Search Results for: randomized

Data sleuth flags 30 randomized clinical trials from researcher in Egypt

Thirty randomized clinical trials involving a researcher in Egypt who has already had six papers retracted show signs of research misconduct and data fabrication, according to the authors of a recent preprint.  Ben Mol, one of the authors of the preprint and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Monash University in Australia, has spent … Continue reading Data sleuth flags 30 randomized clinical trials from researcher in Egypt

Weekend reads: ‘Published crap;’ randomized grant awards; ‘Problems in Science Publishing’

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: How to find evidence of paper mills using peer review comments Journal retracts a paper it published with a missing table after author fails to provide it Which takes longer to produce: An infant … Continue reading Weekend reads: ‘Published crap;’ randomized grant awards; ‘Problems in Science Publishing’

Hello, reviewers? How did a study manage to say it was randomized, but also that it wasn’t?

A journal has retracted a 2016 article for a litany of flaws, including plagiarism and a massive self-inflicted wound that should have obviated the first offense.   According to the notice in Cardiology Research and Practice (a Hindawi title) for the paper, which compared two methods of threading a catheter into the heart’s arteries:

Authors retract surgery study that claimed to be randomized but wasn’t

The authors of a study about spinal fusion surgery have retracted it after realizing the cohort study was described as a prospective, randomized trial.  The last author told us he believed the incorrect wording was added to the paper — and the title — by accident. Even though he said the journal Spine suggested correcting it, the authors chose … Continue reading Authors retract surgery study that claimed to be randomized but wasn’t

COPE’s involvement leads to retraction of paper on homeopathy for lung cancer

A journal that last year corrected a paper claiming to show a homeopathic intervention improved quality of life and survival for people with advanced lung cancer has now retracted the article after the Committee on Publication Ethics got involved in the case.  The extensive correction and an accompanying editorial, published in September 2024 in The … Continue reading COPE’s involvement leads to retraction of paper on homeopathy for lung cancer

Lancet journal retracts COVID-19 metformin paper nearly 2 years after authors request correction

A paper on a clinical trial of metformin for the treatment of COVID-19 has been retracted nearly two years after the authors flagged data issues that resulted in an expression of concern.  The results of the Brazil-based TOGETHER trial, published in December 2021 in The Lancet Regional Health–Americas, found metformin was no better than placebo … Continue reading Lancet journal retracts COVID-19 metformin paper nearly 2 years after authors request correction

BMJ places expression of concern on heavily criticized stem cell paper

The BMJ has issued an expression of concern for a paper claiming stem cell therapy can reduce the risk of heart failure. The move comes after sleuths and scientists critiqued the “complete mismatch” between the study data and the article itself.  As we reported last week, the October 29 paper included results of a phase … Continue reading BMJ places expression of concern on heavily criticized stem cell paper

Sleuths flag ‘complete mismatch’ in data of BMJ stem cell study 

A week after The BMJ published a highly publicized paper claiming stem cell therapy can reduce the risk of heart failure, sleuths have unearthed what they are calling “serious” inconsistencies in the data.  The paper claims the phase III clinical trial published October 29 included over 400 patients in Shiraz, Iran, and tested whether stem … Continue reading Sleuths flag ‘complete mismatch’ in data of BMJ stem cell study 

Review mill in Italy targeting ob-gyn journals, researchers allege

A network of peer reviewers in Italy is targeting medical journals, threatening “both the scientific record and patient safety,” a team of researchers report. Without more transparency by journals, they say, most review mills will remain impossible to detect. In a preprint posted on medRxiv on October 23, sleuths Dorothy Bishop, René Aquarius and Maria … Continue reading Review mill in Italy targeting ob-gyn journals, researchers allege

Controversial Paxil “Study 329” earns expression of concern after critic sues publisher

After more than 20 years of criticism and calls for retraction, a journal has placed an expression of concern on a study of the antidepressant Paxil in teens that critics say has led to unwarranted and potentially harmful prescribing of the drug to youth.  The 2001 paper, published in the Journal of the American Academy … Continue reading Controversial Paxil “Study 329” earns expression of concern after critic sues publisher