e-ISSN: Pending

Browse the failure-mode index

11,300 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures in Medicine · Negative / Null Result Report. 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 accessMedicine

Evolution of Omicron lineage towards increased fitness in the upper respiratory tract in the absence of severe lung pathology

Arthur Wickenhagen, Meaghan Flagg, Julia R. Port et al. · 2025 · Nature Communications

The emergence of the Omicron lineage represented a major genetic drift in SARS-CoV-2 evolution. This was associated with phenotypic changes including evasion of pre-existing immunity and decreased disease severity. Continuous evolution within the Omicron lineage raised concerns of potential increased transmissibility and/or disease severity. To address this, we evaluate the fitness and pathogenesis of contemporary Omicron variants XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, EG.5.1, and JN.1 in the upper (URT) and lower respiratory tract (LRT). We compare in vivo infection in Syrian hamsters with infection in primary h

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportMedicine

Replication of not-known-vector flaviviruses in mosquito cells is restricted by intracellular host factors rather than by the viral envelope proteins

Nathalie Charlier, Andrew D. Davidson, Kai Dallmeier et al. · 2010 · Journal of General Virology

Chimeric yellow fever virus 17D (YFV-17D) and dengue virus type 2 (DENV2) carrying the surface proteins of Modoc virus (MODV), a not-known-vector (NKV) flavivirus, replicated efficiently in mammalian (Vero-B) and mosquito (C6/36) cells,…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Multiple system atrophy: an update and emerging directions of biomarkers and clinical trials

Min Liu, Zhiyao Wang, Huifang Shang · 2024 · Journal of Neurology

Multiple system atrophy is a rare, debilitating, adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder that manifests clinically as a diverse combination of parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, and autonomic dysfunction. It is pathologically characterized by oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions containing abnormally aggregated α-synuclein. According to the updated Movement Disorder Society diagnostic criteria for multiple system atrophy, the diagnosis of clinically established multiple system atrophy requires the manifestation of autonomic dysfunction in combination with poorly levo-dopa responsive parkinsoni

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Preoperative palsy score has no significant association with survival in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with spinal metastases who undergo spinal surgery

Yen‐Jen Chen, Hsien‐Te Chen, Horng‐Chaung Hsu · 2015 · Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research

BACKGROUND: Survival is a key factor physicians consider when selecting a treatment modality for the treatment of spinal metastases. Various assessment systems can predict length of survival and facilitate selection of the most appropriate treatment. Spinal palsy is a prognostic parameter in the Tokuhashi scoring system but not in the Tomita scoring system. A limitation of these scoring systems is that studies of them have included different tumor types. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of preoperative neurological status as a prognostic factor in non-small-cell lung cancer

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

A randomized controlled trial of liposomal cyclosporine A for inhalation in the prevention of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following lung transplantation

Claus Neurohr, Nikolaus Kneidinger, Alessandro Ghiani et al. · 2021 · American Journal of Transplantation

Long-term survival after lung transplantation is limited by chronic allograft dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of locally augmented immunosuppression with liposomal cyclosporine A for inhalation (L-CsA-i)…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Genome-Wide Association Study of Irritable vs. Elated Mania Suggests Genetic Differences between Clinical Subtypes of Bipolar Disorder

Tiffany A. Greenwood, John R. Kelsoe · 2013 · PLoS ONE

The use of clinical features to define subtypes of a disorder may aid in gene identification for complex diseases. In particular, clinical subtypes of mania may distinguish phenotypic subgroups of bipolar subjects that may also differ genetically. To assess this possibility, we performed a genome-wide association study using genotype data from the Bipolar Genome Study (BiGS) and subjects that were categorized as having either irritable or elated mania during their most severe episode. A bipolar case-only analysis in the GAIN bipolar sample identified several genomic regions that differed betwe

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2025 update

Josef S. Smolen, Christopher J. Edwards, Victoria Konzett et al. · 2026 · Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to provide an update of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management recommendations addressing the most recent insights. METHODS: An International Task…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Diagnostic Potential of Cytokine Biomarkers in Endometriosis: Challenges and Insights

Laura Krygere, Povilas Jukna, Kristina Jarienė et al. · 2024 · Biomedicines

Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition affecting approximately 10% of women of reproductive age, characterized by the abnormal presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. Although endometriosis was first described over 300 years ago, its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, and accurate, prompt diagnosis continues to be challenging. Currently, there is a lack of effective, non-invasive diagnostic methods, and available treatments often come with significant side effects and high recurrence rates. This has spurred interest in investigating the role of pro- and

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

fNIRS reproducibility varies with data quality, analysis pipelines, and researcher experience

Meryem A. Yücel, Robert Luke, Rickson C. Mesquita et al. · 2025 · Communications Biology

