The big challenge to be small and innovative: the paradigm of open innovation applied to SMEs

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The fight against tobacco

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Accomplishments, engagements and new challenges for the Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease

The Editors: Antonio Spanevello, Bruno Balbi Another year has passed, and we would like to thank and recognize all of the many members who have contributed to the editorial process and content of Monaldi during 2018. Our submissions are increasing, citations for our papers are rising, and recognition of the journal is broadening. Not settled for focusing on past goings-on only, we now direct our efforts toward building an even greater impact

Chronic bronchial asthma from challenge to treatment: epidemiology and social impact.

Asthma is an important cause of chronic morbidity and a crucial health problem among children and adults worldwide, with high prevalence rates particularly in many developed countries.Increasing morbidity, hospital admission rates, use of medical services, drug use and, in some countries, increasing mortality rates have been reported.3 However, controversy still exists regarding the epidemiology of asthma. There are two serious problems which need to be considered when trying to obtain reliable data on the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of asthma. The first relates to definition; despite substantial advances in understanding the pathogenesis, genetics, and clinical characteristics of asthma, we do not have a useful definition of asthma for epidemiological purposes.2 The second problem concerns the different methods used to collect epidemiological data and information. More recently two international studies\u2014the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS)4 and the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)5\u2014have used the same internationally standardised questionnaire to provide important data on the prevalence of asthma

Tidal breathing affects airway responsiveness to methacholine.

Abstract Asthma is characterized by increased airway responsiveness and airway inflammation. Airway hyperresponsiveness may be caused by increased airway smooth muscle contractility or by a decrease in the mechanical load that opposes airway smooth muscle contraction. Under static conditions, the equilibrium between contractility and load will determine the final airway smooth muscle length and therefore airway caliber. Because of tidal breathing, however, lungs normally function under dynamic conditions where both airway contractility and opposing load are affected. The capability of tidal breathing to appropriately modulate airway function might be the mechanism that differentiates airways of asthmatics from those of normal subjects

Induced sputum in the management of COPD: clinical implications

Sputum induction can be used as a non-invasive technique to investigate airway inflammation in asthma and COPD. We reported the case of a 68 year old man with COPD, stage III GOLD, that underwent sputum induction during two exacerbation episodes. The first cell count showed a typical sputum neutrophilia, whereas the second showed sputum eosinophilia. On the basis of sputum cellularity, we decided to treat the first episode with a course of antibiotics and the second exacerbation with a course of antibiotics and oral steroids. The patient showed improvement in both cases, obtaining clinical stabilisation. The induced sputum cell count could be a useful technique in a clinical setting to evaluate the cellular characteristics of airway inflammation during COPD exacerbation and modulate the antinflammatory therapy

Alternative sources of starting materials

Biomass is the source of renewable carbon that will allow to achieve the future development of our society. With the prospect of the fossil resources depletion, it is necessary to find new alternative sources of energy and raw materials. Chemistry will play a key role to design new materials from biomass which will reshape our way of living and consumption.Fil: Spanevello, Rolando Angel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Suarez, Alejandra Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Sarotti, Ariel Marcelo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentin