A paper about the discovery of “the first potent and specific anti-COVID-19 drug” has been retracted after it emerged that the compound wasn’t so novel after all.  The article, published in May 2021 in Chemical Papers has been cited seven times, according to Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science.  As the paper’s sole author, Amgad M. … Continue reading A paper claimed to describe ‘the first potent and specific anti-COVID-19 drug.’ Now it’s retracted.

The Sept. 10, 2019 PBS article accompanying the FRONTLINE documentary “Deadly Water” was topped by a provocative headline: “The EPA Says Flint’s Water is Safe — Scientists Aren’t So Sure.” The PBS story relied on a study of adverse health outcomes for people given point-of-use (POU) water filters during the Flint Federal Emergency. We were … Continue reading After we tried to correct claims about ‘deadly’ water filters in Flint, we were accused of scientific misconduct—and that was just the beginning

A paper on the potential use of ivermectin to treat Covid-19 has been retracted for a litany of flaws, joining at least 10 other articles on the therapy some liked to promote without evidence to fall.  The article was part of a special issue of Toxicology Reports on Covid-19 that has received an expression of … Continue reading Another ivermectin-COVID-19 paper is retracted

A journal has retracted a 2021 paper claiming that vitamin D “significantly reduced the inflammatory markers associated with COVID-19 without any side effects” following criticism that led them to “no longer have confidence in the conclusions.” The paper “Impact of daily high dose oral vitamin D therapy on the inflammatory markers in patients with COVID … Continue reading COVID-19-vitamin D paper retracted by Springer Nature journal

A journal has retracted a meta-analysis on Covid-19 after concerned readers complained about the quality — or lack thereof — of the study.  The article, “A meta-analysis of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibody treatment for COVID-19 patients,” appeared in Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease, a SAGE title.  According to the retraction notice:  At the request … Continue reading Authors retract, resubmit “very poorly conducted” meta-analysis of COVID-19 treatment

A group of researchers in Egypt have lost a second paper on possible treatments for Covid-19 after questions were raised about the legitimacy of their trial findings — and additional retractions might be coming soon. As we reported in September, the group lost an article in Scientific Reports about a purported trial comparing  favipiravir and … Continue reading Group’s second paper on potential treatments for COVID-19 is retracted

A group of neurosurgery researchers in Tunisia have lost a 2021 case study on childhood meningitis after the editors discovered evidence of plagiarism and image manipulation.  The article, “A case of meningitis due to Achromobacter xylosoxidans in a child with a polymalformative syndrome: a case report,” appeared in the Pan African Medical Journal and was … Continue reading ‘Clear evidence of theft’ brings down meningitis paper with dodgy images

A Wisconsin physician who has been pushing unproven treatments for Covid-19 has lost a paper on a hospital protocol his group says radically reduced deaths from the infection after one of the facilities cited in the study said the data were incorrect.   Pierre Kory, whose titles have included medical director of the Trauma and Life … Continue reading Bad MATH+? Covid treatment paper by Pierre Kory retracted for flawed results

The authors of a study purportedly showing that ivermectin could treat patients with  SARS-CoV-2 have retracted their paper after acknowledging that their data were garbled.  The paper, “Effects of a Single Dose of Ivermectin on Viral and Clinical Outcomes in Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infected Subjects: A Pilot Clinical Trial in Lebanon,” appeared in the journal Viruses … Continue reading Ivermectin-COVID-19 study retracted; authors blame file mixup

A virology journal has retracted and replaced a 2021 article on mosquito-borne infections in Africa after one of the authors identified errors in the publication — an episode that has prompted a change in practice at the journal to avoid similar issues in the future.  The article, “Mosquito-borne arboviruses in Uganda: history, transmission and burden,” … Continue reading ‘We have done a terrible job’: Journal retracts, replaces paper on mosquito-borne infections