TY - JOUR T1 - Highlights from this issue JF - Thorax JO - Thorax SP - 851 LP - 851 DO - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-218029 VL - 76 IS - 9 AU - The Triumvirate Y1 - 2021/09/01 UR - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/76/9/851.abstract N2 - As we write this edition of Airwaves, the UK has abandoned lockdown and is relying on a high immunisation uptake and a world beating test and trace programme to keep COVID-19 at bay. The immediate effects have been a “pingdemic” where keyworkers across the nation are asked to self-isolate by the NHS app and there are fears that supermarket shelves may soon be bare. The pages of the current issue of Thorax however are far from bare, with a sumptuous display of excellent science. This month’s Airwaves endeavours to provide comic relief while showcasing the very best we have to offer.A classic episode of the situation comedy (sitcom) Father Ted hinges around a visit to Craggy Island by the church hierarchy to upgrade the Holy Stone of Clonrichert to a “class 2 relic”. Ted and his companions debate what miracles would be required to upgrade the monument – including time travel and cloning dinosaurs. The effects of CFTR modulators in cystic fibrosis while perhaps not miraculous, have certainly been dramatic. But are they sustained? In this month’s journal Barry and colleagues (see page 874) describe the effects of the CFTR modulator Ivacaftor over a 5 year period in 35 patients with the G551D mutation. After 6 months of therapy, FEV1 had increased by almost 10% from baseline however within 5 years FEV1 had returned to … ER -