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Respiratory tract exacerbations play a crucial role in progressive lung damage of people with cystic fibrosis, representing a major determinant in the loss of functional lung tissue, quality of life and patient survival. Detection and monitoring of respiratory tract exacerbations are challenging for clinicians, since under- and over-treatment convey several risks for the patient. Although various diagnostic and monitoring tools are available, their implementation is hampered by the current definition of respiratory tract exacerbation, which lacks objective "cut-offs" for clinical and lung function parameters. In particular, the latter shows a large variability, making the current 10% change in spirometry outcomes an unreliable threshold to detect exacerbation. Moreover, spirometry cannot be reliably performed in preschool children and new emerging tools, such as the forced oscillation technique, are still complementary and need more validation. Therefore, lung imaging is a key in providing respiratory tract exacerbation-related structural and functional information. However, imaging encompasses several diagnostic options, each with different advantages and limitations; for instance, conventional chest radiography, the most used radiological technique, may lack sensitivity and specificity in respiratory tract exacerbations diagnosis. Other methods, including computed tomography, positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, are limited by either radiation safety issues or the need for anesthesia in uncooperative patients. Finally, lung ultrasound has been proposed as a safe bedside option but it is highly operator-dependent and there is no strong evidence of its possible use during respiratory tract exacerbation. This review summarizes the clinical challenges of respiratory tract exacerbations in patients with cystic fibrosis with a special focus on imaging. Firstly, the definition of respiratory tract exacerbation is examined, while diagnostic and monitoring tools are briefly described to set the scene. This is followed by advantages and disadvantages of each imaging technique, concluding with a diagnostic imaging algorithm for disease monitoring during respiratory tract exacerbation in the cystic fibrosis patient., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Landini, Ciet, Janssen, Bertolo, Ros, Mattone, Catalano, Majo, Costa, Gramegna, Lucca, Parisi, Saba, Tiddens and Morana.)

COVID-19 is less serious in children than in adults. However, respiratory management dominates the clinical picture of hospitalized COVID-19 even in children. In some case series, deterioration of the clinical picture wherein dyspnea, cyanosis, and the onset of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) emerged ~8-10 days after the onset of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which could rapidly progress to multiple organ failure and death. This review aimed to evaluate the characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia in pediatric populations, beginning from its etiology and pathological mechanisms and closing with its clinical management., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Parisi, Indolfi, Decimo, Leonardi and Miraglia del Giudice.)

During the last several years, the interest in the role of microbiota in human health has grown significantly. For many years, the lung was considered a sterile environment, and only recently, with the use of more sophisticated techniques, has it been demonstrated that colonization by a complex population of microorganisms in lower airways also occurs in healthy subjects; a predominance of some species of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes phyla and with a peculiar composition in some disease conditions, such as asthma, have been noted. Lung microbiota derives mainly from the higher airways microbiota. Although we have some information about the role of gut microbiota in modulation of immune system, less it is known about the connection between lung microbiota and local and systemic immunity. There is a correlation between altered microbiota composition and some diseases or chronic states; however, despite this correlation, it has not been clearly demonstrated whether the lung microbiota dysbiosis could be a consequence or a cause of these diseases. We are far from a scientific approach to the therapeutic use of probiotics in airway diseases, but we are only at the starting point of a knowledge process in this fascinating field that could reveal important surprises, and randomized prospective studies in future could reveal more about the clinical possibilities for controlling lung microbiota. This review was aimed at updating the current knowledge in the field of airway microbiota., (Copyright © 2019 Pulvirenti, Parisi, Giallongo, Papale, Manti, Savasta, Licari, Marseglia and Leonardi.)