July 11 – Desiderio Passali, professor of otolaryngology at the University of Siena and past president of IFOS (International Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies), was honored in Seoul, during the XX Congress of the Otolaryngology World Society, with a gold medal for his research, promotion and global awareness on the problems in the sector. “It is a prize that is assigned to two or three specialists every four years – says Professor Passali – precisely at the World Congress of the Society. The team I lead has recently concentrated its efforts in the field of nasal pathologies on the identification of some Allarmine proteins, that, if in excess, trigger and sustain inflammations in the mucosa of the nose and sinuses. Through the characterization of these proteins, we are able to understand and follow the evolution of the pathology and, therefore, we can stop it with appropriate principles, modulating the inflammatory reaction and chronicity.”