Jason Powell’s study showed that, especially in critically ill patients, intubation and mechanical ventilation can cause an inflammatory subglottic environment where mucin hyper-secretion and enhanced viscosity is connected with neutrophil infiltration, impairment of neutrophil function, neutrophil elastase release, and enriched VAP-causing pathogens [3]. The gene discussed is MUC5AC; the disease is ventilator-associated pneumonia.