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Browse the failure-mode index

414 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures in Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology. Search the index →

WASTE indexes published research — it does not host or republish full papers. Each entry is a metadata record compiled from open scholarly databases; the abstract is shown in full only where the paper is openly licensed, otherwise a short excerpt under fair use. Classifications are automated and approximate.

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Sex-Specific Associations of Total Bilirubin, ALBI, and PALBI with Lung Cancer Risk: Interactions with Smoking and Alcohol

Jong Won Shin, Minh Nguyen Thien, Sun Ha Jee · 2025 · Healthcare

Background: Bilirubin is a potent endogenous antioxidant that plays a key role in regulating oxidative stress and inflammation, both closely linked to lung carcinogenesis. This study reinterprets the ALBI (Albumin–Bilirubin) and PALBI (Platelet–Albumin–Bilirubin) indices as composite markers of antioxidant and inflammatory status and evaluates their associations with lung cancer risk by sex, including stratified analyses by major lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol use. Methods: This study utilized data from the Korean Cancer Prevention Study-II (KCPS-II) cohort, which included 133,6

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Similarities and differences between dog–human and human–human relationships

Borbála Turcsán, Dorottya Júlia Ujfalussy, Andrea Kerepesi et al. · 2025 · Scientific Reports

Most dog owners in Western countries regard their dogs as companions or family members, prompting extensive research on the human-animal bond. However, many studies rely on broad categories or single dimensions, such as satisfaction or attachment, which can oversimplify the complexity of these relationships. In contrast, our study employed a multifaceted approach, examining the dog-owner bond across 13 relationship scales and comparing these scales to four different types of human relationships to reveal the human-like roles of dogs within a family. Participants (N = 717) characterized their r

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Antibiotic use and gut microbiome composition links from individual-level prescription data of 14,979 individuals

Gabriel Baldanzi, Anna Larsson, Sergi Sayols-Baixeras et al. · 2026 · Nature Medicine

Disruptions in gut microbiome are implicated in cardiometabolic disorders and other health outcomes. Antibiotics are known gut microbiome disruptors, but their long-term consequences remain underexplored. Here we combined individual-level data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register with fecal metagenomes of 14,979 adults to examine the association between oral antibiotic use over 8 years and gut microbiome. In multivariable confounder-adjusted regression models, antibiotic use <1 year before fecal sampling was associated with the greatest reduction in species diversity, but significant asso

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Replication FailureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Identification of Statistically Significant Features from Random Forests

Jérôme Paul, Michel Verleysen, Pierre Dupont · 2013

Abstract. Embedded feature selection can be performed by analyzing the variables used in a Random Forest. Such a multivariate selection takes into account the interactions between variables but is not easy to interpret in a statistical…

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Abandoned HypothesisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Are we ready to genetically modify a human embryo? Or is it too late to ask?

Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Ana S. Iltis · 2019 · Accountability in Research

After the announcement that a scientist genetically altered human embryos and implanted them for gestation last November, the increased discussion has revolved around the ethical lapses that occurred in the process. The scientist, He…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

The gut–kidney axis in chronic kidney disease: mechanisms, microbial metabolites, and microbiome-targeted therapeutics

Sami Alobaidi · 2025 · Frontiers in Medicine

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains a major global health issue, affecting millions and presenting persistent diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Conventional biomarkers such as serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate have well-recognized limitations, underscoring the need for novel diagnostic tools and interventions. Emerging evidence highlights the gut-kidney axis as a central contributor to CKD pathogenesis, shaped by microbial dysbiosis and altered metabolite production. Harmful metabolites such as indoxyl sulfate, p-cresyl sulfate, and trimethylamine-N-oxide promote

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Negative / Null Result ReportBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Modulation of autophagy: A phase II study of vorinostat (VOR) plus hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) vs regorafenib (RGF) in chemo-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Sukeshi Patel Arora, Laura Tenner, John Sarantopoulos et al. · 2019 · Journal of Clinical Oncology

3551 Background: Agents targeting the angiogenic pathway have been a cornerstone therapy in mCRC. In chemo-refractory mCRC, RGF, an oral multikinase inhibitor with considerable angiogenic inhibition, has shown modest effects on survival.…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Novel ASK1 Inhibitor AGI-1067 Attenuates AGE-Induced Fibrotic Response by Suppressing the MKKs/p38 MAPK Pathway in Human Coronary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells

Zhongwei Liu, Shuang Shi, Haitao Zhu et al. · 2018 · International Heart Journal

The phenotype shifting of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was indicated to play a role during the initial stage of atherosclerotic plaque formation by facilitating extracellular matrix deposition. This study was aimed at investigating…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Hydrogel-based drug delivery systems for localized eradication of bacterial biofilms: Advances, challenges and future directions

