The Business Development Department, separate from Marketing/Sales, functions as a steering group for deciding which new products or customer requests are to be pursued and which are to be dropped. Factors which they consider in making these decisions are: (1) the company's long- and short-term business plans, (2) current sales forecasts, (3) economic and industry indicators, (4) profit potential, (5) internal capabilities (both volume and technology), and (6) what the customer is willing to pay versus estimated cost.

21 Why, sometimes in cases of aspiration pneumonia, would the level of lymphocytes drop below normal range while the level of white blood cells (WBC) and neutrophils are above normal range?

22 Should steroids be used in the treatment of a standard case of pneumonia in a young child?

23 I want to know more about the epidemiology and pathophysiology of this severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) scare and what advances have been made in its therapy.

24 What symptoms will confirm, without doubt, a diagnosis of tuberculosis?

25 Please could you tell me the skin-prick test result for non-infected and non-immune tuberculosis carriers?

26 Please can you help me find the answer to whether the purified protein derivative (PPD) in the tuberculin skin test develops memory T lymphocytes? If so, would it not be confusing with the way BCG vaccine works?

27 In diseases that have night sweats as a symptom (e.g. tuberculosis, infective endocarditis), what causes the sweats to occur only at night and not consistently during the day as well?

28 An asymptomatic patient, whose tuberculous pleural effusion has subsided after a year's treatment of anti-TB, is left with a small loculated effusion, apparent on ultrasound and chest X-ray. Should this be aspirated?

29 I want to know what are the exact indications for using steroids in patients with tuberculous pleural effusions/ascites?

30 Should prednisolone be added to the anti-tuberculosis therapy in all cases of massive tuberculous effusion? Does the quick absorption help prevent fibrosis?