Effects of hypertonic saline and/or carbocisteine on sputum rheology in bronchiectasis: CLEAR-EME
Michael C. McKelvey, Gisli G. Einarsson, Jack Carson, Aram Kadoom, Ryan R. Brown, Christina Campbell, Andrew Jackson, Cliona McDowell, Mike Clarke, Fiona Copeland, Kathryn Ferguson, Rebecca H. McLeese · 2026
Read Effects of hypertonic saline and/or carbocisteine on sputum rheology in bronchiectasis: CLEAR-EME by Michael C. McKelvey, Gisli G. Einarsson, Jack Carson, Aram Kadoom, Ryan R. Brown, Christina Campbell, Andrew Jackson, Cliona McDowell, Mike Clarke, Fiona Copeland, Kathryn Ferguson, Rebecca H. McLeese (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13591285.txt.
Description
Michael C McKelvey leads a large team testing two mucus loosening treatments for bronchiectasis, a lasting lung disease where widened airways trap thick sputum. Patients were assigned at random to salty mist, a drug called carbocisteine, both, or usual care. Sputum was gathered at the start and at two and eight weeks. The team measured its stretch and flow, its irritant markers, and its mix of bacteria.
Neither treatment thinned the sputum or shifted its markers or bacteria in this sub study, with small groups of 6 to 15 per arm. At the start, thicker sputum tracked with higher levels of a key irritant signal and with one bacterium taking over. McKelvey and the team conclude the data do not back these drugs for changing sputum traits.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Michael C. McKelvey, Gisli G. Einarsson, Jack Carson, Aram Kadoom, Ryan R. Brown, Christina Campbell, Andrew Jackson, Cliona McDowell, Mike Clarke, Fiona Copeland, Kathryn Ferguson, Rebecca H. McLeese |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 26 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |