TY - JOUR T1 - <em>Eppur si muove</em>, or COPD treatment success and inflammation JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 409 LP - 410 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00084507 VL - 30 IS - 3 AU - J. B. Soriano AU - N. C. Barnes Y1 - 2007/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/30/3/409.abstract N2 - It has been said that if science was to be given a start date, it should be 1632, when the Italian astronomer and physicist, Galileo Galilei, published the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems 1. Galileo studied the heavens systematically and, in December 1610, used his telescope to show that Venus went through phases, just like the Moon. This observation was incompatible with the Ptolemaic system, the geocentric view that persisted for at least 2,000 yrs, which stated that the Earth was the centre of the Universe. Galileo provided the crucial observations that proved the Copernican heliocentric hypothesis. His work and his actions helped to set up what we now call science. Galileo uttered the landmark phrase “Eppur si muove” meaning “And yet it moves,” after being forced to recant in 1633 before the inquisition of his book and of his belief that the Earth moved around the Sun. In the current issue of the European Respiratory Journal, Powrie et al. 2 report on a well-conducted, 1-yr clinical trial of tiotropium in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The trial confirms results of previous studies showing that tiotropium reduces exacerbations and improves lung function and symptoms 3. However, the trial also examines mechanisms, with the primary end-point being a measure of the potential anti-inflammatory effects of tiotropium. To the surprise of the investigators, the observed clinical … ER -