CFTR and cystic fibrosis: The important role of the upper airways in bacterial defense is highlighted by the clinical finding that successful management of the sinuses prior to and after lung transplantation of CF patients (i.e., with lungs with normal expression of Cftr) greatly reduces the incidence of acute pneumonia compared to CF patients without sinus management (Holzmann et al., 2004, Vital et al., 2013).