Amalie Kjær Andresen, Mathilde Sophie Felding, Margarida M. A. Sacramento et al. · 2025 · Journal of Controlled Release

Bacterial biofilms pose a significant clinical challenge due to their intrinsic resistance to antibiotics and immune clearance. Traditional systemic antibiotic therapies are often ineffective against the structured microbial communities, emphasizing the urgent need for localized and targeted drug delivery systems. Hydrogels are three-dimensional, water-rich polymeric networks, and have emerged as a versatile platform for localized delivery of antimicrobial agents, offering controlled release, biocompatibility and the potential for functionalization with bioactive components. This review explor

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

IKKα promotes lung adenocarcinoma growth through ERK signaling activation via DARPP-32-mediated inhibition of PP1 activity

Sk. Kayum Alam, Li Wang, Zhu Zhu et al. · 2023 · npj Precision Oncology

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80-85% cases of lung cancer cases. Diagnosis at advanced stages is common, after which therapy-refractory disease progression frequently occurs. Therefore, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control NSCLC progression is necessary to develop new therapies. Overexpression of IκB kinase α (IKKα) in NSCLC correlates with poor patient survival. IKKα is an NF-κB-activating kinase that is important in cell survival and differentiation, but its regulation of oncogenic signaling is not well understood. We recently demonstrated that IK

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Inhibiting the P2Y12 Receptor in Megakaryocytes and Platelets Suppresses Interferon-Associated Responses

Marcin A. Sowa, Haoyu Sun, Tricia T. Wang et al. · 2024 · JACC Basic to Translational Science

We investigated the impact of antiplatelet therapy on the megakaryocyte (MK) and platelet transcriptome. RNA-sequencing was performed on MKs treated with aspirin or P2Y12 inhibitor, platelets from healthy volunteers receiving aspirin or…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Genomics of Neotropical biodiversity indicators: Two butterfly radiations with rampant chromosomal rearrangements and hybridization

Eva S. M. van der Heijden, Karin Näsvall, Fernando Seixas et al. · 2025 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

A central question in evolutionary biology is what drives the diversification of lineages. Rapid, recent radiations are ideal systems for this question because they still show key morphological and ecological adaptations associated with speciation. While most research on recent radiations focuses on those occurring in insular environments, less attention has been given to continental radiations with complex species interactions. Here, we study the drivers of continental radiations of Melinaea and Mechanitis butterflies (Nymphalidae: Ithomiini), which have rapidly radiated in the continental Ne

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

New medications development for smoking cessation

Dana Lengel, Paul J. Kenny · 2023 · Addiction Neuroscience

Diseases associated with nicotine dependence in the form of habitual tobacco use are a major cause of premature death in the United States. The majority of tobacco smokers will relapse within the first month of attempted abstinence.…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Accurate prediction of quantitative traits with failed SNP calls in canola and maize

Sven E. Weber, Harmeet Singh Chawla, Lennard Ehrig et al. · 2023 · Frontiers in Plant Science

In modern plant breeding, genomic selection is becoming the gold standard to select superior genotypes in large breeding populations that are only partially phenotyped. Many breeding programs commonly rely on single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to capture genome-wide data for selection candidates. For this purpose, SNP arrays with moderate to high marker density represent a robust and cost-effective tool to generate reproducible, easy-to-handle, high-throughput genotype data from large-scale breeding populations. However, SNP arrays are prone to technical errors that lead to failed al

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Population Genetics and Trajectory Simulation Reveals the Invasion Process of the Fall Armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda ) in the Eastern Hemisphere

Pengfei Fu, Xijie Li, Zhongxiang Sun et al. · 2025 · Evolutionary Applications

As a migratory agricultural pest, the fall armyworm has been in the spotlight since it invaded Africa in 2016. Invasive populations have now colonized much of the Eastern Hemisphere, causing severe damage to a wide range of crops. However, there is still disagreement internationally on the origin and mode of invasion of fall armyworm populations, especially from the Americas to China. In this study, we provided an in-depth insight into the invasion of the fall armyworm in the Eastern hemisphere based on genome-wide data from 124 fall armyworm individuals collected from 14 sites across three co

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Human cancer genomes harbor the mutational signature of tobacco-specific nitrosamines NNN and NNK

Michael Korenjak, Nuri A. Temiz, Stéphane Keïta et al. · 2026 · Genome Medicine

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is linked to multiple cancer types and a quarter of cancer deaths. Tobacco smoke contains numerous mutagenic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), however, the mutagenicity of many chemicals in…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Transcriptome Profiling in Rat Inbred Strains and Experimental Cross Reveals Discrepant Genetic Architecture of Genome-Wide Gene Expression

