Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the most common of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias remains a disabling, progressive lung disease with extremely poor prognosis, in which no pharmacological intervention significantly alters outcome.1 A relatively poor understanding of the complex pathophysiology of IPF continues to hinder the identification of effective therapies, and of patients most likely to benefit from existing treatments. Usual interstitial pneumonia is the histological hallmark of IPF, characterised by temporospatial heterogeneity in which normal lung is interspersed with areas of subpleural interstitial fibrosis, loss of normal alveolar architecture and the presence of fibroblastic foci.2 Histological sections may also show ‘bronchiolisation’ of the distal air...

Pneumonia is the single largest cause of death in children worldwide. Every year, it kills an estimated 1.2 million children under the age of five years, accounting for 18% of all deaths of children under five years old worldwide. Pneumonia affects children and families everywhere, but is most prevalent in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Respirator disorders affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, with an estimated 300 million people suffering from asthma and a further 210 million having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)