Chromium Supplementation and the Effects on Metabolic Status in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Assessed by RV017 · Evidence Synthesis Methodolodgy Editor
Assessed on 17 Feb 2026
OverallReviewer's overall integrity assessment, derived from all research questions Serious concerns
DOI 10.1159/000438465 (opens in new tab)
Resource ripekg:research-integrity-assessment/RIPEA01514B7E95B5311F
5 Research Questions · 37 Evidence Items
Q1.1 — Does the study have an associated retraction?
Rationale: No retraction on journal website, agree with INSPECT-AI suggestion.
Q1.2 — Does the study have an associated expression of concern or other relevant post-publication notice?
Rationale: Checked journal website and there is an expression of concern: https://doi.org/10.1159/000529289 Concerns raised regarding discrepancies in trial registration, undeclared conflict of interests and data presented. An investigation is currently ongoing. INSPECT-AI also identified a comment on PubPeer regarding concerns with this research group.
Supporting Evidence (1)
PubPeer ThreadSource: PubPeer.com — post-publication peer review comments
https://pubpeer.com/publications/F65BCD7612D233FE1E74B73A77AD1D (opens in new tab)PubPeer CommentSource: PubPeer.com — a platform for post-publication peer review
There are many concerns about the integrity of 172 publications by this research group, including this one. Some of the concerns are published 1. Anaesthesia 2020;75:1683–92, see Supplementary data. This paper is A34 2. Account Res 2020;28:149-61. 3. J Clin Epidemiol 2021;131:22-29. Journals and publishers were notified of these concerns in July 2019. 23 publications have an expression of concern. To our knowledge there has been no public response about any of the concerns. We think these publications are unreliable
Thread: https://pubpeer.com/publications/F65BCD7612D233FE1E74B73A77AD1D (opens in new tab)
Q1.3 — Do other studies by the research team highlight causes for concern?
Rationale: INSPECT-AI has identified that both authors have multiple articles retracted or with expressions of concerns on retraction watch. There are concerns with this research term.
Supporting Evidence (34)
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
The Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Expressed Levels of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma and Glucose Transporter Type 1 Genes in Newborns of Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
10.1007/s12011-016-0788-y (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 28454
Rationale: Concerns/Issues About Data;Investigation by Company/Institution;Updated to Retraction
About Authors: Mehri Jamilian, Mansooreh Samimi, Esmat Aghadavod
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
Effects of Selenium Supplementation on Gene Expression Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Patients with Gestational Diabetes
10.1007/s12011-017-1045-8 (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 28465
Rationale: Concerns/Issues About Data;Investigation by Company/Institution
About Authors: Mehri Jamilian, Mansooreh Samimi, Esmat Aghadavod, Faraneh Afshar Ebrahimi
Retraction NoticeSource: Retraction Watch database
The Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Expressed Levels of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma and Glucose Transporter Type 1 Genes in Newborns of Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
10.1007/s12011-022-03501-2 (opens in new tab)RetractionWatch ID:Record identifier in the Retraction Watch database 40895
Rationale: Concerns/Issues About Data;Concerns/Issues About Image;Concerns/Issues about Referencing/Attributions;Duplication of/in Article;Investigation by Company/Institution;Unreliable Results and/or Conclusions;Upgrade/Update of Prior Notice(s)
About Authors: Mehri Jamilian, Mansooreh Samimi, Esmat Aghadavod
Q2.2 — Are there concerns relating to the timing or absence of study registration?
Rationale: In WHO database, the data of first enrollment is 2015-02-02, which isn't picked up by INSPECT-AI. The data of registration is 2015-02-09 which is a week later than first enrollment. The entry also states 'No' for prospective registration. This alone may not cause concern as it's only a week out, and the dates given in paper do align with the details on the registration entry. Hence, I agree with the INSPECT-AI suggestion. (Do note that it's unlikely that this study would progress to this check as it would have been excluded at the first stage due to serious concerns, relating to the expression of concern and multiple retractions of papers by the same research team).
Supporting Evidence (2)
Clinical Trial RegistrationSource: Clinical trial registry (e.g. ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN)
Registration ID: IRCT201502055623N34
Registry: IRCT
Registry Link: https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=IRCT201502055623N34 (opens in new tab)
Registration Date: 9 Feb 2015
Prospective:Whether the trial was registered before participant recruitment began Yes
Assessment Rationale:How INSPECT-AI determined the prospective registration status by comparing dates Comparison performed at month level. Registration: 2015-02, LLM Recruitment Start: 2015-02. Deemed prospective at month level.
Study Design EvidenceDates and timelines extracted by INSPECT-AI from the publication text
Recruitment Start: 02-2015
Recruitment Start Rationale:INSPECT-AI's reasoning for how it identified the recruitment start date Methods: 'performed from February 2015'; no specific day found.
Recruitment End: 04-2015
Recruitment End Rationale:INSPECT-AI's reasoning for how it identified the recruitment end date Methods: 'to April 2015'; no specific last patient in date found.
Study End: 04-2015
Study End Rationale:INSPECT-AI's reasoning for how it identified the study end date Methods: 'clinical trial was performed from February 2015 to April 2015'; using the end date of the trial as the study end date.
Overall — What is the overall integrity assessment of the study?
Rationale: Article has an expression of concern due to the integrity of the data. Both authors have multiple articles retracted or with expressions of concerns on retraction watch.