Laryngitis

Researchers are evaluating the combination of Adebrelimab with carboplatin or cisplatin plus etoposide chemotherapy and concurrent radiotherapy as a first treatment for patients with extensive-stage oligometastatic small cell lung cancer. This Phase II open-label study aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of this regimen in this patient group. The trial is led by Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University and focuses on patients with limited metastatic lesions and organs affected. Participants will first receive Adebrelimab intravenously along with carboplatin or cisplatin and etoposide for two cycles during the induction phase. Next, participants undergo concurrent chemoradiotherapy, including thoracic radiation and stereotactic body radiation therapy SBRT to metastases, combined with one to two cycles of chemotherapy. Following this, they will receive one to two additional cycles of Adebrelimab combined with chemotherapy, and then continue on Adebrelimab alone as maintenance therapy until disease progression, unacceptable side effects, or withdrawal from the study. During the study, participants will be closely monitored through clinical assessments, imaging, and laboratory tests to track progression-free survival and other measures such as overall survival and response rates, with follow-up lasting up to approximately 30 months. Safety will be monitored by recording adverse events throughout the treatment and maintenance phases. The total participation time includes induction, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, maintenance, and follow-up periods to fully evaluate treatment outcomes and tolerability.

Researchers are studying the accuracy of a new device called the laryngopharyngeal endoscopic esthesiometer and rangefinder LPEER to measure throat sensitivity in patients suspected of having obstructive sleep apnea OSA. This prospective, double-blinded, randomized crossover trial aims to validate this devices measurements by comparing them to standard sleep study results. The study focuses on understanding sensory differences in patients with mild, moderate, and severe OSA and improving knowledge about OSAs underlying mechanisms. The study involves patients referred for a baseline sleep test who will undergo a sensory test using the LPEER, which delivers air pulses of varying intensity to specific throat areas the velopharynx, hypopharynx, and aryepiglottic folds. Experienced and less experienced pulmonologists or otolaryngologists will perform these tests to assess measurement reliability. The study design includes randomized crossover assignment of raters to evaluate intra- and inter-rater agreement and diagnostic accuracy through detailed statistical analyses. Participants will attend the sleep laboratory where they will receive the sensory test alongside their routine sleep study. Researchers will measure sensory thresholds at three throat sites and collect data related to sleep apnea severity, oxygen levels, and any adverse events. The study will last up to 15 days for each participant, during which safety and test accuracy will be closely monitored. Results will help determine the usefulness of LPEER for future clinical evaluation and monitoring of OSA patients.

Researchers are evaluating the effects of a self-administered acupressure intervention on cough and related symptoms in lung cancer survivors. The study aims to see if acupressure can reduce cough, lessen a symptom group involving dyspnea, cough, and fatigue, and improve overall symptom burden, functional capacity, and quality of life for these patients. This is a randomized controlled trial focusing on supportive care for lung cancer survivors. Participants are randomly assigned to either an 8-week acupressure program or an education group. Those in the acupressure group attend two training sessions at the hospital during the first week to learn proper techniques. They then perform acupressure daily on 15 specific points at least twice a day and during coughing episodes. The education group receives a booklet about lung cancer, cough causes, and management strategies. Trainers follow up with acupressure participants twice weekly to support and assess their practice. Participants will keep diaries recording their acupressure practice and symptoms. They are assessed at four times before treatment, after 1 week, after 8 weeks, and 8 weeks post-intervention. Researchers evaluate cough severity, cough-related quality of life, the dyspnea-cough-fatigue symptom cluster, fatigue, symptom burden, functional capacity, and health-related quality of life. The study runs from baseline through an 8-week intervention and an 8-week follow-up period, with ongoing monitoring via diaries and trainer contacts.

Researchers are evaluating the ability of the AeviceMD, a wearable medical device, to detect wheezing in both children and adults. Wheezing, cough, and breathlessness are common respiratory symptoms usually identified manually by healthcare professionals through listening to lung sounds. The study aims to find out if AeviceMD can detect wheezes as accurately as a physician and to explore its potential for remote lung sound monitoring. During the study, participants will have the AeviceMD device placed on them to record lung sounds and detect wheezes. The devices findings will be compared with assessments made by physicians through traditional auscultation. The study includes two groups patients diagnosed with acute asthma exacerbations and patients with other non-cardiac and non-pulmonary complaints. Participants will undergo lung sound recordings both onsite with a physician and remotely, with the results compared between the AeviceMD device and medical professionals. The primary outcome is the detection of wheeze within 60 seconds, while the secondary outcome involves identifying respiratory sounds within 150 seconds. The study is observational and will continue until December 2026, involving children aged 3 years and older.

Researchers are evaluating an artificial intelligence-assisted system designed to improve the detection of anatomical sites and lesions during nasopharyngolaryngoscopy, a procedure used to examine the nasopharynx and larynx. The study aims to address challenges of traditional procedures such as incomplete visualization and unclear imaging by training and validating a deep learning model using collected images and patient data from multiple centers. The study involves collecting electronic nasopharyngolaryngoscopy images and baseline patient information, including gender and age, to train and validate the AI model. Initially, the model is trained using a retrospective dataset and internally validated. Subsequently, the clinical performance of the model is assessed prospectively by enrolling patients, collecting new nasopharyngolaryngoscopy videos, and testing the model against this independent dataset. Participants will undergo standard nasopharyngolaryngoscopy exams, with their images and videos collected for analysis. Researchers will compare the models lesion detection and anatomic site recognition performance to that of physicians. Outcome measures are evaluated within three months after completing data collection. The study runs from December 2025 to March 2027 and includes assessments of diagnostic accuracy and comparative performance between the AI system and medical professionals.

