The Complicated Story Behind Yet Another Disappeared Article At A Top Heart Journal

Once again the European Heart Journal has “unpublished” an article without any notice of retraction or explanation. Strangely, the article– Russian science through the prism of intelligence: is fraud still possible?– can still be viewed (at least for now) with a vestigial URL , but it can not be found through the usual channels on the journal site. The pages for the story…

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Leading European Cardiologist Accused Of Plagiarism

Thomas Lüscher, the editor of the European Heart Journal and one of the most prominent cardiologists in Europe, has been accused of plagiarism. An irony in the case is that  Lüscher has taken a strong public position against scientific misconduct of all sorts, including plagiarism. … Click here to read the full post on Forbes.  …

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This Blog Is ‘Not Suitable For Dissemination Through The Internet’

The editors of the prestigious European Heart Journal have decided that this blog, or at least one recent post, “is “not suitable for dissemination through the internet.” I beg to differ. In an EHJ editorial, Is the panic about beta-blockers in perioperative care justified?, the authors, the editors of the journal, led by editor-in-chief Thomas Lüscher, repeatedly criticize a post I wrote…

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Lancet Formally Retracts Jikei Heart Study Of Valsartan

The Lancet has formally retracted the Jikei Heart Study paper, originally published in 2007. The retraction had been widely anticipated for more than a month, after a series of news reports in Japan made it clear that the long-simmering controversy over scientific misconduct involving the Novartis blood pressure lowering drug valsartan (Diovan) had come to a full boil. (See our earlier story here.)…

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Sex And The Cardiac Patient Should Not Be A Taboo Subject

It’s not an easy conversation to have. After a heart attack or other major cardiac event, talking about sex is awkward, and often avoided by patients, their partners, and physicians. But a new consensus statement from several major cardiology organizations urges physicians to get over their reluctance or embarrassment and counsel their cardiac patients about…

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Take Your Blood Pressure Pills Or Increase Your Risk Of Stroke

A large new observational study demonstrates that people who don’t take their antihypertensive medications are much more likely to have a stroke. The new study, published in the European Heart Journal, used nationwide prescription, hospital and mortality records from 73,527 hypertensive patients in Finland. The Finnish investigators compared 26,704 patients who were hospitalized or died of stroke…

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Too Much, Too Fast? Cross-Country Skiing And Heart Arrhythmias

When it comes to exercise it may be true that you can do too much or go too fast. It may seem counterintuitive but a new study finds that among cross-country skiers the risk of having a cardiac arrhythmia was highest in those who raced the fastest or most often. … In a paper published in…

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Japanese Research Scandal Expands To A Second Trial And A Novartis Employee

A Japanese research scandal, which has so far centered on actions taken by the once-prominent cardiologist Hiroaki Matsubara, has now expanded. As has been previously reported, several papers authored by Matsubara have been retracted, including, most notably, the main publication of the Kyoto Heart Study in the European Heart Journal. Now, however, questions have been…

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Scientific Misconduct: From Darwin And Mendel To Poldermans And Matsubara

Responding to recent episodes of scientific misconduct in cardiovascular research involving once prominent cardiovascular researchers, the editor of the European Heart Journal, Thomas Lüscher, has written an editorial discussing the significance of the new cases and placing them in a historical context that includes allegations of scientific misconduct by Mendel and Darwin, among many others. … Poldermans was the…

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HPS2-THRIVE Coming Attraction: First Look At What Went Wrong With Niacin

In a few weeks, on March 9, the main results of the HPS2-THRIVE (Heart Protection Study 2-Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) study will be presented in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. These results have been eagerly awaited since Merck’s brief announcement in December that the trial had not met its primary endpoint…

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European Heart Journal Retracts Main Paper Of The Kyoto Heart Study

The editors of the European Heart Journal have retracted the 2009 paper reporting the main results of the Kyoto Heart Study, a randomized, open-labeled study testing the add-on effect of valsartan to conventional therapy in high-risk hypertension. The retraction notice gave no details about the problems that led to the retraction. Here is the full text…

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