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Browse the failure-mode index

21,234 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures. 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 Report

Small-Sided Games in Elite Football: Practical Solutions to Replicate the 4-min Match-Derived Maximal Intensities

Andrea Riboli, Fabio Esposito, Giuseppe Coratella · 2022 · Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research

Abstract Riboli, A, Esposito, F, and Coratella, G. Small-sided games in elite football: practical solutions to replicate the 4-min match-derived maximal intensities. J Strength Cond Res 37(2): 366–374, 2023—The purpose of the study was to…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Serendipity—A Machine-Learning Application for Mining Serendipitous Drug Usage From Social Media

Boshu Ru, Dingcheng Li, Yueqi Hu et al. · 2019 · IEEE Transactions on NanoBioscience

Serendipitous drug usage refers to the unexpected relief of comorbid diseases or symptoms when taking medication for a different known indication. Historically, serendipity has contributed significantly to identifying many new drug…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Human essential hypertension: no significant association of polygenic risk scores with antihypertensive drug responses

Heini Sánez Tähtisalo, Sanni Ruotsalainen, Nina Mars et al. · 2020 · Scientific Reports

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for essential hypertension, calculated from > 900 genomic loci, were recently found to explain a significant fraction of hypertension heritability and complications. To investigate whether variation of hypertension PRS also captures variation of antihypertensive drug responsiveness, we calculated two different PRSs for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure: one based on the top 793 independent hypertension-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms and another based on over 1 million genome-wide variants. Using our pharmacogenomic GENRES study comprising four

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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

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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

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

The physiopathology of brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Yves‐Alain Barde · 2025 · Physiological Reviews

BDNF is synthesized and secreted by excitatory neurons. Decades of work with animal models prepared the ground for interpreting the results of human genome analyses associating polymorphisms with memory deficits, mood disorders and…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSocial Sciences

Artificial social influence via human-embodied AI agent interaction in immersive virtual reality (VR): Effects of similarity-matching during health conversations

Sue Lim, Ralf Schmälzle, Gary Bente · 2025 · Computers in Human Behavior Artificial Humans

Interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) based agents can positively influence human behavior and judgment. However, studies to date focus on text-based conversational agents (CA) with limited embodiment, restricting our understanding of how social influence principles, such as physical similarity, apply to AI agents (i.e., artificial social influence). We address this gap by leveraging latest advances in AI (large language models) and combining them with immersive virtual reality (VR). Specifically, we built VR-ECAs, or embodied conversational agents that can engage in turn-taking conve

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessImmunology and Microbiology

HIV-1 Nef Is Transferred from Expressing T Cells to Hepatocytic Cells through Conduits and Enhances HCV Replication

In-Woo Park, Yan Fan, Xiaoyu Luo et al. · 2014 · PLoS ONE

HIV-1 infection enhances HCV replication and as a consequence accelerates HCV-mediated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the precise molecular mechanism by which this takes place is currently unknown. Our data showed that infectious HIV-1 failed to replicate in human hepatocytic cell lines. No discernible virus replication was observed, even when the cell lines transfected with HIV-1 proviral DNA were co-cultured with Jurkat T cells, indicating that the problem of liver deterioration in the co-infected patient is not due to the replication of HIV-1 in the hepatocytes of the HCV infected

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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

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSocial Sciences

Strategic Inclusion Without Transformation: How Populist Radical Right Parties Engage With Women’s Interests

Bonnie M. Meguid, Hilde Coffé, Ana Catalano Weeks et al. · 2025 · Comparative Political Studies

Despite their Männerparteien reputation, populist radical right (PRR) parties have recently expanded their agendas to include women’s interests. When do they embrace these interests, and what shapes their stance? We propose a theory of…

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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

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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…

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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.…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSocial Sciences

No effect of ‘watching eyes’: An attempted replication and extension investigating individual differences

Amanda Rotella, Adam Maxwell Sparks, Sandeep Mishra et al. · 2021 · PLoS ONE

Some evidence suggests that people behave more cooperatively and generously when observed or in the presence of images of eyes (termed the 'watching eyes' effect). Eye images are thought to trigger feelings of observation, which in turn motivate people to behave more cooperatively to earn a good reputation. However, several recent studies have failed to find evidence of the eyes effect. One possibility is that inconsistent evidence in support of the eyes effect is a product of individual differences in sensitivity or susceptibility to the cue. In fact, some evidence suggests that people who ar