Researchers are investigating whether adding a diagnostic test that can distinguish whether an acute respiratory illness is caused by bacteria or viruses early in the evaluation can improve patient management and reduce healthcare resource use. The study focuses on adults presenting to the Emergency Department ED with undiagnosed respiratory infections who meet SIRS criteria and require immediate blood tests and treatment. The goal is to see if this test affects decisions about further diagnostic work, antimicrobial use, hospital stay length, and related costs. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group receives the usual care plus results from the MeMed BVae biomarker test, which analyzes a blood sample to provide a score that may help guide treatment. The control group receives standard care without the test results. Both groups are managed by clinicians following standard practice protocols. The study aims to compare outcomes such as additional testing, use of antibiotics, hospital admissions, and length of stay between these groups. During the study, participants will be monitored from admission to the ED through about 28 days of follow-up. Researchers will track costs related to diagnostic tests, consultations, antimicrobial treatments, hospital stays, and emergency department visits. They will also assess hospital length of stay up to six months post-admission, the number of patients returning to the ED within 72 hours, and appropriate antibiotic use based on infection type. Safety and patient management quality will be evaluated by reviewing these clinical and resource measures.

Researchers are investigating how people with cochlear implants CIs perceive and enjoy music, comparing them with individuals who have normal hearing. The study includes both children aged 6 to 17 who were implanted before age 3 and adults who lost hearing after learning to speak. It also examines voice quality in CI users and looks for links between musical perception and voice characteristics. The study uses specific questionnaires and musical tools to assess these abilities. Participants undergo a one-time evaluation including completing music-related questionnaires suitable for adults and children, using the Meludia music tool to test musical perception, and voice analysis with specialized software. The study includes both CI users and a control group of normal hearing peers matched by age and other factors. The assessments can be done in person or remotely, using devices connected directly to the cochlear implants. During the study visit, participants complete questionnaires with assistance if needed and perform musical perception exercises lasting about an hour. Their voice is recorded for acoustic analysis. Audiological data and clinical histories are reviewed for those with implants. All tests are done once without follow-up, as no changes are expected over time. The study aims to validate questionnaires and analyze how hearing and demographic factors relate to music perception and voice quality in CI users compared to normal hearing individuals.

Researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of stopping antibiotic treatment early in adults hospitalized with respiratory viral infections. This study focuses on patients with moderately severe disease who test positive for respiratory viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, or human metapneumovirus. The goal is to determine if early discontinuation of antibiotics leads to similar clinical outcomes compared to continuing antibiotic therapy, aiming to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and combat antimicrobial resistance. Participants are randomly assigned to either stop antibiotic therapy as started by their admitting physician or to continue antibiotic therapy without changes. The study monitors early clinical response at 120 hours after randomization, defined by survival with symptom improvement and no need for rescue antibiotics. Secondary assessments include mortality rates, hospital stay duration, antibiotic use, and readmission rates, all measured during hospital admission and up to 30 days after discharge. During the trial, participants undergo nasopharyngeal swab testing to confirm viral infection and are monitored closely for symptoms, survival, and antibiotic use. Researchers evaluate clinical response at 120 hours and track outcomes such as mortality, hospital stay length, and antibiotic doses until discharge and 30 days later. The study aims to gather detailed safety and efficacy data over the hospital stay and follow-up period, supporting more targeted antibiotic use in viral respiratory infections.

This research aims to evaluate whether using the Difflam Forte Anti-Inflammatory Throat Spray, containing benzydamine hydrochloride, can reduce the incidence and severity of postoperative sore throat POST in women undergoing gynecological surgery with general anesthesia using a laryngeal mask airway LMA. POST is a common issue caused mainly by mechanical injury to the airway mucosa during airway insertion, leading to inflammation and discomfort. The study will compare patients receiving Difflam spray after surgery to those receiving usual care with no intervention. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups the study group will receive four sprays of Difflam to the back of the throat while awake in the post-anesthesia care unit, and the control group will receive no intervention. Questionnaires will be given to assess pain levels and any side effects 10 minutes and 4 hours after intervention. The trial will include 106 women undergoing surgery at a single hospital and will collect demographic and airway data during surgery. During the study, participants will be monitored for sore throat incidence and pain severity using a visual analog scale shortly after surgery and at 4 hours postoperatively. Side effects related to the spray will also be recorded. This information will help determine if Difflam spray is suitable for routine use to improve recovery and patient comfort after general anesthesia with LMA. The total study duration extends until the end of 2027.

Researchers are studying disorders of the head and neck to better understand their natural history and treatment. The goal is to create a collection of tissue samples and data from people with these conditions to support future research. This research may help develop new treatments, diagnostic methods, and ways to predict outcomes for people affected by head and neck disorders. Participants diagnosed with head and neck conditions are invited to contribute tissue samples leftover from clinical care or previous research. The study has two parts Part 1 involves sharing surgical waste materials or previously collected specimens for research. Part 2 involves collecting additional samples such as blood, cheek swabs, saliva, skin biopsies, or mucosal biopsies, mainly for adults aged 18 and older, to further study genetic and cellular aspects. Participants will undergo screening with questionnaires, medical history review, and physical exams. Samples collected will be used for ongoing research including genetic testing. The study does not involve any experimental treatments. It plans to enroll up to 1000 participants and will continue collecting and sharing specimens with other approved research projects. The primary outcome is the creation of a biorepository of tissue specimens to support future studies.