Laryngology Postgraduate Workforce Trends and Job Satisfaction: A Survey of US Academic and Nonacademic Laryngologists.

Objective: To determine postgraduate job selection, percentage of career movement, factors influencing these decisions, and job satisfaction of laryngologists within academic and nonacademic fields.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Nonacademic and academic laryngology practices across the United States.

Next-Generation Sequencing Application: A Systematic Approach for High-Quality RNA Isolation from Skeletal Muscles.

RNA extraction and analyses from tissues using bulk RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) provide a more accurate picture of the gene expression compared to other molecular biology techniques for RNA quantification. Challenges associated with high-quality RNA extraction from skeletal muscles require a modification of standard protocols. Here, we describe a procedure for high-quality RNA isolation from intrinsic laryngeal muscles transferable to skeletal muscles with comparable technical and biological difficulties.

Transcriptome Analysis of Left Versus Right Intrinsic Laryngeal Muscles Associated with Innervation.

Objectives/hypothesis: Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury diagnosed as idiopathic or due to short-term surgery-related intubation exhibits a higher incidence of left-sided paralysis. While this is often attributed to nerve length, it is hypothesized there are asymmetric differences in the expression of genes related to neuromuscular function that may impact reinnervation and contribute to this laterality phenomenon. To test this hypothesis, this study analyzes the transcriptome profiles of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles (ILMs), comparing gene expression in the left versus right, with particular attention to genetic pathways associated with neuromuscular function.

Netrin-1 as A neural guidance protein in development and reinnervation of the larynx.

Neural guidance proteins participate in motor neuron migration, axonal projection, and muscle fiber innervation during development. One of the guidance proteins that participates in axonal pathfinding is Netrin-1. Despite the well-known role of Netrin-1 in embryogenesis of central nervous tissue, it is still unclear how the expression of this guidance protein contributes to primary innervation of the periphery, as well as reinnervation.

A comparison of confocal and epifluorescence microscopy for quantification of RNAScope and immunohistochemistry fluorescent images.

Background: Quantification of RNA expression and protein production in fluorescent stainings provides critical information concerning neurodevelopment. A trustable independent quantification technique requires acquisition of reliable images prior to image processing. There is uncertainty in existing literature regarding the use of confocal microscopy compared to standard epifluorescence microscopy, especially in the context of RNA in situ hybridization protocols.

Quality of Office-based Procedure Training During Laryngology Fellowship.

Objectives: The primary objective was to assess the perspectives of recent laryngology fellowship graduates on office-based procedure training, with a secondary objective to compare this with previous research on perspectives of fellowship directors.

Methods: Recent laryngology fellowship graduates were surveyed via an online survey platform regarding post-fellowship practice and various aspects of office-based procedure training, including perceived competence, mentorship, and barriers.

Results: There were 51 respondents.

Development and Application of Automated Vocal Fold Tracking Software in a Rat Surgical Model.

Objective: The rat is a widely used model for studying vocal fold (VF) function after recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, but common techniques for evaluating rat VF motion remain subjective and imprecise. To address this, we developed a software package, called RatVocalTracker1.0 (RVT1.

Corrigendum: A review of the peripheral proprioceptive apparatus in the larynx.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2023.

A review of the peripheral proprioceptive apparatus in the larynx.

The larynx is an organ of the upper airway that participates in breathing, glutition, voice production, and airway protection. These complex functions depend on vocal fold (VF) movement, facilitated in turn by the action of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles (ILM). The necessary precise and near-instantaneous modulation of each ILM contraction relies on proprioceptive innervation of the larynx.

Temporal expression of Laminin-111 in the developing rat larynx.

Laminin-111 is a basement membrane protein that participates in motor innervation and reinnervation. During axonal pathfinding, laminin-111 interacts with netrin-1 (NTN1) and changes its attractant growth cone properties into repulsion. While previous models of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) transection show increased Laminin-111 and NTN1 production after injury, developmental expression in the larynx has not been defined.