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNursing

N-3 Fatty Acids (EPA and DHA) and Cardiovascular Health - Updated Review of Mechanisms and Clinical Outcomes

Ivana Djuričić, Philip C. Calder · 2025 · Current Atherosclerosis Reports

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We synthesize the latest evidence (published 2020 to 2025) on the role of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cardiovascular health, emphasizing biological mechanisms and key findings from observational studies and clinical trials related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: EPA and DHA modulate lipid metabolism, inflammation, platelet and endothelial function, the gut-heart axis, ion channels and autonomic function via vagal tone, supporting cardiovascular health. While individual RCTs have produced variable results,

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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:…

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Replication FailureOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Fecal microbiota transplantation plus pembrolizumab and axitinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: the randomized phase 2 TACITO trial

Serena Porcari, Chiara CICCARESE, Vitor Heidrich et al. · 2026 · Nature Medicine

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignancy with limited durable responses to first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies. Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiome in modulating ICI efficacy. In the…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Identification of the Genome Segments of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 26 (Isolate KUW2010/02) that Restrict Replication in a Culicoides sonorensis Cell Line (KC Cells)

Gillian D. Pullinger, Marc Guimerà Busquets, Kyriaki Nomikou et al. · 2016 · PLoS ONE

Bluetongue virus (BTV) can infect most ruminant species and is usually transmitted by adult, vector-competent biting midges (Culicoides spp.). Infection with BTV can cause severe clinical signs and can be fatal, particularly in naïve sheep and some deer species. Although 24 distinct BTV serotypes were recognized for several decades, additional 'types' have recently been identified, including BTV-25 (from Switzerland), BTV-26 (from Kuwait) and BTV-27 from France (Corsica). Although BTV-25 has failed to grow in either insect or mammalian cell cultures, BTV-26 (isolate KUW2010/02), which can be t

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Negative / Null Result Report

Using short message service text reminders to reduce ‘did not attend’ rates in sexual health and HIV appointment clinics

Thomas Farmer, Gary Brook, John McSorley et al. · 2013 · International Journal of STD & AIDS

‘Did not attend’ and cancellation rates were compared for two 12-month periods before (2009) and after (2012/2013) the introduction of routine short message service text reminders being sent to patients who have pre-booked appointments.…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Chronic hyperglycemia and cardiovascular dysfunction: an in-depth exploration of metabolic and cellular pathways in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Araiz Hussain · 2025 · Cardiovascular Diabetology – Endocrinology Reports

Chronic hyperglycemia is the defining feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and a central driver of its long-term complications, including microvascular and macrovascular diseases. Among these, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with T2DM. Persistent glucose elevation activates multiple interrelated biochemical pathways, including the polyol pathway, formation of advanced glycation end-products, protein kinase C activation, oxidative stress via several cellular mechanisms, as well as the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. These p

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMathematics

The differential relationship between finger gnosis, and addition and subtraction: An fMRI study

Fırat Soylu, David Raymond, Arianna Gutierrez et al. · 2018 · Journal of Numerical Cognition

The impact of fingers on numerical cognition has received a great deal of attention recently. One sub-set of these studies focus on the relation between finger gnosis (also called finger sense or finger gnosia), the ability to identify and individuate fingers, and mathematical development. Studies in this subdomain have reported mixed findings so far. While some studies reported that finger gnosis correlates with or predicts mathematics abilities in younger children, others failed to replicate these results. The current study explores the relationship between finger gnosis and two arithmetic o

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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

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Polyphenol metabolites in fermented foods: biotransformation, bioavailability, and functional roles

Nouf Abdullah Alharbi · 2026 · Frontiers in Nutrition

Polyphenols, plant-derived bioactive compounds, are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties, benefiting plant-based foods. Fermentation, driven by microbial enzymes like glycosidases, esterases, and decarboxylases, alters the chemical structure of polyphenols, enhancing their bioavailability and bioactivity. This review explores the transformation of polyphenols, particularly flavonoids and phenolic acids, during fermentation, resulting in bioactive metabolites with increased solubility, stability, and antioxidant activity, improving gastrointestinal absorp

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