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Clinical trials Medicine Science

About that Danish mask study that “shows that masks don’t work”…

Danish researchers published a negative randomized controlled study of masks to prevent COVID-19. Is this slam dunk evidence that masks don’t work? Not so fast, there pardner…

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Autism Bad science Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine

Duke U.’s stem cell program for autism: The dark(er) side of quackademic medicine (revised and greatly expanded)

Despite a lack of evidence Duke University is all-in on stem cells for autism, thanks to a billionaire benefactor and a Panama stem cell clinic. This is the dark(er) side of quackademic medicine.

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Bad science Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery

Duke University’s stem cell program for autism: The dark(er) side of quackademic medicine

Despite a lack of evidence Duke University is all-in on stem cells for autism, thanks to a billionaire benefactor and a Panama stem cell clinic. This is the dark(er) side of quackademic medicine.

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Clinical trials Medicine Politics Popular culture

Can we trust the CDC and FDA any more?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached the US, increasing concern has been expressed about the politicization of the CDC and FDA due to pressure from the Trump administration to downplay the severity of the pandemic and push out treatments and a vaccine as fast as possible, potentially at the expense of safety. This has led me to a disturbing question: Can I trust the CDC and FDA any more?

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Antivaccine nonsense Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine

Should we bypass phase 3 trials of a COVID-19 vaccine?

Steve Salzberg proposed, in essence, bypassing phase 3 trials for a COVID-19 vaccine. It was a very bad idea for a number of reasons. To his credit, Steve later admitted his mistake.