The Effects of Endotracheal Tube Size During Bronchoscopy in Simulated Models of Intubated Patients.

Objective: The aim is to use a simulation lung model to assess the possibility of performing bronchoscopy through endotracheal tubes (ETT) less than 8.0-mm while appropriately ventilating patients with normal and ARDS lungs in the setting of SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Five SHERIDAN® ETTs were used to ventilate SimMan® 3G under respiratory compliance levels representing normal and severe ARDS lungs.

Laryngeal Injury Due to Amikacin Inhalation for Refractory Mycobacterium avium Complex Infection.

Inhaled antibiotics have long been used for chronic lung infections, especially in patients with cystic fibrosis and increasingly for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Amikacin liposome inhalation suspension (ALIS) has emerged as a promising treatment for Mycobacterium avium complex infection refractory to oral antibiotics. However, despite its efficacy, nearly one-half of patients in phase II and III trials experienced dysphonia as a treatment-associated adverse effect.

Office-Based Procedure Training in Laryngology Fellowship Programs.

Objective: To assess the current practices and challenges of training office-based procedures to laryngology fellows in the United States.

Methods: An anonymous web-based survey study was distributed to laryngology fellowship program directors, as listed by the American Laryngological Association. The survey was a 19-item questionnaire with free-text, Likert scale, and multiple-choice answers.

Validation of the Communicative Participation Item Bank as an Outcome Measure for Spasmodic Dysphonia.

Objectives: Current patient-reported outcome measures do not adequately capture the impact of spasmodic dysphonia (SD) on communication in daily life situations. The aim of this study was to validate the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB), which specifically measures a disease's impact on daily conversational situations, as an outcome measure for SD.

Study Design: Multi-institutional prospective cohort study.

Is Office Laryngoscopy an Aerosol-Generating Procedure?

Objectives/hypothesis: The aims of this work were 1) to investigate whether office laryngoscopy is an aerosol-generating procedure with an optical particle sizer (OPS) during clinical simulation on healthy volunteers, and 2) to critically discuss methods for assessment of aerosolizing potentials in invasive interventions.

Study Design: Prospective quantification of aerosol and droplet generation during clinical simulation of rigid and flexible laryngoscopy.

Methods: Two healthy volunteers were recruited to undergo both flexible and rigid laryngoscopy.

Airway Protection-A Role for Vagal P2RY1 Receptors.

Recent events bring the importance of respiratory health to the forefront of our collective attention. In this issue of Cell, a new study by Prescott and Umans et al. reveals how a dedicated laryngeal sensory motor reflex circuit protects our airways from aspirated foods or liquids.

The Prevalence of Cricopharyngeal Webs in Elderly Cadavers.

Objective: Cricopharyngeal webs (CPW) are a frequent cause of solid food dysphagia. They are difficult to diagnose and are often missed on swallowing fluoroscopy. The prevalence of CPWs is uncertain.

Frame by frame analysis of glottic insufficiency using laryngovideostroboscopy.

Objectives/hypothesis: Glottic insufficiency (GI) can be either grossly obvious or subtle in its presentation. Subtle GI is demonstrated by various Laryngovideostroboscopic (LVS) clues, including complete but "short" phase closure of the true vocal folds (VFs) during the glottic cycle. We used the frame by frame analysis (FBFA) technique to evaluate its effectiveness in objectively contributing to the diagnosis of subtle GI in patients with atrophic and/or paretic VFs.

Vocal process granuloma and glottal insufficiency: an overlooked etiology?

Objectives/hypothesis: Vocal process granuloma has been attributed to intubation, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and phonotraumatic/hyperfunctional vocal behaviors. Vocal process granuloma has recurrence rates following surgical excision approaching 92%. We hypothesize that a portion of persistent or idiopathic cases of vocal process granuloma result from underlying glottal insufficiency (GI) caused by paresis, scar, or atrophy.