As data analysis pipelines grow more complex in brain imaging research, understanding how methodological choices affect results is essential for ensuring reproducibility and transparency. This is especially relevant for functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), a rapidly growing technique for assessing brain function in naturalistic settings and across the lifespan, yet one that still lacks standardized analysis approaches. In the fNIRS Reproducibility Study Hub (FRESH) initiative, we asked 38 research teams worldwide to independently analyze the same two fNIRS datasets. Despite using dif

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

ChatGPT Health performance in a structured test of triage recommendations

Ashwin Ramaswamy, Alvira Tyagi, Hannah Hugo et al. · 2026 · Nature Medicine

ChatGPT Health was launched in January 2026 as OpenAI's consumer health tool and has reached millions of users. Here we conducted a structured stress test of triage recommendations using 60 clinician-authored vignettes across 21 clinical domains under 16 factorial conditions, yielding 960 total responses. Performance followed an inverted U-shaped pattern, with the most dangerous failures concentrated at clinical extremes-nonurgent presentations (35%) and emergency conditions (48%). Among gold-standard emergencies, the system undertriaged 52% of cases, directing patients with diabetic ketoacido

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Volatile versus Propofol General Anesthesia and Long-term Survival after Breast Cancer Surgery: A National Registry Retrospective Cohort Study

Mats Enlund, Anders Berglund, Anna Enlund et al. · 2022 · Anesthesiology

BACKGROUND: Several retrospective studies using administrative or single-center data have failed to show any difference between general anesthesia using propofol versus inhaled volatiles on long-term survival after breast cancer surgery.…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Understanding graft-versus-host disease. Preliminary findings regarding the effects of exercise in affected patients

Carmen Fiuza‐Luces, Nuria Garatachea, Nathan A. Berger et al. · 2026 · PubMed

Advances in this century regarding allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) have led to an expanding population of long-term survivors, many of whom suffer severe side effects, particularly those related to graft-versushost disease (GVHD), a potentially multi-systemic disorder caused by immunoeffector donor lymphocytes that destroy host tissues. The GVHD, especially in its chronic form (cGVHD), generates considerable morbidity and compromises the physical capacity of patients. We have reviewed the main pathophysiological aspects of the disease as well as the data availabl

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Impact of Middle Hepatic Vein Resection During Hemihepatectomy on Surgical Outcomes and Long-Term Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study

Wan-Ling Luo, Qing-Bo Wang, Yu-Kai Li et al. · 2025 · Journal of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of middle hepatic vein (MHV) resection during hemihepatectomy on short-term surgical outcomes and long-term prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and Methods:…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

AI Chatbots as Sources of STD Information: A Study on Reliability and Readability

Hüseyin Alperen Yıldız, Emrullah Söğütdelen · 2025 · Journal of Medical Systems

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are increasingly used for medical inquiries, including sensitive topics like sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). However, concerns remain regarding the reliability and readability of the information they provide. This study aimed to assess the reliability and readability of AI chatbots in providing information on STDs. The key objectives were to determine (1) the reliability of STD-related information provided by AI chatbots, and (2) whether the readability of this information meets the recommended standarts for patient education materials. M

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Aspirin use and ovarian cancer mortality in a Danish nationwide cohort study

Freija Verdoodt, Susanne K. Kjær, Christian Dehlendorff et al. · 2018 · British Journal of Cancer

BACKGROUND: Increasing data suggest that aspirin use may improve cancer survival; however, the evidence is sparse for ovarian cancer. METHODS: We examined the association between postdiagnosis use of low-dose aspirin and mortality in a…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

The antihypertensive MTHFR gene polymorphism rs17367504-G is a possible novel protective locus for preeclampsia

Liv Cecilie Vestrheim Thomsen, Nina S. McCarthy, Phillip E. Melton et al. · 2016 · Journal of Hypertension

OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia is a complex heterogeneous disease commonly defined by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria in pregnancy. Women experiencing preeclampsia have increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) later in life.…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Does recreational scuba diving have clinically significant effect on routine haematological parameters?

Antonija Perović, Nora Nikolac, Marina Njire Bratičević et al. · 2017 · Biochemia Medica

INTRODUCTION: Scuba diving represents a combination of exercise and changes in environmental conditions. This study aimed to evaluate changes in haematological parameters after recreational scuba diving in order to identify clinically significant changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included males, 17 recreational divers, median age (range) 41 (30-52) years. Blood samples were taken before diving, immediately after diving to 30 meters for 30 minutes, 3 hours and 6 hours after diving. Complete blood counts were analyzed on the Cell Dyn Ruby haematology analyzer. Statistical significance be

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

First exposure to rituximab is associated to high rate of anti-drug antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus but not in ANCA-associated vasculitis

Francesca Faustini, Nicky Dunn, Nastya Kharlamova et al. · 2021 · Arthritis Research & Therapy

