Scientific fraud appears to be far more common in medical research than previously thought, according to a disturbing report being published today in the journal Science.
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas have developed a computer program, called eTBLAST, that can scan medical databases for cases of plagiarism. They used it to randomly search Medline, one of the largest online sources of medical research, and found about 9,000 duplicate articles with different authors. "In other words, potential plagiarism," said Harold Garner, the senior scientist in charge of the sleuthing effort.
"We have just started to scratch the surface, we anticipate finding hundreds to thousands more cases," he said in an interview. "It is definitely the tip of the iceberg."
Dr. Garner noted that, in the past, it has been a challenge for journal editors to catch plagiarism because they lacked the resources to check the huge body of medical literature. In 2007, for instance, there were only 17 published papers retracted because they were later found to have contained plagiarized material, he said.
But the arrival of eTBLAST and similar computer programs developed by other research teams should make it easier to spot this form of misconduct. "We make eTBLAST available on the Web for free at eTBLAST.org," he said, adding that the increased risk of being caught will hopefully act as a deterrent.
As part of their plagiarism probe, Dr. Garner and colleagues selected 200 of the 9,000 duplicate articles for detailed analysis. Questionnaires were sent to both the suspected victims and perpetrators of plagiarism as well as editors of the journals that published the tainted studies.
"Our questionnaire triggered 83 internal investigations by editors, 46 of which have led to retraction," Dr. Garner said. Some editors, however, chose not to pursue the issue, possibly fearing bad publicity.
Most of the plagiarism victims reported that they had been unaware their original work was copied. Not surprisingly, many of the apparent plagiarists did not answer the questionnaire.
"Of the 60 replies, 28 per cent denied any wrongdoing; 35 per cent admitted to having borrowed previously published material; and 22 per cent were from co-authors claiming no involvement in the writing of the manuscript. An additional 17 per cent said they were unaware their names appeared on the article in question," according to the team's findings published in Science.
Dr. Garner emphasized that plagiarism is a serious offence that can adversely affect patient care. Both researchers and physicians routinely use medical databases. If plagiarists copy studies that contain errors, it can create a false impression of the effectiveness of certain treatments.
"It can lead people to being inappropriately influenced by papers that are questionable," he said.
ASTHMA CONTROL
There's fresh hope on the horizon for people who suffer from an extreme form of asthma.
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton have demonstrated that an experimental drug, known as mepolizumab, helps bring these patients' symptoms under better control.
In particular, the drug stops the body's production of eosinophils - inflammatory cells that play a major role in asthma. These specialized immune cells are normally involved in fighting parasites. But for unknown reasons, they become overactive in the airways of asthma patients. They cause the airways to narrow and become inflamed. Over time, they can scar lungs.
For most asthmatics, eosinophils can be kept in check with regular asthma medications such as inhaled corticosteroids. However, a small minority of Canada's three million asthma sufferers doesn't fully respond to the standard treatment and must also take prednisone, a powerful immune-suppressing drug that has serious side effects including weight gain, bone-density loss and increased risk of infections.
For their study, the researchers, who are based at McMaster's Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health Research, tested mepolizumab on a small group of patients with severe asthma. The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, revealed that patients given the experimental drug could significantly reduce their prednisone dose without triggering a flare-up of their asthma symptoms.
Mepolizumab may prove useful for an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 Canadians afflicted with severe asthma, said Paul O'Byrne, senior author of the study. But he cautioned that a large clinical trial is needed to confirm the results before Health Canada would consider approving the drug.
RSI GUIDE
Last week, a group of labour activists held a meeting in Toronto, hoping to raise awareness about repetitive strain injury.
These injuries often result from doing one job over and over again - such as typing at a computer or working on an assembly line - which puts too much strain on one part of the body. They can lead to debilitating pain in the hands, arms, neck and back.
Labour groups want the provinces to introduce ergonomic regulations that would require employers to introduce workplace prevention measures.
But what if you're already hurting? It can sometimes be hard to find a health-care professional who has a detailed knowledge of this hard-to-treat condition.
One valuable resource is Life Beyond the Carpal Tunnel, an RSI handbook written by Toronto physician and researcher Heather Tick. It provides helpful recovery tips, including a wide variety of exercises.
Full disclosure: I had a part in editing the book. However, I make no money on the sales.
The book can be ordered through the website heathertickmd.com.
