FACED score, both of which stratify patients into severity risk categories to predict the probability of mortality.

Methods: We aimed to compare the predictive utility of BSI and FACED in assessing clinically relevant disease outcomes across seven European cohorts independent of their original validation studies.