Weekend reads: Young girl’s death after gene therapy never made public; FDA retracts lettuce test result; ADA delays editorial publication after controversy

Last weekend, Retraction Watch shared several noteworthy stories that were overlooked in the week's news cycle.

Firstly, an exclusive report revealed the tragic death of a young girl after her parents paid over $800,000 for a gene-editing therapy which was never disclosed to the public. This exclusive piece was published in collaboration with Science.

Moreover, the publisher of a prestigious journal is currently under investigation for a potential bribery scheme involving peer reviewers.

Additionally, a medical student at a research factory in Nepal was highlighted, showcasing the intense pressure and high stakes in academic research.

Furthermore, a breast cancer research paper published ten years ago was retracted following the discovery of significant issues by a diligent sleuth.

The FDA has also retracted a test result linking lettuce from Taylor Farms to a cyclosporiasis outbreak.

Interestingly, the American Dental Association (ADA) delayed the publication of an opinion piece from its flagship journal due to controversy that arose during a recent conference.

A co-author of a fraudulent research paper involving a Radboud scientist has recently been retracted eight times for fabricating the peer review process.

Another researcher from China is under severe scrutiny for being accused of academic fraud in a 'paper mill' scandal.

PLOS One has issued an expression of concern for a clinical trial on cold spray due to misleading reporting of data.

The Science Adviser to the U.S. President has proposed to overhaul the 'increasingly calcified' U.S. science enterprise despite the ongoing funding challenges.

In Lithuanian news, the prime minister has rejected plagiarism allegations against a doctoral dissertation.

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council has been barred from confirming research misconduct allegations without consulting an independent expert.

Thermo Fisher's antibody data manipulation has led to a significant breakdown of trust in their product line.

AI in scientific publishing has been criticized for being slower, worse, and more expensive, according to Science editor Holden Thorp.

A preprint study suggests that highly cited papers show more significant reductions in citation after retraction and garner more attention to their retractions as they occur.

Australia's research integrity system has been found weak and inconsistent, with a study offering pathways for improvement.

The UK Committee on Research Integrity is shutting down, prompting a UK proposal for a centralized agency to publish misconduct data.

Stanley Gartler, a scientist known for his discovering that HeLa cells can easily contaminate other cultures, passed away earlier this month.

A professor convicted for denouncing plagiarism in a scientific book has been fined by the Brazilian Supreme Court for attempting to appeal the verdict.

Several preprint authors shared their concerns about research assessment being driven more by differences between evaluators than the difference in the evaluated research.

An audit and feedback intervention to reduce inappropriate citation of retracted publications in anaesthetic and pain medicine has been proposed.

Shaky political 'science' and the breakdown of the peer review process have been discussed in relation to China's detention of a U.S. seismologist and data-sharing crackdown, as well as the smuggling charges against NIH virologists.

Various other stories, including the case of a discredited scholar at Tufts University, the need for negative data publishing, and the impact of preprints on citation patterns, were also covered.