BACKGROUND: Anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) can impact on the efficacy and safety of biologicals, today used to treat several chronic inflammatory conditions. Specific patient groups may be more prone to develop ADAs. Rituximab is routinely used for ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and as off-label therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but data on occurrence and predisposing factors to ADAs in these diseases is limited. OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the rate of occurrence, and risk factors for ADAs against rituximab in SLE and AAV. METHODS: ADAs were detected using a bridging electrochemilumi

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Measuring and tracking obesity inequality in the United States: evidence from NHANES, 1971-2014

Tae‐Young Pak, Susana Ferreira, Gregory Colson · 2016 · Population Health Metrics

BACKGROUND: Because people care about their weight relative to peers and society, obesity inequality plays a role in explaining obesity incidence and the impacts of being obese on subjective well-being. While the increase in obesity prevalence and mean body mass index (BMI) is well documented, the measurement of distributional changes and corresponding obesity inequality is yet to be fully explored. METHODS: The present study analyzed BMI data for adults aged 20 to 74 from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) I (1971-1974), II (1976-1980), III (1988-1994), and contin

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Inflammation-Related Gene Variants as Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer

Kaye M. Reid–Lombardo, Brooke L. Fridley, William R. Bamlet et al. · 2011 · Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention

BACKGROUND: Recent reports support an association between chronic inflammation and progression to pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS: This case-control, candidate gene association study evaluated 1,354 Caucasian patients with pancreatic…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Effect of Concurrent Chemoradiation With Celecoxib vs Concurrent Chemoradiation Alone on Survival Among Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer With and Without Cyclooxygenase 2 Genetic Variants

Nan Bi, Jun Liang, Zongmei Zhou et al. · 2019 · JAMA Network Open

Importance: Treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains challenging. The rationale of combining a cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor with concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) was based on results of preclinical research and prospective clinical studies; however, no randomized clinical trial has provided evidence of a direct comparison with CCRT alone. Objective: To determine the effect of combined selective COX-2 inhibition with standard CCRT on survival among patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC. Design, Setting, and Participants: A single-center, open-label, ra

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Longitudinal changes of white matter microstructure following traumatic brain injury in U.S. military service members

Ping‐Hong Yeh, Sara M. Lippa, Tracey A. Brickell et al. · 2022 · Brain Communications

Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyze quantitative diffusion tensor imaging measures across the spectrum of traumatic brain injury severity and evaluate their trajectories in military service members. Participants were 96 U.S. military service members and veterans who had sustained a mild traumatic brain injury [including complicated mild traumatic brain injury (n = 16) and uncomplicated mild traumatic brain injury (n = 68)], moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (n = 12), and controls (with or without orthopaedic injury, n = 39). All participants had been scanned at least twice,

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

TRAF1/C5but NotPTPRCVariants Are Potential Predictors of Rheumatoid Arthritis Response to Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy

Helena Canhão, Ana Maria Rodrigues, María José Santos et al. · 2015 · BioMed Research International

BACKGROUND: The aim of our work was to replicate, in a Southern European population, the association reported in Northern populations between PTPRC locus and response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We also looked at associations between five RA risk alleles and treatment response. METHODS: We evaluated associations between anti-TNF treatment responses assessed by DAS28 change and by EULAR response at six months in 383 Portuguese patients. Univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. In a second step to con

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Different Threshold of Malignancy for RAS-like Thyroid Tumors Causes Significant Differences in Thyroid Nodule Practice

Kennichi Kakudo · 2022 · Cancers

Histopathological diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) is prone to significant observer variation due to different thresholds of RAS-like nuclear changes among pathologists. This gap recently widened due to a defensive attitude by Western pathologists where malpractice litigation is significant. Cases with delicate RAS-like nuclear changes are follicular adenomas when they are noninvasive, follicular carcinomas when invasive, and follicular variant PTCs when they have fully developed PTC-type nuclear features in Asian practice. The different diagnostic threshold of PTC nuclear feat

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Results From the German Fungal Keratitis Registry: Significant Differences Between Cases With and Without a History of Contact Lens Use

Mathias Roth, Christoph Holtmann, Loay Daas et al. · 2021 · Cornea

PURPOSE: Fungal keratitis (FK) is a serious ophthalmic disease with a potentially devastating outcome that seems to be increasing in recent years. The use of contact lenses (CLs) was evaluated as a risk factor for FK to determine possible…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Significant association between polymorphism of the erythropoietin gene promoter and myelodysplastic syndrome

Wanlong Ma, Hagop M. Kantarjian, Ke Zhang et al. · 2010 · BMC Medical Genetics

BACKGROUND: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) may be induced by certain mutagenic environmental or chemotherapeutic toxins; however, the role of susceptibility genes remains unclear. The G/G genotype of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1617640 in the erythropoietin (EPO) promoter has been shown to be associated with decreased EPO expression. We examined the association of rs1617640 genotype with MDS. METHODS: We genotyped the EPO rS1617640 SNP in 189 patients with MDS, 257 with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 106 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 97 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 353

View details →