1.
RETRACTED: Nicorandil vs nifedipine for the treatment of preterm labour: a randomized clinical trial.
Rezk, M, Sayyed, T, Masood, A, Dawood, R
European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology. 2015;:27-30
Abstract
This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. The editors were alerted to the following concerning features of this trial: The submission date is impossible. Patients were recruited at 24 to 34 weeks (mean 31 w). 18% of participants delivered after 37 weeks. Average recruitment 26 per month. Recruitment ended September 2014 but the paper was received by journal on 23 October 2014. The second author, Sayyed T, is co-author of related retracted papers in BJOG. In view of these concerns we wrote to Dr Rezk who had no satisfactory explanation and declined to share the data. We have therefore decided to retract.
2.
Calcium channel blockers and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of 17 observational studies.
Li, W, Shi, Q, Wang, W, Liu, J, Li, Q, Hou, F
PloS one. 2014;(9):e105801
Abstract
PURPOSE Studies on the association between the use of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and breast cancer risk have reported inconsistent results. We quantitatively assessed this association by conducting a meta-analysis based on the evidence from observational studies. METHODS We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for relevant studies published up to and including December 31, 2013. We calculated pooled risk ratios (RRs) for cancer risk. RESULTS A total of 17 studies (9 cohort studies, 8 case-control studies) were selected for further study. These studies included 149,607 female subjects, of which 53,812 were CCBs users, who were followed for 2-16 years. The risks of breast cancer among patients receiving CCBs were significantly different for the pooled RRs (95% confidence interval) of cohort studies 1.08 (0.95, 1.20) and case-control studies 0.98 (0.86, 1.09). Differences were also noted for cancer risk, for CCBs use of <5 years 0.96 (0.78, 1.15), and for >5 years 1.01 (0.74, 1.28), as well as for ever used 1.08 (0.95, 1.20), and for current use 1.13 (0.83, 1.42). The RR for studies longer than 10 years was 1.71 (1.01, 2.42), and for studies evaluating nifedipine was 1.10 (0.87, 1.33) and diltiazem was 0.75 (0.40, 1.10). CONCLUSIONS The long-term use of CCBs appears to have a significant relationship with breast cancer. Well-designed clinical trials are needed to optimize the doses and types of these drugs needed to minimize their carcinogenic potential.