University of Iowa

A team flagged data-integrity issues in 130 studies by a biomedical researcher, Ahmed Abbas, and colleagues, published between 2014-2023. Concerns include odd statistics, unfeasible results, and duplicated text. Eleven studies have been retracted, impacting clinical practice. Women’s health specialists are developing strategies to prevent questionable data publication.

Aaron Martin, a financial manager, found relief from depression and addiction through psychedelic treatments in Costa Rica, leading to significant lifestyle changes. The FDA's recent denial of MDMA for PTSD treatment highlights challenges in psychedelic therapy approval, though ongoing research at the University of Iowa explores psychedelics for alcoholism treatment. Experts emphasize the necessity of combining psychedelics with psychotherapy for effective mental health treatment.

The article discusses the use of immunotherapy, particularly Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), for treating non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and explores the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic bladder cancer. It highlights the development of guidelines by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Task Force, focusing on patient selection, toxicity management, and the combination and sequencing of therapies. The consensus emphasizes BCG as standard care for high-risk NMIBC and considers immune checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic disease, with pembrolizumab showing improved survival.

The NIH Collaboratory's Living Textbook offers insights into pragmatic clinical trials, emphasizing their role in generating evidence for medical decisions. It highlights challenges, best practices, and resources for conducting these trials, alongside upcoming learning opportunities and news on workshops and presentations aimed at improving patient care through pragmatic research.