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Small MRI sample size studies lack sufficient statistical power
Small sample sizes in studies using functional MRI to investigate brain connectivity and function are common in neuroscience, despite years of warnings that such...
Human drug trials compromised by poor animal research reporting
Poor animal study design and reporting thwarts the ethical review of proposed human drug trials, according to a study led by researchers at Hannover...
Duke University faces new NIH requirements after research misconduct
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently imposed unusual new requirements on researchers based at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who receive...
NHS scepticism over study claiming heart benefits of fasting diet
A University of Surrey study that compares the 5:2 fasting diet with a daily calorie restriction diet and concludes that fasting could have a...
Researchers challenge claims that sugar industry paid scientists to shift blame
In recent years, high-profile claims in the academic literature and popular press have alleged that the sugar industry paid scientists in the 1960s to...
Warnings on side effects of epilepsy drug came 40 years too late
Warnings to young women who might become pregnant that the epilepsy drug sodium valproate could cause birth defects and developmental problems in their babies...
No adverse effects from light drinking in pregnancy but abstention still advised
A research review suggests that consuming even small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy may be linked with higher chances of having a small baby...
Top UK university used overseas patients as research guinea pigs
Experimental implants that should only have been used in laboratory or animal tests were sent abroad and used on patients who were treated like...
BHIVA challenges recommendation on ART for HIV+ pregnant women
The British HIV Association (BHIVA) has taken issue with a BMJ article regarding the PROMISE trial that led to a recommendation on the use...
Fury from LGBT rights groups over facial recognition study
A facial recognition experiment that claims to be able to distinguish between gay and heterosexual people has sparked a row between its creators and...
Study finds 'spin' in 26% of research – rising in non-randomised trials
Researchers from the University of Sydney's multidisciplinary Charles Perkins Centre and faculty of pharmacy reviewed 35 published academic studies of so-called “spin” in biomedical...
The Lancet under fire over editorial response to misconduct claims
The Lancet journal has been criticised in an open letter over its statement that the World Health Organisation's judgment of misconduct regarding the Oxford...
Tips for positive outcomes when submitting manuscripts
17Reviewer comments on a scientific manuscript may seem critical and personal to authors, but they are generally well thought out and meant to enhance...
Too many experimental drugs, too many trials, too few patients
With the arrival of two revolutionary treatment strategies, immunotherapy and personalised medicine, cancer researchers have found new hope – and a problem that is...
First clinical trail on therapeutic benefits of Ecstasy’s active ingredient on alcoholics
Imperial College London researchers are preparing to conduct the world’s first clinical trial looking into the potential therapeutic effects that MDMA, the active ingredient...
Grad student pirate provides free access to millions of research studies
A 27-year-old graduate student from Kazakhstan is operating a searchable online database of nearly 50m stolen scholarly journal articles, shattering the $10bn-per-year paywall of...
Many discredited US scientists get a second chance
Many believe that once a scientist is found guilty of research misconduct, his or her scientific career is over. But a study suggests that,...
Journal retracts organ study over executed Chinese prisoners concerns
The journal Liver International will retract a 2016 study because of concerns that its data on the safety of liver transplantation involved organs sourced...
Flawed research + media hype = hysteria
When flawed clinical research is reported in the media with hype and sensationalism, it has the potential to have devastating effects — such as...
Financial ties between researchers and industry link to positive trial results
Financial ties between researchers and companies that make the drugs they are studying are independently associated with positive trial results, suggesting bias in the...
Animal research ethics is being 'neglected' in student training
Despite guidelines that UK students should receive training in good research conduct and consider wider societal and ethical issues of their animal research, this...
P-hacking to get publishable results
An Australian study has found some scientists are unknowingly tweaking experiments and analysis methods to increase their chances of getting results that are easily published. It claims to be is the most comprehensive investigation yet into a type of publication bias called p-hacking.
Breath test can check for breast cancer
Scientists have developed a breath test to check for breast cancer. According to a Daily Mail report, research shows the kit is at least...
Contraceptive pill may increase chance of developing MS
Taking the contraceptive Pill may increase a woman’s chance of developing multiple sclerosis. An IoL report says that this is according to a new...
Bursts of anger could increase heart attack risk
European researchers have found that people who have outbursts of anger are at greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the...
Children damaged by exposure to passive smoking – research
Exposure to passive smoking in childhood causes irreversible damage to the structure of children’s arteries. HealthCanal reports that this is according to a study...
BPA levels in men’s urine could be a marker of prostate cancer
Findings by Cincinnati Cancer Centre researchers show that levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in men's urine could be a marker of prostate cancer and...
Ga y genetics research still provokes irrational responses
Why does a ‘ga y gene' paper still cause a stir? A similar paper on any other topic would probably have passed unnoticed. But...
Norway to trial nasal spray antidote to heroin overdose
Norway IS poised to start trials of a nasal spray that reverses the effect of a heroin overdose, in a move that could encourage...
Can marijuana clow HIV progression?
The chronic intake of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can protect critical immune tissue in the gut from the damaging effects of...