S. aureus and IgE-mediated diseases: pilot or copilot? A narrative review.

INTRODUCTION: S. aureus is a major opportunistic pathogen that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several chronic inflammatory diseases including bronchial asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and atopic dermatitis. S. aureus can induce the production of both polyclonal and specific IgE that can elicit an inflammatory cascade. AREAS COVERED: The link between the sensitization to S. aureus enterotoxins and the severity of several chronic inflammatory diseases is reviewed in detail, as well as its therapeutic implications. EXPERT OPINION: An anti-IgE strategy to inhibit S. aureus enterotoxins would be a valid approach to treat several endotypes of severe asthma, CRSwNP and CSU in which IgE against S. aureus enterotoxins should represent, not only a marker of severity of the diseases but also a target of a treatment.

Indacaterol/glycopyrronium/mometasone fixed dose combination for uncontrolled asthma.

INTRODUCTION: Asthma symptoms can be relieved through a maintenance treatment combining long-acting ß2-agonist and inhaled corticosteroids (LABA/ICS). However, for patients with inadequately controlled asthma, the LABA/ICS combination might not be sufficient, and clinical guidelines recommend the administration of inhaled long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) as an add-on therapy to better control asthma and improve lung function. For nearly two decades, the only LAMA to be approved on the market has been tiotropium. AREAS COVERED: We reviewed recent clinical studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of LABA/LAMA/ICS fixed dose combinations by searching the PubMed database. Molecular mechanisms and clinical data support the use of a once-daily, single-inhaler fixed dose combination of the LABA/LAMA/ICS indacaterol/glycopyrronium/mometasone (IND/GLY/MF), the first therapy combining three agents in a fixed dose approved in Europe for the treatment of uncontrolled asthma. EXPERT OPINION: IND/GLY/MF was superior to both IND/MF and salmeterol/fluticasone, a well-established LABA/ICS combination improving the lung function in uncontrolled asthma. Moreover, IND/GLY/MF, delivered through the Breezhaler inhaler in a single inhalation, is the first inhaled therapy prescribed alongside a digital companion, a sensor and the Propeller app, allowing for improved treatment adherence, reduced rescue inhaler usage and hospitalizations, increased patient satisfaction and asthma control.

Self-administration of omalizumab: why not? A literature review and expert opinion.

Introduction: Omalizumab is used to treat severe uncontrolled allergic asthma and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and is approved for self-administration in prefilled syringes. It is thus important to understand the advantages, critical issues, and indications for home administration.Areas covered: The present review summarizes the available evidence on home administration of omalizumab in asthma and CSU to illustrate the advantages derived from self-administration of patients in this setting.Expert opinion: The available data suggest that patients can safely administer biologics at home with suitable training, and that home administration is time saving and cost-effective. The majority of patients with severe asthma or CSU treated with omalizumab are likely to be suitable candidates for self-administration, which can be proposed to anyone that the clinician deems suitable. In addition to clinicians, pharmacists can also play a key role in managing patients who are prescribed home administration. A practical flow chart is proposed on selection of patients and their management during home administration. Self-administration of biologics can be considered as a valid alternative to traditional injections in a clinical setting, and the evidence has shown that no major issues need to be overcome in terms of safety or efficacy.

Not one, but many "publics": public engagement with global development in France, Germany, Great Britain, and the United States.

Using new panel data from the Aid Attitudes Tracker (2013-18), this article draws on a set of 18 actions to map public engagement with global poverty in France, Germany, Great Britain and the United States. It introduces a new engagement segmentation comprised of five distinct groups - the totally disengaged, marginally engaged, informationally engaged, behaviourally engaged, and fully engaged. The data provide evidence of both aggregate and individual-level change in engagement over time but with an important distinction: respondents in less engaged groups are less likely to move out of these groups and tend to stay unengaged. Respondents in more engaged groups are more likely to move in and out of engagement.

Pharmacological approach and adherence to treatment recommendations in frequently and non-frequently exacerbating COPD patients from Italy: MISTRAL - The prospective cohort, observational study.

BACKGROUND: Several documents and guidelines provide recommendations for effective management of COPD patients. However, there is often a significant imbalance between recommended treatment of COPD patients and the actual care provided both in primary care and specialty setting. This imbalance could result in a significant negative impact on patients' health status and quality of life, leading to increased hospitalisations and health resource utilisation in COPD patients METHODS: MISTRAL was an observational, longitudinal, prospective cohort study, designed to assess the overall pharmacological approach of COPD in routine clinical practice in Italy. Eligible patients were divided into two cohorts based on their exacerbation history in the year prior to the enrolment, frequent exacerbators (FEs; ≥2 exacerbations), and non-frequent exacerbators (NFEs; ≤1 exacerbation). The primary objective was to assess adherence to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2011 treatment recommendations in FEs and NFEs at baseline and follow-up visits RESULTS: Of the 1489 enrolled patients, 1468 (98.6%; FEs, 526; NFEs, 942) were considered evaluable for analyses. At baseline, 57.8% of patients were treated according to GOLD 2011 recommendations; a greater proportion of FEs were treated according to GOLD recommendations, compared with NFEs patients at baseline (77.1% versus 46.7%; P < 0.0001), and all study visits. At baseline, GOLD group D patients were the most adherent (81.2%) to treatment recommendations, while group A patients were the least adherent (30.3%) at baseline, attributed mainly to overuse of inhaled corticosteroids in less severe GOLD groups. Triple therapy with long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) + long-acting ß2-agonist/inhaled corticosteroid (LABA/ICS) was the most frequent prescribed treatment at all study visits, irrespective of patient's exacerbation history. Changes in treatment were more frequent in FEs versus NFEs CONCLUSIONS: The Mistral study reports a scarce adherence to the GOLD 2011 treatment recommendations in routine clinical practice in Italy. The adherence was particularly low in less severe, non-frequent exacerbating patients mostly for ICS overuse, and was higher in high-risk, frequent exacerbating COPD patients.