Pamela J. Kaisaki, Georg Otto, Karène Argoud et al. · 2016 · G3 Genes Genomes Genetics

Abstract To test the impact of genetic heterogeneity on cis- and trans-mediated mechanisms of gene expression regulation, we profiled the transcriptome of adipose tissue in 20 inbred congenic strains derived from diabetic Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rats and Brown–Norway (BN) controls, which contain well-defined blocks (1–183 Mb) of genetic polymorphisms, and in 123 genetically heterogeneous rats of an (GK × BN)F2 offspring. Within each congenic we identified 73–1351 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), only 7.7% of which mapped within the congenic blocks, and which may be regulated in cis. The remai

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Altitude hypoxia and hypoxemia: pathogenesis and management

Chunmei Cai, Guohua Ni, Lei Chen et al. · 2026 · Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

At high altitudes, which typically exceed 2500 m, approximately 80 million people reside permanently, with over a million visitors annually. The primary effect of high altitude is hypobaric hypoxia, which leads to decreased oxygen availability and a cascade of physiological responses. However, inadequate or excessive responses can lead to malacclimatization, resulting in hypoxemia and various high-altitude illnesses, including acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), chronic mountain sickness (CMS), and high-altitude pulmonary hy

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Gut‒heart axis: emerging therapies targeting trimethylamine N-oxide production

Efrain Ricardo Torres, Jennifer Wilcox, W. H. Wilson Tang · 2025 · Gut Microbes

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) has garnered considerable attention because of its role in the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of various disorders, particularly heart and kidney disease. Gut microbes produce trimethylamine (TMA) moieties from common dietary precursors, such as choline or carnitine, which are subsequently metabolized by the liver into TMAO. Circulating TMAO then exerts various effects, influencing dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, endothelial dysfunction, and inflammation, as well as other detrimental processes. Many existing medications have been shown to decrease TMAO levels

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Negative / Null Result ReportBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Purinergic Signaling Regulates the Transforming Growth Factor-β3-Induced Chondrogenic Response of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Hydrostatic Pressure

Andrew J. Steward, Daniel J. Kelly, Diane R. Wagner · 2016 · Tissue Engineering Part A

Although hydrostatic pressure (HP) is known to regulate chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs), improved insight into the mechanotransduction of HP may form the basis for novel tissue engineering strategies.…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Associations of common variants in TAAR5, OR6C70, and GBA with hyposmia in Han Chinese individuals with Parkinson’s disease

Yi-Lun Ge, Pu-Zhi Wang, Jia-Hui Yan et al. · 2022 · Advanced Neurology

Hyposmia is one of the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson&amp;rsquo;s disease (PD), with a considerably high prevalence rate in PD individuals. However, some individuals still retain normal olfactory function. Recent studies have shown that genetic factors may play a role in such a phenomenon. This study aimed to explore the potential genetic factors underlying the variation of olfactory function among PD individuals. Two hundred and three Han Chinese individuals with PD were recruited into this study. All the individuals underwent detailed clinical assessment conducted by experienced neurologists

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Yuko Shimizu‐Motohashi · 2025 · Brain and Development

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked neuromuscular disorder caused by variants of the DMD that leads to progressive muscle degeneration. Recent advances in gene therapy have opened new therapeutic avenues, particularly through the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated micro-dystrophin delivery. Delandistrogene moxeparvovec, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for DMD, has demonstrated transgene expression and potential functional improvement in early phase trials, although its long-term efficacy, durability, and safety remain unconfirmed. Immune-mediated toxicities including

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Challenges in mimicking hypoxia: insights into HIF-regulated MiRNA expression induced by DMOG and CoCl2

Anna Barton, Maciej Jaśkiewicz, Anna Więch -Walów et al. · 2025 · Cell Communication and Signaling

Abstract The cellular and tissue response to acute hypoxia is mediated by a complex adaptive response initiated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) 1 and 2. HIF proteins are key transcription factors that modulate gene expression to adapt cells to the low oxygen tension. Cellular studies of hypoxia have used the low oxygen model by using hypoxia chambers to monitor the gene expression changes, while others have utilized hypoxia mimetics in normoxic conditions. Here, we provide a comparison of the utility and limitations of two hypoxia mimetics by studying the changes in the miRNA and mRNA expre

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Enhanced efficacy with azacytidine and oncolytic BHV-1 in a tolerized cotton rat model of breast adenocarcinoma

Breanne Cuddington, Meghan L. Verschoor, Ali A. Ashkar et al. · 2015 · Molecular Therapy — Oncolytics

Oncolytic viruses selectively replicate in cancer cells by exploiting biochemical differences between normal and tumor cells. Treatment with epigenetic modifiers such as 5-Azacytidine, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, increases the…

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